| rdfs:comment | - Aspiring skater boy Rich Diggle sets his sights on winning Penny's affections. He starts by directing snark at her, in front of Sara and Michelle, for being stuck-up. His "bad boy" attitude attracts Michelle's interest, which he exploits by inviting her for rides on his scooter. Penny at first ignores his pot-shots and the "thing" he now seems to have with Michelle. However, when Rich calls her "gutless" and Michelle lets slip that she agrees, Penny begins riding with him too, initially to save face, but soon developing a snarky flirtation with him, culminating in her inviting him to an exclusive club party. As they slow dance for the first time, and Penny finally shows genuine affection for Rich, Sara consoles a heartbroken Michelle.
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| abstract | - Aspiring skater boy Rich Diggle sets his sights on winning Penny's affections. He starts by directing snark at her, in front of Sara and Michelle, for being stuck-up. His "bad boy" attitude attracts Michelle's interest, which he exploits by inviting her for rides on his scooter. Penny at first ignores his pot-shots and the "thing" he now seems to have with Michelle. However, when Rich calls her "gutless" and Michelle lets slip that she agrees, Penny begins riding with him too, initially to save face, but soon developing a snarky flirtation with him, culminating in her inviting him to an exclusive club party. As they slow dance for the first time, and Penny finally shows genuine affection for Rich, Sara consoles a heartbroken Michelle. Penny quickly makes Rich the centre of her life, dressing in "skater grrl" outfits and adopting his slang. At the same time, she's not above seizing the opportunity to further her acting and modelling ambitions by hosting his online skating videos. While Penny and Rich are happy, their friends are not. Michelle is still quietly resentful at having been used, while Sara worries that Rich is changing her best friend beyond recognition, and tries finding a sympathetic ear in Aggie. Although Aggie professes not to care, she is in fact intrigued by the possibility of Penny becoming "less patriarchal" by dating outside her "class." Witnessing Rich beat up a boy (later given the name Gary) in the alley, with the help of his friends Stan Larson and Jack Kirk, for having called Rich "whipped," disgusts Aggie, but she still declines to get involved for now. For their part, Stan and Jack, annoyed at Penny having insinuated herself into their idol's every skating video session, quietly wonder whether Gary may be right. Eventually, cracks begin to appear within the relationship itself. While Penny can deal--barely--with a Rich fangirl getting her name wrong, she's so bothered by his not wearing a helmet while skating, because it'd compromise his image, that they have their first of several fights. Rich gives in on the helmet issue, annoying Stan and Jack all the more and prompting them to lecture him for losing his "edge." As both lovers become increasingly alienated from their friends, Aggie, overhearing a conversation between Sara and Michelle about Penny and Rich fighting and her "puffy eyes," thinks that Rich is beating her and resolves to offer her help. However, by the time Aggie catches up with her, Penny's already dumped Rich via text message after he stops wearing the helmet. Both Penny and Rich think to themselves that the other will "come crawling back," indicating not only that they still have feelings for each other, but that the real problem with their relationship was their clashing egos and individual need to be in control.
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