How It Went Down

Reverend Sloan is growing tired of the Tariq Johnson incident and feels guilty about his growing apathy. He’s hungover, which is his fault. He’s on another news show talking about police bias and Jack Franklin, and informs the host that Franklin can’t be tried by the media like they assume; he can only be tried by a court and a judge. He spars verbally with the host, saying that if the case went to court, Franklin’s story wouldn’t hold up. Moreover, innocent people don’t go into hiding like Franklin has. After the segment, Reverend Sloan wonders if his entire life has been spent fighting for pointless causes.

Tyrell gets sick at school from his antics the night before. As he sits in the nurse’s office, he recalls the last time he was sick at school and threw up in his classroom in front of everyone. He was sent home, and upon returning home, he found his father in bed with another woman. He threw up then and there, angering his father even more. He cleaned everything up while his father continued with his affair. This was the catalyst that caused his father to practically stop talking to him. He told Tariq about this later, and though Tariq tried to get him to blackmail his father, Tyrell knew that he couldn’t blackmail his father because he loves his mother too much and because his father is too daunting of a figure. Though the nurse sends him back to class, he can’t focus and leaves school. It’s been seven days since Tariq died. He then recalls how he and Tariq used to collect cans for money. He goes to try and collect cans by himself and stops at Tom Arlen’s place. As he talks to Tom, he notices Jack Franklin in the background.

Rocky notes how Tyrell enters the store to bring in his cans and is in a troubled mood. He imagines it’s because of Tariq’s death. Tyrell then asks for three packs of cigarettes, though he’s underage. Though Rocky admires his directness and honesty, he doesn’t want to get in trouble. He tells Tyrell that he can make a delivery for him of three packs of cigarettes and has him write down an address. Tyrell does so, pays and leaves in an agitated state. Meanwhile, Jennica sits in bed while Noodle calls her nonstop. She lets his calls go to voicemail while she thinks about how they first met. She was working at the diner while Tariq and Brick were eating with their sisters. She was admiring how warm they were with the girls when Noodle came in looking for Brick. He began flirting with her and she liked it. He promised to come back, which he did, and now they’ve been together for two years. She continues to let the calls go to voicemail; when Noodle stops calling, she feels relieved.

Redeema opens the door to the sound of the police banging. They practically push her out of the way and shove a search warrant in her face. They pin her and Vernesha in and go about looking for evidence related to Tariq and drugs. Tina runs to her room, while Vernesha cries out that they have no right. They find the large amount of money in Tariq’s room and write “drug money?” on it. Redeema calls Reverend Sloan for help. When Reverend Sloan arrives, Vernesha tells him that the cops didn’t find anything useful. He says they were probably looking for something to help vilify Tariq. Vernesha thought that she’d be able to breathe a little easier with the funeral over. Reverend Sloan says that the one comfort in the ordeal is that camera crews were able to catch the police using force and bursting into the house. Tina recalls how the police entered her room and searched her things. They messed up her stuff. She thinks about a book Tariq used to read to her about helpful people. The book mentions that police are helpful people. She takes the book and tears out the page that mentions how helpful the police are.

Tyrell takes the bus to the state prison. It’s a three-hour ride to get there. At the prison, Junior hears that he has a visitor and is shocked to see Ty. He wonders why Ty is visiting him. Ty asks if he’s heard about Tariq, and then says that he’s not sure if he can hold out. Junior realizes that Ty is there to talk about how to get away from the Kings. He tells him to just be himself, even if he has no friends left. He has to be strong enough to withstand the pressure. Junior notes how soft Ty is and wishes he could console him. He’s glad that he’s on the inside because he wouldn’t want to be the one to break Ty and force him to join. He tells Ty that Tariq wouldn’t want the gang life for him. Tyrell thought he’d have more time to speak to Junior. Just before the line goes dead and Junior has to leave, he says something about Tariq that Ty doesn’t catch. Tyrell thinks about how the majority of Kings spend time in jail and wonders if that is his future. He’d also wanted to ask Junior what he should do about seeing Franklin in Tom Arlen’s house. He knows Brick wants the information but he isn’t sure how to leverage it. Lastly, he admits to himself that maybe he wanted Tariq to go down because that gave him a better chance statistically of surviving as a black man in Underhill.

Tina’s point-of-view ends the chapter. She hid Tariq’s knife so the police wouldn’t find it. Just as Tariq kept promises and hid things, she is keeping his secret and protecting him. She knows now that it’s dangerous, and she won’t touch it.

