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Original Airdate: 02/17/97
Matt interrupts Mary's studying asking if she told a school jerk, Michael that she wouldn't go out with him. Mary says it's not any of his business but yes, she did.
Eric and Lucy drop off her friend, Suzanne, but are curious when they see her cross to the other side of the street once they drive away. Lucy asks her dad if Suzanne is acting weird and Eric says something was a little off, and upon Lucy's urging says he will look into it.
Eric, Annie and Simon take Ruthie to her new classroom early the next day. As Simon breaks from the group to go to his own class, Annie gives him a big kiss - lipstick and all - and Simon runs away shocked at what his mother just did in front of the whole school. Eric and Annie give Ruthie a kiss and a hug and watch as she goes into her classroom to meet new friends.
At the high school, Michael starts harassing Mary saying she went out with him. Mary then finds out that Michael wrote that she was easy in the boy's restroom and goes to investigate. While in there, she hides in one of the stalls and hears Matt read what Michael wrote. Matt leaves the restroom saying he's going to take care of this guy.
Lucy and her boyfriend Jimmy decide to follow Suzanne after school. After Suzanne leads them to an apartment in a bad neighborhood, Lucy tries to rationalize the situation, not believing that her best friend has been lying to her. She later tells her dad and he isn't please that she went into a bad neighborhood alone. Lucy says that that Suzanne HAS to go to that neighborhood every day and asks him to see if he can find out what is going on. Eric meets Suzanne's mom who tells him that Suzanne's father refuses to pay child support.
Later that night, Mary asks Matt to forge Eric's signature on a tardy slip, using some information she overheard Matt talking about in the boy's restroom. Matt gives in and signs the slip. When Matt tells her he is going to take care of Michael, Mary tells him she is going to handle it herself and to back off. The next day at school, Mary approaches Michael and tells him to stop harassing her - which he uses to his advantage to make even more rude comments. Matt offers to step in again but Mary still doesn't want him to do anything. After Matt and Mary have a fight over the situation that night, Mary goes to bed crying.
Eric goes to Suzanne's dad, Bill, to ask why he doesn't pay his ex-wife any child support. He tells Eric that Suzanne took her mom's side and she has to live with the consequences. Eric says Bill should wonder why Suzanne doesn't call instead of using the fact she doesn't call to make more excuses. Later at the pool hall, Eric manages to convince Bill to see his daughter.
Mary finally takes things into her own hands and flushes Michael's head in the toilet at school. Hearing the commotion, a school official interrupts and tells both kids to call their parents for a meeting in her office. There, Michael says he wants to file assault charges, to which the school official asks Mary if she is willing to file sexual harassment charges. Mary says she just wants it to be over and done with it. The school official lets Michael off the hook, but not without threatening action if he ever does this to any girls ever again.