After becoming lab partners with Syd, a grote (what teens from Deering call goths), Kristy tries to befriend her and close the gap between their cliques a little. As part of Kristy's plan to get to know some of the grotes a little better, she dresses up just like one, with the white makeup, black clothing, and piercings. She also tries to get Mary Beth and Julie to realize that other social groups aren't so different, but Kristy's other friends can't seem to make the effort to get to know them. However, while dressed up like a grote, Kristy and some of Syd's friends get beaten up by a pack of guys. Meanwhile, Eugene starts dating a college student after he lies to her and says that he's also attending college. However, he gets himself into a hard situation when she starts subbing at Deering.