After fleeing from the field, Jordan, Spencer, and Melissa were on their way back to Beverly Hills. Jordan was driving the car with Spencer in the passenger seat and Melissa in the back.

"Listen, man, I know things got a little intense back there, but on the plus side, your team showed up for you. Even with all of our internal BS, they showed up. That has to feel good." Jordan told Spencer.

Spencer shook his head. "They showed up for you and to stick it to South Crenshaw."

"Isn't that what you were doing?" Jordan asked, confused about the situation.

"Only because you put us in that situation. We should have never played that game. Now my old teammates won't even talk to me. Why you have to come here, man?"

At first, Melissa didn't want to interrupt the boys, but now she couldn't help herself.

"That's not fair, Spence. I didn't hear you say no to Jordan's idea. You encouraged him by betting your ring, remember? Don't put this all on Jordan."

"So it's my fault, that what you're saying?" Spencer asked her angrily.

"No." She shook her head. "It's not really anybody's fault. It's a situation that sucks and you both were trying to fix it. Sadly, it backfired."

"I get that you want to protect your boy here, but it's not any of your business," Spencer said.

"Hey, man. Don't be angry with her. But let me get this straight. I showed up in your world and blew everything up? Sounds familiar, doesn't it?" Jordan asked.

Before anyone could answer they saw police lights flashing behind them.

"Great," Melissa exclaimed.

Jordan parked his car on the side of the road and waited for the officers to get to his car.

"Is there a problem, officer?" Jordan asked, looking at one of the policemen.

"License and registration, please?" The officer said.

Melissa noticed the other officer on Spencer's side. She suddenly got a really bad feeling.

"Why? I wasn't speeding or anything." Jordan replied.

"You made an illegal turn at a red light. License and registration." The officer told him again.

Jordan was sure he didn't do anything wrong though. "What? How far back? What turn?"

"What are you doing, man? Just give him what he asked for." Spencer spoke up.

Finally Jordan gave the officer his license and registration.

"What are you doing in this neighborhood?" The officer asked.

"We were at a friend's home and now we're driving back home," Melissa answered.

The officer looked at her. "I wasn't talking to you, lady."

"Are you serious right now?" Jordan asked. "We've done nothing wrong, man."

"Jordan," Spencer whispered.

Melissa understood what was going on and it made her angry. She worriedly glanced at Spencer who had both his hands on the dashboard.

"This is harassment," Jordan said. "Ok, my mom is a lawyer."

"Step out of the car, please." The officer told them.

"What?" Jordan exclaimed.

Melissa was extremely worried. What will the cops do?

"Jordan, we should do what he asked, ok? We'll get his badge number and his name. But right now I think we should get out of the car." Melissa said, worry and fear lacing her tone.

"You should listen to her. Now I need you to stop resisting and get out of the car."

"Jordan, please." Melissa tried again.

"Ok," Jordan said and opened the car door. "I know my rights, ok?"

He stepped out of the car and the officer told him to stand on the side, which he did.

"I cannot believe this. You just wait until my mom gets a load of you, big man." Jordan told the officer.

Melissa's hands started to shake. She heard so many stories about police brutality and racial profiling, but she never knew someone personally in a situation like this. Now she was scared for her friend's lives. Terrified actually.

"I'm gonna call my mom – "Jordan started but was interrupted by the officer pushing him down on the hood of the car.

"You do what I tell you to do. I don't give a damn who your mom is." The officer screamed at him.

Spencer and Melissa looked at Jordan being restrained by the officer. Tears sprung to her eyes. Why does this happen?

"Please don't hurt him." She whispered loud enough for Spencer to hear it.

Spencer looked back at the girl. He wanted to assure her that it would be alright. But sadly he couldn't promise her that.

"Officer, sir. Officer." Spencer said as the officer pushed Jordan on the ground.

Jordan was laying on the ground, scared out of his mind and his hands cuffed behind his back.

"Get out of the car." The officer told Spencer and Melissa.

