Episode 1: The First Day

It’s Owen’s first day at Twin Branches High. He meets Zoe, and they became friends. Owen has memory of flashes of a football field and claims to have come to Twin Branches High for a fresh start. While Zoe is helping Owen, Emily approaches, discussing the pep rally later that day for Friday’s big Football game. Nate accidentally bumps into Owen and offers to show him around so Zoe and Emily could head to PE. As soon as they leave, he slams Owen against the locker, telling him to stay away from Zoe. Ben talks to Owen and shows him where his next class is.

Meanwhile, Emily and Zoe talk during volleyball. Tomorrow’s the one month anniversary of Ben and Emily. They have a fancy dinner reservation but will need to skip the last hour of school to make it. Then Maria tells the girls that Melissa Tancredo got removed from the Social Chair position for spending half the Homecoming budget on her own ball gown. Zoe decides to run for the position.

In class, Ben and Owen sit down near Spencer, who introduces himself to Owen. He asks Owen to play football with him because they need someone, but Owen says he doesn’t play. At lunch, Owen meets Wes, who gives him information about Zoe and Nate. Nate’s the son of the mayor, is the quarterback, and has a lot of power. He went to a dance with Zoe and wants to date her, but Zoe feels that it’s too soon since her breakup with Howard, who left for college. Wes says next time Owen needs information, it’ll cost him.

Owen sees seats with the hipsters and the nerds and decides to sit with the hipsters. He meets Nick and.

After the cheerleaders perform at the pep rally, Zoe begins to announce her candidacy. Paige interrupts with loud music, professional dancers, and t-shirt launchers. She’s running for Social Chair also. Ben informs Owen that she transferred from Monarch Prep School for Privileged Girls at the beginning of the year. Her family has donated a ton of money to the school.

After school, when the cheerleaders were going to help Zoe, they back down. They feel that it’s futile to stand against Paige and don’t want her to be angry at them. The rest of the cheerleaders leave. Owen runs into Zoe sitting alone and tells her that she can’t give up before even starting. He offers to help her.

After going home to the poor part of town, he enters his Grandma Betty’s house and tells her about Zoe. That night, he lies in bed thinking about football and getting yelled at by his Coach Harris. Just as he’s getting to sleep, he hears a loud crash. He runs outside to see car racing away and his mailbox knocked down. Someone in the car yells “You can’t run from what you did!”

Episode 2: High Spirits

At home, Sam helps Zoe make banners for her campaign. At school, Nate opens the door as Owen approaches, slamming it into him. They argue, and Nate provokes him into attacking him just as a teacher nears. He gives Owen detention. Zoe struggles to put banners up alone, and Nate helps her. He tries to talk her out of running, but it gives her an idea. Zoe decides to throw a better party than Paige.

Zoe heads to the swimming pool of the school to talk to Ben who is watching his girlfriend, Emily, swim. Zoe knows Ben throws legendary parties and convinces him to help her throw one the night before Paige’s, pointing out that a successful Thursday night party would be even more impressive.

Zoe enlists Owen’s help getting people excited about the party. They see Jenna and Hannah of the drama club. The girls don’t want to come because they need to rehearse for their play about women who open a club. Owen tells them that going to the party will be like character research, and they agree.

Next they talk to the nerds – Brendan and Dex. After finding out that there will be plenty of video games, they agree to come to the party.

Finally, they run into Nick and Autumn, the hipsters. Nick needs to write an article, and Autumn needs to practice her DJing. Owen points out that Nick could write an article about the party, and the pair agree to come.

