Previously on Girl Unscripted.

This is KQ2, your hometown news at 10.

28 girls along with their families are meeting here at Hollywood Theatre.

The girls are ages 11 to 14.

They participated in an intensive three week summer filmmaking program.

Tara Veneruso created the program.

She and her team have been documenting the girls for a feature film.

She wants these girls to learn there's more to life than doing drugs and getting in trouble.

I've been arrested once.

I've ran away from the cops about nine times.

Most of my friends do drugs and I see how bad they're messed up.

And I don't want to be like that.

I get arrested a lot don't I?

This is the first girl that we're going to see since 2008.

You see it?

Okay.

Oh, my gosh.

This is so wild.

Oh, my God.

I wonder what this is going to feel like.

I'm nervous.

I'm nervous.

I never get nervous.

Every girl, regardless of where she lives, one bad decision will send her to the wrong direction.

You were saying that your mom doesn't know that you smoke and stuff like that?

I started because I thought it would relieve all my stress about all my family.

It's just making it worse.

That's my daddy.

We're going to get lunch.

Yeah, we're going to go get lunch.

Bye.

Say "love you."

Whats your response?

Uh uh.

Willie.

You're dork and a half.

Quit filming me.

(Welcome to the family.)

This car, my Mom is going to give me one day soon.

Yes.

This is going to be her car one day.

(Trying to get by.

We're all trying.)

How many kids do you have right now?

Five.

I got my tubes tied, so I'm not going to have anymore.

Who's that?

Rachel, tell me, everybody that lives in your house.

Hi.

My name is Rachel Downs.

I'm 13 years old.

I was born on 1/17/94.

That's my brother Jacob.

With the big nose.

He's 16 or 17.

Whatever.

Brothers.

That's Willie.

As you can see, he does have a big head.

That's Keith.

He is 19.

Hi.

My name is Jaden Downs.

Hello.

That's my grandpa.

How old are you Grandpa?

I'm 52.

How old is Grandma?

60.

She don't want to be filmed.

Rachel, don't do that.

See right here.

That's her picture.

Zoom in on that.

That's ...me and her about ten years ago.

Ten years ago.

Grandma and Grandpa.

Yep.

That's my Lord and Savior right there.

Lord and Savior.

Grandpa.

Hi, Dad.

That's my dog.

Pumpkin.

Pumpkin hi.

That's my mom.

Busy.

What are you doing, Mom?

Cleaning.

I can't take care of them the way I'd like to take care of them because of you know, my movement and the last four of my vertebrae, all of them are gone.

They're just like laying.

The bones are just laying together.

I get 21 shots in my back because I also have fibromyalgia and my doctor gives me shots with Lidoderm.

And I have patches that I put on my back.

And, and also I'm on Lortab pain pills and it makes me feel groggy and really sleepy and -- I can do laundry, you know, I just can't bend over very well, like picking things up off the floor.

When -- when it's rainy, I can't hardly move at all.

And then their dad is sick, too.

He's got chronic high blood pressure.

They're not exactly sure what it is, but he's got a tumor on his kidney that they don't want to operate on.

They're not real, real worried on it.

But the last time he went to the doctor for that, they said that it could be --.

I wasn't that close to my dad.

I'm really close to my dad.

You are?

He's one of my best friends.

What are some of the fun things that you and your pop do?

We used to drive around at night and just talk.

Like when I would cry, he'd take me on a drive and talk to me about stuff.

Why do you think that he's closer to you than your brothers?

Because I'm the only girl.

Does he ever say to you, You're my favorite daughter?

Yeah.

My dad says it all the time.

Do you have any questions for me that you haven't had the chance to ask me about before?

Have your brothers ever made you bleed?

(I, I, I, I don't know you.

But we seem to be rolling in the same way today.

And you, you, you, you.

You may --) How old are you?

I need to know this.

How old do you think I am?

24.

Oh, thank you.

That is the blessing.

No, I'm 34.

Oh.

Yeah, I'm 34.

I graduated from college when I was 21.

That's cool.

Who do you live with at home right now?

My mom and her boyfriend.

And -- and where is your dad?

On the road.

What is he doing?

He's a truck driver.

He's a truck driver.

And so when did your mom and your dad split up?

