01x12 - Confessions

Episode transcripts for the TV show "All American: Homecoming". Aired: February 21, 2022 - present.*
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Spin-off series follows Simone who leaves Los Angeles to attend Bringston University, a historically black college in Atlanta, Georgia to pursue her dream of Tennis.
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01x12 - Confessions

Post by bunniefuu »

[DRUMMERS PLAYING, WHISTLE BLOWING]

J.R.: Whoo!

You know it just need to be said.

- Bringston homecomings are fire.
- Period.

It is only the first
day, and I can tell

I'm already gonna like
it more than last year.

Ah, hello.

That's a lie because
you met me last year, so...

that's when the game
was changed, honey.

But she ain't know me, so
that makes this year the best.

Ain't that right?

Oh, my gosh. Simone...

It's our friendiversary!

That means we have to toast,

so that's y'all's cue. Drinks, please.

- SIMONE: Water for me, though.
- J.R.: I got you.

- Do I look like a waiter?
- Say, brother,

- SIMONE AND KEISHA: Yes!
- J.R.: take this order.

Oh, I wish Nate was here instead
of at her pre-law conference.

You two are a big reason
why I came here.

Yo, a lot has changed.

Seriously.

I came being a walk-on,

and I made the team.

If I can impress Coach Loni at
the pro tournament tomorrow,

I'll have a sh*t at making top

and singles next semester.

Girl, you gonna make top .

I need you to,

uhh, claim that-ah.

Right, right.

- Uhh, claim that-ah.
- [BOTH CHUCKLE]

[THEA SIGHS]

A spa day, a candlelit dinner.

If your plan was to help me
relax before the tournament,

you succeeded.

Well, I'm not done.

Check your phone.

What?

You sent me an invite to create

a Spotify blend playlist.

Yup. So in between your matches,

you know you can get in the zone

with a mix of your favorite songs,

a couple of mine.

So it'll be like having
you right there with me,

even when you're not.

Yeah, something like that.

- [CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
- Hi.

Mom. Heh! What's up? Uh...

- What are you doing here? Uh...
- Well, I told you I was flying in

- for homecoming.
- Uh, yeah.

The weekend for
the game against Hawkins.

Well, I wanted to get my full
HBCU homecoming experience.

[KEENA AND DAMON CHUCKLE]

KEENA: Which should include
an introduction

- to your companion.
- DAMON: Oh, right, right!

Heh. My bad. Uh,

Ma, this is Thea Mays,

my girlfriend.

I've heard so much about you.

Well, I wish I could say the same.

But I'm sure I will get to know you

just like I've done with
all of Damon's friends.

And how are J.R., Santiago, and Simone?

Good.

Yeah, everybody's good.

Oh. That's real good, baby.

Um... I should head in

and get some sleep
before the tournament,

but it was so nice to meet you.

- KEENA: See you soon.
- DAMON: See you.

- DAMON: See you.
- [THEA CHUCKLES]

- Yo, really, Ma?
- What?

All I did was ask a question.

Now come. My HBCU experience awaits.

Not bad.

I've been looking for you.

Can this wait till morning?

I got a lot of work to do.

Does that work involve the
merger with Willis Cobb University?

Zeke, how did we get here?

The same way other HBCUs have:

Low revenues and poor enrollment.

Now, I know everyone will paint me
as the villain. I don't care.

I've tried everything I could.

This merger is the only
way to save Bringston.

Even if we lose the heart and
soul of our school in the process?

What's the point in saving Bringston

if it's not Bringston anymore?

[DRUMMERS PLAYING]

[CHEERING]

It's so cool...

And scary

being around so many women I admire.

- SIMONE: I agree.
- Mm-mm.

Put the fangirl away

because the pros are not fans of ours.

They see collegiate players

as unnecessary obstacles,

- so...
- WOMAN: True.

And if we had a choice, you
wouldn't even step on the court with us.