Just then Paige approaches, confronting Zoe. Zoe responds by saying that if Paige’s party is going to be so much better, she has nothing to worry about. Paige leaves, and Zoe goes to talk to the cheerleaders. They still want her to stop. As Zoe talks to the cheerleaders, the football players begin to argue. Jacob thinks they don’t stand a chance with a hurt player missing from the team. Spencer doesn’t want to give up, so the two argue and eventually get physical. Spencer shoves Jacob who almost slams into Zoe. Luckily, Owen tackles him to defend Zoe. The football team notes his perfect form and asks him to play. He runs. Zoe follows and comforts him, confused as to why he responded that way. They talk about the social chair position, and Zoe explains that Paige doesn’t care about the school, but she (Zoe) really loves the school. For her, Owen agrees to play football.

In the locker room, Wes approaches Nate. He mentions Owen trying out for the team, and Nate gets upset. Wes says he has some information on Owen if Nate’s willing to pay. Nate hands Owen a $100 bill, and Wes gives Nate an Ogden High yearbook. Owen claimed to be frmo that high school, but he’s not in the yearbook. Neither Nate nor Wes know why he’s lying, but they know he is lying.

Episode 3: Making a Name

Owen wakes up early and finds his tires slashed. On the side of car, someone has spray painted “For Ken.” Grandma Betty gives him a ride to school.

Ben walks down the hallway with Spencer discussing Emily and the party. He then takes a beach ball to the ball to mess around Emily. After throwing her in the pool, she pulls him in with her. Coach Kessler, the swim coach and Emily’s dad, enters the pool room. He gets mad at Ben, telling him to put Emily first and stop slacking.

Owen goes to football tryouts. He has a flashback of playing football and his coach yelling at him to “do it.” Back in the present, a ball hurtles toward him and he catches it, impressing the team. The team tells him that their coach is hands off. They point him out – a frail looking man in glasses reading a math textbook in the stands. The team says they sort of run themselves. Then they tell him about The Combine, a test with three parts. Owen needs to pass two of the parts to make the team. First, he runs quickly. Next he lifts weights. In fact, Owne lifts 250 lbs, which beats Spencer’s record of 245 lbs. Lastly, he does practice play. It all goes well.

Ben and Zoe go to a party store to buy supplies. Ben says that they need things that encourage people to get silly. They buy some feather boas, grass skirts, and more. They see a balloon archway and a photo booth and decide on the photo booth. Ben says that people like taking photos and private places to do gross things. When they get to Ben’s house to unload, they run into Ben’s dad, Mr. Kale. They expected him to be gone, but he hadn’t left yet for his flight. Ben tells him that the supplies are costumes for their school play, a Hawaiian-glam Romeo and Juliet. Mr. Kale leaves, and Ben and Zoe. They talk about Emily, and Zoe suggests that Ben ask Coach Kessler to get to know him. Ben agrees and gives Zoe a ride to school before heading to see Coach Kessler.

The football team asks Owen to tackle Nate. He dodges an incoming tackle but chokes when he gets to Nate, having another flashback. This time he remembers a tackle, a crunch, and a fan yelling “no!” Nate insults him and leaves. Jacob and Spencer tell him that he did very well and made the team. They mention that Howard was their previous captain and was legendary.

Ben asks Coach Kessler for a new start. Coach Kessler acquiesces, inviting Ben to dinner the next night. He remembers that that’s the night of the party but agrees. He says nothing is more important than Emily.

Owen walks home. Zoe pulls up, and as they talk, Owen gets a call from his Grandma Betty. She’s heard an intruder in the house! Ben tells her to stay calm and sprints home. He grabs a baseball bat and goes upstairs only to find his room trashed and “remember” spray painted on the wall. Grandma Betty gives him a hug.

Episode 4: The Dinner and the Party

While helping Zoe get ready for the party, Sam convinces her to try to find out more about Owen. While they’re getting ready, Zoe gets a call from Ben. He’s on the day to dinner with Emily’s family and tells her for the first time that he won’t be there for the party. Zoe begins to freak out.

