On the Come Up

Bri is taken to the principal’s office in handcuffs, and her mom is called. However, when the school secretary tries to call the church where Jay works, she is told that “[Bri’s] mother doesn’t work there anymore” (73). They call Jay’s cell phone, and she arrives swiftly, demanding to know why Bri is handcuffed. They uncuff Bri, and the principal brings Bri and her mother into her office. The principal explains that Bri was caught with a bag full of candy to sell, and “it’s against school policy to sell contraband on campus” (76). Jay argues that there was no need to handcuff her, and Bri claims that the security guards target Black and Latinx students. The principal insists that there is no bias and that the guards treat all students equally. She points out that “Brianna was not cooperative. [...] she was argumentative and aggressive,” and reminds them that “This is not the first time [they’ve] had behavioral issues with her” (77). Bri is suspended for three days. In the car, Jay begs Bri to comply with whatever the school officials ask her to do. Bri confronts her mother, who admits that she lost her job because “the church daycare got damaged during the riots [.