A long time ago.

Like when I was like.

I don't know.

Like nine, I think.

My dad used to seriously, like, seriously beat my mom, like, so bad.

Oh, really?

Yeah.

He'd, like, throw her up against the wall and, like, choke her and, like, throw me in my room.

Throw my little brother in his room.

Yeah.

Do you want us to come over to somewhere or go meet -- To my grandma's.

Yeah?

You can meet my baby cousin, Kendra.

She's -- (We don't always put our hats on just right.

Any claim that we are perfect is a bluff.)

Hi Tara.

I'm playing with Kendra.

Say “Hi.

” Say “Hi.

” Say “Hi.

” Inside.

That's my grandma.

Hi.

Oh, you're sexy.

Come on, girl.

Tell me how old you are -- girl this is going to be shown in front of my class.

I was scratching my nut.

Your nuts?

Will, you get that thing off me.

I'm...I'm camera shy.

Girl.

Just look at me one time and smile and say, I love you, Jenny.

Look at me and say, I love you.

I love you.

That's my mom.

Look at me.

No.

Please?

I don't feel like it today.

Please, look at me.

I'm sick.

Mom, look at me.

Just look at me and say I love you.

I love you.

I can't see your face.

Hang on.

I got to redo that one.

All right, redo it now.

Go.

I love you.

That's my mom's boyfriend, Larry.

This is Larry.

What's your last name?

Gonzalez.

Are you related to Zack Gonzalez?

No.

He's hot.

Aw...she's just the cutest.

Look at her face.

It's okay baby.

It's okay.

Say “Hi.

” It does look like her back -- Kendra.

Kendra.

Love you.

Kendra.

Kendra.

Give Jenny kisses.

Give Jenny kisses.

You dropped a cheeseball, look at that belly.

The belly.

My name is Jennifer Tates and I'm 14 years old.

Do you think if Kendra sees you doing all this bad stuff, it will make her think it's okay to do it too?

Yeah, and that's the reason why I need to change, like, my behavior and stuff.

I need her to see me as a good role model, and it's not really cool to get arrested and to smoke and to get suspended so, that kind of stuff.

Do you know how to zoom in?

That thing right up here.

That thing right there.

I'm all wet.

Do you wish you could be better, and why?

Yes, I think I wish I could act better because I want to, like just know that Kendra will be okay and f * * *.

Let's just start over.

(I saw you.

You whispered.

You sang in my ear.)

My daddy and mommy are back.

Hey beautiful thing you, Mama.

Daddy.

What?

I love you.

I love you.

Very much.

He's going to work.

Again.

He's going to stay all day.

Again.

But I'm not going tonight.

Again.

Yay!

You didn't go last night either.

That's right, and I'm not going tonight either.

Sunday night I do.

There's our family portrait.

Need to buy cigarettes?

That's me...as a baby.

Look at that.

Look at that.

Aw...my sissy.

Ope, wrong way.

Don't -- don't show them our dirty floor.

That's our dirty floor.

Oh, my God.

And how many brothers and sisters do you have?

I have a sister and a brother I've never met.

I met my sister, you know, but I've never met my brother.

And so.

Do you live sometimes with your sister?

No.

She lives in Texas now.

And then your brother.

So how do you have a brother that you never met?

What's the story like?

He's like my stepbrother, kind of because my dad's ex-wife, he had a child with her.

And we sent him a video when we were like five, you know, just like saying hi.

And he never wrote back.

I have a picture of him from two years ago.

My uncle Randy went and seen him up in Pennsylvania.

He doesn't even know I'm alive.

I mean, he's seen the video.

He thought that I was like a little cousin or something.

He asked my uncle Randy.

It's like, he's like, No, but they are related to you.

He didn't tell him that I'm his sister.

What do you guys do here?

Do -- you do for fun and for work?

Well, I work at a steel foundry.

I work at Wal-Mart.

I've been in Wal-Mart for almost ten years.

My mommy and my daddy.

My mom has cigarettes.

Daddy.

They're always at work.

I have to take care of myself.

I have to cook dinner, and I have to, like, do all this stuff.

The same time, I have to wash clothes for my mom and dad.

For fun all I do is a little bit of fishing now and then when I get a chance and -- Yeah, a lot of channel surfing.