Ben knocks on the Kessler’s doors, greets Mr. Kessler, and gives him a firm handshake. Mr. Kessler invites him inside. Things are a little rocky at first, but Ben explains how he wants to attend Kingston just like his father and grandfather. He goes on to tell Mr. Kessler about how he plans on being an events coordinator. Mr. Kessler is skeptical, but Ben tells him how it’s respected part of the business world and shows how much thought he’d put into the career.

Owen helps Zoe set up the party, finishing just as the first guests arrive and not giving her any time to talk with Owen. Everyone’s impressed and has a great time. Every person Zoe invited showed up, and all her planning paid off. As Nate is talking with Zoe, Wes pulls Nate away with new information. Zoe goes to find Owen and pulls him upstairs, stumbling upon a truth and dare game. She wrangles Owen into playing with her and the group, thinking that it might be a way to find out more information about him. Hector asks her “truth or dare,” and she chooses dare. Hector dares her to kiss Amanda, so she gives Amanda a peck on the cheek. Then she asks Owen, and Owen chooses truth. Zoe decides not to confront him in front of everyone, so she asks about his first kiss. He explains an embarrassing situation in which he and his date fell into a mall fountain. Hector notes that that must be why he changed schools. Owen gets upset and leaves. Zoe follows him and asks if something happened at his old school. Owen explains how he wanted a fresh start but doesn’t give any details. Suddenly someone bangs on the door. Ben’s neighbor, Mortimer Carmody, is upset about the noise!

Zoe texts Ben, and Ben calls her, telling her to claim to be his cousin from Wisconsin. Mortimer’s from Wisconsin, and the story works thanks to Zoe and Owen’s quick thinking. They tell Mortimer that Zoe is Ben’s cousin and Owen is Zoe’s brother. Zoe says she was watching a movie about a party on TV, and Owen explains that the girl’s voice Mortimer heard was him practicing for a community theater play in which roles are played by the opposite gender. Mortimer believes them and leaves, and the party continues at a lower volume.

Back at Emily’s, Ben, Emily, and her family finish dinner. Mr. Kessler walks Ben to his car. He admits that he’s impressed with Ben. He says that Emily needs to focus on swimming and academia but that she can also date Ben.

At the party, Owen and Emily discuss what happened. Zoe tells Owen how she wanted to find out about his past but decided that what’s important is who he is now. Just then, Nate appears holding a notebook with a bobcat on the cover and asking Owen to speak privately.  Zoe leaves, and Nate reveals to Owen  that he knows what school he attended and what happened. He offers to keep Owen’s secret if Owen agrees to leave Nate and Zoe alone and quit the football team. Owen agrees and leaves the party.

Episode 5: The Big Game

Everybody at school compliments Zoe on her great party. Paige runs into her and tells her that one successful party won’t be enough.  In the cafeteria, Zoe learns that Owen has gone missing. Nate claims that he didn’t show up to football practice. Zoe asks about what they talked about and Nate was holding the previous night, and Nate says it was the playbook and that they were talking about football. Zoe decides to leave to find Nate, and Ben follows her. He believes that Nate is hiding something and asks if the notebook had a squirrel on it. Zoe knows it didn’t.

They head to the yearbook club to talk to Nick. Zoe remembers that it had a bobcat on the cover, and Nick finds the yearbook for Pinecrest High. Looking in it, Zoe finds Owen – Owen Harris. Zoe and Ben rush to Pinecrest High, which is two hours away, because they want to try to make it back by the big game. At Pinecrest High, they head to the football field and meet Dan and Jake, football players. They knew Owen and say he simply disappeared one day months ago. Jake explains that it happened soon after a football accident that involved Owen. Zoe asks where to find the other person involved, and Jake gives her an address. Ben and Zoe head there and find Owen sitting outside.

