01x09 - Ordinary People

[bunniefuu]

♪ Twist and twirl it on... ♪

♪ And I can't tell... ♪

NATHANIEL: I asked around
about the yard yak account

that posted Dr. P.'s mugshot.

But, apparently, it's brand-new.

So someone specifically
set up this account

just to att*ck my aunt?

And how the hell did they get this?

NATHANIEL: I can't believe
she got arrested

her sophomore year at college.

And is still refusing to say what for.

- [KNOCK KNOCK]
- Hey.

Jordan, thank god you're here.

Hi, hi.

- Hey.
- Hi.

How did you get through security?

Damon was on his way up.
He just buzzed me in.

NATHANIEL: How about
Kee and I go ahead?

And we'll catch up with you guys later.

JORDAN: OK.

- NATHANIEL: Excuse me.
- KEISHA: Bye. See you.

JORDAN: Yeah. Um...

Where are we going?

It's a long story, but first...

Ah. Hello.

Mm-hmm. Hello.

- I missed you.
- I missed you.

I'm sorry.

I know this wasn't the visit

that you envisioned,

but between my aunt being humiliated

and now this suspension,

I just feel like I need
to be there for her.

Mm-mm. I'm good.

I get to finally experience the famous

Patterson family dinner... or brunch...

in this case.

JORDAN: Uh, so...
Who'll be at the brunch?

Oh, you know. Just the usual people.

- Does that include Damon?
- No.

Uh, I don't think so.

He has a baseball
showcase or something, so...

I don't think we'll see much
of him this weekend at all.

♪ I'm lucid dreaming,
creatin' the life I want ♪

♪ Suppress everything,
lock it in the vault ♪

♪ That's within my mind... ♪

Hey, y'all could flash mob
the board meeting.

It worked at Crenshaw.

Yeah. We could turn this whole place
out in protest

if they try to even push Auntie out.

[LOUD THUD]

OK.

Before you all go
lighting up the torches,

you should know I've
spoken with the board

and agreed to submit
my resignation on Monday.

What?

Dr. P., you...

You can't resign.

Auntie, I don't care what
you did, like, years ago.

This school needs you.

The decision has already
been made, baby girl.

This is not a funeral, people,

so fix your faces

and pass the pancakes.

Thank you.

♪ In this dream... ♪

J.R.: Oh, yeah.

I can't wait to get out here and
bust some heads at this showcase,

especially Santiago, 'cause he getting

way too comfortable in my catcher spot.

Yeah, yeah.

We need to talk, bro.

Heh! Ain't that what we doing?

Look, I'm being serious
right now, all right?

Look, when I went back to Chicago

to talk to my dad about my adoption,

I was, like, showing him some
photos of Bringston alums

to see if he recognized anyone.

Bro...

He picked your mom out of a picture.

Your dad also has Alzheimer's, bro.

Just 'cause he says he recognized
her doesn't mean he do.

Can you just, like, talk
to your mom and see...

how she knows my dad?

And maybe she knows my birth
parents, too, or something.

Bro, bro, bro, now you
reaching, all right?

Besides, last time I got mixed up
in all my family drama,

I damn near b*rned my whole life down.

I can't risk that again.

I promise I'mma help
you figure out the answer.

It's just right now, with
the whole divorce thing,

my mom is fragile.

Can we just give her a minute
and focus on the showcase?

Yeah, man.

That's fair. [CHUCKLES]

Hey, but you gonna
need that focus anyway.

Santiago ain't going
down without a fight.

Once I'm playing, homie,
we'll see about that.

Look, he ain't bad. [CHUCKLING]

- [CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]
- MARCUS: All right, everybody!

Now, I want to thank you all
for turning up

for the first annual
HBCU baseball highlight.

Let's give it up for
these fine examples

of HBCU baseball excellence.

All right. We got Hawkins Georgia,

south Carolina central,

and Bringston university! Yes.

And just so you know, today
is combine-style workouts

and the only chance to be chosen
for one of the exhibition teams

competing on day two.

