A Chance for Growth

Prologue

1987

"TARAJI!"

She groaned rolling over onto her stomach. Placing the pillow over her head she drifted back to sleep. Heavy footseps sounded out off the hardwood flooring. Her door shot open with a loud thud. She could feel the gaze of her mother on her fine laying in bed surrounded in a fluffy blanket, a million pillows on the bed yet she only slept on one.

"Get up!" Bernice snapped shaking her body.

"Mom....." Taraji whined swatting her hands.

"Get up, Get up, Get up!" Her mother chanted smacking her butt 6 times.

"Daddy!" Taraji yelled shielding her butt from her mom's hands. On cue her father walked into the room. Fully dressed for work munching on an apple.

"Come on baby. What's 15 more minutes?" He spoke, Bernice glared at her husband. Taraji used the distraction as a chance to roll on her side and snuggle back into her blanket.

"Her being late on her first day back, that's what that is." Her mother argued, he shrugged looking at his daughter. They've been back in town a week and she's spent the whole time sleeping in her room. When she wasn't sleeping she was eating

"She'll be fine. If she drives to school today in that nice car I bought her, she won't be late." He voiced loudly, Taraji shot up looking at her dad as if he just handed her a million dollars.

"Really?" She asked. He nodded watching his daughter light up like a Christmas tree. She jumped up and hugged him.

"Thank you!" She cheered, this was the first time she could drive it. Her mother frowned, her daughter was spoiled. Only because she was an on my child.

"Alright, I gotta go. Love you." Boris smiled kissing her cheek then pecking his wife's lips.

Taraji squealed, she was fully awake now. She loved being back in her old town. She grew up here. Washington D.C it wasn't all bad. She had some of her best memories here. Especially ones with her ex best friend. After she moved in the 8th grade they kept contact for a while but things fell off. Years of seperation does that to some people.

"Don't be late for school! I'm gonna go see Alice." Her mother spoke. Taraji perked up imeadietly.

"Alice Howard?" She asked, Bernice gave her a look.

"Yes Alice, Who else?" Her mother responded. Taraji smiled old memories of her ex best friend popping up in her head.

"That's nice, Tell her I said hi." She smiled.

"I will, We got a lot of catching up to do. I guess Terrence turned into a little shit." Her mother chuckled stepping out of her room.

Taraji shook her head, He was always a little shit. She sat on her bed passing time, just getting her back pack tohether. She heard the front door shut and ran to her window. Her mother getting in her own car and driving off was what she saw.

Taraji ran into her bathroom and jumped into the shower. Getting out she flat ironed her her then pulled it into a high ponytail. Leaving a bit of hair to the side framing the beautiful face gifted from her parents. Her make up was light and natural aside from the pink lipgloss on her lips.

She walked into her closet pulling on a black skirt that stopped mid thigh. A simple white tank top and a black bomber jacket. She knew she was late, about an hour to be exact. She shrugged putting a little perfume on. Grabbing her backpack and fresh pack of him she was out the door. Swiping her keys from the hook on the wall she eagerly bounced to her car.

The drive to the High school was quick. Just 15 minutes plus the 5 she spent at the corner store. She sighed seeing the High school come into view, this was her senior year. Boy was she already ready to go home already. Driving up she noticed a group of guys strolling up the street. She smirked they were about an hour late as well.