Wal-mart.

We are going to go camping.

See look.

Scott.

Sleeping bags, the chairs.

And this is our camping stuff.

Look at this, we're going to have so much fun.

I know.

Like on Father's Day weekend we went camping.

That was the first time I spent time with them for like a year, year and a half.

Where did you go?

Um this secret pond.

My dad caught a fish.

A big mouth bass.

That big?

Not that big.

You guys missed all the fun.

I'm being lazy.

I went camping and we went camping and yesterday we went shopping.

And we went out to eat.

And what else did we do?

What are you laughing at me for?

Were you focusing on my nostrils or something?

You were, weren't you?

You hate me.

You're mad at me, I'm ugly.

No I ain't.

What are your biggest fears for Clarissa?

The biggest things that you're the most scared of happening.

Taking the same path as your sister.

Like I said.

I know you'll never turn out like her because you're not, you're not anything like her.

Then why do you judge me?

Why do you compare me to her all the time?

Because it's your mother.

That's her job.

Bull honkey.

She's a good kid, too, in her own ways.

But she has some bad traits.

And life will show her -- deal her cards.

She will have to pay for -- for her ways.

She's not a bad person.

Okay.

No more about that.

It's upsetting her.

I don't blame you.

It's okay.

(Voices.

Voices outside my window.

Louder as the day gets longer.)

Who do you live with right now?

My auntie.

Where are your mom and dad right now?

I don't know.

(Faces.

Millions divided by --) Good morning.

443.

How are you doing this morning?

Okay.

How are you?

Good.

She had to talk me into this.

I'm Karen.

Hi Karen.

I'm Tara, nice to meet you.

I'm Crista's aunt.

It's just about them getting excited to come -- Well, she's always exciting.

Thanks.

That's awesome.

Well, Crista is my baby sister's daughter, which makes me her aunt.

She's my niece.

She was, like, four years old, and her mother was having some problems.

She had a lot of issues that -- a lot of evil issues that she couldn't, you know, deal with.

And so me being the oldest in the family and really loving children and I only had one of my own, I took her.

It used to be pretty rough down here and we used to dodge bullets and all that, but now it's calmed down a lot.

You know, this is, you know, better known as the projects, but they call them housing now.

What was the story that you were explaining about when Crista was physically born?

My sister, I don't know if she did something to, you know, to lose her plug.

What plug?

You know, it's a -- it's a plug that's in your, your, your -- the mouth of your uterus when you're pregnant, which holds the fluid and stuff in.

And she lost her plug and Crista was still inside of her.

So she lost all the fluid that was there.

So all she had to ingest was the cardium in the feces.

So this went into her lungs and they had to take her by helicopter from Joplin, Missouri, to Saint Louis.

And they put her on this machine that would take her blood out of her, her lungs and filter it and put it back with something like dialysis.

How long was she there with Janet?

About a month.

She was there, I think, a month or so.

A couple of months.

Oh, boy.

I'm going to cry.

I'm sorry.

And we went in there and seen her.

And I kept going in there to talk to her and talk to her.

And finally she opened her eyes.

And I said, I've got a baby now.

Thank you, Lord.

I've got a baby now.

Because we knew she was coming back.

Hold up.

Are you all right Jayden?

Yup.

What?

What happened?

I crashed.

Again?

I could do a backflip.

You can do a backflip?

Here we go.

Oh, yeah.

That is awesome.

I haven't met your dad or talked to your dad.

What's your dad like?

He used to be a pro wrestling person.

He was one of the pro wrestlers?

Wow.

And he -- he's retired now because he has problems, and he has a lot of friends.

And we go to Wal-Mart and look at the magazines and people that he's taught.

It's not pros.

You've always lived with your mom, mom and dad?

Well, in California, they split up.

So I was with my mom for about a year.

Okay.

But -- It was hard on me because I'm so close to my dad.

Oh, God.

Yeah.

Did he fall down?

Yeah.

He's embarrassed.

He's cute.

I don't know where we're going.

We're going right here, or do you want to sit out here on the porch?

Porch'll be better or sitting on them rocks?

The porch is okay.

Okay.

Better you'll be more comfortable.

Why do you think we picked your grandma to talk with us instead of your mom?

