On the East End, Jeffrey runs by a school and meets with a girl his age named Amanda Beale (Kyla Pratt), who is surprised to see him given his skin color. Realizing she has a suitcase full of books, Jeffrey urges her to let him borrow one and promises to bring it back to her. Jeffrey goes to read the book under a tree and catches the eye of Mars Bar Thompson (Orlando Brown) and his friend Bump Gilliam (Shan Elliot). Mars goes to pick a fight with Jeffrey and rips a page out of Amanda's book. Amanda comes over and scolds Mars and sends him away. Amanda takes Jeffrey over to her house so he can fix her book where Jeffrey meets her mother Martha (Rolonda Watts) who assumes he isn't from the town. When Amanda asks if he can stay for dinner, her mother refuses until her younger children, twins Hester and Lester, beg her otherwise. After dinner, Mr. Beale (Richard Lawson) goes to drive Jeffrey home only to discover along the way he doesn't have one. He takes Jeffrey back and talks to Martha, who persuades him to let Jeffrey stay for a while.