"I'm showing you my hands, all right? I'm unarmed." Spencer told the officer as he held his hands up.

He carefully got out of the car and looked at Jordan.

"Hey, look, restraining him ain't necessary, ok? We're cooperating." Spencer started but was handcuffed immediately. "Chill man, chill."

"Stop resisting." The officer told him and pushed him down on the ground next to Jordan.

"Didn't I arrest you once?" The other officer asked looking at Spencer.

"Hey, just keep looking at me, all right? Just keep looking at me." Spencer told Jordan. He could see how scared Jordan was.

The officer that took Jordan down looked at Melissa next. She held her hands up and carefully got out of the car. She was terrified. She stood outside of the car as the officer got closer to her.

"Put your hands behind your back." He told her and she did what he asked.

"Hey!" Jordan screamed. "Don't hurt her."

The officer didn't listen and cuffed her hands forcefully. Melissa didn't make a sound.

****************************

The officers put the three teenagers in their car and drove off to the police station.

Spencer noticed Melissa's breathing picking up. "Hey, hey. Look at me, Mel." He told her. "We're gonna be ok, all right?"

She wanted nothing more than to hug Jordan and Spencer tightly and to apologize for the way some people acted. While she was spaced out her breathing got heavier.

Jordan snapped out of the shock and tried to get her attention. "Mel. I'm here, listen to my voice."

"I – I can't, I can't breathe." Melissa stuttered out.

"Close your eyes, Mel. Remember when we were thirteen and we snuck out and were on this park bench? What did I tell you back then?" Jordan said.

Melissa tried to remember. "You – you said – that I – I wasn't – a – alone."

"Good, Mel. You're not alone, do you hear me. I'm here, I'll always be here. You're bigger than your fear. Take a deep breath, in and out. In and out."

In and out, in and out, in and out....

After a few minutes, Melissa was able to regulate her breathing. She opened her eyes and exhaled loudly.

"Thank you, J."

"Glad to have you back, Mel. I love you."

"Love you too."

***********************

Nathan and Haley were laying on the couch at their house. They decided to have a movie night. Melissa was still out, and they enjoyed their time together.

The cozy couple was interrupted by the ringing of a phone. Nathan sighed, removing his arm from around his wife, and picked up his phone.

"Who is it?" Haley asked her husband.

"I don't know. I don't recognize the number."

"Dad?"

"Melissa, hi. Everything alright?"

"Not really. Spencer, Jordan, and I got arrested."

"You what? What happened?"

"We were stopped by the police on our way back from Crenshaw. Can you please come and get me?"

"Of course. But why would they arrest you?"

"I don't know, we didn't do anything. I just want to go home."

"I'll be right there, sweetheart. Ok?"

"Ok, thank you."

"Melissa was arrested?" Haley asked concerned. "What happened?"

"She didn't say anything specific. Her, Spencer, and Jordan were just driving back home when they got stopped by the police."

"I'll come with you, Nate," Haley told him but he shook his head.

"No, you should stay. Call Laura in the meantime. Maybe she knows more about it. I'm sure Jordan called his mom."

"Alright. Call me when you get there, ok?" Haley asked.

Nathan kissed her goodbye and got into his car. He had a suspicion about what happened. And for the officer's sake, he hoped he was wrong.

****************************

Spencer, Melissa, and Jordan were sitting at the police station waiting for their parents to come and get them. Melissa was sitting in between the boys, her head resting on Jordan's shoulder.

Billy was the first one to arrive. He talked to the officers as the teenagers watched him.

"Come on, let's go," Billy told Spencer and Jordan.

Jordan shook his head and turned to his dad. "Can we wait until Nathan gets here?"

"Oh, I thought Mel was driving home with us. Of course, we can wait. Are you all ok?" Billy asked.

"I guess." Spencer nodded.

"Let's wait outside, ok? Let's get out of here." Billy said.

He went back to the officer and asked if they could wait outside the police station to get some fresh air. He told them that Melissa's father was on his way to clear her. The officers told him it was ok and he got the teenagers outside.

