On the Come Up: Chapter 23 Summary & Analysis

Bri has cereal for breakfast and rides the bus with Sonny. Malik is home sick and Bri guesses that he didn't tell Aunt 'Chelle what happened. Bri feels responsible, but thinks it's a good thing that Malik isn't at school: there are four armed cops serving as security guards. Bri thinks that Shana was right about this, and she’s happy to go home at the end of the day despite not having electricity. She continues to think through all the horrible things that have happened and thinks that it's been 20 hours since she spoke to Pooh. Jay tries to lighten the mood by pulling out the Uno deck after dinner. Bri, Trey, and Jay play until they hear a knock on the door.

Bri jumps, hoping it's not about Pooh, but it's Grandma and Granddaddy. Grandma imperiously sniffs and peeks into rooms, presumably looking for drugs, but Granddaddy comes into the kitchen to ask why they weren't at church yesterday. Jay explains that they decided to stay home. Grandma asks about Bri's "vulgar" song and stirring up the gossips at church. Granddaddy, unperturbed, fiddles with the clock on the oven and asks why it's not working. Grandma shrieks when Jay says that the electricity got turned off. She and Granddaddy refuse to listen when Trey says he has things under control.

Grandma announces that Bri and Trey will come home with her. Trey refuses, and Grandma says he doesn't need to "suffer." At this, Jay emotionally tells Grandma that she's just poor, not a bad mother. Trey refuses again to go, and Granddaddy says that Bri's also old enough to decide where she lives. Even though Bri wants electricity and food, she sees the fear in Jay's eyes and says she wants to stay. Granddaddy pulls out his wallet and gives Jay money for the electricity bill as Grandma storms out, crying. Granddaddy sighs that Grandma holds onto Trey and Bri because they remind her of Lawless. He leaves.

Trey suggests that Bri take their phones out to his car to charge them, which is his way of saying that Jay needs a minute. Just as Bri plugs the phones in, Supreme calls her. She tries to sound upbeat, thinking he can't help Pooh. He says that DJ Hype wants Bri to come on his radio show, which plays live all over the U.S. He runs through the things that Hype will want to talk about, including the "creative" "li'l" music video that Bri made. This offends Bri, but Supreme brushes off her protests. Though Bri feels unable to commit with Pooh missing, she agrees.