How It Went Down

James “Rocky” Fry looks again at the headlines and sees that matters are only getting worse. The public is in an uproar over the release of Franklin. Tariq’s mother and Reverend Sloan are accusing the police of racial bias, which Rocky agrees with because he remembers the police grilling him about Tariq suggestively, as if they already knew what really happened. There’s also a statement from the police that says there were no grounds to hold Franklin and that self-defense is a protected right.

Meanwhile, Melody walks to her job at an assisted-living residence while she notes the uptick in police activity in the neighborhood. She usually assists with Sheila, a developmentally-delayed girl. When she finds Sheila, she notes that she is crying, which is unusual because Sheila is always happy. It turns out that Sheila has learned about Tariq’s death, and she’s sad because, according to her, their brothers were friends. Melody finds this strange because Tariq doesn’t have a brother.

Tina finds the key to Tariq’s locked room and enters it when no one is watching her. Though the room is the same, Tina notes that everything is different without Tariq. Meanwhile, Tyrell again reflects on simpler times. Though life wasn’t perfect (Tariq’s dad would disappear for long stretches, and Junior’s family was so poor that they would have to bring him food at times), it felt safer and simpler. The four of them used to have sleepovers, and because they only had three sleeping bags, they tried putting them together. But Sammy was a wild sleeper, so he eventually slept by himself. Interestingly, Sammy was the first one to leave them and join the Kings. For Tyrell, the sleepovers were the best of times because nothing in the outside world could touch them.

The point-of-view then shifts to Junior, who recalls how he and Tariq were best friends in the second grade. They used to share their fruit so that they’d both get the kind they liked. Junior mentions how Tariq seemed disappointed when Junior joined the Kings. He was second to join after Sammy. Tariq made a joke of it, though Junior knows that he and Ty were disappointed about him joining.

Ms. Rosalita admits that it is tempting to lock herself into her apartment and wallow in pain, but the world holds so much beauty that she wants to be out in it. She recalls when years held no meaning to her because life seemed endless. Now that she’s so old, time doesn’t seem endless, and she appreciates the small amount of time she has even more. She watches as Redeema walks toward her and thinks about how she was present when Redeema was born. The two are now elders together in the neighborhood. As such, Ms. Rosalita notes that she has a thousand children, as she was midwife to many of the children in the neighborhood. She and Redeema are akin to guardians for the young, as they are a constant presence in the neighborhood. She feels through Redeema just how great the pain is.

Sammy polishes his gun and then heads to Brick’s. Brick asks to speak to him privately and shows him his arsenal of weapons. Sammy is amazed and wonders why Brick is taking an interest in him. Brick then asks to see his gun, and Sammy begins to understand. When Brick asks him where he got it from, he says he bought it fair and square. Brick mentions that he’s trying to figure out what happened to Tariq’s gun. Sammy mumbles that Tariq didn’t have a gun. Though Brick says he just wants to thank whomever took the gun, Sammy is adamant that his gun is not Tariq’s. Sammy admits that he would like to protect Tariq but that he wouldn’t lie to Brick.

When the chapter shifts to Brick’s point-of-view, he talks again to Noodle about standing up for Tariq. He admits that Tariq knew a softer side of him because of their sisters. His sister is Sheila, and he and Tariq used to walk Sheila and Tina to go play. Because of this, they became very close. He and Tariq talked about running the Kings, because Brick thought they had no leadership, and they even joked that Tariq would be his second-in-command. They soon started making plans—just plans—on how they’d run things.

Noodle is annoyed that he has to stand in front of reporters and talk fondly of Tariq. He expresses his dismay to Jennica; she warns him not to speak ill of the dead. He’s annoyed at her change in demeanor, even though he’s tried to tell her that dying is just a part of life. He even knows that he’ll probably be killed by someone. He wants to go to Brick’s, but Jennica refuses. She just wants to go home, and her tears and anger make him angry. He asks her why she’s so focused on Tariq and grabs her forcefully by the hair. She cries out in pain; he makes her repeat that she belongs with him. Meanwhile, Tyrell goes on a binge and eats all the snacks that are usually packed for his father. He doesn’t even care that his father gets mad at him. He thinks about the fact that Tariq knew everything about him, even why his dad is really mad with him, and that he won’t be able to see Tariq anymore.

Tom Arlen wakes up and quietly looks at the news. The rest of the house is a news-free zone on account of Franklin staying with him. Despite the pushback from the public, Franklin maintains that he saw what he saw. Tom doesn’t doubt him and believes what he did was right, but he’s in awe of the public outcry. He’s also lived in Underhill long enough to know that people like Tariq don’t always get treated fairly. In fact, if he wasn’t involved due to Franklin, he would probably be marching along with everyone else.