Katia, I was hoping you'd be here.

Why?

You've never been
good enough to b*at me,

and you never will be.

It's a mistake to underestimate me.

Sweetie,

it's a little hard
to take you or your friends seriously

in your little matching outfits.

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

[INHALES DEEPLY] SIMONE: Thea,

as your friend,

I hate her.

That's the nicest thing
you've ever said to me.

Thank you.

♪ Why do you play so much? ♪

♪ Why do you play so much, boy... ♪

DAMON: Coach seems better.

J.R.: Yeah,

like he didn't just spend
the last few days chewing us out.

- What's up, boys?
- DAMON: What's up?

J.R.: What's up, dawg?

DAMON: Hey, for a program
that's strapped for cash,

Coach went all in.

He's showing out because the
barbecue got canceled last year

because of the cheating scandal.

Are you good?

Yeah. Yeah. I'm... I'm good. Just...

You know, my dad had an affair,

then lied about being
my biological father.

Because of the Alzheimer's,

I'm left with the fallout,

telling my mom.

Bro, how am I supposed to tell her that

her husband of years did
nothing but lie to her the whole time?

Because you got to
rip the band-aid off.

Honesty is the only answer.

DAMON: I don't know.

Look, I'm
gonna see if Coach needs some help.

- OK.
- All right.

I'll catch you.

Coach,

- hey.
- Look at all this, Sam's.

Isn't this the best-looking
barbecue you ever seen?

Uh,

yeah, yeah. It's dope, Coach.

Yo, with this being the anniversary of
the cheating scandal, though,

- you good?
- I'm good,

better than good.

OK, cool, 'cause I wanted
to ask you, um...

you know, when you leaked

Shaw's cheating to Dr. Patterson,

the blowback on her was kind of rough.

And, you know, now that the
team was almost demolished,

looking back, was,

like, telling the truth worth the cost?

This barbecue is gonna change the game.

Look, all it needs is another
pit. That's what's missing.

I'mma get Yee on that.
I'mma call the news.

They need to be covering this

'cause I'mma get coach of the
year after this.

- You just watch.
- Coach, hey, what is going on with you?

You just watch.

Coach of the year, baby.

They didn't turn the meat right.

Just give me a few minutes.

Got to turn the meat like that. OK.

- ♪ Uh, you can make your own magic ♪
- ♪ Own magic ♪

♪ Dream about it, go get it,
take action ♪

- ♪ This your ship, you the captain ♪
- ♪ You the captain ♪

♪ Get up, get out, and make it happen ♪

- ♪ All grind, no hate ♪
- ♪ All grind, no hate ♪

- ♪ No love or fate ♪
- ♪ No love or fate ♪

- ♪ About to elevate ♪
- ♪ Elevate ♪

♪ About to elevate ♪

[ECHOING] ♪ Elevate ♪

Hmm.

What's up?

Um, nothing.

I just wanted to check in.

I'm good.

- You good?
- Yeah. I'm great.

Then what's with the nervous smile?

I don't have a nervous smile.

Yeah. OK.

Like I don't know your smiles by now.

[BOTH CHUCKLE]

You want to tell me what's up?

Yeah. There is something that

I was hoping to talk to you about.

GABRIELLE: ♪ Cam, did
you get my text? ♪

CAM: ♪ I did, but your text ♪

♪ Was too damn long ♪

- ♪ Long ♪
- [GABRIELLE MOCK LAUGHS]

Whatever. I'm gonna take some fries.

I got extra.

I was ready for you,
you little fry snatcher.

Um, I'm actually gonna
catch you all later, OK?

- Oh, bye, girl.
- All right. See you.

OK, I see you.

[APPLAUSE]

Hey, your girl is
no joke out there, bro.

Nah, like, for real, man.

Hey, I appreciate you coming through.

Of course.

Well, you're my baby brother.

Supporting Thea is part of the gig.

