Concrete Rose

Dre drops Mav off at Lisa’s place, while he takes Li’l Man for a drive around the neighborhood. Lisa lives in one of the nicest houses in the Garden, with a manicured lawn and a fence that her mother, Ms. Montgomery, put up to keep out guys like Mav. Lisa’s brother Carlos answers the door and almost starts a fight with Mav before Lisa intervenes. She takes Mav up to her room, and the two of them sit on Lisa’s bed, discussing her busy schedule and upcoming plans to apply to college. She tells Mav that he should apply too. Mav thinks that Lisa sees a better, more capable version of him that no one else can see, not even himself.

Mav can’t stall any longer. He tells Lisa about sleeping with Iesha during their breakup and the results of the DNA test. Lisa is heartbroken and furious that Mav lied to her for so long. She asks if Iesha, King, and Dre all knew. Mav can’t respond, because they all did. Lisa mutters that “maybe [her] mom and brother are right” about Mav (68). She tells him to get out. As Mav pleads with her, Carlos bursts in and begins shouting.