Lifelong. (Chance the Rapper)

Hey Ma

"OPEN MIKE" a purple sign with big, bold white letters taped outside the library entrance door read.

"Tonight is gonna be so crazy, man," I heard Justin whisper to Chance.

"Why haven't you guys performed for it, yet?" I turned, facing the two boys. "Why are you guys wasting time?"

"It's gotta be perfect, Mari," Justin explained. "We can't just get up there and do anything."

"We workin on it, though! We gon' have the whole building hype," Chance exclaimed.

"Yeah, man. You already know," Justin added. They continued talking to each other about their ideas for some new music they could perform for the Open Mike show while I walked ahead of them.

Justin and Chance made this little duo together in freshman year, calling themselves "Instrumentality" and they're really good. So far they've made a couple EPs and I really see potential in them moving on with it. A lot of people in the community look up to them and love their music, so I really think they could do good at this Open Mike thing if they actually do it, but every time I bring it up, they postpone to next month.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket when I felt it vibrate, notifying me of a text.

"APC meeting. 7:30. Howard's room."

I looked at the time. 7:15.

"Guys we gotta hurry," I started, talking to the boys. "I got a club meeting in like fifteen minutes."

They both moaned and groaned in unison as we hurried to the school. Once we arrived in the building, Chance and Justin headed somewhere with a group of friends while I headed to Mrs. Howard's room.

"Two minutes late, Miss Wilson," Gavin, the AP Club president hissed. I rolled my eyes, showing that I don't having time for his stank attitude.

"Maybe if we'd schedule meetings ahead of time we wouldn't have this problem," I mumbled under my breath quietly as I pulled out the chair next to Sage for me to sit in. Sage had heard what I said and chuckled to herself.

"Hi, Mari," she greeted me.

I smiled at her before we averted our attention to Gavin.

"Like I was saying, there is an academics competition tomorrow at Booker T. High School.  The Academics Team is not prepared for this and they feel that help from the AP Club could get them a win. Mrs. Howard and I gladly accepted this offer, and she chose four of you to be part of the Academics Team tomorrow." He was handed a piece of paper from Mrs. Howard before he continued. "She chose Sage Camino, Richard Garcia, Dawn Lovett, and..." He paused. "Amari Wilson," he finished, dryly.

"You guys will meet at Booker T. High School with the rest of the Academics Team. Six o'clock in the evening and wear our school pride shirts, please," Kala, the Vice President, announced. With that, everyone was dismissed.

"I swear he hates me," I told Sage once we were out of the classroom and at her locker.

"Honestly, I don't understand why." She looked in the mirror on her locker door and began to apply a really bright pink layer of lipstick on. "He can't still be mad over what happened last year," she rolled her eyes.