Owen explains what happened. It was a big game. Coach Harris was yelling at the players because it was halftime and they were losing badly, 24-0. If they didn’t win the game, they wouldn’t make it to the playoffs. The teams get energized and runs out of the locker room. On the way out, Coach Harris calls Owen “son.” Zoe interrupts, shocked, and Owen explains that his dad was a former professional football player who blew out his knee. They moved to get him the coaching job, and if they didn’t win the game, his dad could lose his job and even his house. Owen continues his story. The game was almost over, and the teams were tied. Coach Harris whispered to Owen that he couldn’t let the quarterback score another touchdown. He had  to be  removed from the game. Owen replied that he didn’t think that was right, but Coach Harris slapped the back of his helmet and told him to stop thinking. During the next play, Owen rushed the quarterback. Even after the play ended, Owen continued toward Ken, the quarterback, and tackled him. There was a crunching noise as his leg shattered.

Owen tells Zoe how Ken might need a wheelchair for the rest of his life. All Owen could think about was that play, so he quit the football team and changed school. He explains that his dad disowned him because of it. Zoe tells him that it wasn’t his fault, and that his dad made him do it, but Owen says that he knew what he was doing and did it anyways. Zoe replies that he’s a different person now. Owen reveals that he keeps trying to talk to Ken but can’t muster the courage to do it. Zoe offers to go with him, and the two go knock on the door.

Inside, Owen tells Ken that he’s sorry. He explains that Ken deserves the apology even if he, Owen, doesn’t deserve to have it accepted. Ken tells Owen how angry he was but that he had to get over the anger to focus on rehabilitation. He says that learning about how Owen’s dad pushed him also helped him get over the anger. When Ken learns that Owen has quit playing, Ken says that he’s never going to play again but Owen can. He tells Owen that if he wants to do right by him, he’ll play football.

As  they leave, they run into a young boy who Owen remembers as a fan that was present at the accident. He recognizes the voice as the voice of the person who smashed his mailbox. That’s when Owen realizes that the boy must be Ken’s younger brother. They talk, and Owen explains how he and Ken just talked. Owen apologizes again and asks that the boy stop harassing him. In return, he won’t tell anyone about it. The boy didn’t realize that he had scared Owen’s grandmother, accepts the apology, and agrees to stop. He tells Owen that what made him the most angry was that Owen never came to apologize.

Zoe, Ben, and Owen rush back and make it in time for the big game. Zoe kisses Owen’s cheek, and Owen runs to join the football players. Nate reminds Owen of their deal, but Owen says that he doesn’t care and that Zoe already knows. The game begins, and Owen plays as a defensive lineman. Near the end of the game, Nate’s getting tired, and the teammates note that Nate, their quarterback, can’t take another his. Owen offers to enter and protect him. Nate thinks Owen might be trying to hurt him, but Owen says that he wants to win and will keep him from getting hit. Not only does Owen block well, but when Nate loses control of the ball, Owen catches it, runs, and makes a touchdown to win the game. The fans are overjoyed, picking him up and chanting his name. However, Owen says it was all thanks to Zoe. He reminds everyone to remember that when voting for Social Chair. Nate tells him it was a nice play for a linebacker and playfully punches him. Grandma Betty reveals that she was watching and asks for a quick kiss before leaving.

Owen approaches Zoe and asks to hang out with her. She says she’d love to but gets interrupted as she sees Howard, her ex-boyfriend.

Bonus scene:

Later that night, most people are at Paige’s party. It’s a great party, although Zoe’s friends don’t know if it will be enough to allow Paige to beat Zoe. Wes talks to Nate about how things didn’t go how he wanted. Nate says that they won and that he respects Owen but that he doesn’t like him personally. Wes points out that now Owen isn’t the main competition for Zoe; it’s Howard. In Paige’s room, Paige talks to her Monarch Prep friends, Prissy and Penelope about how people might like her party but they like Zoe the person. She declares that if she can’t beat Zoe, she might have to destroy her.

On the porch, Owen sits alone. Ben approaches, and they talk about Zoe. Ben explains that Zoe and Howard were the perfect couple. When Howard left, Zoe was a mess. Ben says that Zoe was the happiest he’d seen her in a long time this past week.