I like her better.

Okay.

She's just funner.

What's the deal with your mom that's sort of frustrating or that you don't feel as close to her?

I don't know.

I just never really ever been like that because, like, I don't know.

She thinks that she needs to be the center of attention.

No she just pays attention to Michel more.

Well, I think it's just a little jealousy thing going on there.

He's younger and she of course, they pay more attention to him.

So I don't know.

But she's loved.

She knows she is.

I mean, I'm sure life is a lot different than what I've seen on camera from your mom because your mom's real camera shy.

What's she like?

She's a chain smoker.

She's like -- and she just lounges.

And we read a lot of magazines.

I mean, before your mom was away and everything, do you -- were you guys close before?

Were you ever close to your mom?

No, I just never really, like, wanted to be, or something.

I know her, but I don't know-know her.

How do you mean?

Like I know her.

Like she's my mom.

I know some things about her, but I don't know all about her.

I know a lot about, like, her past and stuff, but I don't know.

And like, one time I tried talking to her and she was like, that's an immature problem.

I was like, well, I guess I'm immature because it's bothering me.

And she just thinks my problems down, like, really immature and stupid.

It makes me real, real mad.

Cause if it bothers me, then it's, I don't care if it's immature or not.

It's bothering me.

We listen to the same kind of music and.

We play with Kendra.

We're both really funny, and I think that's it.

She just used to be bad when she was a little kid.

And I'm bad right now.

And -- What did she do?

She would always get kicked out of school and stuff like that.

She would break off the little girls' Barbie doll heads and put them in the back of her tow truck and drive them around the school, and she'd get in trouble for that.

Was she there for you very much growing up or has it always --?

Not really.

She was just selling drugs and like doing whatever.

I know this will sound mean, but I don't want to be nothing like her.

Give me an example.

Like what used to happen?

What happened?

Like one day she couldn't find her lottery ticket, and she came in my little brother's room because me and him are sitting in there watching TV, and she was, like, yelling and screaming and stuff.

Throwing stuff.

Where's my lottery ticket?

Like, just little bitty things like that made her crazy and stuff.

And then what was the events that led up to her -- I guess she went to jail for a while for meth but -- Yeah, okay, she lost us because my little brother was like, "Yeah, she does..." Telling like my dad and stuff like that.

And then he got custody of us and then she kept on selling drugs and then she, I guess she sold some to a snitch or something and they snitched her out.

How do you think your relationship with your mom is going to go over the next couple of years?

I don't know.

What -- is your mom doing positive things right now or is she kind of -- She's riding four wheelers and going out and stuff like that.

Here we are in the woods.

My place to get away and hang out with my friends.

I am about to show you my most favorite part about the woods.

I think it's beautiful, so.

The waterfall.

So there's a lot of water and it falls, so it's a waterfall.

This is just like my home.

I don't know what I'd do without this place.

I don't know what I'm going to do when they tear it all down.

My friend's mom, I bought marijuana from her and I was going to sell it.

And I tried to sell it to one of my friends and their friends called the cops on me, so.

What was the repercussion?

Where did you end up?

Juvie.

And what was it like there?

Boring.

I was there for about a day, day and a half.

In a spaghetti strap shirt and a pair of shorts.

No blanket.

Yeah.

Why do they have people there for such a short period of time?

Because I had to wait for my mom and dad to come pick me up, and they were at work.

And then my mom was like, I'm too tired to come get you, I'll be there in a few hours.

What were you talking about with your mom?

You remember some party and -- Oh, yeah.

What was that all about?

Mom said I could go to a party, and my friend Tyler said, Well, if you don't.

If you can't go to this party, I'm going to be like, real mad at you.

My mom flaked out on me, so she promised me that I could go.

And then when I said, Mom, are you going to take me?

She's like, No, you ain't going.

I just think that's bull because, now my friends are mad at me because you lied to me.

I didn't lie to you.

Yeah, you did.

No, I didn't.

Yeah you did.

You didn't do a damn thing in the house this week.

Yes, I did.

You're filming me?

No, I'm not.

Yeah, you are.

No, I'm not.

I didn't do that.

I'm not gonna stand here and argue with you.

And yes you are filming.

No, I'm not.

Look.

