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Original Airdate: 02/09/98
It's nighttime at the Camdens and Mary is having a dream where she is back playing basketball and having the worst game of her life. She wakes up tossing and turning which also wakes up Lucy who asks what is wrong. Mary tells her to go back to sleep as she wonders what the Homecoming game is going to be like and if her basketball skills are what they used to be.Morning sun finds Lucy talking to her friend Suzanne about not having a date for the Homecoming dance. Mary is uninterested and while Lucy is in mid-sentence – she shoves her into the closet. As Mary is putting her basketball uniform in her duffel bag, she pauses – still unsure of what may happen.
Downstairs, Ruthie and Eric are having one of their "coffee mornings" where they read the paper and have some toast while sipping a drink. Simon bounds down the stairs with his science project, a mobile of the solar system using Ruthie's doll heads as the planets, which is O.K. since Ruthie doesn't know where the bodies are. Simon explains that the mobile HAS to be good because he is convinced his science teacher hates him, and after all he IS Mr. Lovable. Ruthie talks about her first first-grade field trip that her class is taking today. Just then, Annie comes down the stairs and notices the "coffee morning" leftovers on the table just as Eric and Ruthie manage to scurry away. We find out Annie is chaperoning the field trip because Ruthie is scared that her class will leave her at the museum all alone.
Eric finds Mary and asks if she wants him to take her to school, but Mary tells him she is fine. Matt tells him that Mary isn't really talking to anybody nowadays. Lucy meanwhile is telling Annie about Mary's constant bad mood lately when Mary walks in and says she doesn't have a date for the dance either and Matt admits later to turning down dates to hang around with Mary.
Suzanne leaves for school and ditches her mom and catches a city bus across the street.
At the museum, Ruthie isn't having much fun so Annie takes her to an exhibit she thinks Ruthie will like – pointillism. After a while, Annie realizes it's a little too quiet and looks around and realizes that Ruthie's nightmare has come true – they have been left.
Science class brings terror for Simon as the solar system presentations Begin. Nick goes first and crashes and burns. Simon's heart start beating fast and he tries to look away but is called on to go next. He tells Miss Hunter that he had some trouble with his project and needs more time. She thanks him for his honesty and says he should come in during his free period and they can work on it.
At the high school, Matt finds Mary and tries to cheer her up about the game. Some of her basketball friends come over and tell her how much they are glad to have her back and that they are going to cream the other team. Mary tells them there is more to life than basketball.
Simon goes to the counselor's office and explains his difficulties with Miss Hunter and expresses his eagerness to be placed in another science class. The counselor tells him he should try to make it work for a couple more days. Simon pleads with the counselor to let him go home early, but she says that students can only go home if a parent picks them up for an appointment, or if they are sick. Simon thinks for a moment then leaves the office.
While on the way out the door to do some errands, Eric is surprised to find Suzanne there. Eric asks how she got there, and she tells him her mom just dropped her off. Eric asks if she wants to go for a drive with him and she agrees.
Lucy explains to Matt in the busy corridors that algebra was hard enough solving for X, not she has to solve for X and Y in the same equation. Another girl tells Matt she hopes to see him at the dance and Matt just smiles and keeps walking. Matt tells Lucy he has to swing by and get Mary after he drops Lucy and Simon off at home.
Back at Walter Reed, Simon is watching the water faucet drip in the nurse's office when Matt comes in and sits down next to him. Simon tells Matt he's sick, but when Matt feels his forehead, he gives in and says his science teacher hates him. Unknown to Simon, Miss hunter overhears. Matt tells Simon he will probably have to miss Mary's game now.
Annie comes home and tells Eric about getting left at the museum and Eric agrees not to mention it to Ruthie. Matt comes back with Lucy and Simon and Simon tries to speed past his parents but is caught. He says he felt a little sick at school and is going to his room. Lucy and Suzanne catch up on things and Suzanne tells Lucy she is lucky to have a babe as a brother.
Outside the high school, Mary is waiting for Matt to swing by when her former boyfriend Richard finds her. Mary says she doesn't think she can go through with the game and asks why she feels she can't do it. Richard says she's just scared and everybody has things they are afraid of.
Eric orders a pizza when Lucy and Suzanne comes down. He tells Suzanne she should talk to her mom and he will tag on to the end of the conversation. Suzanne agrees and goes into the other room to call her mom. Lucy finds out Eric forgot a topping and picks up the other extension and immediately puts the phone down. Curious, Eric later hits redial and heard the current time be played. He calls Suzanne's real number and tells her mom she is O.K.
Annie goes upstairs with a dish of Jell-O for Simon and explains that he shouldn't have pizza – he should try to keep the Jell-O down and then maybe he can have some broth later. Simon asks her how she and Ruthie got left at the museum – and Annie's eyes open wide. Ruthie says she though Eric was just in the neighborhood when he picked them up. Annie can't believe Simon just spilled the beans and Ruthie says she is never going on another field trip again. Later, Miss hunter shows up at the house and Simon is freaked out that his teacher is in his room – but tries to play it cool. She asks why Simon thinks she hates him, and explains it is her first job and she didn't want to let the class down. She says she will try and loosen up a little.
At the big game, Richard joins the family in the bleachers and cheers Mary on. Suzanne tells Eric that she and her mom are going to spend the whole weekend together. Mary receives a pass but won't shoot the ball until finally the whole team just keeps passing it to her again and again. She shoots and SWISH! It goes in! As the team celebrates their victory, Richard gets on the loudspeaker and asks if Mary will go to the dance with him. She accepts.