All American – Best Kept Secret

By starrymag | March 19, 2019

By: Jessica Wolff

 

 

Young Spencer (Michael Wayne Williams) declares to Grace James (Karimah Westbrook) that the trophy he won doesn’t matter since Corey James (Chad L. Coleman) wasn’t there to see him win it. He asks why Corey left, and Grace tells him that sometimes people grow apart and they both love him very much.

 

In the present, Grace and Coach Billy Baker (Taye Diggs) tells Spencer James (Daniel Ezra) it’s time they talk, but Spencer replies that she’s just going to lie about everything. Billy tells him that their affair was a mistake, and Grace explains they were in a dark place at the time.

 

Spencer replies that he was in a dark place when Corey left, and yells at Billy for pretending to care about him. Dillon James (Jalyn Hall) asks what’s going on, and Grace lies that Billy is there to drop something off for Spencer. However, Spencer gets mad at her lying and tells Dillon that Corey is back in town.

 

Beverly wins its next playoff game and the team celebrates. Billy thanks the team for their effort all year and asks them for one more game that will make them state champions. He pulls Jordan Baker (Michael Evans Behling) aside and tells him he’s proud of him.

 

Spencer follows Billy to his office, asking if he’s going to tell his family the truth. Billy apologizes for hurting him but asks if any more people need to be hurt. Spencer tells him that he’s not comfortable lying to them like he is and tells him to tell them the truth or he will.

 

Olivia Baker (Samantha Logan) congratulates Asher Adams (Cody Christian) on the game. He comments about Leila Keating (Greta Onieogou) staying at her house, and Olivia tells him that she doesn’t blame Leila for not wanting to be alone in her house. Harold Adams (Casper Van Dien) approaches them and congratulates Asher, clearly drunk.

 

Spencer and Leila’s conversation is interrupted by Corey, who congratulates Spencer. He introduces Leila to Corey, and they shake hands. Corey offers to take them to dinner to celebrate, but Spencer tells him they have plans. Corey tells him he meant that he wants a relationship with him and Dillon, but Spencer walks away.

 

Spencer hangs out with Tamia ‘Coop’ Cooper (Bre-Z), Patience (Chelsea Royce Tavares), and Reggie Cooper (James Black). Reggie offers to cover the check, and Patience admits that not everything is great, reminding Coop that Preach (Kareem Grimes) is going to kill Tyrone Morris (Demetrius Shipp Jr.). Coop declares that Tyrone deserves whatever happens to him, but Spencer tells her she’s not a killer. Patience reminds her of her promise to make Coop stay Coop, and Spencer asks how she’s going to feel with Tyrone’s blood on her hands.

 

Dillon asks Spencer if he was with Corey, but Spencer assures him he wasn’t. Spencer tells him that meeting Corey isn’t a good idea, telling him he doesn’t want him getting hurt when he leaves again. Dillon suggests he could have changed, but Spencer insists that people like him don’t change. Dillon asks why he told him Corey was back if he didn’t want him to see him. Spencer tells him to trust him, but Dillon asks why he gets to decide.

 

Chris (Spence Moore II) toasts to Beverly for making it to the championship before inviting everyone to a party at his house. Leila asks Olivia if she can stay over again, and Olivia tells her to stay as long as she wants. She asks if she’s told Spencer about her fear of staying in her house alone, but Leila admits she hasn’t.

 

Olivia asks Asher to join them, but he tells her that he’s bringing food home for Harold. She comments on his drunkenness and offers Harold a job in Laura Fine-Baker’s (Monet Mazur) campaign. Asher tells her she doesn’t need to keep saving him, but she tells him she’s just trying to help.

 

Spencer thanks Corey for coming, and Corey thanks him for giving him a chance. Spencer comments that Dillon thinks he deserves one, and Corey comments that he likes Leila. Spencer comments that he barely met her, and Corey tells him he’s trying. Spencer tells him Dillon doesn’t know what it was like when he left, admitting that seeing Corey brings up a lot of anger.

 

Corey tells him that he knows their relationship won’t be repaired overnight, and Spencer reminds him that he missed a lot of milestones for him and Dillon. He brings up Grace’s lies, and Corey tells him he did his part to ruin their marriage as well. Corey tells him not to take things out on Grace, and Spencer tells him his break’s over.

 

Coop asks to talk to Preach and tells him Tyrone doesn’t have to die. Preach tells her it’s justice for Shawn, but Coop points out he’s one strike away from going back to jail for life. He points out that she’s just afraid of killing someone. She tells him there’s other ways to get rid of Tyrone, arguing they can run him out of town instead. Preach agrees that he doesn’t need a third strike.

 

Leila asks Spencer how things went with Corey, and he admits it didn’t go well. She reminds him that he still has an amazing mother and realizes that something’s bothering him. She asks how bad it can be, and Spencer tells her about the affair. Billy comes home to find Corey talking to Laura, and Laura tells him to play nice. He asks Corey why he’s there, and he replies he’s worried about Spencer. Billy comments that Spencer is resilient, and Corey comments that Laura doesn’t seem to know the truth. Corey tells him that he’s not there to ruin his life but tells him that he’s learned that he needs to take ownership of his mistakes, suggesting he does the same.