Now, let me introduce you to
two distinguished gentlemen,

who will serve as guest coaches
for this event.

First up, we got Hawkins alumni
and -year player

for the Detroit Tigers,

including the ' world series team,

John "Buzz" Latimore.

[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]

MARCUS: Y'all, next up,

we have two-time MVP

for the World Series
San Francisco Giants

and -time Silver Slugger honoree

and future Baseball Hall of Famer,

Terry "TNT" Tucker!

[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]

MARCUS: Give it up.
Now let's play some ball!

[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]

SHAW: Looking good out there, Coach.

You're doing everything you can

to keep this program afloat, ain't you?

It's impressive.

Look, don't start, Shaw.
It's too early.

Nah, I'm just pointing out the growth.

Come on.

Must be tough, though, you know,

having your old teammate from the Minors

make it to the big time,

become a household name,
then come back here

and get all this praise

while you sitting on
the sideline with me.

No, you sitting on
the sidelines with me,

because I allowed you to.

I'm trying to save this program

you ran into the ground, Shaw.

Yeah.

[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS]

DAMON: Who's that?

SANTIAGO: Orlando Johnson.

Goes by Lando.

Hawkins Georgia's star pitcher.

Heard he's no joke.

Hey. I'll be right back.

ORLANDO: Of course.
I'm excited to be here.

I plan to make a statement.

How exactly do you plan to do that?

DAMON: Hey. Excuse me. Heh!

I just wanted to introduce
myself pitcher to pitcher.

Uh, Damon Sims.

REPORTER: Damon, you've
brought a lot of notoriety

to Bringston in a short amount of time.

So what are your hopes
for this showcase?

I mean, all of this.

You know, bring more attention
to these athletes,

help players like Lando get
the shine they deserve.

REPORTER: Now, Lando, you're obviously

the standout on Hawkins Georgia,

but what does it mean for you to be here

playing and competing
with an MLB prospect?

I try not to focus on all of that
and just focus on the game.

Can we get a photo of
the top two pitchers together?

Uh, yeah. Heh!

Welcome to Bringston, man. I'm...

really looking forward to all this.

Yeah, me, too.

Now, I know you all thought this
was gonna be a friendly showcase,

but it's not.

I finally get the chance to
embarrass the hell out of you

on your own field.

[SOUND OF CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICKING]

♪ Word around the street is
that there's someone else... ♪

SIMONE: I want to do a petition

or hold a rally.

If we can just get enough students
and faculty to just speak up,

then the board will have
to take notice, right?

OK. Can I just...

point out that your aunt was very clear

about not wanting to fight this?

Maybe show your aunt

you love her by respecting her wishes.

And then what?

We just leave it at, "OK, bye."

"Thanks for the years
of devotion to the school.

You can just drop off
your badge and go"?

No.

That's not right.

What if it wasn't a protest?

What if it was more of
a going-away party?

SIMONE: A little celebration?
That could be very nice.

Let me pull up my list of vendors

'cause one thing I'mma
do is plan a function.

- [NATHANIEL CHUCKLES]
- KEISHA: You do.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER,
CELL PHONE VIBRATES]

I'll be right back. Excuse me.

Hey...

[SIGHS]

I need to talk to you.

Girl, I'm in party plan mode.

Can I hit you back later?

I need some dating advice.

And I'm always here for you. Ha ha.

THEA: So it's Kevin,

the guy Granny Mays set me up with.

We've been out on a couple of dates,

and he wants to go out again tonight.

And I'm not sure if I want to go.

Thea,

don't potentially miss out
on a good thing over fear, OK?

So where's this date?

He wants to go to some party

the Exquisite are co-hosting tonight.

- Mmh, OK.
- That's a low-pressure function,

right here on campus.
It sounds perfect.

SIMONE: If you want,

Nate and I can go with you.

We can be, like, your wing-women.

You'd do that?

Girl, I do love a party.

- SIMONE: Yeah, it'll be fun.
- Ha ha!