Kimberly sees Jennica coming out of the salon. Jennica brightens at seeing her and asks if she wants to go to the hoodie march in honor of Tariq with her. Kimberly is working with Reverend Sloan, and she doesn’t want to get involved with the Kings (she knows Jennica is with Noodle), but she says they can go together and is happy to see Jennica brighten up. Jennica asks her how she stayed away from the Kings; Kimberly tells her that they didn’t want her. Meanwhile, Tina doesn’t want to don her hoodie because she doesn’t like things covering her head. Her mom tries to tell her it’s to honor Tariq, but Tina knows that Tariq would have never made her wear it.

Noodle is annoyed that he has to go to the hoodie march for Tariq. He is annoyed that everyone is acting like Tariq is the first black kid to get shot. To Noodle, Tariq isn’t anything special. Meanwhile, Steve catches Will trying to leave for the Tariq demonstration. He puts his foot down and tells him that he can’t go, but Will argues that he’s from Underhill and deserves to go. Though Steve is upset, he finally hears in Will’s complaint that Tariq’s death could have easily happened to him. The chapter then switches to Will’s point-of-view. Steve tries to console him but Will pulls away and goes to his room. He notices Steve standing in the door, and Steve asks if he has a hoodie he might borrow. The two buy hoodies for the march, and Will shows Steve around Underhill, so that Steve can see the neighborhood as Will knows it. Then the two go to the park for the demonstration and get caught up in the emotion of it all. Steve puts his arm around Will, and this time Will doesn’t shy away. He remembers Steve saying once that he wouldn’t try and be his father but that he’d always take care of him.

Tom Arlen and Jack Franklin cower in Tom’s house while listening to angry people in the streets. Tom can practically feel the anger bubbling up. He tries to reassure Franklin that no one is coming to get him, though he isn’t certain. He knows Tyrell is a good kid and doubts that he hangs out with the Kings. Jennica and Kimberly head to the park and link arms while listening to Reverend Sloan and others speak. Kimberly asks her if she’s ignoring Noodle, and she admits that she is. Kimberly tries to console her as she cries. When Jennica sees Tyrell, they link arms. The three are caught up in the emotion of the event, until Tyrell makes a sound and unlinks arms. Jennica looks up to see an angry Noodle coming toward her. Noodle confronts her and grabs her by the arm. Tyrell cowers while Kimberly questions his actions. He’s sick and tired of seeing Jennica crying and sad, and he tells her she would’ve known he was coming had she answered her phone. She then tells him that she wants to break up with him. He squeezes her arm so that she cries out in pain, but she insists that they’re breaking up and that there’s nothing he can do about it. The chapter switches to Jennica’s point-of-view. Brick comes toward them and Noodle relaxes his grip. She continues to tell him that it’s over. He tells her that no one leaves a King, so she tells him to make up a story about how he left her. She doesn’t know who she’ll have as friends, now that she wants things to end with the Kings, but she’s insistent on ending things.

Brick watches Noodle approach. He can tell Noodle is heated and angry; Noodle reveals as much when he says that he just broke up with Jennica. Brick is shocked because the two have been together for so long. He knows that Noodle loves Jennica, and he also knows that Jennica probably broke up with Noodle, otherwise he wouldn’t be so angry. Noodle is so angry that he wants to pick on someone. He tries to start something with Tyrell for hanging out with Jennica, but Brick stops him. Tyrell then whispers something to them, and when Brick asks him to repeat it, he says he knows where Jack Franklin is. Brick and Noodle bring Tyrell to a quieter spot; Sammy joins them. He tells them that he knows where Jack Franklin is hiding. Though Noodle wants to go and get him, Brick turns the tables when he tells Tyrell that he must be the one to knife Franklin. Tyrell is shocked at this turn of events. He simply wanted Noodle off of his back. He doesn’t want to kill anyone. Brick tells him that Franklin will die by their blades, but tonight will just be a warning to him about messing with the Kings. Tyrell can’t think of a way out of the mess he’s now in, and even though Noodle wants to do it because he sees that Tyrell is too scared, Brick insists that when the crowds are gone and the demonstration is over, Tyrell will go and knife Franklin. The group goes to Brick’s place to wait for the crowds to die down, but they never do. Sammy can see how relieved yet scared Tyrell is. He also knows that Tyrell hasn’t actually disclosed the location where Franklin is and Tyrell can’t knife Franklin. Sammy really wants to be the one to do it. When Tyrell sneaks away, he tells Tyrell to just let him know where Franklin is and he’ll take care of the rest.

