Normal Adolescent Behavior 2007

Wendy, Amber Tamblyn, Billie Kelli Garner, and Ann Laila Liliana Garro are seniors at an alternative private school; they spend all their time with fellow students Jonah Edward Tournier, Price Ricky Ullman, and Robert Stephen Colletti. The six have been friends since elementary school, and their bond has evolved into a unique, six-person polyamorous relationship built on frequent partner swapping. Their loyalty runs to the group as a whole, rather than to any single person, shaping every choice and conflict they face.

After school orientation, Wendy meets Sean, Ashton Holmes, a new senior who moved from Chicago; he discovers her “inner geek,” and she quickly recognizes a kindred spirit. Their connection grows into something romantic, yet Wendy finds herself torn between genuine affection for Sean and her deep commitment to the group she’s always known. This tug-of-war pulls at her every decision, testing not just her feelings for Sean but also the delicate balance of the life she shares with Billie, Ann, and the others.

Wendy begins to push the boundaries of her vow to her friends, and Billie Kelli Garner realizes she may have to fight hard to keep her best friend close. Each member of the group has collected a box full of mementos from their sexual experiences, and the possession of those memories becomes a tool and a weapon in their escalating dynamics. The group’s strength is threatened when Wendy’s choice to flirt with independence collides with Billie’s drive to protect the ensemble—and a web of leverage and reputation hangs in the balance.

If Wendy chooses to leave, Billie could dismantle her reputation and their relationship in an instant. As Wendy struggles to decide between Sean and her friends, Nathan Daryl Sabara, Wendy’s younger brother, meets Sean’s mother, Helen Kelly Lynch, who has waited three long weeks to start a new job. Nathan’s crush on Helen adds another layer of complication, and his cooking skills become a playful, awkward tool in his bid to win her affection without intending to disrupt the growing tensions at school.

A second Saturday night with the group tests Wendy further: she finds herself unable to cheat on Sean, but Billie uses this moment to accuse her best friend and sow seeds of doubt. Ryan Hilarie Burton hears that Wendy is no longer part of the core circle and tries to maintain a friendship, though Wendy remains deeply conflicted about how to navigate the shifting loyalties.

Sean and Wendy attempt to forge a “normal” couplehood, yet the group’s pressure quickly reasserts itself. Billie plants the box of memorabilia in Sean’s locker, forcing Wendy to confront the reality that her choices may fracture the fragile peace they’ve built. Wendy’s resolve is put to the test again and again, as she moves from one ultimatum to the next, balancing love, friendship, and the risk of losing the only family she has known.

When Billie is harassed for being alone at school, Wendy feels compelled to offer support, but Billie drives a harder bargain by inviting Wendy back into the group and testing her limits—pushing her to publicly ridicule Ryan, a girl who left the group last year with her boyfriend, Aaron. Billie’s gambit is aimed at revealing a darker side of Wendy, a move that could push Sean away for good or, paradoxically, draw the six closer in a desperate bid to survive their reputations.

As the drama erupts, Wendy begins exposing the group’s secrets not only to Sean but to the entire student body. Each of the six carries skeletons in their closets, and the collective unmasking threatens to leave them isolated from their makeshift family and ostracised within the school. The bright, carefully laid-out future Billie once envisioned—years of coordinated life and love—looks increasingly tenuous. In the end, Wendy becomes the catalyst for a profound reordering of loyalties, signaling that searching for something new may finally redefine who they are and what family means in a world where trust is fragile and boundaries are constantly renegotiated.