I mean, we can grill this Kevin,

see if he's on your level.

Yeah.

OK. That could be fun.

I guess I'll see you guys tonight.

Thanks.

Did she just say "thanks"?

- Mm-hmm.
- OK, well, that can't be right.

Go!

No glove.

Grab the ball with your hand.

Yes, sir.

LATIMORE: Go!

No, no. You stepped off the wrong foot.

Santiago, can you show him again?

J.R.: No, no, no. I know how to do it.

Clearly you don't. Watch again.

LATIMORE: Go!

Boom! Exactly. Great job.

TUCKER: Sims, you're up.

Hey, um, Damon, hold up.

You dropped something.

Your cape,

super-n*gro, sir.

[CHUCKLING]

Not fast enough. ?

Come on, big dog. We
falling asleep over here.

Where them triple digits at?

LANDO: All right. All right. .

You getting warmer. OK.

[WHISPERS] Shut the hell up.

Yeah, . About time.

Better get the MLB back on
the phone while that arm hot.

Yeah. At least I was up for the draft.

That don't mean nothing.

You here with the rest of us now.

Heh. Yeah, that's by choice, though.

A dumb choice.

Me? I would've left
these fools in the dust.

Yeah. Well, everybody
ain't you, is they?

Yeah.

You right about that.

SIMONE: OK. The e-vite is sent out.

Now all I need you to do is get

the sparkling water and the cups.

- Then I'll be able to...
- [KNOCK ON DOOR]

[MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO]

- JORDAN: I should go.
- AMARA: Sit.

Simone Hicks, why did I just
run into a colleague

eager to let me know he was
a yes for my party?

I thought I made myself clear about

not wanting you to make
a fuss about this.

No.

You said you didn't want us

to protest against the board's decision.

Well, let me be clearer, then.

I don't want a big to-do
around me leaving.

Just let it rest.

Auntie, you are fighting
against this party more

than you are at keeping your job.

I don't get it.

I've never known you to
just give up like this.

I'm still fighting, Simone,

just in a different way.

If the board is committed
to getting rid of me,

is it really worth the emotional
toll to fight to stay?

Why am I forcing myself into a space

where I'm clearly not wanted?

That's just not my nature.

It's time I go somewhere
I'll be encouraged,

even embraced.

I guess I never thought
about it like that.

Hey,

you're a Patterson,

and we're fierce in
defense of those we love.

[SIGHS]

So I should just cancel the party?

Please. And thank you.

OK.

Her nature.

Hey, yo, Marcus,

I've been trying to
catch up with you, man,

but you damn near ran off the field.

Ha ha. Hey, man, what's going on?

How about you let me buy you a beer?

My way of saying thank you
for letting me in on this.

Hey, listen, man, you doing me a favor.

Having you here puts Major
eyes on HBCU baseball.

Well, then you can buy me a beer.

No. But, seriously, let's catch up, man.

I want to hear about everything
you've been up to since the Minors.

I would love to, but I got a lot of
work to do, you know.

I got to get prepped for this big
game tomorrow, you know?

OK, I got it.

Yeah. Do your thing, man.

- I'll see you, man.
- OK.

- What's up, big dog?
- What's up, man?

Should I bother disappointing myself?

Pretty sure I bombed my chances
of making anybody's team.

Never count yourself out
prematurely, son.

Center field?

Coach, why would they put me out there?

J., I'm sure they had their reasons.

But, Coach, it sound like somebody's

trying to set me up to fail.

I agree. Heh heh.

Surprised to see you back on the team.

Didn't listen to my advice,

but sometimes you got to learn
the hard way, I guess.

Go ahead and hit the showers, J., OK?

- We got a big game tomorrow.
- All right.

Look here, man,

whatever advice

you call yourself giving
my players, don't.

As a matter of fact, you
stay the hell away from them.

Whoa, whoa.

Relax. You acting kind of testy.

You all right?

You been taking your, uh, vitamins?

Let me tell you something.

You worry about your own
damn players, OK?