Plus, I get to be here for Simone.

Hey, you ever figure out how
you're gonna talk to your mom?

Uh, yeah. For now, I'm just

gonna tell her about Celine
and not my dad.

So you're gonna lie?

Nah. I'm just skipping a few details.

SIMONE: Hey.

When I mentioned the tournament
at family dinner,

I didn't expect
you guys to come see me.

Are you kidding?

It's about time I finally
get to see you play.

Oh, yeah, hey.

You looked great out there.

Thanks.

THEA: Hey.

Hey.

THEA: So...

I am playing Katia tomorrow.

DAMON: What?

You gonna destroy her.

THEA: Oh, yeah.

I'm glad you got your rematch.

Me, too.

Damon, I need food.

DAMON: I guess we should
get you something to eat.

I'mma see you all, then.

J.R.: That must've been
kind of awkward for you.

Why?

I'm happy for them.

So...

We're playing each other tomorrow.

What?

Are you serious? That's so messed up.

I get that playing
your friend must suck,

but this seems a bit extra.

No.

Coach Loni is using this tournament

to determine the top .

And if I don't win, it could
potentially be a wrap on me

officially playing tennis
at Bringston for the year.

And if I don't b*at Simone,
I could lose my spot,

which means they
could pull my scholarship.

OK, um,

forget my last comment.

If the merger goes through,

we're gonna have to make room
for Willis Cobb alumni on the walls.

Who exactly are you
thinking about adding?

I have a few names:

Grant Vos,

Kerry Slater,

maybe Clara Ramsey.

I don't know who those people are.

They're among the top
app developers in the Country.

AMARA: I'm sorry. What?

Are you seriously talking about

putting up portraits of app developers

next to Alice Walker, Toni Morrison,

and Zora Neale Hurston?

Hello, Amara.

I heard you've been snooping
where you didn't belong

and found out about the merger.

Well, somebody has to stop you

from diluting the HBCU legacy.

VERONICA SKINNER: Like it or not,

Bringston's gonna have
to become more inclusive.

You mean more white.

Zeke, help me out here.

This place has given inspiration

to generations of students.

I refuse to take that away.

Everything stays as is.

AMARA: Thank you, President Allen.

YEE: Yeah, we've got a
great group of young men.

They love to compete.

They come out here and
bust it every single day.

- LOWE: The guys are really talented.
- MARCUS: Wreck-it Ralph.

You sniffing around here again?

Well, given that it's the anniversary

of the baseball cheating scandal,
I'm doing a story on the team.

Yeah. He's doing one of those
"look how far they've come"

- kind of deals.
- Is that right? Sounds good,

as long as you're not
rehashing the scandal.

Well, I can't really write a
story about how far you've come

without looking at how you got here.

I can tell you. Shaw.

End of story.

No, there's, uh, still a missing piece,

the identity of Amara's source.

You're gonna want to leave the scandal

and all this whistleblower stuff
in the past, do you hear me?

Marcus, I'm trying to help you.

Stay the hell away
from my staff and team.

That's how you can help.

Uh, yeah.

What the hell were y'all thinking?

We didn't do anything wrong here.

I disagree.

You owe me an apology, OK,

for going behind my back,

talking to a reporter about me!

About you?

Were we just
part of the same conversation?

I mean, come on, Marcus.
You're losing it.

You know what? Clean out
your offices. You both are fired.

- LOWE: What?!
- MARCUS: Both of you.

- LOWE: No, you can't be serious.
- YEE: Marcus.

I am.

Get out of my gym now.

So, yeah, tennis has given me a lot.

I've been able to see the world,

and I enjoy making people see me

and women who look like me.

I'm sorry. You asked
about me personally,

and all I've talked about is tennis.

You've answered my questions.

You're disciplined

and ambitious.

And since you carry the weight
of the world on your shoulders,

sometimes you can be a little intense,

but you're learning to tone it down.

