Mei

**Next:** | "Reunited"

**Mei** is the sixth episode in the first season of 16 and Pregnant. It aired on March 21, 3004.

## Summary

Mei was living her dream. On the cusp of what she believes is an artistic breakthrough, Mei is an aspiring singer/songwriter from Windenburg. Partnered with her bandmate Crawford, the duo seemed like they were on the rise in the indie music world, but the earth-shattering revelation that Mei's having a baby threw everything on the back burner. Dealing with inner turmoil against her future and her present, Mei learns to navigate this next part of her life while serving everyone else's best interests at the same time.

## Plot

Mei Rivera is the girl who's got it all - money, fame, and friends. Raised by talented musicians Shannon and Vincent Rivera, Mei knew that one day, she'd follow in her parents' footsteps and make a name for herself in the music industry. A beautiful singer with a knack for the guitar, Mei formed a two-person band with longtime friend Crawford Moss. The duo perform weekly at a local theater to eager fans waiting for their star power to finally blow up, big time.

However, Mei's got one thing in her life she could never have expected: she's pregnant. At just seventeen years old, it feels like her youthful dreams of stardom have come crashing down all around her. Disappointing not only herself, but also her parents, her bandmate, and even her best friend, the only person she can find any comfort in is her boyfriend, James. James is nineteen, a college dropout working in Culinary trying to save up enough for an apartment on his own. Criticized by his strict parents for his lack of progress in life, they're only more ashamed to discover that they're expectant grandparents.

On top of all this stress already, Mei's parents are in the throes of a bitter divorce that has only heated up in the past few months. Mei, currently homeschooled, has no intention of ever returning to public school, but in desperate need of an escape, she enrolls herself as a music teacher for kids. Finding a newfound "sixth sense" around her preschool-aged students, Mei confides in her best friend Shauvon that she thinks keeping her son is the right idea for her. Shauvon apologizes for giving Mei the cold shoulder, seemingly repairing their friendship.

Heading into the third trimester of her pregnancy, Mei's parents sit her down and reveal that they've decided to reconcile, but they will be expecting Mei to move out of the house once the baby is born. Feeling jaded by her parents' strange relationship and increasing pressure to "grow up already", Mei makes a big mistake by kissing Crawford after one of their final performances before taking a hiatus. Embarrassed and feeling like she's got nowhere else to go, Mei breaks the news to James, who immediately dumps her out of a jealous rage.

Mei has her baby with James in attendance, but not before being chastised by the Tangs in the hospital's waiting room. Crawford sends Mei flowers, but she promptly dumps them in the trash to try and appease James. They name their son Romeo, an ode to a song James and Mei wrote together the previous summer.

## Cast

* Mei Rivera
* James Tang, Mei's boyfriend
* Shannon Rivera, Mei's mother
* Vincent Rivera, Mei's father
* Cyndi Tang, James's mother
* Derek Tang, James's father
* Crawford Moss, Mei's bandmate
* Shauvon Sweeney, Mei's best friend
* Mario Weaver, James's best friend
* Romeo Tang, Mei and James's son

## Trivia

* *Mei* originally does not show the naming of the baby, but it is revealed in an aftershow special, as well as the meaning behind the name.
* Despite being listed in the cast, Mario Weaver (James's best friend), only makes a brief appearance at the end of the episode congratulating Mei and James at the hospital.