Me and Bringston ain't none
of your damn business anymore,

you understand me?

[SIGHS]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

So you don't want to be
here without saying it?

No. Actually, I'm having
a really good time.

To everyone else, it looks like
you ready to fight.

[BOTH CHUCKLE]

Wha... ! What is that?

Yac.

Huh?

Cognac. Just a little splash.

- You won't taste the difference.
- Why?

It'll help knock back
that layer of anxiety,

but...

I don't want you doing anything
you don't want to do.

I'm down to stand here like
two bodyguards all night

if that works for you.

OK, fine, whatever.

Um, just a splash.

OK.

Done.

[CLEARS THROAT, COUGHS]

- NATHANIEL: Hey, y'all.
- THEA: Hi!

Kevin, this is my friend Nate.

- How's it going?
- Good.

Do you mind if I borrow her for a sec?

Please.

[CHUCKLES] Stop.

You can stand down.

Surprisingly, things
are going pretty well.

You can go enjoy yourself.

OK. I'm glad to hear that,

'cause this is my song,

so if you need me,

- I'm just a call or a text away.
- OK.

- ♪ Eh, eh ♪
- ♪ Eh, eh ♪

NATHANIEL: Yeah, girl.

♪ Ehhh ♪

You're funny.

Shall we?

- We shall.
- Oh. [CHUCKLES]

So, uh,

I noticed Damon isn't...

helping out much with
operation celebrate Amara.

Well, he has his showcase, so...

Right, but, I mean,

you said that he's one
of your best friends, I mean...

part of the family dinners and...

I don't know, I guess I just figured
he'd want to help out in some way.

What do you want to ask me, Jordan?

I don't know. It's just that...

You called me last week, hysterical.

I wasn't hysterical.

Yeah. You were hysterical.

And now Damon isn't around.

I don't know. I'm just
wondering if you had a fight.

That's all.

We didn't.

Look,

last week, Damon flew home
to visit his dad

to talk about his adoption

and...

his birth parents.

I knew it would be emotional for him,

so...

I went to support him as a friend,

and I realized that we were
emotionally entangled

in a way that wasn't respectful to you.

"Emotionally entangled."

Right. OK.

So, um...

Where are things now? [CLEARS THROAT]

Well, I put boundaries up.

OK.

What are you thinking?

[EXHALES]

I can't begrudge you for
being a good friend, Simone.

I mean, that's one of the reasons
why I'm so in love with you.

And I appreciate you for..

Being respectful enough
to put up boundaries.

Wha... I mean, I could be
super pissed off

if that'll make you feel better.

No, it's fine.

I got enough going on
with my aunt anyway.

Listen...

I know that...

you really want her to stay.

OK? But, honestly,

I kind of get her side of things.

If something isn't working,

then sometimes it hurts more...

to hold on than to let go.

[HEAVY SIGH]

I know this is gonna
sound selfish, but...

A big part of the reason
why I'm here at Bringston

is because of her.

And now everything is just changing.

You know what?

Why don't we just call it?

I think I know a place that we can go

that will take both of
our minds off of everything.

That is, of course, if you're
OK with bailing on the party.

Where to?

♪ Hail the king, show love ♪

♪ Take it, bow down to me,
we not done ♪

♪ And the team so tough ♪

♪ Going all out wouldn't
be no, be no fun ♪

♪ This ain't for pretend ♪

♪ Ballin' like I'm on
the blacktop, cement ♪

♪ Goin' down right now,
talking descend ♪

♪ Every time I come around,
it's a event, event ♪

♪ This ain't for pretend ♪

♪ If you take the crown,
you can keep it ♪

♪ In the spot everybody want to be in ♪

♪ And the wave so big,
it got a deep end... ♪

DAMON: Yo, Lando.

Party kind of lit, huh?

Whatever your beef is with me,

I'm just trying to change
the image of HBCU sports.

- So are we.
- All right, then, cool.

- So we all on the same page.
- Not really.

You just using this as an opportunity
to boost your brand.