Jennica goes to Kimberly’s salon to get her hair done. Kimberly helps her, and Jennica notes how beautiful Kimberly is. Her neck is still sore from when Noodle yanked her head back, but she notes that he loves her and didn’t mean to hurt her. Though she doesn’t really have the money to get her hair done, she’s searching for something to take the feeling inside her away. Meanwhile, Kimberly tries to console Jennica by telling her that many people want to look good for an event, even a sad one. Though Kimberly wouldn’t have gone to the funeral herself, she’s now going because she’s helping Al.

The chapter then shifts to Noodle, who is trying to decide what to wear to T’s funeral. He doesn’t want to wear a suit, like the one he wore when his father died. He wants to look nicer than normal, but he doesn’t want to think about when he might really need to put a suit back on.

Tina doesn’t want to go to the funeral because there are too many people. She suggests that they give away all of the people in order to get Tariq back, a sentiment that makes her mother cry. Tina’s mother, Vernesha, admits that she’d be glued to the television with her mother if this wasn’t happening to her. And she’d hate Jack Franklin. She wishes she could hate him because hate would be easier than the sorrow she’s filled with. The chapter then switches to Reverend Sloan’s point-of-view. He shields Vernesha—whom the media initially calls Vanessa—until she’s ready to speak. He wonders how he and the family will look in the eye of the public. When Vernesha begins to speak and tell the cameras that she wishes her son’s death hadn’t been the catalyst to make them take notice, Reverend Sloan is humbled and inspired by her words. Redeema, meanwhile, takes pride in listening to her daughter speak. She watches over Tina, and wonders how she or Tina will ever make do without Tariq. She also notes that the Kings are present at the funeral.

Sammy is relived that the funeral is closed casket. He thinks back to the last time he spoke with Tariq while showing him how much money he could make. Tariq seemed to like the idea of making easy money with the Kings. Brick sees Tyrell show up for the funeral and notes how small he looks. He’s not sure what Tariq ever saw in Ty, but he figured they came as a package. Though he doesn’t think that Ty has what it takes, he feels he owes it to Tariq to take care of Ty. Ty, meanwhile, wants to avoid the Kings but is approached by Brick and Noodle. Brick tells him that they will always be there for him; Ty tries to think of a way to get away from them. Though he’s good with math problems, he has no idea how to deal with the problem of the 8-5 Kings wanting him to join.

Jennica sits with Noodle and the Kings in the second-to-last row. Though she understands how it feels to be protected and to feel strength in numbers, she wants out of her life with Noodle and the 8-5 Kings. She doesn’t want to watch people die and just shrug it off. Brian Trellis is also in the church for the funeral. He’s still being assaulted by reporters who question his story and by those who hail him as a hero. He maintains that Tariq was up to no good and that he had a gun, but he’s not as sure as he was before. He recalls the look on Franklin’s face, the look of a white man protecting another white man, and he knows for certain that if he hadn’t have stopped Tariq then Tariq would still be alive. In other words, Tariq’s death is his fault.

Kimberly goes to touch-up Reverend Sloan before the funeral. She’s met by Pastor Birch, who calls her Kimbee. It’s a childhood name, and she’s embarrassed that Al has heard it. She touches up his makeup while he eyes her figure. The two share a moment, and she finally leaves. Pastor Birch looks at her as she exits.

Meanwhile, Tyrell flees to the bathroom, where he encounters Tariq’s father. Though he wants to be angry at Tariq’s father, the man begins crying. Back in the sanctuary, Tina assesses all the people and all the commotion, and she notes that despite the pictures and noise, Tariq is absent from the place.

Steve watches the funeral footage as he does cardio. He listens to Reverend Sloan speak and admits that Sloan makes very good points about bringing justice to Tariq’s death. He also looks at all the people there, including the gang members, and reflects on different types of power. Though he feels that Underhill is a dump and that Will needs to stay away, he can’t help feeling that the Tariq incident is wrong, and that no matter how he tries to run from it, he can’t get away from Underhill or the incident.

Noodle speaks to the reporters; he’s initially nervous, but begins having fun. He’s able to answer the questions and put Tariq and the Kings in a more positive light. The reporters eventually pivot away when Vernesha leaves the church. Brick congratulates him for doing such a good job. Tyrell watches Noodle speak with doubt and confusion. He feels he knows that T wasn’t an 8-5 King, yet many things point to that conclusion. Regardless, he is now alone and has two years before he can leave for college—if he can leave. College is expensive and they don’t have the money to send him. Despite all this, he has to somehow survive two years on the streets by himself.

Melody doesn’t go to the funeral. Instead, she sits with Sheila. She looks at the coverage and is surprised when the Kings are shown on television and Shelia becomes very happy while pointing at the screen. Tina, meanwhile, thinks about Tariq’s death. Though she hears about ashes and being placed in the earth, she doesn’t believe that Tariq is any of those things. When the funeral is over, the family prepares to bury Tariq, but Tina refuses to go inside the cemetery gates. Though Vernesha wants her to witness the burial, Redeema tells her that she will watch over Tina. She sits with Tina outside the gates, telling her that she deserves her tantrum because the day has been such a trying day for everyone.