"You're still shaking, Mel. It's alright now. Your dad will be here soon." Jordan said to her, keeping his arms around her.

Billy noticed Melissa and Jordan and sighed. He never thought he had to talk with Jordan about the police. Now he understood that it was a mistake. He was just glad that all of them were alive and unharmed.

"Melissa?" A voice startled them.

"Dad." She said and ran towards her dad.

Nathan took her in his arms and held her close, incredibly thankful that she was ok.

"Nathan." Billy greeted him. "The officer wanted to talk to you. We'll wait outside until you get back."

"Thanks, Billy. I'll be right back." Nathan kissed Melissa on the forehead and went inside the police station.

As soon as Nathan was inside, Jordan stepped behind Melissa and held her against him. She felt safe in his arms.

When Nathan and Melissa arrived back home, Haley was standing outside of the door.

Melissa saw her mom and hugged her tightly. "I'm so glad you're ok, Mel."

Nathan called his wife when he was done talking to the police and informed her about what happened. He was angry about the situation and Laura Baker assured him that she would handle it.

After taking a shower and assuring her parents that she was ok, Melissa wanted to check up on Jordan and Spencer. Her parents wanted her to stay home but eventually allowed her to visit her friends.

*****************************

She arrived at the Baker's house and was immediately pulled into a hug by Olivia.

"I heard what happened," Oliva said, pulling her friend closer.

Melissa returned the hug happily. "How was your day with Layla?"

"I ruined it," Olivia answered, nervously biting her lip.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Melissa asked her and put a comforting hand on Olivia's shoulder.

Olivia shook her head. "It's ok, you don't need that today."

"I'll always be here for you, Liv. So let's talk."

"Well, after you left, thanks for that by the way, we came here. My dad was home and he suggested a movie for us to watch. And – "

"And Layla cried at the end?" Melissa interrupted.

"Yeah." Olivia laughed. Layla and Melissa were very similar in that. They both cried during every movie. Melissa even cried during Toy Story.

"Then it went bad." Olivia continued. "She asked me if I remember last fall at Angel's point."

The girls sat down on the couch to be more comfortable.

"You mean when we met to honor her mother?" Melissa asked.

Olivia looked down on the floor in shame. "Hm. But I told her that last year was a blur for me and that I didn't want to remember the crazy crap I did."

After Layla's mom passed away in a car accident, the girls went to Angel's point to honor her. Melissa knew that Olivia's words must have hurt Layla immensely.

"Liv." She sighed.

"I know. I'm an idiot, Mel. I felt so bad about what I said when she told me that she talked your mom into putting us together for this project. She just wanted to spend time with both of us."

That knowledge was new to Melissa. Her mother never said anything about that. She reminded herself to thank her when she got home or saw her next.

"She said it was a mistake and that she didn't want to force anyone into her life who doesn't want to be there. Then she left." Olivia continued.

"We have to fix this, Liv. You love each other, that didn't change. You need to apologize, ok? I know you want Layla to be a part of your life, just as much as she wants you in her life." Melissa said.

"I already tried that. She thought I was pitying her, and she left. I don't know how to fix this, Mel." Oliva admitted.

Melissa took Olivia's hand to calm her down. She wanted nothing more than to be like they were again. The three girls against the world.

"We'll show up when she needs us most, Liv. We'll show up together. Elysian Park, this weekend."

When Olivia stopped crying, Jordan walked into the living room. He just got out of the shower and heard chatting downstairs, so he decided to check out what was going on.

"You ok, Olivia?" He asked as he saw the tear stains on his sister's face.

Olivia quickly nodded. "I'm fine, just tired. I'm gonna call it a night. Thank you, Mel. For listening and being here."

"Anytime, Liv. Sleep well. And remember, we're going to fix this."

Olivia left and Jordan took her spot beside Melissa.

"She alright?" He asked worriedly.

"She will be. How about you?" Melissa asked, moving closer to him.

Between being scared, terrified, and angry, Jordan didn't know how he felt. He was just glad that all of them were safe now.