Come on, man. That's cap.

And even if I was, ain't y'all trying

to do the same thing with me?

Embarrass the MLB prodigy so you...

can boost your own image?

Just returning the favor.

What are you even talking about?

I was preparing to come
to Bringston this fall.

Shaw scouted me and everything.

And then here you come

with your big press
conference announcement.

Suddenly, you interested
in coming to a HBCU

and Shaw is out.

And, of course,

Bringston wasn't
checking for me no more

because now

they had the great Damon Sims.

You know my whole fam
graduated from here?

That's a whole legacy out the window.

You said you wanted to
come and prove a point.

Now, you tell me how that helps us?

♪ Ooh ooh... ♪

♪ Yours, mine, ours... ♪

SIMONE: I've literally passed by
this place a dozen times,

and I never even knew that
all of this was back here.

- It's a nice, well-kept, little secret.
- It is.

My dad knows the owner,

so I've been wanting to check
this place out for a while.

OK. Billy Baker got the hookup. Ha ha.

WAITER: All right. What we have here

are our seasonal bites of
minced beef cheek and oxtail

with a blend of za'atar and fennel

on toasted brioche topped
with Camembert cheese,

cornichons,

and, uh, grilled frisée.

- Enjoy.
- JORDAN AND SIMONE: Thank you.

Is it just me, or do these look like...

- sliders?
- It's just tiny, little burgers.

- Tiny, little burgers?
- Mm-hmm.

- I've seen it.
- OK.

- Mmm!
- Wow.

OK.

These little burgers,

they're damn good.

What was the word?

You can really taste the cornichons.

The cornichons.

You know what?

- Come on.
- [MUSIC PLAYING]

Let's dance.

Babe, there's no dance floor in here.

Well, then I guess we're making one.

Come on.

OK.

♪ A love like ours ♪

♪ I pray for it on my knees ♪

♪ Every night for some hours ♪

♪ And hours and hours ♪

♪ And hours and hours ♪

[DIFFERENT SONG PLAYING]

Yum!

[CHUCKLING]

I'm glad you agreed to come.

Yeah. Me, too.

You ready to go?

Why? I just started having fun.

Well, this was
supposed to be a pit stop.

I still got one more thing
I want to show you.

OK.

Um, where are we going?

Let me show you something real quick.

Um, wait.

- What?
- I think we should go back.

- Chill. Come on.
- Now stop. Let's just stop.

- What?
- Stop!

- Why you tripping?
- Stop. Stop!

DAMON: Hey, hey, hey, hey!
Get the hell off her.

Have you lost your damn mind?

What? Please give me a reason not
to b*at your ass right now.

Damon, stop. I don't
want to cause a scene.

I just want to leave.

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

Oh, ho. Hey.

I figured since you're
too busy to go for drinks,

I'd bring the drinks to you.

But, see, Terry, I really
don't have time, man.

One beer.

- You invited me to this.
- Fine, man.

One beer, now.

Nice setup you got here.

Yeah, man, you thinking
about going into coaching

- now that you're retiring?
- Well, you never know.

So this retirement is
a real thing, huh?

Look, you got at least years
left in you, Terry.

The Terry Tucker I knew
loved the money,

the celebrity, and the women

far too much to ever quit now.

Well, it turns out there's this article
coming out next week.

What kind of article?

[SIGHS]

A retrospective on my
baseball career, they say, but...

it's really a hit job.

They reached out to ask
about credible allegations that I...

took P.E.D.s...

from the Minors up until
maybe years ago.

So is this article gonna be naming
any other names, bro?

Oh, you got nothing
to worry about, man.

- They're focusing on me.
- [MARCUS SIGHS]

My reps think I should
give an interview,

- try to get ahead of it.
- Look, I agree.

Look, people love you, Terry.

They're way more likely to be forgiving

hearing the truth coming
straight from you.

Allegations is
one thing, but for me to just...

come out and admit
that I cheated for years?

That means no Hall of Fame.

It'll destroy my legacy.

