On the Come Up

Bri and Sonny are flabbergasted as they watch Long and Tate wave kids through security. Malik glares at Bri and says that nobody made enough of a fuss. Bri doesn't know what to do, but she doesn't want to be a poster child. Malik starts a chant, but Curtis shouts over him and starts chanting the lines from Bri's song about Long and Tate cuffing her. Most of the crowd joins in, including Bri. She realizes that this is a "call to war." Long appears with a bullhorn and threatens to suspend students, but the students continue to chant. Then, someone punches Long and several boys, including Curtis, descend on Long and Tate. Malik tries to drag Bri away, but she runs to Curtis, tells him, "cops," and Curtis follows her.

Bri, Malik, Shana, Sonny, and Curtis run until they can't hear the sirens. Malik shoves Curtis and asks why he started a riot, but Bri defends Curtis. Shana and Sonny try to calm Malik down. After they see two cop cars zoom by, Malik darkly says they can go to his house. Within an hour, most black and Latinx students from Midtown are there too. Students share that ten cop cars and a news van came. They arrested the boys, including Zane, who jumped Long and Tate, and the guards were taken away in ambulances. Parents were told to retrieve their children, and Bri calls Jay to tell her what happened.

Malik paces while everyone else eats, saying that this isn't going to help the coalition achieve their goals. He says they'll get real cops as security now, and Shana concurs. She says that Long and Tate were probably back because parents believed Bri was dealing, and now, white parents will think all the black students are threats. Curtis says he was just standing up for himself, but Malik retorts that he's just as angry about what happened to Bri but knows this isn't how to protest. Bri is touched. Malik says that now, Dr. Rhodes won't listen to them, and they'll have to go to the school board. Shana stares at Bri and says they need to publicize the video of Long and Tate throwing Bri to the ground. Bri refuses.

Shana asks why Bri is okay with the videos of her "acting ratchet" at the Ring getting out, but not this one. Angrily, Bri says she didn't have control over the Ring video getting out, that she was also standing up for herself, and that she doesn't need a reason to want to keep this video private. Sonny suggests that Shana has a point, which makes Bri stand up to leave. Shana asks Bri again for help, but Bri screams that she doesn't want to give people more ammunition to make assumptions about her. She knows that people will bring up this incident all the time and they'll use it to justify punishing Bri for everything else. Bri leaves.

At home, Bri finds Jay sprawled on the sofa watching soap operas. She thinks that Jay is faking enthusiasm for the soap, so she says brightly that the meeting at Malik's house was good. Jay says she's calling the superintendent's office and heads for the kitchen. The afternoon news starts and the top story is the rally at Midtown. Bri turns up the volume as the newscaster gives a basic rundown of what happened. She then mentions Bri's song and plays bits and pieces—but only the most violent parts. Jay incredulously drops a loaf of bread.