"I'm glad you're here. I was actually on my way to your house." He told her which made her smile.

"I guess, I beat you to it. I don't want to be away from you tonight."

Jordan took her hand and stood up. Melissa silently followed him to his room and changed into one of his shirts.

She got into the bed beside Jordan and rested her head on his chest. Jordan kissed the top of her head and put his arm around her. Slowly they fell asleep. Safe in each other's arms.

***************************

The next day, Melissa went to the football field with Jordan. Spencer texted him earlier to come to the field. When they arrived, she was pulled into a hug by Asher.

"I was worried about you and Jordan." He told her.

Asher looked at Jordan to make sure he was ok as well. Jordan called him the night before and told him what happened with the cops and about Mel's panic attack.

Soon later, Spencer arrived, and everybody was wondering what he had to say.

"So you want to tell me why you had me call everyone here?" Jordan asked him.

"Look, man. I'm sorry about yesterday. It's kind of messed up it took being face down with you in the concrete to realize we ain't all that different. And I probably would have realized that sooner if I hadn't been pushing y'all away."

"What's up with the impromptu meet-up?" Asher asked.

"Spencer's got something to say," Jordan answered.

"Hey, thank you all for showing up. And I don't mean just this morning, I mean yesterday, too. Hey, yo, my last team, we were like a family. And I just assumed y'all weren't driven by that same bond, and that's my bad. But y'all turning up for me yesterday showed me what kind of team you really are. I want in on that. Crenshaw will always be a part of who I am, but being a Beverly Eagle, that's a part of who I'm becoming. And look, man, I know I lost last week's game."

Melissa smiled at Spencer, that was inspirational. Maybe it took something bad to get something better in the end.

"No, you didn't," Jordan spoke up. "I threw an interception third quarter. You didn't lose that game alone."

Next, JJ spoke up. "Missed tackle, second quarter."

"Clouded judgment," Asher said. "Unnecessary roughness."

"You didn't even play last week," JJ told him.

Asher nodded. "That's what kept me from playing. I lost us the game before you even stepped on the field."

Melissa stepped back a little as the football team did their chant. Maybe now things will get better.

Jordan saw his dad on the side of the field and ran to him. "Hey, dad."

"Hey, Jordan. Can I talk to you?" Billy asked.

Jordan motioned for Melissa to join them. He still didn't want to be away from her. That's why he brought her here in the first place.

"Will you wait here? My dad wants to talk to me." Jordan asked, reluctant about leaving her alone.

Melissa nodded her head in agreement and watched them go inside the school.

Jordan and Billy went to his office and Billy told Jordan to sit down.

"I need for you to know that not of what happened yesterday is your fault." Billy started the conversation.

"Yesterday you said – "Jordan interrupted.

"I know what I said. I was scared. I was angry and I was wrong. Your mother and I, we should have had a talk with you a long time ago. About the reality of facing the police, and that's on me. I'm gonna fix that today. Because the most important thing for us is keeping you and your sister alive."

"If I looked like Spencer would you have had the talk with me earlier?" Jordan asked his dad.

"Probably. I think I would." Billy told him.

"Why have you never taken me to Crenshaw, dad? We live 30 minutes away from where you grew up, and the first time I spent any real time there was yesterday. Are you ashamed of me? Is that it?" Jordan asked.

He remembered being there when he was younger, but he hasn't been back in years.

"Jordan, of course, I'm not ashamed of you. I love you. Now I don't spend time in Crenshaw, but that has more to do with my past. But, you know, you're right. I shouldn't keep you separated from any part of who you are. And I have an idea of a good place to start."

****************************

Later that night, Olivia picked up Melissa at her house, and together they drove to Angel's point. They didn't have to wait long for Layla to join them.

All of them had a box filled with red rose petals in their hands. Layla sat down between her best friends and together they looked at the city and remembered the wonderful mother of Layla.

"I love you guys. So much." Melissa whispered as all three of them started crying.

Monica Keating lost her life too early, but she will never be forgotten.