On the Come Up: Chapter 16 Summary & Analysis

The next morning, Bri realizes that Supreme was right about the altercation at the Ring being good for publicity. People call Bri all sorts of things like "ghetto, ratchet, [and] a hood rat." She wonders if he's right about Aunt Pooh too, though she feels guilty for thinking it. As Jay gives Bri a pancake made with the last of their flour and says that Pooh will bring groceries later, Bri thinks that she can't drop Pooh, since Pooh feeds her. Trey sighs about Pooh's drug money saving them. Bri thinks that it's messed up that Trey is getting nowhere doing everything right, while Pooh is doing everything wrong and supports them.

Jay comforts Trey and suggests he look at grad school. Trey admits he already applied and got in, but he can't leave. Jay puts a platter of pancakes on the table, wishes Trey luck on his interview, and shuts herself in her room. Bri starts to panic: this is what Jay did when she used drugs. Trey assures Bri that Jay isn't on drugs and says she just needs a minute. Bri congratulates Trey on getting accepted and tells him he'll get to go soon. He asks if that's because of Bri's song, and says he knows about the Ring—Kayla texted him links immediately after it happened. He reminds Bri to not involve herself with Pooh's mess.

Glumly, Bri says that both she and Pooh were just defending themselves, but Trey says this isn't the way to do it. He also says that he's listened to Bri's song. He admits that there are some good lines, but people aren't going to look deeply at it. He points out that Bri certainly doesn't know what a clip on a gun is, and says this is a distraction from school. Trey rolls his eyes when Bri says this could be their way out of poverty. He reminds Bri that getting famous doesn't mean she'll be instantly rich, and asks her to consider what getting rich might cost.

When Bri gets on the bus, Deon immediately starts asking Bri if she really got kicked out of the Ring and if she's a member of the Garden Disciples. Curtis stands up for Bri. Bri thanks Curtis, thinking he's way more tolerable now. She asks why he's already on the bus, and he says he spent the night with his dad. Bri knows that her face betrays that she had no idea he had a dad. Curtis says his dad is a truck driver, which is why he lives with Sister Daniels. Bri asks Curtis if he ever gets to see his mom in prison, and Curtis says that he used to see her weekly but hasn't visited in a while. He explains that she stabbed an ex-boyfriend who beat her, but it wasn't self-defense.

Bri asks why Curtis doesn't see his mom, and he says that she's "a shell of herself." Bri offers that she saw Jay like that when Jay was on drugs, and it was a terrifying and also strangely happy experience. Bri assures Curtis that his mom would love to see him. Curtis changes the subject and asks about Bri's favorite rappers. Bri is thrilled to not be asked about Lawless. She introduces Curtis to one of her favorites, Rakim, who she insists is the Dumbledore of hip-hop. Curtis is impressed with Bri's knowledge and tells her she looks cute. They flirt, and Bri blushes. When Curtis says he's growing out his hair for locs or cornrows, Bri offers to do them for him.

When Sonny and Malik get on the bus, they raise their eyebrows. Malik sits next to Shana and Sonny sits down in front of Bri and wiggles his eyebrows. Bri gets off the bus and meets up with Sonny. He teases her about naming her kids with Curtis after him, but stops when Bri suggests that Sonny and Rapid give their kids ridiculous names. Sonny admits that he ghosted on Rapid after he wasn't able to focus on a practice SAT test. Bri sees him starting to panic and tells him to breathe. He says that he and Malik also found out that Rapid isn't from Garden Heights. They notice that the crowd at school seems thicker than usual. When they reach Malik, he says that Long and Tate are back.