Which was built on a lie, Terry.

Come on, Marcus. [CHUCKLES]

You remember how it was.

Juicing was the difference between

a $ -million contract
and years in the league

or $ million and superstardom.

- There was no choice.
- There's always a choice.

Since when did you become
so self-righteous, Marcus?

Or is this just jealousy

because I made it to
the show and you didn't?

Look, I'm the healthiest
and happiest I've ever been,

and I don't have to cheat
with dr*gs to feel this way.

You know what?

Tell me this,

if you hadn't had the reaction
you did to the P.E.D.s,

would you have kept taking them?

♪ I know that you hate me ♪

♪ Baby, I would, too... ♪

Um,

here. Here you go.

Oh, thanks.

I don't understand what
happened. I mean, I...

I can't believe he was...

gonna try to take advantage
of me knowing I was drunk.

Do you want me to, like,

like, call somebody for you
or something?

No.

No, I'm good. Um, seriously,

like, nothing even happened...

Thanks to you.

Well, can I at least
walk you to your room?

No. I think I'm just gonna hang out
here for a bit

and watch TV.

All right.

Well, I'm just down the hall

if you need anything.

Thanks.

Actually, um...

I... I know I said I'm OK.

And even though nothing even happened,

I just, I'd...

I'd rather not be alone right now

if you're not busy.

Well, um...

I mean, that depends
on what you're watching.

'Cause I'm kind of picky
with my shows, you know.

[CHUCKLES]

OK.

JORDAN: Yeah. No, no.

No, you're fine. I meant it.

Anytime, OK?

No, no. Yeah.

Uh, look, I got to go.

All right.

Is everything OK with Liv?

Uh, no. Actually, that was Layla.

Oh.

Is she OK?

She's getting there. Yeah.

You know, she's had
a rough couple of weeks.

Thought I'd just kind
of check in on her.

Was that Layla earlier
today on the phone, too?

Yeah. Yeah, it was.

Hmm.

I think she's going to
see her friend Carrie.

I know that's not easy for her.

No.

You're a good friend.

[MUSIC PLAYING, CROWD CHEERING]

[EXCITED CHATTER]

MAN: Throw to second!

[CROWD OHING]

Come on. Come on. Come on.

- [CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]
- MAN: Throw!

- DAMON: I'm hitting, baby.
- [CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]

Here we go.

- Strike!
- [CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]

All right.

Strike!

[EXHALES]

DAMON, WHISPERING: Damon, come on.

Ahh.

[EXHALES]

Time!

This what you want to do?

This what you want to do
on National TV?

No, no, no, no. No, no, no, no.

I know my players, man.

- They got it.
- DAMON: Look, look,

I'm not gonna put a hand on him

because right now with all
these eyes watching us,

it's supposed to be HBCU vs. everybody.

When I came here, I wasn't
trying to take your spot

or anybody's spot.

This ain't about no clout.

This isn't how I envisioned my career,

but now I see that it's part of
my journey.

I made a conscious decision

about where I wanted to share
my resources.

Now, there's room for each
and every one of us to shine.

Now, we can either
make each other look like

a bunch of damn fools out here fighting,

or we can play ball the right way

and show the world

that unmatched, unrecognized talent

has been overlooked at our
institutions for far too long.

Now the choice is up to you.

[APPLAUSE]

Let's go. Let's go.

SPECTATOR: Let's go!

[CHEERING]

J.R.: I got it. I got it. I got it.

- MARCUS: Come on, J.!
- DAMON: Come on...

MARCUS: Come on!

That's it.

Out!

- J.R.: Yeah!
- MARCUS: That-a boy! Yes!

[PLAYERS SPEAKING EXCITEDLY]

MARCUS: Hey, now.

I'm proud of you, son.

Not only have you proved
yourself wrong, man,

you proved me right.

Huh?

Yeah. Center fielder was my suggestion.

Why? Because you knew I wouldn't earn
my spot back from Santiago?