Then why do you keep looking at it?

Because I can.

And this is my responsibility for the weekend.

Turn it off.

Okay I will.

That's my mommy.

Morning.

Don't I look pretty?

No.

You'll break the camera.

Mom.

I'm tape recording woman.

No, you're not tape recording your momma 'cause I'm not here.

Liar.

My mom is being mean, and she's like, really being weird and I don't know why.

Now you have brown hair and lots more of it.

Smoking is bad.

Don't do it.

Got to go.

What was Clarissa like when she's five, six, seven years old?

Well, she loved to draw.

She, she pretty much followed her sister around did whatever her sister wanted her to do.

Where's her sister now?

In, in Texas.

She's -- I told them it's -- Just running amok.

Running amok.

Stripping.

Living her life.

Yeah.

We raised our kids to love each other and love us, and we love them.

And Alicia went off into a part of her life after she got what Mom?

About 14, 13?

14.

And it was totally destructive to herself, to the family unit and to her sister and their life.

And it was hard on her sister.

And it's going to take a lot of healing in order to heal up the -- She was very abusive to her sister.

Like that thing with your brother you know?

My sister kind of did something like that with me, like when I was like seven, so.

Me and you have a lot in common.

I have a cigarette burn right here from my sister.

She wanted me to do something with her boyfriend.

I didn't want to.

So she burnt my chest.

And then I had to anyway, because she overpowered me, you know.

It's so hard, you know?

Knowing that you have friends, but you still want your family but your family ain't there.

Yeah.

Also I have a question.

Please don't ask my dad about my, my brother.

He'll like break down crying and it'll get me into a fight with him you know?

My brother abandoned him because my dad was on drugs and he would not talk to them or nothing.

So because my dad got into the motorcycle accident, he got a half a million dollars and spent it all on drugs.

My mom and dad just let their self go and they're like, This is it.

We're leaving.

Last time I seen him, he was five.

But it really hurts him because he's holding back from me for all these years.

That's really important for you to see him, huh?

Yeah, I really want to meet him, but I don't think it'll ever happen.

Why?

I don't know.

I just don't have hope about that.

I mean, I might run into him one day and I won't recognize him.

For all I know, he could be living in this town.

But I know he ain't.

Because I just know.

My brother really kicked in on me yesterday, you know.

My dad says, oh, yeah, your brother says Hi.

What do you mean?

He says, Oh, he wrote a letter like three or four years ago.

So.

Why did he wait four years to tell you?

I don't know.

I'm sorry about that.

That's awful.

Did you?

When did you find out?

Like yesterday morning.

Before you came to class?

And so you found out and the last thing you need to deal with is somebody being mean, huh?

Kind of made it like, oh, the whole world is against you kind of feeling, huh?

Mmm hmm.

I'm sorry.

Well, I want you to know that I'm not against you.

I'm for you.

I think that you're fantastic.

And I see so many great things being able to happen for you if you stay focused, you know?

The people in my life that I honor is my auntie and my grandma.

I honor them because they was there for me through the good times and the bad times, and they were there to guide me; guide me through the ups and downs and what to do and what not to do.

And for that, I love them.

I turned my head from -- Any child wants to be with their mom, you know, irregardless.

So that put a lot of -- she had a lot of animosity towards me because she felt I was keeping her from her mother and I wasn't.

So we had to, you know, just -- just steps we had to take to get to where we are now, you know?

So and it was hard, you know, I cried a many a tear, but, you know, we made it through.

I realized, like, when they would talk to me and then I would think about it, that maybe it wasn't meant for me to be with my mama at that time.

How do you sort of think about it now?

Do you -- have you reconciled it or how do you think about your mom now?

She realizes now that, you know, what I was saying was true because she has gone through some things with her mom even over the phone.

Like she would say stuff and then it wouldnt happen.

And I would look forward to it and get my hopes up and it wouldn't happen.

I think that like that we can just, like, take time and just, like, work it out.

And so she can get herself together.

Do you feel any, any different by doing the film program?

Do you see any change in yourself?

Yeah, I think, like I feel like anything's like possible to achieve and my goals, I have more goals now.

And I'm proud of her for doing this because I had my doubts.

I really did.

But she surprised me and I love her for that.

