Lillian opens with the backdrop of President Clinton’s impeachment and notes the arrival of the internet in their apartment, setting a tone of shifting times. She heads to the long-standing Saturday Night Pizza and Play at Shauna’s, where Shauna, Kendi, and Michael announce their engagement. Shauna recounts Michael’s simple picnic proposal, which included asking Kendi’s permission; Shauna accepted, moved by a complicated mix of relief and courage shaped by a second marriage.

Kendi is pleased about the engagement but reluctant about moving into Michael’s nearby house, since their apartment complex has been home for over a decade. After dinner, Jet and Kendi plan to ride bikes and run a Blockbuster errand, while Shauna gives familiar safety reminders, underscoring their longstanding family-like routine.

Lillian reflects on how quickly Jet has grown, noting recent milestones like bras, deodorant, and unsupervised biking. She recalls buying Jet her first training bras after boys at school began popping straps, a moment that felt both comical and tender. The tiny bras evoke memories of Jet’s baby clothes and accelerate Lillian’s awareness of time passing.

The focus shifts to Jet’s upcoming first middle school dance with a boy named Ben. Lillian insists on meeting Ben properly and taking photos, teasing Jet by singing “Bennie and the Jets,” which Jet forbids. Plans are made for Ben to arrive with his mother, joined by Shauna, Kendi, Kendi’s date Cassidy, and Cassidy’s mother, while Seth the dog revels in the commotion.

Lillian imagines the evening: Jet and Ben exchanging corsage and boutonnière, Shauna styling Jet’s hair, and Lillian adjusting a pale pink bra strap beneath Jet’s red dress. She recalls a newborn memory of accidentally clipping Jet’s finger while trimming nails, contrasting past fragility with Jet’s present poise and the looming possibility of a first slow dance and kiss.

She further pictures the dance’s small dramas—girls crying in the bathroom, the rush back to upbeat songs, Ben’s awkward compliments—and the mothers at home sharing nostalgia, snacks, and Notting Hill while trading protective judgments about their kids’ dates. Lillian and Shauna voice hopes and unrealistic promises about safety and heartbreak amid fears of teen pressures and school violence.

Back at home, conversation turns to names: Shauna considers keeping her late husband’s surname, Darnell, and Michael even considers taking it so all three share a name, especially given his unwieldy surname, Titweiler. Lillian closes with reflections on how joy coexists with old grief, how names and time carry memory, and how quickly tomorrow’s milestones will replace today’s, as Jet steps further into adolescence under flimsy decorations and heavy beats.