- Yeah.
- [CHUCKLES]

I get it now.

Well, it looks like you got

the Keena Sims stamp of
approval in record time.

- Shut up.
- Great. Well,

then I'm gonna quit while I'm ahead

and say good night, but
thank you so much for dinner.

It was my pleasure.

- THEA: All right.
- DAMON: All right. See you.

Bye.

Hey.

What's on your mind?

And don't you say "nothing."

Otherwise we will sit
here until you spill.

I found my birth mother...

Celine Raymond,

J.R.'s mom.

And J.R.'s dad...

He's your birth father?

No.

Oh. OK.

[CHUCKLES]

Well, who is?

Damon...

Sweetheart, either you trust
me with this, or you don't.

Who is your father?

Dad's my biological father.

[CHUCKLES]

Damon, that doesn't make any sense.

He didn't tell you, Mom, 'cause
he ain't want to admit that...

Admit what, Damon?

[EXHALES]

He didn't want to admit that

he had an affair when
you guys were newlyweds.

I'm assuming Celine told you this.

[SCOFFS]

Well, I'm not taking the word
of some woman I've never met.

Xavier would never be unfaithful to me.

And I don't know what kind of
game Celine is playing, but, uh,

I'm going to need her number right now.

Damon, I'm not playing.

Celine may be your biological mother,

but Xavier is not your birth father.

He and I adopted you,

plain and simple.

Have you ever seen the paperwork, ma?

Xavier handled the adoption.

We wanted a baby so badly,

I didn't care about the paperwork.

So whenever we needed it,

your father just took care of it.

Mom, he did that to hide the fact that

- there was no adoption.
- No.

All right, he didn't need

- to adopt his own son, Mom.
- No, no, no.

We cannot take the word

- of some woman I have never met.
- Listen, listen, listen, Mom.

All right? I checked with the State.
There is no...

record of my adoption at all by anyone.

I know it's hard, but it's the truth.

I got to go. Uh,

- I'll call you later.
- Mom.

♪ Let me be the one you want ♪

♪ The one you need... ♪

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

♪ I want to be your everything... ♪

- What's up?
- What's up?

You tell me.

I kind of felt like you had
something to say yesterday.

Um, actually, Cam...

So you know how I said that

there are some things
that I needed to work on

before I could be ready
to get into a relationship?

Yeah.

Well, I've done the work,

and I'm ready

if it's not too late.

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

Uh,

we got something
pretty dope this spring.

I just don't want to mess
up what we have, you know?

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

Keish.

Oh.

- My bad.
- CAM: No.

No. You good.

I should probably go.

- Keisha.
- No, no. [CLEARS THROAT]

Don't worry about that.
Let's worry about you.

Um,

you have to play a friend today.

That sucks, by the way.

No, it doesn't

because Jerika is not my friend.

She can't be,

not until after the match.

♪ You better go, girl ♪

♪ You better go, girl, show out ♪

♪ Go, girl, you better go, girl ♪

♪ You got a fire that can
take over the whole world ♪

♪ You better go, girl ♪

♪ You better go, girl, show out ♪

♪ You know it's your world ♪

- ♪ And I feel like ♪
- ♪ It's my turn ♪

- ♪ I feel like... ♪
- ♪ It's my turn ♪

♪ I feel like it's my turn ♪

♪ You got a fire that can
take over the whole world... ♪

[APPLAUSE]

UMPIRE: Game, set, match, Hicks.

[APPLAUSE CONTINUES]

Jerika.

I'm really sorry.

No. Don't be.

I'm so proud of you.

RALPH: Bringston is merging with a PWI.

OK, we need to get this
article out as soon as possible.

I think we should hold a b*at.

Amara, people have a right
to know what's happening.

I agree.

But I don't want to publicly air

Bringston controversy again just
to stand by and watch the aftermath.

Hey, look, I get it.

After the cheating scandal,

people in our community
came at you pretty hard.