You know, and I know she had fun because she would come in and talk about it.

So -- and she would just be excited.

You know, like a lot of times you'd be excited.

You can't even go to bed.

You know and stuff.

So, you know, it's a good thing.

It's a good -- and I thank you.

What do you wish was different in your life if you could have a different life?

I wish that, like, I didn't have, like, a bad record.

I didn't get arrested so much, and I had more money for my grandma.

And that Larry wasn't alive.

So my mom would never meet him.

They hang out too much.

And I don't like that I'm too protective of her because whenever she was doing drugs and stuff, she had too many boyfriends and I didn't like it.

Do you think that you can ever really get close with people?

No.

How come?

I don't trust people very well.

Larry.

What.

That's you.

What baby?

It's all you.

It's all me.

Every bit of it.

Hey, Megan.

Maybe Larry can --.

That's all Mom.

And that's all Kendra.

That's all, Grandma.

That is disgusting.

That wrapper is, it is very, very gross.

Don't ever do that.

(Lying in the sun.)

What do you feel is different about Rachel from last year to this year?

Is there anything that's remarkably changed from last year?

Yeah, I feel like she's more of who she wants to be.

You know, she's growing into a woman.

She's matured a lot.

I think she has more confidence in herself.

I'm just very proud of the woman she's choosing to be, and I think that she could do anything she puts her mind to.

I had a mild heart attack and I still struggle with my bipolar disorder and my fibromyalgia.

I found out a couple of months ago that I have two nodules in my left lung that they're kind of keeping an eye on right now.

I do have shortness of breath, so I have like three different inhalers that I have to use.

And I take about 13 different medications a day.

And some of those I have to take three times a day.

And I have arthritis and I get stiff and it's hard to walk around and we have a huge house.

So, you know, it's just it's very difficult for me to be the typical mom.

Rachel is my angel.

She helps me and she takes care of me and she rubs my neck and my back when I need her to.

It's not as hard as it sounds.

When she asks me to do stuff, I throw a kind of fit, but I do do it.

And when I'm out, hanging out with my friends, I worry about her.

And I wonder if she's getting help from any of the boys.

I just worry about her a lot.

So now that you're by yourself, what do you think about some of the things that we were just talking about, like taking care of your mom and stuff?

That sounds like it is really hard.

It is hard.

I just don't want her knowing because I don't want her to be hurt and I don't mind doing them for her.

It just, it's aggravating hearing a favor every minute.

You were saying that your mom doesn't know that you smoke and stuff like that.

I started because I thought it would relieve all my stress about all my family.

It's just making it worse.

His eyes are bright blue.

I know.

My God.

So, what's going on with your sister?

Oh well, she's bipolar, you know, and she hasn't been taking her medicine.

And, I mean, she hasn't been able to control herself, and she's just been going off the wall about everything.

And, I mean, she's hit me and stuff for years, but when she hit my mom, she left a bruise like that big, like on her chest, and it was like really bad.

So... We had to get a restraining order or else they were going to put me in foster care.

Well, I got caught shoplifting at Kmart.

So my probation officer put me on house detention.

I ain't allowed to leave the house or anything without my mom and dad.

This is the first time I've been outside for a while.

And I mean Monday at 11, I think I have to go to BCA and see if I'm going to get locked up there for six weeks.

What's BCA?

Juvenile hall.

What did you need that you were shoplifting for?

Well, my mom and dad are going bankrupt.

They took my mom's car and they're getting ready to take the other car.

So we're going to have no cars in a few days.

And I just didn't feel that my mom and dad should have to pay for my wants.

So I just went and tried to get them.

It was makeup.

I mean, it just seems like I take a small step forward, a giant step back, and then a few steps forward and then a giant step back.

And when I shoplifted, I'm all the way back against the wall in a corner.

I have nowhere to go now.

What makes it appealing to stay here?

I have all these good memories here and I don't want to leave them behind.

And I want to be able to show my kids, Hey, I lived here.

This is where I grew up.

My mom and dad are going to give me this house once they're done with it, you know, when they pass away.

And I mean, I just think it would be awesome to show, like, when my kids get older, you know, this is where I used to hang out.

Da da da da da da da da.

You know, I mean, and my mom and dad really have been doing good for me.

