The story begins in a prestigious school where students appear to be graduating. It's late
afternoon, and it's time to go home. Then, a truck arrives on campus, delivering a brand new Mercedes
Convertible, capturing everyone's attention. Many students were intrigued, while others assumed the
car belonged to some spoiled brat. It turns out to be a consolation gift from Kelley's rich father,
who was unable to attend graduation due to his work for investments in London.
Kelley expressed his disappointment in his father while speaking with the Principal,
because it appears that his father is compromising his accomplishments with
a car. While Kelley was named valedictorian, the Principal refused to give him the brand new car,
until the ceremony was over due to a school car stipulation. Kelley, on the other hand, didn't
seem to care about the car at all, or did he? After leaving the office, Kelley ran into his
friends, who couldn't stop talking about the controversial Mercedes on their campus,
such as how they could use it to attract girls and boast about it. And as his friends
were wondering how they were going to get the car out without being caught,
Kelley flashed his valet key that he stole from the Principal's desk and left them speechless.
That night, Kelley and his friends succeeded to flee the scene by pushing the car until
it reached the gate, as planned. After the voyage, their group stopped for lunch at
a diner near the Service Station. They see a lot of mingling cluttered men and women,
who are surprised to see the valedictorian enter a bar-like eatery. Samantha had to serve Kelley and
his friends while covering her sister's shift. Kelley, with a flirtatious motive, inquired if
Samantha was making homemade ice cream, and she joined in the dialogue. He managed to
land a pick-up line, but Samantha appears to be more of a player. She sent them out
to get their vanilla ice cream orders just as Jasper, and his friends arrived to talk with
him. Kelley's friends were pleading after him to leave, but Kelley was unfazed.
He was able to respond quickly to Jasper's offending lines, which the bullies took
personally. Jasper and other men then stand out to push Kelley, and his friends back him up as
if on cue. The boys were getting physical, when Samantha stepped in between them to
keep them from hurting each other. She was able to put a stop to the chaos by dragging Kelley
and his friends out of the diner. Jasper, one of the offenders, turns out to be Samantha's
boyfriend. Kelley warned Jasper before leaving that Samantha was already fantasizing about him,
which enraged the man even more. Kelly and his friends continued to screech
his brand new car, when Jasper's car suddenly appeared beside him to race. Jasper referred
to him as "Richie Rich," and Kelley referred to him as "Farm Boy." Kelley's friend didn't enjoy
their fast racing and advised him to limit the speed of his new car. Kelley, on the other hand,
doesn't seem to mind and continues to race ahead of Jasper. They returned to the diner,
and Jasper ended up hitting the gas station next to it, causing a quick-response fire.
The restaurant customers were immediately evacuated, but the diner had already been
consumed by fire. Jasper dashed towards the burning building, while Kelley only stared at
the source of his actions. The police arrived soon after and arrested Jasper and his friend. Kelley,
on the other hand, was advised to get checked out in case he was injured. Sheriff Cavanaugh,
one of the cops, recognized Kelley right away. He is Samantha's father,
and he was furious with Kelley. As a result, they were also taken to the station.
The next day, Kelley and his attorney prepared to speak in court in the hopes of receiving
probation. Mr. Morse, Kelley's father, arrived at the same time and sat behind them. The
probation proposal against Kelley and Jasper was immediately rejected by the judge, but his
friends are free to go. The lawyer then proposed another alternative solution, in which Mr. Morse
would pay for the building damages in exchange for dropping all charges to his son. However,
the judge dismissed the idea once more. The judge proposed a better solution to
the seemingly serious case, by allowing the men involved to repair what they had
broken. As a result, Jasper and Kelley will be obligated to accomplish community service,
by volunteering to repair Mable's Table, the burned diner. The judge believes it is a good
opportunity to return what they took in the first place. The judge also believes that doing so will
benefit their character development. The opposing party immediately accepted the deal, but Kelley's
attorney believes it is impractical for Kelley, because he does not have a nearby place to live
and his driver's license has been revoked. Fortunately, the opposing party has a vacant
space in their garage that Kelley can rent. As a result, Kelley was accompanied by his father
to the aforementioned garage space, and left him with enough money to last several weeks. Before
his father left, he told him, "Keep your eyes forward on the important things." He then went
up to the garage, only to find it to be a small space where rats are named by a little girl.