 

Laura’s campaign manager (Nataliz Jimenez) tells her she’s not coming across as relatable to the voters. She suggests using her family to help her image, but Laura isn’t comfortable with it. Jordan and Olivia agree to do it, and campaign manager tells them that she’ll schedule a photoshoot.

 

Grace asks Spencer if he plans to avoid her forever, and he joins her for breakfast. She tells him that he last thing she wants to do is hurt him, and Spencer tells her she shouldn’t have lied. Grace admits that she didn’t want to hurt him further when Corey left and that she didn’t want him to hate the only parent he had left.

 

Spencer points out that she said nothing when he questioned if he was the reason Corey left, and that she let him move in with Billy when he was the real reason. Grace tells him that she and Corey were the reason Corey left, and that she wanted him to have a chance at a better future. Spencer replies that it should have been his decision, but Grace replies that sometimes a parent needs to make tough decisions.

 

Dillon asks Spencer if he talked to Corey and asks if he told him the reason he left. Spencer lies that he and Grace grew apart but assures him it had nothing to do with them. Malik (Mikelen Walker) asks Coop if she’s going with them to get payback for Shawn. Coop asks if he talked to Preach, and Malik replies that Preach is the one picking them up. Coop agrees to go but declares to Patience that she needs to get to Tyrone before they do.

 

Spencer asks Billy if he loved Grace or hated Corey. Billy tells him that it wasn’t like that, and Spencer admits that he couldn’t tell Dillon the truth. He admits he realized it wasn’t his place and promises he won’t tell his family. However, Billy tells him he’s going to tell Laura, admitting that Corey reminded him that he needs to own his mistakes.

 

Asher confronts Harold about not showing up to his job interview, but Harold declares that the job is beneath him. Asher questions his decision to get drunk instead and confronts him about not even trying. Harold tells Asher that he’s the loser for groveling to get back on the team, but Asher replies that he’s not the only one who lost everything, declaring that he’s done caring about him.

 

Billy tells Laura about the affair, emphasizing that he felt vulnerable about his career ending. Billy apologizes, assuring her it only happened once. Laura calls him a coward, pointing out he’s only telling her is because Corey returned. She declares that their perfect family ended the day he betrayed them.

 

She points out that he moved Grace’s son into their house, and Billy insists that he hasn’t been with Grace since. Laura tells him the worst part is that he went to Grace for comfort instead of his wife. Billy promises he’ll fix things, but Laura tells him he’s done enough and goes upstairs to tell Jordan and Olivia.

 

Spencer tells Coop that Patience is worried about her and that he’s going with her to talk to Tyrone. They meet with Tyrone, telling him he’s not welcome in Crenshaw anymore. Tyrone resists the warning, but Spencer insists they’re trying to help him. Coop tells him that his own people are coming for him, and that she’s giving him a way out. Tyrone calls her soft, but Coop argues that compassion doesn’t make her soft. He declares that they leave him no choice and walks away.

 

The Beverly players arrive at Chris’ party, and Jordan and Olivia remark that they need drinks. Olivia tells Leila that she can use a friend, telling her about Billy’s affair. Olivia realizes Leila already knew, and Leila explains Spencer found out recently. Olivia gets mad at her for not telling her and goes to tell Jordan. He shoves Spencer, but Spencer declares he’s not going to fight. Spencer tells him he’s angry too, but Jordan shoves him again and tells him he should have told him.

 

Olivia pours herself beer, but Asher pulls the cup away. She insists she’s having a drink, but Asher points out she’s throwing away her sobriety. Asher offers his support, but she tells him she’ll pour another cup. He takes away the cup, and Chris comes over to check on her. Asher tells him they’re in the middle of something, and Chris tells him to leave Olivia alone. They argue, and Olivia declares she can handle things herself.

 

Spencer admits to Coop that he never imagined that Corey’s return would be this painful for everyone. He questions how he can let Dillon see him, and Coop tells him that Corey probably took so long to come back for the same reason it took so long for her to come out to her parents: shame. She admits that it’s hard to disappoint the people you love, and insists Corey was probably ashamed to face him. Spencer declares that it’s too late, but Coop questions if it’s too late for Dillon.

 

Cameron (Mitchell Edwards) makes a comment about Jordan only being a quarterback because of Billy, and Jordan punches him. Chris declares that the party is over, and Jordan tells Spencer that it sucks when someone crashes his world. Leila asks Spencer if he wants to get food, but Spencer tells her he should get home. He asks if she’s going to be okay, and she assures him she will be.

 

Spencer goes home, telling Grace that he understands why she lied and apologizing for how he’s acted. He tells Grace that Dillon wants to meet Corey and argues that he deserves a chance to have a father. Jordan and Olivia come home and find Billy waiting for them. Jordan refuses to talk to him, and Billy apologizes and pleads to Olivia. She points out that he lied about everything and Billy promises to do everything he can to earn back their trust. Leila asks the waitress if the restaurant is open all night, confirming she doesn’t want to go home.

 

Laura reminds her campaign manager that she canceled the shoot, but Olivia tells her she called them.  Olivia declares that they’re not letting her give up, and Spencer introduces Dillon to Corey. Billy joins the family for the photoshoot and thanks them for doing it. Jordan tells him they’re not doing it for him as they force smiles for the camera. Corey joins Spencer, Grace, and Dillon for dinner as Coop and Patience find that Preach was shot.