Keisha starts episode 2 wanting nothing to do with Justin after he left her text message on read. She feels hurt and embarrassed, especially since she had opened up to him about her feelings. Meanwhile, Justin is desperate to explain what happened but has no way to contact her after she blocked him again. Here's a recap of what all goes down in Forever season 1 episode 2.
Spoilers from Forever episode 2 ahead!
The timing is just never right for Keisha and Justin
After sharing her feelings, Keisha anxiously waits for Justin's response, but he never replies. Unbeknownst to her, Justin's mom (Dawn) took his phone away after he skipped class. Meanwhile, Justin manages to get his phone back with some advice from his dad (Eric). When he tells Dawn he's talking to a Black girl, her attitude shifts, and she agrees to return his phone. As he goes through his text messages, Justin sees Keisha's angry texts. He tries to contact her by phone and social media, but she's blocked him once again.
At school the next day, Justin struggles with his classwork. While it's not exactly clear what's going on, it appears he has a learning disability, as he struggles to keep up with his assignments. To make matters worse, his basketball coach doesn't take him seriously and doesn't let him shine on the court. Later that day, he drives to his younger brother's baseball practice with his driver's ed teacher when he spots Keisha picking up trash near the field. Remember, she has volunteer work to do after the fight she had with her track teammate. Justin walks over and offers her a yarn bracelet he found, hoping to make peace. He apologizes and explains why he never replied to her message, but Keisha doesn’t buy it. Frustrated, she argues with him and storms off.
After taking some time to reflect, Keisha approaches Justin and they reconcile. During their conversation, she opens up about the real reason she transferred from Brookwood. When the sex tape was leaked, Keisha fell into a deep depression. Her mother assumed her sadness stemmed from being one of the few Black girls in her grade, and not wanting to disappoint her, Keisha went along with it. In truth, it was the fallout from the tape that had been weighing on her. As she shares her story, Justin reaches for her hand in a comforting gesture. But just as the moment grows tender, they’re interrupted by Keisha’s cousins, who arrive to pick her up.
When Keisha gets home, she’s greeted by a large bouquet of roses, sent by her ex-boyfriend, Christian. Her mom, Shelly, and her cousins are thrilled by the surprise, but Keisha quietly retreats to her room. Sensing something is off, Shelly follows her. As they talk, Keisha nearly confesses the truth about the sex tape. But just as she's about to, Shelly says something that causes her to hesitate. Not wanting to let her mom down, Keisha puts on a brave face and pretends everything is okay.
The next morning, Keisha and Justin are talking on the phone when she suddenly decides to end things. She tells him that her life is too complicated right now and that her priority is getting into her dream school, Howard University. Before Justin can say a word, she hangs up. Later, Keisha talks to Chloe, who urges her to reconsider and give Justin a real chance. Taking Chloe’s advice to heart, Keisha decides to go to his younger brother’s baseball game, knowing Justin will be there.
As Keisha and Justin are patching things up, Dawn walks over and gives Keisha a warm hug. Moments later, Shelly approaches with Christian by her side. Christian asks Keisha if they can talk in private, and she agrees, walking off with him. From a distance, Justin watches as their conversation seems a little too familiar for comfort. Dawn, chatting with Shelly, notices Justin’s reaction and feels for him. She and Justin then head to the car since he has basketball practice. Sitting in the passenger seat, Justin checks his phone and sees a message from Keisha asking where he went, but he doesn’t respond.
You can stream all eight episodes of Forever season 1 on Netflix right now.