And it's just really awesome how I can actually call a place home.

My mama, I guess departed herself from me, because right now she changed my number so I won't have it.

To be honest, I really don't want any contact with her, but I would like to see her get herself together.

Are you allowing your auntie in your brick wall now?

Im trying to, but its still that fear of rejection.

(Heart steady.

Drumroll.

Breathing locks the tempo.

The tunnel is the road.

No cooling keep moving.)

Okay, explain what's going on anyway because you're probably like, what did I stumble into?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Exactly.

When my daughter was 13, she was in Tara's program about learning filmmaking and, you know, positive influences in your life to to make better choices with your life and give you more opportunities.

She's always been really close with my daughter, and Rachel is struggling really bad right now.

So with Rachel, what do you think she's truly, really fully up to?

I don't know what to do.

I-- I try so hard to think about what is it that I can do to reach out to her, and I dont-- don't know what to do.

I think she's angry.

I think she's hurt.

Lost.

I mean.

The last six years have been complete, utter hell.

And it just seems like it's getting worse by the day.

You know?

And I feel like she thinks that I abandoned her and in my own way I did.

You know, I got to stand on my s * * *.

I made bad choices and I checked out mentally for a long time.

Thank you for coming to visit me.

I'll come back before I go.

Okay.

Take care and try to talk her into coming to see me.

Absolutely.

I will very much do my very much best.

All right.

I just -- and I know she didn't like seeing me like this, but at least I'm still here.

Exactly.

That's exactly right.

Still definitely very much here.

(I left home and I --) I even know where we are.

Well, this is a trip.

You know why this is a trip is because I fell in love, like with Crista and her auntie in the -- in a, like, the deepest kind of compassionate human way.

So it means the world to me if she's reaching for the stars, you know, reaching for her goals and dreams.

It's got to be right there.

Poor Crista is like, what the heck is going on?

Where are these people?

Where are these people?

Hi.

I met all your neighbors now, though.

Hi, how are you?

How you doing?

Hello.

I met all your neighbors.

Oh, my goodness.

Do you remember Tito?

Yeah hi.

How you doing?

What's your name?

Vonnie.

Nice to meet Giovanni.

Nice to meet you.

My name is Tara.

They just call me Tara.

Can I please come say hi?

Yes, how are you?

Oh, I miss you.

I miss you.

I think about you all the time.

Oh, I think about you all the time.

Oh, wow.

I can't believe you're back.

I send you love and prayers all the time.

I came back.

I can.

I could use it.

And I've been trying for nine years to get back.

But here we are.

Here we are.

We're on planet Earth at the same exact moment.

You know what I noticed first?

There's a word that changed -- Mom.

Yeah.

She's a mom.

You're a mom.

No, me calling you "mom."

Oh, yeah.

Mom, mom and mom.

That's right.

Oh, it's the best thing.

Yes.

It is the best.

Because it's true.

Yeah, it's real.

It's because it's true and it's real.

Right, right.

And Crista knows and you know.

Yeah.

Watch out Giovanni.

Watch your fingers.

Hold it right there.

Ready, and, mark it.

Good job.

Crista.

You seem like you were experiencing a lot of the world -- of the weight of the world was on top of you.

And you could see it physically.

I could see it physically.

But there's this moment in the footage where you hear, I love you.

And the way you described your love.

And I physically saw that weight start to move.

And it lifted from you in the middle of this moment that you guys shared together.

Do you remember it?

And what was happening inside of -- of you?

I think it was so much just like -- because I've always like, struggled with, like, my self-esteem and like, I wanted the unconditional love and I struggle with that and beat myself up with that.

So hearing her, you know, "I Love You" just released all the darkness and the hurt that I've been carrying.

I didn't have like any kind of trust because knowing that she left and never came back.

So I felt like I'm not going to get attached to her because she might leave.

Anybody that come into my life, I struggle... to let them love me because I feel like my mama left so anybody else is going to leave.

So that's another why I had my son, because I know he wouldn't want to leave me.

Her mother messed up her credit.

I couldn't go to college.

She couldn't go to college.

She couldn't get money.

She couldn't get anything.

Because of her credit.

Her mom used her Social Security number.

She got everything in the world in this child's name.