Listen, man, you've been trying
to regain your old spot back,

and I needed you to have a fresh start,

you know, to rediscover that excitement

for the game that you
once had, you know,

instead of you competing with Santiago.

Thanks, Coach.

Thank you, man.

- I really appreciate this.
- Come here, superstar.

I'm proud of you.
Now go ahead and celebrate, man.

Go on and get out of here.

Come on, superstar.

Oh, man.

See, Shaw?

J.R. is a star.

You just didn't know how to use him.

♪ Keep wakin'... ♪

KEISHA: I literally just turned it on.

JORDAN: We're set then.

[CHATTER STOPS]

What'd y'all do?

Nothing. Um...

Have a seat.

These are for you, but...

Maybe don't drink it all at once.

OK, seriously,

y'all are starting to freak me out.

What is going on?

- [KNOCK ON DOOR]
- Hey, everybody. Am I late?

JORDAN: You're right on time.

On time for what?

SIMONE: OK, so I heard you

about the whole party thing, but...

I needed to show you
that you were wrong,

that not only are you wanted,

but you are revered here.

So I took a page out of Damon's
"Nature vs. nurture" video.

And, well,

I'll just let the presentation speak for
itself.

SIMONE ON VIDEO: Hey, Auntie. Heh!

We just want to pay
tribute to a professor,

a scholar,

a committed journalist,
and a phenomenal woman.

Call me biased,
but as far as I'm concerned,

you are nothing but a blessing
to this campus and community.

So as you say your good-byes to...

the school you've called
home for over a decade,

a few students want to pay
tribute to you,

Professor Patterson,

and just share a small taste

of the impact you've made on
their lives.

WOMAN ON VIDEO:
I was an engineering student

right up until the day I took
Professor Patterson's

intro to journalism class.

Last year, my politics blog won
its first journalism award.

Thank you, Professor Patterson.
Your class changed my life.

NATHANIEL ON VIDEO:
She raised my awareness

of the power structures against me

but also

of the power within me to
challenge those structures.

MAN ON VIDEO: She pushed me to
be a better teacher,

a more active listener,

and a more rigorous thinker.

DAMON: And I'm not a journalism major,

I've never taken any of her classes.

But Dr. P., she reached out
to me and my friends

our first week on campus

and made us feel at home.

There have been times over
these last few months

when my home life...

has been kind of confusing.

Dr. P., she's always made me
feel like family.

I'll always appreciate her for that.

[CHUCKLES]

KEISHA: They say you should give people

their flowers while they're here.

And so

here are yours.

[SIMONE CLEARS THROAT]

There's...

No way, um,

to truly express the depths of...

how I feel right now.

Amara, hey.

Amara, now, you can talk to me.

What's wrong?

I made a mess of things, didn't I?

Not at all. Look, sometimes
you got to let it all out.

Listen, I just want to make sure

that our personal
situation isn't part...

of why you're leaving.

No, Marcus.

It's just time.

Timing has always been our problem,

but maybe one day,
we'll get it right, hmm?

Maybe one day we will.

You should tell them, Amara.

SIMONE: Um,

Auntie, we're really sorry.

We weren't trying to upset you.

Simone, I know.

It's just

I don't deserve any of this...

All of these accolades, none of it.

What are you talking about?

Sophomore year, my
classmate Jada came to me.

She was pre-med and working
at a medical facility.

She'd noticed they were
charging their patients,

most of them Black and poor,

huge amounts for
unnecessary procedures.

So I decided to write
an article and expose them,

but I needed evidence.

So Jada and I broke
into the lab after-hours

to get access to the billing records.

But before we could publish,

the break-in was uncovered,

Jada and I were arrested

and charged with multiple felonies.

I was...

so scared I'd go to prison.

But the Bringston president at the time

and the lab worked out a deal.

We bury the story

and each take a semester off

in exchange for them
dropping the charges.

We took the deal.

That next semester, I came back, but...

Jada never finished school.

She had a rough go of it afterwards.

What happened to the lab,

the r*cist charges?

