On the Come Up

Pooh orders Bri to run, and chaos breaks out on the street as police and SWAT “swarms the projects, going after the Garden Disciples” (365). Pooh is arrested, and Curtis appears and gets Bri to safety in the apartment he shares with his grandmother. He says it’s a drug bust, and Bri watches from the window as Pooh is searched, and “suddenly, the sky is no longer [their] limit. That bag of cocaine is” (366). Bri panics and Curtis comforts her. She discovers that one of her heels broke off of her fake Timbs, and Curtis gives her his shoes. She thanks him for his help, and they share a kiss. Bri feels a spark with Curtis that she didn’t feel with Malik: “[Her] heart races, and it somehow tells [her] [she] want[s] more and to take [her] time all at once” (371).

Curtis takes Bri home, and Bri tells her mother that Pooh was arrested. Jay calls around looking for answers, but the police “can’t provide any info yet” (374). She goes into her room and stays there for days, crying. Bri’s emotions are running high, and “[her] mom’s sobs won’t leave [Bri’s] ears” (375), and she feels more helpless, angry, and worried than ever.