Her mom -- I just have to tell -- tried to have her on my mom -- on her mom's birthday.

Which our mom's birthday's October the 23rd.

And Annette was trying to have Bubby on my mom's birthday.

No.

So she took a douche that put, made the plug come out.

And so she was so strong, she waved herself off of the ecmo-machine and she opened her eyes and I said, I got a baby now.

You know, had a head full of curly hair.

She was a beautiful baby.

Yeah.

So her mom has done a lot to this child.

I deal with, like, a lot of anger and I had to forgive her.

I don't want any contact because it messes with me and messes with my attitude and my demeanor.

And I be irritated and upset and I've noticed that I would take it out on the ones around me.

You was putting the Band-Aid over the wound and ripping it back off, and so it still wasn't healing.

So when I finally was able to heal and when I had stopped talking to her.

I got, I was able to heal.

So instead of ripping a Band-Aid off and then bleeding all over again.

So when I start to heal up and I heal completely, I was able to forgive her and move on and not think that everybody was going to do me how she did me.

I think how I got through a lot of things in my life, bottom line I had to love myself because when I didn't love myself, I didn't want nothing out of life.

Like, I just questioned, like, why am I here?

Am I supposed to be here?

That's when I got -- became suicidal because I didn't love me.

So I was like, I don't love me.

Don't nobody else love me.

My mama don't love me.

So why do I need to be here?

So when you came and did the program, that was like my outlet.

Like, I would be so excited to go be all day just to be there, to feel like I was really, like, a part of something, and everybody wanted me to be there.

I'm still quiet, but still to kind of be with a team.

You know how it is to not -- Oh, well, she got that on.

Or, you know, she's that color or her hair is that way.

We didn't even see that.

We just -- we was all just love one another and didn't want to depart when it was time to go.

And I think one thing that helped me was when we had that day where y'all made us up and we had like a nice little outfit on.

So I think that kind of helped me to see that, see myself with the pain and then with the makeup on.

I was seeing like somebody like flashing lights and somebody like that.

What did you think as they're doing it?

I was thinking like I was a real movie star or something.

So I started to say, okay, I am pretty.

I -- I'm a little overweight.

But so what?

I'm still pretty and I'm still in love with myself.

My self esteem started going up and I started going, okay, I want to do nursing, I want to be a CNA, I want to get my CMA.

I want to go higher and higher and higher.

(I wouldnt say Im prepared for this.)

2007, Tara gave this to the girls at the graduation ceremony.

She gave each one of them one with their name on it.

And I have kept hers all these years, and I hope all the rest have kept theirs too, because it means something.

It means something.

Hi my name is Crista and some things I would like to say about my life is that I'm 14.

I live with my auntie.

I don't live with my momma like other kids.

I never had the chance to live with my momma.

At-risk Girls Behind the Camera, I believe that it's a good opportunity.

And I feel that we don't really have opportunities that's this big like this.

It could change my life, you know.

And I think the camera, I look pretty on camera.

And, it's like hard because you're trying to figure out which are your good friends who want you to succeed and what your past is which will pull you back.

It's just hard figuring it out.

But I think I know who my real friends are.

Some people that I would like to thank is Tara.

I love you Tara.

I just.

I like to thank the camera crew.

Can't leave y'all out.

Thank you.

I hug myself.

I thank you and bye.

Thank you.

(It's time to go.)

On the next episode of Girl Unscripted.

How do you feel about living in a foster home?

They treat us like we are slaves and get not much and what -- we didn't really get what we deserved in return.

We got what we needed, but we didn't get any love.

And that's what we really need.

What are you on probation for right now?

Three counts of manufacture and delivering and distributing crack cocaine.

It was like I was seven and it happened once.

I just don't want him to be on that list.

People looking at that list on the Internet.

And then they get his picture and then you know, I mean, he's not a bad guy, really I -- I feel like I don't belong here.

Oh, why?

Why baby why?

You do.

If I had the chance, I would go back to my dad in a heartbeat.

Not because of the abuse and stuff that I got, but because I miss him a whole lot.

I'm so happy to see you.

It's good to see you again too.

(It's time to go.

It's time to go.

We loved and we let go and now it's time.

It's time to go.

It's time to go.

We loved and we let go and now, it's time.)