On the Come Up: Chapter 24 Summary & Analysis

Four days later, Bri still hasn't heard from Aunt Pooh. Bri doesn't know what to do—telling Jay or the cops would be like snitching and feels even worse since Pooh may have killed someone on Bri's order. Bri tries to focus on the upside: the lights are on. At school, Malik ignores Bri. On the night of the PTA meeting with the superintendent, Bri vows to try to talk to Malik. She arrives with Sonny, Jay, Aunt 'Chelle, and Aunt Gina. Malik stands with Shana, holding protest posters.

David Rodriguez, the president of the Midtown PTA, introduces himself and then Dr. Cook, the superintendent. Dr. Cook is an older white man who talks about how great Midtown is because of its diversity and high graduation rates. He says the district is committed to student safety and then invites attendees to ask questions. While many parents asks how the incident happened and why there are now police officers manning security, Dr. Cook says that he can't answer because of the investigation.

Shana speaks. She says that black and Latinx students were consistently targeted by Long and Tate and now, students of color fear for their lives. She asks if students of color are human beings or just grant money in the school district's eyes, and asks why Long and Tate were allowed to return to work. Again, Dr. Cook says he can't speak about the incident. A white woman introduces herself as Karen Pittman, a parent of a sophomore. She says that when her oldest child was at Midtown, before the diversity initiatives, there weren't security guards—and says that Midtown was right to increase security once it started busing in students from "certain communities." She mentions gang activity and drug dealers at school, and says that she supports the petition to get Bri's "vulgar, violent" song taken offline, since it incites violence.

Jay steps up to the mic. She notes that Dr. Cook hasn't returned her phone calls, explains who Bri is, and says that Bri was selling candy, not drugs. Jay says that she's concerned for Bri's safety all the time, but she shouldn't have to worry at school. Jay insists that putting Long and Tate back on the job says that the school values the safety of some students rather than the safety of all of them. Dr. Cook gives Jay a non-apology, which Jay calls out. For the rest of the meeting, Dr. Cook refuses to say anything concrete about the incident or what he's going to do.

After the meeting, a police officer leads Dr. Cook through the parents. Jay grabs Bri, chases Dr. Cook, and asks for a word. He leads them into a private room and Jay introduces him to Bri. Jay asks Dr. Cook to look at Bri and see that she's a child. She asks Dr. Cook to pull Bri's records and see that Bri is unfairly targeted because of her skin color. Jay ends by saying that her only options are to enroll Bri at Midtown or Garden High, and Garden High doesn't help students succeed. She asks what Dr. Cook is going to do to help. Quietly, Dr. Cook apologizes and tells Jay that he'll get back to her, but it'll take a while.

Jay confirms that this is because Dr. Cook currently doesn't have a secretary. She pulls out one of her resumes, says she has secretarial experience, and explains that her employment gap is because of drug addiction, but she's been sober for eight years. Dr. Cook compliments her on this achievement and admits that he was an alcoholic, but has been sober for 30 years. Jay seems taken aback, and Bri is too. Dr. Cook pockets Jay's resume and promises to get in touch. In the parking lot, Jay tells Aunt 'Chelle and Aunt Gina about it, and they suggest going out for dinner. Bri and Sonny refuse to go unless they get their own table, as their moms are horrible restaurant patrons. Malik leaves to hang out with Shana, but Bri feels like he's walking away from her.