After the accident, Jasper and Samantha appeared to reconcile. Meanwhile, Kelley began his new life
as a volunteer by milking cows in the dawn. The operation to reestablish Mable's Table has also
begun. Samantha and her mother had also stopped by her doctor for her regular knee inspection,
despite the fact that she was feeling fine. They then went to the church to attend a mass
commemorating the recent accident. Later, Samantha went for a walk in the woods,
and happened to see Kelley sneaking through the woods to watch a graduation ceremony.
While watching the scene, Samantha overhears Kelley practicing his supposed graduation speech.
Kelley returned to the construction site after a short break to continue his volunteer work,
and Samantha began to develop an interest in him. She even gave him a sandwich when Kelley skipped
lunch, and she was pleased to see him eat without realizing Jasper was watching them from afar. As a
result, Jasper warned Kelley to stay away from his girlfriend, and they fought once more.
Meanwhile, Samantha develops feelings for Kelley and even went to the courtyard
that night to meet with him. Samantha revealed that she used to be a track and field athlete,
but her career was cut short due to a kneecap injury. The two had a heartfelt conversation
and then kissed romantically. Samantha's sister confronted her the next day about seeing Kelley,
but she didn't seem bothered. She even invited Kelley to meet her in the store, only for
Jasper's friend to notice them kissing. Kelley and Samantha kept seeing each other,
but he reminded her that he doesn't want to get in the way of a relationship. Samantha
knew she needed to talk to Jasper that day. But, as expected, Jasper rejects her statement. Jasper
believes that her feelings for Kelley are fleeting and that their relationship is genuine. Samantha
is still perplexed about her situation, believing she has already fallen in love with Kelley
despite being in a relationship with Jasper. As a result, Jasper observes Samantha and Kelley's
growing affection for one another. Samantha accompanied Kelley to her favorite spot that day,
where she told him about the 4th of July Dance. It's a traditional event in their community,
with fireworks and food - it was an event where people brought their own date. Kelley mistakenly
thought she was inviting him to be her date, so he told her he would be honored. Samantha,
on the other hand, admitted that she had no choice but to go with Jasper.
Kelley, puzzled by the situation, questioned about her relationship with Jasper. Samantha,
on the other hand, appears to be as baffled as he is about her own relationship. Kelley
didn't want to upset her, so he told her they weren't in a serious relationship and were just
having fun. Samantha hesitated to agree. Samantha received a confidential call about
something serious one day, but she kept it from her sister. Meanwhile, Kelley appears
to be on good terms with Jasper's sister, after gifting her a rodent to replace the one he killed
in the garage. To honor the other rat, the girl decided to name the rodent Ralph Jr.
It was July 4th, and Jasper's friend arrived in his car to pick him up, but he instead ran into
Kelley. He didn't pass up the opportunity to mock Kelley as he walked towards the garage. Kelley,
thankfully, chose to ignore him. Samantha, it turns out, was also in the car and overheard
the mockery. Kelley decided to leave after a brief staredown. Jasper was soon in the car,
and they were ready to go. Kelley spent the night drinking beer with the cows while
Jasper and Samantha were at the festival. Samantha couldn't stop thinking about Kelley,
even though she was with Jasper. Kelley, on the other hand, couldn't stop ranting about his
predicament to the helpless cows. He convinced himself to leave after drinking three bottles
of beer. Later, he was already at the event, and he went straight to Samantha and Jasper,
who were having a good time. Samantha asked if he was drunk, and he denied it. When Jasper asked
him to leave, his friends came to his aid. Nonetheless, the inebriated Kelley stood up to
ask Samantha if they could dance. He even asked Jasper for permission, but Jasper was offended
and punched him in the face. Kelley fought back, only to be hit in the stage band. Kelley
became a little sober as a result and decided to leave. He took his belongings from the garage,
and went out into the streets to look for a vehicle on which he could ride. Fortunately,
he was able to obtain a bus ticket. Samantha, on the other hand,
arrived as soon as he received his ticket. He then persuaded Samantha to accompany him to Boston, but
she flatly refused. Kelley assumed she had made her decision at that point, so he left without
her. Jasper was also present and was curious about the situation. Samantha then summoned all of her
courage to tell Jasper that she couldn't be with him. Despite his pain, Jasper tried to persuade
Samantha not to leave him, but she had already made her decision. So, with all her courage,
she ran to the bus and looked for Kelley. Samantha felt relieved as they locked their gazes
on each other, as if she knew she had made the right decision, and Kelley was also pleased. So,
despite Kelley's probation and Samantha's relationship, they went to Boston together.
