Lindsay's family and friends fear the worst when she quits the academic decathlon team and begins hanging around with a new crowd. A new friend tries to help her find her way. Meanwhile, Sam ponders asking cheerleader Cindy Sanders to the homecoming dance, while trying to cope with persistent teasing and torture at the hands of a savage bully.

Lindsay's friends learn that her parents are going away for the weekend and suggest having a kegger. Sam and Neal become worried after a school assembly focusing on alcohol-related deaths and they decide to switch the real beer with non-alcoholic beer. Daniel and Kim get back together and despite the lack of alcohol, the party quickly gets out of hand.

Lindsay offers to help Daniel study for an algebra test, but ends up accused by the teacher of cheating. Daniel lends sexually naive Sam a porn film.

Lindsay encourages Nick to pursue a career in music. Nick continues to practice with his current band, but quickly decides he's better than them. Lindsay encourages Nick to audition for a bigger local band. When things don't go well in the audition, Lindsay is there to comfort Nick. After learning they have to shower in gym class, Sam, Bill, and Neal refuse to do it.

Sam, Neal, and Bill befriend a pretty new transfer student, but soon fear of losing her to the popular crowd and try to win her over with a series of fun things they plan for her. Lindsay, Nick, Daniel, and Ken decide to get fake IDs so they can see a hot local band perform at a bar. However, after they go through the trouble of getting their IDs and getting into the bar, the group is stunned to find out who the hot local bands lead singer is.

Lindsay reluctantly agrees to come over to Nick's house while his parents are out of town. Sam hopes to become lab partners with Cindy, but becomes jealous when Bill is named Cindy's lab partner.

A car accident results in Lindsay deciding to stop hanging out with her “freak” friends. She decides to rejoin the mathletes and start hanging out with Millie again. Sam adopts a new modern hair style in the hopes of impressing Cindy. When this fails, he seeks out a new wardrobe.

When Bill talks about being allergic to peanuts in class, Alan tries to prove he's lying but Bill ends up in the hospital after an allergic reaction. Lindsay smokes weed for the first time.

Sam discovers that life as Cindy's boyfriend is not nearly as exciting as he had imagined. Ken's girlfriend ,Amy, confesses a shocking secret, putting Ken in an awkward situation. Lindsay struggles with asking Vice President George Bush a question during an assembly.

Daniel is sentenced to audio/visual class as punishment for attempting to pull the fire alarm to get out of taking a test. Lindsay is accepted to a two-week academic summit. Nick has a new girlfriend and takes up disco dancing.

Kim's friend, Karen, bullies Sam and calls him a geek. Kim invites Lindsay to dinner at her house, exposing Lindsay to the abuse Kim takes at home.

Neal wrestles with the dilemma of whether to tell his mother about his father's affair. Lindsay is given detention after coming to the aid of a girl being attacked by a boy. Daniel deals with pressures at home and with Kim. He escapes from his problems through punk music.