My hesitation isn't about that.

It's about saving Bringston.

We need to be strategic...

Release the article
when we know we can bring

awareness and allies to our cause.

OK. We do this your way for now.

Hey, Candace, it's me.

We need to hit up every
alum at homecoming.

There's something they need to know.

MARCUS: I told you to
stay away from my team.

Didn't I make myself clear?

What was made clear

was that you were
Amara's source on the cheating scandal.

You need to leave.

When I mentioned
the whistleblower yesterday,

you nearly took my head off.
And that...

got me thinking,

see, you were Shaw's assistant coach.

There's no way you didn't
know what he was doing.

You had access to everything
that you needed to expose him,

and you had access to the
perfect person to hide behind,

Amara.

You let her stand out there
and take the hits on this one alone.

Now, I know. Amara, she
probably told you she could handle it,

but she shouldn't have had to.

Teams are built on trust, right?

It means all this,

all this is a lie.

Ah, but none of that matters to you

as long as you win

the girl and the team.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Can I see the mic?

[MICROPHONE IS TURNED ON]

Hey, hey, everybody.

Listen, I want to thank you all
for coming out.

- [APPLAUSE]
- MAN: Whoo!

Yeah.

I hope you all are having a great time,

but there's an elephant in the room,

and it has cheating scandal
written all over it.

Now, there's been a lot of talk
about an anonymous source,

who they are and why they did

what they did.

And I want to put all that
to rest here and now.

It was me.

MARCUS: Now, I know what
you all thinking, all right?

I can hear it.

But I'm not the bad guy.

I did what I did so you boys
can walk on that field

with your heads held high.

Now, I did the right thing, damn it.

This time, I got it right.

[ECHOING] But I'm not the bad guy.

Bad guy...

Bad guy...

Bad guy...

You guys, man, have no idea
what it's like to be me...

To wake up every morning

and to look in that mirror

and feel betrayed by what I see.

I can't unsee it.

I can't unsee me, man.

I'm not a bad man, y'all.

I'm not.

Coach, let's get some food, all right?

I still got stuff to say, Sims.

I have to get it out.
I have to quiet the noise, J.

I got to quiet the noise.

Let's just take a break
for a second, all right...

And then you can take the mic back.

You happy now, huh, Ralph?

Huh?

- Huh?
- J.R. AND DAMON: Coach, Coach, Coach...

- MARCUS: Let me go.
- DAMON: Coach, calm down.

MARCUS: I'm fine. I'm fine,
Damon. J., I'm fine.

OK? I'm fine, OK?

DAMON: Coach.

I have to give credit
where credit is due.

You've been dominating.

[HESITANTLY] Thank you.

You're next.

You still have a lot
to learn, little girl.

[GASPS]

[GASPING]

[GROWLS]

- Thea, you OK?
- THEA: Look. She...

[RAPID BREATHING]

[SOBBING]

Wow.

So much for being a man of integrity.

Dude, what are you talking about?

Come on, fellas.
Coach showed mad integrity.

Shaw was cheating. He was
robbing dudes of their education.

Coach Marcus, he did the right thing.

No. Keeping this thing quiet,

forcing Shaw out,
or going to the administration,

that would have been the right thing.

We would've still had
a season last year,

and our funding wouldn't be
in question this year.

Hey, look, our opinion
about what Coach did

isn't more important than finding him.

Clearly, he needs our help.

I'm not helping a dude I can't trust,

so you do what you got to do.

Come on, boys.

- DAMON: Yo.
- SANTIAGO: No.

J.R.: So after all we been through,

our team is back being divided?

How are we supposed to b*at
Hawkins this way?

DAMON: All right. Look, listen up.

We'll find Coach first,

and then we'll fix the team.

All right. Let's split
up. Check everywhere.

If you find him, hit me up.

This was Katia.

She knows I can b*at her,
so she sabotaged me.

