After the Shot Drops

Nasir is at his school’s library studying a book on landlord-tenant laws to glean some information that could potentially help Wallace’s eviction case. Wallace smells like he has been smoking marijuana and shows no interest in Nasir’s book. When Nasir asks Wallace if he has found a job, Wallace informs him that he is planning on winning a gambling wager he placed against St. Sebastian’s, even though they are favored to win because they have Bunny as their star player. Wallace expresses a personal grudge against Bunny for deserting Whitman High and defecting to St. Sebastian’s. He asks Nasir to go watch the game with him, and when he declines, he invites him to go see a horror movie. Nasir agrees to go see a movie if Wallace promises to look for a job over the weekend, which he agrees to.

After roundly defeating Bishop Jackson as expected, Bunny goes to the movies with his girlfriend, Keyona. A fan asks Bunny for his autograph, which embarrasses him, but he complies. He attempts to win a stuffed animal for Keyona from the claw machine game but fails, leading him to reflect on how the game is rigged. He spots Nasir and Wallace at the theater buying refreshments, for which Nasir pays. Bunny does not want Nasir to see him with Keyona because he knows that Nasir is, or used to be, romantically interested in her.

Nasir and Wallace are watching the same horror movie as Bunny and Keyona. Nasir observes Bunny and Keyona snuggling during the film. After the movie, he runs into them in the lobby where, in an awkward encounter, Nasir lies that he is on a date. However, Wallace joins them shortly after. Nasir is embarrassed that he was caught in a lie. Wallace, meanwhile, communicates with Bunny and Keyona in an outwardly friendly but passive-aggressively sarcastic way.

The pairs go their separate ways. Wallace smokes marijuana and asks Nasir if he wants to go to a party. Nasir tells him that it is late and reminds him that he needs to rest because he is supposed to be looking for work that weekend.

After practice, Bunny comes home to find a fresh pile of brochures from colleges looking to recruit him. He considers enjoying the solitude of an empty house but starts thinking about money, which galvanizes him to go jogging instead. While jogging, he reflects on his friendship with Nasir, who used to play basketball and work out with him all the time. He concludes that it is wrong of him to date Keyona, knowing Nasir has feelings for her, so he resolves to break up with her and mend his relationship with Nasir.

Wallace comes to Nasir’s house for his second day of job hunting. The day before, he went to places like Walmart and McDonald’s, but today, he has a lead at a convenience store called Justin’s. They proceed to Justin’s, and Wallace inquires about a man called Teddy. Nasir waits in the main area of the store with Justin while Wallace goes into the back room to talk to Teddy, whom he suspects is involved with illegal gambling or other criminal activities. After a few minutes, Wallace exits the back room and pays $4 for a carton of eggs. Nasir notices that Wallace has money and inquires where he got it. Wallace tells him that he made a deal with Teddy, and so for the moment, he has money and does not need to look for another job. Nasir suspects Wallace is selling drugs, but he denies it.

Wallace informs Nasir that he bought the eggs to throw them at Bunny’s house. When Nasir asks how egging Bunny’s house is going to help him, he responds, “Catharsis.” Wallace talks him into throwing a few eggs at Bunny’s house to get back at him for transferring to St. Sebastian’s and dating Keyona; however, he feels guilty about it.

Bunny is in his room with Keyona when they hear the eggs pelting his window. Bunny believes he is being targeted for transferring to St. Sebastian’s, but he doesn’t see Nasir and Wallace run away. Bunny then attempts to break up with Keyona, but when she asks him for a reason and he cannot give an adequate answer, she correctly surmises that it is because he feels guilty about Nasir’s crush. Keyona informs him that she has the right to date whomever she wants and convinces Bunny that he shouldn’t break up with her just because of Nasir’s feelings. Bunny is conflicted because he wants to repair his relationship with Nasir, but he agrees to keep seeing her.

While studying for his history exam, Nasir keeps checking on the score between St. Sebastian’s and St Cyprian. He calculates how many games St. Sebastian’s needs to win to compete in the Tournament of Champions. After refreshing the page several times, Nasir sees that St. Sebastian’s won and that Bunny played an excellent game. While he is happy for Bunny, he is also resentful of St. Sebastian’s for siphoning off the city’s best talent.

Nasir receives a text from Wallace about the game’s results. Wallace proposes hacking Bunny’s Facebook page and making offensive posts. Even though Nasir knows Bunny’s password, he pretends he doesn’t so Wallace can’t follow through with his plan.