They simply ran away, attempting to escape their world. Samantha was very interested in
touring inside Kelley's empty mansion, when she was taken there. As a result,
she fled to hide in one of the rooms, leaving Kelley with no choice but to track her down.
Samantha was hiding in the bathtub when Kelley abruptly told her to get out;
his reaction perplexed her. Samantha decided to follow Kelley up to their arboretum, because
it was raining and she had left the house. he confessed there that he acted that way, because
it was in the tub that he saw his lifeless mother with a cut wrist and thick blood all over her
bath. His mother turned out to be depressed. She took his hand in hers and stood with him in
the rain to wipe away his tears. Then they made love that night. They awoke next to
each other the next morning, which made them both happy. Nonetheless, Samantha decided to
get up and make him a delicious breakfast, where she was met by Kelley's father and
his partner. Kelley was disappointed when his father brought a woman into her mother's house,
but it only fueled their feud. As a result, they both returned to
Putnam to complete his probation and for her to deal with her family, who were agitated with her
for hooking up Kelley. Samantha and her father were arguing about Kelley, when Samantha's mother
interrupted them to say that Samantha's doctor has an appointment with her tomorrow. Samantha had
talked to her doctor on the phone the day before, but she didn't tell her family because she didn't
want to go. She then ran into the woods. Samantha's father went to Kelley to see if
he'd seen her, but he hadn't. Still, he has a good idea of where she might be, and it's her favorite
spot. Kelley sat beside her, hoping to console her, but she seemed fine. Samantha unexpectedly
challenged Kelley to a race. She ran as fast as she could until her knee injury worsened and
she fell. Kelley arrived quickly to save her. Samantha's doctor confirmed that it wasn't just
her leg that was affected, but also her liver. The shocking truth was revealed: she has osteosarcoma,
which had been a possibility since she injured her knee. The illness has spread so far throughout
her body that treatment is no longer an option. Kelley became concerned about her condition and
decided to pay her a visit in the hospital. Samantha managed to smile at him, but she is
upset that Kelley feels sorry for her. She also admitted that she has no control over her illness,
and that she will die as a result of it. Because it's already in the worst condition, she can only
survive for a year or two. Kelley refuses to believe it and wishes Samantha would live,
but Samantha has already accepted her fate. As a result, as his probation continues,
Kelley can only worry about her from afar. Jasper paid Samantha a visit one day and
had a good talk with her before deciding to remain best friends as they were when they
were younger. Mable's Table was soon finished, and Samantha went home at the same time.
Kelley was finished with probation and ready to return to Boston, when he had
a conversation with Jasper. Jasper told him that Samantha needed him the most right now,
which broke his heart. Kelley didn't seem to want to stay for Samantha, which disappointed
Jasper. Kelley, on the other hand, was just as unhappy not to see Samantha before he left.
Samantha and her father had a pleasant discussion that night. Both of them appear
to be struggling to show strength and accept that there is nothing else for her. They just
cried their hearts out. When her father went outside, he expressed his regret that
Kelley had abandoned their beloved daughter. Kelley and Samantha spent the day trying to live
without each other. The diner underwent a grand reopening to make it more lively than before.
While everyone is preoccupied with their own food, Samantha notices Kelley in the entrance, holding
yellow roses he picked up from their arboretum. She was overjoyed to see him again, and Jasper
had no choice but to let her go. Kelley picked her up and they both went inside the diner.
Kelley's unexpected appearance surprised her family, but they were happy for Samantha. Kelley
patiently wrote his name alongside her's, on the lover's wall to demonstrate their unconditional
love for one another. Samantha's time came, however, and everyone mourned her death.
The story concluded with Kelley delivering his poetical speech at Samantha's funeral mass.