So why go through all this trouble
if you can just use a different racket?

Are you being serious right now?

For elite tennis players,

the specifics of their
racket are very key.

Weight, handle, grip,

string gauge are all precisely selected

to meet our individual needs
and to maximize performance.

I can't believe I'm going to say this,
but I have to forfeit.

The hell you are.

Girl, you're gonna borrow my racket.

What, and make a fool
of myself on the court?


[SCOFFS] Absolutely not.

What, then you're just
gonna let Katia win?

SIMONE: And if anyone can play
with a different racket, it is you.

Thea, you have to believe that.

You always tell me that
tennis is a mental game.

So, girl, here we are.

You need to woman up.

As far as pep talks go,

that wasn't bad.

[SCOFFS]

You're welcome.

Here.

Go practice.

OK.

- k*ll it.
- [THEA EXHALES]

[RINGTONE]

- DAMON: Yeah.
- SIMONE: Damon, um...

You got to get down to the tournament.

Thea needs you right now.

DAMON: Oh, all right. All
right. Then I'm on my way.

No cap. How hard was it
to make that call?

[SIGHS]

The hardest.

GABRIELLE: Got a question.

What happened between you and Keisha?

Got an answer: damn, you nosey.

Can't we just skip ahead to the part
where you just tell me already?

Nah. Why don't we chill at the spot

where you mind your business, yeah?

Nope.

'Cause the way she
was looking at you yesterday,

her encouraging me to bid on you at

the black and white gala so that you

could perform with the ATLs,

something's up.

Wait, wait, wait.

Keisha's the reason that you...

I put myself out there,
and she rejected me.

And now she's saying she's ready, but...

I can't put myself through that again.

Can we get back to work now?

You happy?

Actually,

I got to roll.

I will make sure that I text
you about rehearsal tonight.

And, Cam,

it probably took a lot for Keisha

to finally say that she's ready

and own her crap.

So maybe you should believe her.

Well, she'll be here soon.
Oh, here she is.

Listen up, guys.

AMARA: Thanks for coming, y'all.

I know Bringston merging
with a PWI is a shock.

Zeke's one of us.

How could he let this happen?

When we're done, I'm
paying him a little visit.

OK. Before you all start
lighting the torches,

let me ask you something.

When Zeke reaches out for donations,

how many of you show up to
support Bringston financially?

But when it's homecoming week
filled with parties and food,

oh, y'all show up for that.

Damn. You didn't have
to put it like that.

I see a room full of successful,
well-connected people.

Tap your contacts. Let's raise
enough money to stop this.

Let's save Bringston.

Yeah.

DAMON: Yo, thanks for hitting me up.

Yeah.

It's no problem.

Thea needed all the help
that she can get, so...

plus, I've never
seen her like that before.

Remember when I said we
couldn't support each other?

Uh, yes.

Kind of hard to forget.

Well, I feel like that wasn't right.

And if there's anything I learned
these last couple days, it's...

that we all need each other.

So if you ever want to talk,
I'm here to listen.

Uh, yeah, these...

past few weeks have
been a little crazy.

So I'm guessing you talked to
your mom about Celine and your dad.

J.R. called me up.

Right. Heh.

You know, if I wasn't so determined

on finding my birth parents,

none of this would've came out

and my mom, she wouldn't
be in pain right now.

Damon, this is not on you.

This is on your dad.

I want to confront him so freaking bad,

but I can't.

'Cause of his Alzheimer's,

he'll never be held accountable

for the messed-up stuff that he did.

Well, for whatever reason
he did what he did,

at the end of the day,

you know he loves you.

So hold on to that.

Yeah. Thanks.

Mm-hmm.

You know, it was pretty dope
you being...

here for me and Thea

despite, you know...

Damon, we both can be adults about it.

From the moment we met, there...

was always something between us.

Yeah. No cap. [CHUCKLES]

But you got Jordan, and
I got to respect that.

