#204 CRUSHED
(Original air date: 10/16/97)
| Written by: | Debra Epstein |
| Directed by: | Gene Reynolds |
| Produced by: | Martha Williamson, Jon Andersen, E.F. Wallengren & R.J. Visciglia, Jr. |
Guest Cast:
| Meredith Bix | Meredith Monroe |
| Coach Porter | Jeff Olson |
| Charlotte | Barbara Reams |
| Annie | Allison Brown |
| Daria | Emilee Susannie Barber |
| Chris | Marc A. Reading |
| Booker | Bryan Stewart |
| Michael | Josh James |
Josh has met a beautiful girl named Meredith who also happens to run for the local track club, but unfortunately, the Greenes are about to leave town to see the space shuttle land. Josh and Meredith devise a plan to convince his folks to stay in town so they can continue seeing each other. Josh will fill in for one of the injured runners in the upcoming track meet. The problem, as Nathaniel points out, is that Josh is not a runner. Josh offers to "hire" Nathaniel as his very own personal trainer to prepare for the race as a consolation for pre-empting his plans to see the space shuttle landing. In a moment of teenage passion, Meredith is ready to take it a step further, asks Josh to make love to her. Josh breaks away, before he does something they both regret. The next day, Meredith apologizes for rushing things, assuming that Josh was just being responsible. Meredith hands Josh a condom, which he quickly pockets. Backed into a corner, Josh tells Meredith he's not interested, but before he has a chance to explain, she runs off. Meredith confides in her friends, taking Josh's response as a personal rejection. The rumor mill works its way to the boy's locker room -- where Josh finds the word "fag" written on his locker. As if this isn't bad enough, Josh returns home to find that his mom has found the condom in his pants pocket. When his dad presses the issue, Josh spills the whole story, including the harassment he's facing from his teammates. As far as he's concerned, he's ready to leave town and not look back. Russell catches up with Josh, commends him for doing the right thing even when it's not necessarily the popular thing. But he convinces him that the right thing includes sticking around to fulfill his commitment to the team and not running away from his problems. Josh storms the girl's locker room to sort things out with Meredith. He explains that his decision not to have sex has nothing to do with Meredith and everything to do with the fact that he's not ready for the responsibilities that come with a sexual relationship. Meredith comes to understand and respect Josh for his decision. Josh competes in the four-by-four-hundred relay race, helping his team to victory.