After basketball practice, Bunny stops by Nasir’s house to visit. Nasir isn’t home, so Bunny exchanges pleasantries with his father, Mr. Blake. Mr. Blake tells Bunny that he knows teenage boys are not very good at expressing their feelings and encourages Bunny to talk about his. At that moment, Nasir comes home. He tells Bunny that he has a history paper to write, so he leaves.

Nasir’s mother tries to convince him to go to Bunny’s game the following night. She tells him that it would mean a lot to Bunny, and she also sees how losing the friendship has negatively affected Nasir. Nasir says that Wallace is his friend, although internally, he wonders about that. He agrees to attend Bunny’s game because his mother wants him to.

Bunny wakes up late at night to find his father sitting at the foot of his bed. He informs him he was shouting in his sleep. Bunny vaguely remembers a nightmare in which he lost a basketball game and people were booing him from the stands. His dad confirms that it was just a nightmare; his team won their game that night. Bunny vaguely recalls seeing Nasir in the stands and asks his father if Nasir was actually there. His dad says he doesn’t know.

Nasir and Wallace go to the neighborhood park to play or watch some pickup games. As they are watching, they hear a kitten mewing. Wallace carefully picks the kitten up, warms him up in his hoodie, and takes him home to feed him. Nasir describes the apartment Wallace shares with his grandmother, which has one bedroom, leaving Wallace to sleep on a threadbare couch. Wallace decides to keep the kitten and name him “Bunny” because he’s a “pussy.”

Bunny is at Whitman High to watch Keyona in a basketball game. While surveying a display of basketball trophies and photographs, he finds himself reflecting on Whitman and wondering whether he made a mistake by transferring. He admits to feeling a greater sense of belonging at Whitman but weighs that feeling against the better facilities, gear, and overall opportunities he gets at St. Sebastian’s. He has a brief conversation with his former coach, Coach J, and feels conflicted and guilty.

After her game, he and Keyona leave Whitman together. He realizes that despite his ambivalent feelings about transferring, his relationship with Keyona is right. Keyona informs Bunny that Nasir was at his last game and encourages Bunny to contact him and try to repair the relationship.

It’s Friday night, and Nasir is attending a party with Wallace, even though he would rather be playing video games. Wallace is clearly agitated, and Nasir feels responsible for keeping him out of trouble. Nasir holds an alcoholic beverage at the party but does not drink from it. He witnesses Wallace arguing with someone in the backyard. The man he is arguing with punches him in the jaw. Nasir and Wallace leave the party, and Nasir asks why the man hit him. Wallace tells Nasir he lost a bet and couldn’t pay up.

Bunny comes home after practice to find Nasir waiting for him. Nasir asks if they can talk. They go to Bunny’s room, and after some small talk and reminiscing, Nasir admits that he is angry at Bunny not just for transferring but for not conferring with him about it beforehand. Nasir accuses Bunny of thinking he is better than everyone else, claims he is selfish, and leaves. Bunny reflects on whether Nasir was right to call him selfish.

Nasir and Wallace are leaving the gym after watching St. Sebastian’s win another game in which Bunny played astonishingly well. Nasir overhears a spectator claim that even though Bunny is an excellent player, he doesn’t really belong at St. Sebastian’s. Even though Nasir is still angry at Bunny, he feels protective of him.

Nasir has a conversation with Keyona, who is also at the game, about Bunny. She tells him that Bunny misses their friendship and needs it again. Bunny joins them, and they have a brief but friendly conversation. However, Wallace joins them and tells Nasir they need to leave. Nasir goes with Wallace to his car, and they find it doesn’t start. Wallace asks Nasir to look in the glove compartment for a tire iron to fix the starter. While looking through the glove compartment, Nasir finds a gun.

Wallace manages to start the car. Nasir asks him why he has a gun. Wallace says that various bad characters are gunning for him because he has lost a lot of bets against St. Sebastian’s and owes them money. He informs Nasir that all it would take to get him out of debt is for Bunny to have one bad night and for St. Sebastian’s to lose. Wallace asks Nasir to help him by ensuring Bunny has to sit out a game, suggesting Nasir find a recruiting violation of which Bunny is guilty. Nasir is angry at Wallace for being so irresponsible but feels obligated to help him since no one else will. He believes that Bunny will be okay even if he gets pinned for a recruiting violation, so he agrees to help Wallace.