Justin is terrified by the school bully, Trey. But he finds a way out of getting beaten up--by lying about his Mom's health. Meanwhile, Franny gets involved in a minor fender bender, but Gary makes things worse when he tries to prevent her from taking responsibility.

A community theater group is putting on "Rent." Franny wants Justin to audition, but he won't, so she convinces him to join the crew. After Justin meets Zoe, a cute actress, he auditions for hte male lead and gets the part. Meanwhile, Claire joins the school's teen hotline.