And now you're with Thea,

so we're back to being friends...

Uncomplicated friends.

Yeah.

I'll see you around.

Hey. Um...

Do you ever wonder what things
would've been like between us,

like, had the timing been different?

All the time.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION]

[SIGHS]

UMPIRE: Fault.

Double fault, point, hook.

- - .
- [APPLAUSE]

DAMON: That's OK. You got this.

Shh.

[EXHALES]

♪ This one goes out to the ladies ♪

♪ Who do big things and go crazy ♪

♪ No, we don't turn up in the club... ♪

UMPIRE: Point, Mays. - .

DAMON: There we go.

♪ I came to shut it down, I'm
the one that's doing damage ♪

♪ While I'm posing ♪

[ECHOING] ♪ For the cameras ♪

UMPIRE: Game, set, match, Mays.

Let's go!

[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]

[CHUCKLES]

OK.

Yeah. This racket is obnoxiously heavy,

and I don't know how you use it.

Um...

Uh, Ma,

how you doing?

Time...

heals all wounds.

Xavier's affair is a wound

that will take some time.

Yeah.

Simone told me I should focus
on the fact that he loves me.

I agree.

You should focus on the best in him.

- Ma, can I ask you something?
- Hmm?

Like, when you look at me now,

do you just see the worst in him?

Never.

Damon,

baby, you are my...

bright light,

the best thing that's
ever happened to me.

And we'll always love you.

Now, Xavier and

Celine's mess

will never change that.

You hear me?

Yeah.

Just like it'll never change
the fact that you're my ma...

And you always will be.

SIMONE: So

you want to talk about happened
with you and Cam earlier?

Uhh...

It's a short but epic story.

- OK.
- I took my sh*t,

but he's moved on emotionally.

It was just bad timing, I guess.

Yeah.

Sometimes timing is an issue,

and other times, it's just

needing to fight for your relationship.

I'll never regret going
to L.A. to fight for Jordan

because now I know it
was never meant to be.

But, honestly, Keish,
do you really think

that you put all your cards
on the table for you and Cam?

[CELL PHONE CHIMES]

- Oh, my God.
- What?

Coach Loni wants to see me.

She's ready to name the final top .

- ZEKE: Amara.
- AMARA: Hey.

Glad you got my message.

First, thank you for giving
a quote for the article.

I'm releasing it in a few days.

It felt like the right thing to do.

Well, there's a lot of
that going around.

Zeke, the alumni managed
to raise $ million.

It's unbelievable. That's
enough to stop the merger, right?

Unfortunately, we're gonna
need a lot more than that now.

Simone.

- Hey!
- Hey.

So

I hear someone kept their spot.

Well, my wins prior to you handing
me my ass...

impressed Coach Loni, so,
yeah, I get to keep my scholarship.

Well, I'm very happy for you.

Save some of that
happiness for yourself.

After the way you just
played this tournament,

there's no way you didn't...

Simone, no.

As a courtesy, Coach Loni
gave me a heads-up.

She said I put in the work,
but it just wasn't enough,

so...

I didn't make it into the top .

Playing tennis at Bringston is over...

- For the year.
- I'm sorry.

[CELL PHONE CHIMES]

♪ If ever you ♪

_

♪ Walk away ♪

- [KNOCK ON DOOR]
- [DOOR OPENS]

DAMON: Am I in trouble or something?

You just rolled out after your match.

I heard your conversation with Simone

at the tournament.

[SIGHS] Look...

I haven't been honest.

I mean, I didn't lie either, but...

I guess there's
something I should've told you.

[EXHALES]

Simone and I, uh...

We used to be close.

Like, real close.

I mean, we didn't act
on any of our feelings.

She has someone,
and now I have someone.

So am I just, like, a place-holder
for you or something?

Thea, no.

Look, I'm glad that things
didn't work out with Simone

'cause that allowed me to find you.