Though Rocky’s sales have more than doubled due to the march and the previous events surrounding Tariq’s death, he’s still saddened by the news headlines. He notes how a specific gun reform law didn’t pass, as if people are saying that what happened in Underhill is fine. He also sees that Reverend Sloan’s poll numbers have increased and notes how Sloan is also profiting from the chaos.

Meanwhile, Kimberly heads to Reverend Sloan’s hotel room. She’s elated because the demonstration was such as success and she had a hand in it. Reverend Sloan even told her as much and kissed her on the cheek. Though she can’t wait to see him, when she takes out her key (she has a key to his room now) and arrives, she’s shocked to see him standing in the doorway. He’s packed and leaving. He mentions that he’s happy to see her because he wanted to say goodbye.

Tina thinks about the bad knife in her room and how it’s evidence against Tariq. She managed to stand in the right place so that the police couldn’t find it. Meanwhile, Brick plays dirty by going directly to Tyrell’s dad. He tells Tyrell’s father that he wants Ty to be a part of his organization. He can tell that Ty’s dad is intimidated by him. Ty’s dad doesn’t argue and, in the end, tells Ty to go with Brick and to finally be a man. Brick can tell how hurt Ty is at his dad’s betrayal, but he reasons that he needs to protect Ty and this is how he’ll do it.

Tyrell stands down the street from Tom Arlen’s house. He and the Kings are about to bust in. They’ll hold Franklin down so that Tyrell can cut his face. Brick continues to try and build Tyrell up by telling him that Tariq already took this step and that this is what Tariq would have wanted. Tyrell feels like this might actually be what Tariq would want, and that he can definitely get revenge for Tariq’s death by hurting Franklin. He’s not sure if the things Brick is saying about Tariq are real, but he feels that he now knows who Tariq would want him to be: Tariq would want him to step up and do something.

Tina walks down the street with Tariq’s knife in her backpack. She notes the faces looking at her and wonders if people know what she is doing. The chapter then switches back to Tyrell’s point-of-view. Brick hands him the knife and he takes it. He’s just about ready to go through with it when he sees Tina walking down the street. He knows that she isn’t supposed to be out on her own. Though he tells Brick this, Brick tells him to get on with his job and that he’ll take care of Tina. In this moment, however, Tyrell has a revelation. He realizes that he has known who Tariq is all along. Tariq always stood in front of him, protecting him. And he always did the same thing for Tina. Tyrell realizes that he needs to watch over Tina in order to honor Tariq. He tells Brick as much as he tries to hand back the knife. When Brick doesn’t take it, Tyrell drops it on the ground. He finally stands up to Brick, which shocks both him and the Kings. He ignores their angry replies, however, and walks across the street to Tina, who greets him. Tina realizes she’s caught. Tyrell asks her what she’s doing and she says it’s a secret. He then looks inside her backpack and sees the knife. She explains that it was Tariq’s. Tyrell takes the backpack and tells her that they have to go somewhere and do something, something that will be their secret.

Jennica is trying to grow accustomed to her life without Noodle and the Kings now. Brick sent her a message saying that she’s always welcome; she knows that Brick wouldn’t mind hooking up with her. But she doesn’t want that life anymore. She then runs into Kimberly at the store. The two are sad and crying, and they laugh at each other when they blow their noses at the same time. They make plans to hang out later and have pizza. Jennica is happy, and for the first time in a while, she feels hungry. Meanwhile, Tina and Tyrell approach the gates of the cemetery. Tina doesn’t want to go in, but Tyrell tells her that they should try to be strong for Tariq. After they enter, Vernesha comes up to the gates. She has been following Tina. Though she was mortified of Tina leaving the house, she wants to know what Tina is thinking. She thought the cameras would’ve scared her back into the house, but the cameras have all left now, which means that she might actually be able to breathe. She sees Tyrell walk up and take Tina’s hand, and decides to be there at the gates when Tina comes out.

Sammy and the others storm Tom Arlen’s place. They tie Tom Arlen up and threaten him; Arlen says that Franklin isn’t there. Sammy and the others search the house but find no trace of Jack Franklin. Back at the cemetery, Tyrell digs with a trowel that Tina brought. He makes a hole at Tariq’s gravesite and they bury the knife there. Tina asks if they should cry, and he says she can if she wants to. She then asks if Tariq was a bad person. Tyrell realizes that this is the question on everyone’s mind. When he asks Tina what she thinks, she says that Tariq was just Tariq, and that Tyrell should just be Tyrell.