After a while she begins acting snobbish toward Maria and suggests that she is stupid and does not want to hang out with her as much. Joycelyn's mother, who is young and single, warns Joycelyn not to out stay out late as she heads to party herself. .
Maria cooks, cleans, and cares for her bratty, younger brother while her mother works two jobs because their father is in jail. Maria has a part time job working in a bakery with Lanisha, but doesn't make a lot of money. When she hears of the school closing she does not tell her mother, but her mother finds out anyway when Joycelyn accidentally lets it slip during a conversation. Her mother says that she should just forget about school because she needs her to help with the bills. Maria finds out that she is pregnant by Terrell who is avoiding her. When she catches up with him she tells him she does not want to get married, but wants to know if he will be around to help her. He reluctantly replies yes and goes back to the music in his earphones. Maria tells Lanisha of her situation. She suggests that she go to the clinic for a checkup. They go to the clinic and Lanisha shows Maria where to check in and wait for the doctor. Maria's conversation with the doctor shows that she really does not know what she wants to get out of life. Maria begins skipping band practice and is soon kicked out.
The movie was pretty good, but there were more things that I disliked than I liked about he movie. One thing that particularly did not like was that the movie was overflowing with stereotypes. Everything that could possibly go wrong in a black person's life happened within the movie. For example, Maria, who is Hispanic, got pregnant and dropped out of school because her mother needed her to help pay bills. This just plays into the stereotypical portrayal that Hispanic families must all work to survive and must even sacrifice an education to provide for the family.