AMARA: They eventually
stopped the illegal billing, but...

all the people who had been
preyed on up until then,

they never found out or got
any sort of reparations.

So, you see,

on the video, I'm being lauded

as this pillar of...

honesty and ethics and social justice

when what I really am

is a coward who sacrificed
her principles

to save her own ass.

JORDAN: I don't know.

Professor Patterson, I mean,
just to go after

a story like that

at that young age,

that's badass.

NATHANIEL: You broke the law
so people wouldn't get hurt.

Most of us would have been too
scared to risk it all like that.

KEISHA: Your entire career
has been about

helping people with their lives

and making them better.

You're more than a mugshot,
Professor Patterson.

I believe that you should be able
to let go of the past

and stand tall.

Auntie, I'm really sorry that
you're going through this,

but in all honesty,

this is all the more reason why
we need you at Bringston.

You kids are truly...

special.

Thank you for hearing me and
for giving me back my pride

and my peace.

So does that mean you'll reconsider

- submitting your resignation?
- No.

I stand by my belief
that it's time to move on.

This will be my last semester
at Bringston.

THEA: Hey, how was the game?

Oh, it was dope.

I mean, we lost, but J.R. and them won.

OK. Love the support.

Well, thanks again for last night.

Anytime.

I mean, not that I plan on
letting that happen again,

you know, if I was around.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Anyways, I should probably
go do some homework.

I know we got that
lit paper due tomorrow.

Actually, I'm working
on mine right now.

We could work together.

I thought you hated group projects.

Yeah.

Or we could just...

watch another episode of
"A Different World."

Hmm.

It's tempting, but,

I don't know, as an
upperclassman and an athlete,

like, shouldn't you be...

encouraging me to do my homework

and, like, being a role model
or something?

Yeah. Well...

Role models have their bad days, too.

[CHUCKLES]

KEISHA: So,

did Jordan have a good visit?

Yeah.

He had a really great time.

But...?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

OK. So,

you remember how Jordan got upset

about Damon the last time he was here?

- Mm-hmm.
- I told him about

flying to Chicago with Damon, and...

He shrugged it off.

So you get mad when he gets jealous

and you get mad when he doesn't.

Girl, Jordan can't win.

I'd be pissed if he went

on an overnight trip with another girl.

I know. It's a double standard,

but I'm human.

He didn't even seem to care.

He's also been having secretive
calls with our friend Layla.

And I don't know. He says
it's nothing, but...

Are you sure you're not
projecting your own guilt

onto Jordan?

Maybe.

But I just can't seem to
shake that things are just...

off between us, Keish.

- It's just different.
- Of course it is.

You're different people now.

The real question is,

do the people you're becoming

still make sense in this relationship?

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION]

REPORTER: Hosted by noted
HBCU Bringston University,

the showcase brought star power

in MLB legends "TNT" Tucker
and "Buzz" Latimore,

but it was the players who truly
showed out this weekend,

setting the stage for what
should be an exciting

- regular season of baseball.
- [CELL PHONE CHIMES]

[TV REPORT CONTINUES, INDISTINCT]

[VOICE OF MARCUS] I'm the
healthiest and happiest I've ever been,

and I don't have to cheat
with dr*gs to feel this way.

- SIMONE: Auntie.
- NATHANIEL: Did you get our text?

I did.

So what's the big news you two
had to rush over to tell me?

You didn't submit your
resignation yet, right?

Because, quietly,

I've been looking for the ass

that posted your mugshot on yard yak.

- SIMONE: Nate found the student.
- AMARA: Who is it?

SIMONE: Some girl that works
in the president's office.

She said a trustee,
this Veronica Skinner,

came up to her after a board meeting

and offered her $

to circulate the photo anonymously.

Veronica Skinner.

I don't know any
board member by that name.

SIMONE: Well, she's this new appointee.

SIMONE: This is her.

Wait. Do you know her?

Jada, my classmate

who broke into the medical
facility with me,

Veronica is her sister.

This has never been about baseball.

This is personal.