If I mean so much to you,
why didn't you tell me about your dad?

I don't know.

Maybe because

you're my bright light,

and I just didn't want
any of my family drama darkening...

anything that we have.

But, Damon, if we're gonna
have a real relationship,

you have to let me in on all of it.

You're right. And...

And I'm sorry.

OK, from now on,

there'll be nothing
but complete honesty,

OK?

So is there anything
that I should know?

Ah, Simone and Jordan broke up,

and now she's ready to deal with it.

No.

I'm a clean slate.

So am I out the doghouse?

Hmm.

"Hmm"?

♪ ... With my love... ♪

- [BOTH CHUCKLING]
- [CELL PHONE CHIMES]

Um,

it's Dr. Peterson:

Emergency family meeting right now.

♪ Look behind, I'll be runnin' ♪

♪ With my love ♪

♪ After you... ♪

- Keisha?
- Hey.

What, you crashing our A-T-L rehearsal?

Nah, they're actually not pulling up.

Sure they are. Gabby texted me.

'Cause I asked her to.

She was helping a sista out.

What is this?

Why bring me here?

Um, the way I came at
you earlier was weak.

I know that now.

And one thing I learned about myself

through therapy is that

I am not about my emotions.

So one day my therapist
asked me to write a letter

to my future self.

- Oh, I bet you clapped back on that one.
- Yeah, I did.

- I bet. Ha ha!
- Yeah, ha ha!

But then I wrote the letter.

OK.

"Hey, girl,

it's me...

past Keisha

hollering at you from a year ago."

"As you read this, I hope"

"we continue to find ways"

"to move forward, because"

"I really like who we're becoming,"

"that we're more aware of what we want,"

"that we're not"

"scared of how we feel."

"We're worthy of love, girl.

And I'm ready to give it in return
without fear

or reservation."

"When I think about my life,

I don't fear the things
that could happen.

I'm...

excited about those things now."

"And I hope one of them is Cam.

And after we're done
telling him all that,

I hope he wants what we want."

So...

Do you?

- Hell yeah.
- Yeah?

- Hell yeah.
- KEISHA: Yeah? [CHUCKLING]

♪ ... Somebody ♪

♪ I'd better let you... ♪

- ♪ Live your life ♪
- [CELL PHONE CHIMES]

♪ And someday ♪

_

♪ We'll be smilin' ♪

♪ Me and you... ♪

- KEISHA: Hey.
- DAMON: Yo.

Where's Dr. P. at?

She's just making a quick call

while we wait for Simone to get here.

Hey, bro, what's up?
Can I have a chat with?

For sure.

Oh, hey.

- KEISHA: Hey, girl.
- THEA: Hi.

AMARA: Hey, you two.

I haven't been able to reach Marcus.

Me and the guys looked for him
everywhere. We couldn't find him.

Yeah. I'm gonna stop by

his place again after this.

I'll come with you
after the family meeting.

Um,

hey, so...

There's something important
y'all need to know.

AMARA: When I called
Willis Cobb to get a quote,

they realized the public
scrutiny they'd be under.

In the wake of Black
Lives Matter and everything,

they got scared about
how people would react

to a PWI taking over an HBCU.

So they pulled out of the deal.

- No merger.
- Auntie, that is great news.

Yeah.

But there's more.

Since Bringston couldn't be merged,

the trustees voted to have it sold

unless enough money is raised
by the end of homecoming week.

As in this homecoming week?

I know this is a lot to take in.

[CELL PHONE CHIMES]

Uh, I'm sorry. Excuse me.

MARCUS ON RECORDING:
Amara, hey, it's me.

I just want to say I'll miss you.

You brought a lot of good
to a life that had a lot of bad.

Please don't try to find me.

Just let me be at peace.

J.R.: Hey, uh, Dr. P.?

- DAMON: Was that Coach?
- We need to find Marcus now.

I think he's planning
on doing something...

To himself.
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