The serene music wafts around David, the main character of the film narrates the scene,
talking about a beautiful girl surrounded by people, but alone. She spent all her time with
family or with her books, an extremely introverted and closed off person who
David looked at all throughout high school. He looked for the perfect chance to talk to her,
but the chance did not come. At the graduation ceremony, she stands alone, while people around
her forget about her. But not David. His friend catches him staring at the girl,
Jade Butterfield and throws an arm around his shoulders, and emphasizes how David has
never talked to her, calling her an ice queen. A group of girls call Jade over to take a picture,
and she gets the wrong idea and stands beside them. To Jade’s disappointment,
the girls hand her their phone, asking for 2 pictures. Its not that they want a
picture with her, they want her to take their picture. The notion is quite selfish.
Her brother watches the entire thing and sits with Jade on the staircase,
making her promise she won't do this in college. He tells her Chris was an amazing brother,
but she cant just stop living. Jade recently dealt with the death of her brother,
and that is probably the reason why she shut out everybody around her and stopped talking.
David, who is with his dad gets congratulated by him. Just then,
his best friend, Mace walks up and tells David’s dad that his son has a crush,
and points to Jade who is with her family. David’s dad loudly calls out Jade, telling her to
meet his son, who is a high school graduate now. She doesn't seem to hear him from the distance,
but it is a warm scene as David’s dad picks him up in his arms, hugging him and lifting
him off his feet with happiness. Later at their valet job, his friend
tells David to get back together with jenny and go to her birthday party, but David refuses,
asking his friend to have some respect. Just then, a car stops in front of the inn
and David opens the door for the guests. A girl drops her notebook on the floor and
he helps pick it up, noticing that it is Jade Butterfield. She recognizes him too.
They smile at each other but her dad calls out to her before they can have a conversation.
Jade musters up the courage to ask David for his sign on her graduation journal, he signs while
staring into her eyes. She runs off quickly. Inside the restaurant, Jade’s father who seems to
quite a controlling person orders for his wife and daughter, while Jade’s brother says he can handle
it himself and orders a burger with fries. Jade stares at what David wrote in her collage
and smiles. He wrote that maybe they don’t have to wait another 4 years to talk to each other.
Jade’s parents ask her what she wants as a graduation present,
and after thinking about it for a bit, she sees David outside the window, working.
She tells her parents she wants a party out of all the things she could have asked for!
Her justification is that high school is supposed to be a place, where one makes friends who will
last forever, but she does not know anyone. Her mother supports the idea enthusiastically
but her dad is a little on edge with it, but nevertheless he agrees.
Jade walks outside, David sees her and runs to her. She tells him of the graduation
party she is planning and invites him. At first he has a dumbfounded expression on
his face. Jade throwing a party? It even sounds weird to him.
Seeing his expression, she quickly says he doesn't have to come and attempts to walk back inside,
but David stops her, blurting out that he would love to come, then adds
Mace and says “we would like to come.” At that moment, a rude customer parks his
sports car for the valet and rudely drops his keys to the floor in a teasing manner. David’s
friend is overcome with anger and tries to confront the rude customer, but David stops
him from blowing it out of proportion. To get revenge on such a lousy customer,
the boys have an idea. They flop into his car and invite a very confused Jade in as well.
The three people go for a drive as David speeds through the empty road.
Mace from the back cheers loud, and the two follow, bellowing in the air.
As they drive back to the restaurant, there are several cars parked, waiting for the valet
service and the rude customer who threw his keys approaches them, looking absolutely livid.
David takes all the blame for his friend and the customer tells the manager to fire him.
Jade runs up and tries to take the entire blame but Mace openly starts joking around,
making the three teens laugh. The rude customer gets even more
angry after seeing them laugh and taunts David about how he will have to try harder,
if he wants to get with the ‘pretty little blonde.’ The inappropriate comment inclines David
into punching the man square in the face. Jade’s dad takes her away from the scene,
while she looks back at David who just stood up for her.
David goes to his father’s place of work, who works as a mechanic.
He asks David what happened and asks if the man deserved it. Seems like his dad
is a really supportive and understanding man. Back at Jade’s house, an exquisite, grand mansion,
she gets ready for the party, wearing a beautiful red dress and red lipstick.
She goes up to the door expecting guests, but to her dismay its only her father’s connections.
She goes upstairs to her father’s room to find him dozed off.
Jade wakes him up and he looks at her, complimenting his daughter
on how pretty she looks. David gets ready for the party,
wearing his father’s wedding suit. His dad redoes his tie and sends him warmly.
While Jade’s house is swarming with aged couples, she stands in the corner looking displeased.
Her father seemed to have the wrong idea about the party and invited his
connections over as well. Her brother Keith lets her know
that her friend is here, to which she is surprised and rushes to see who it is.
To her surprise and pleasure, its David. She tells him she is embarrassed about the party,
but he consoles her, saying there's another graduation party, that's where everyone is.
To cheer her up, David calls 911 and reports the other party, pretending to
be an old British man with a mini cooper. A little while later, a line of guests knock
on Jade’s door. All the people from the other party are now coming to Jade’s!
The teenagers let themselves in, greeting Jade, some of them even hugging her. Mace comes in,
but with him, there is also Jenny, David’s ex girlfriend who cheated on him.
She comes in and walks to David, expressing her suspicions about him
being the one who busted her party. David walks away without answering properly.
Hugh, Jade’s father is confused after seeing all these kids at his house,
but her mother lets him know that their daughter is really happy,
and he should let her have her moments. Keith makes an announcement at the party,
telling each couple to pick out a song where they will have to dance.
Jade and David’s song is a romantic, slow one and she wants to do a ballet with him. While
practicing a move, she ends up in his arms and they are about to kiss, but get interrupted.
The dance competition starts and Mace dances energetically with his date. The crowd cheers for
them. The other dancers who choreograph fun hip hop and dance moves, get lots of cheers too.
Finally, it is Jade’s and David's turn and as they twirl in each other's arms, the crowd gets
positively surprised at their beautiful dance. Just as it is ending, the light go out and David
takes Jade into an empty room, telling her he has wanted to kiss her since the 10th grade.
Outside the room, her father makes a toast for his daughter Jade and asks her to show herself.
To his disappointment, she comes out of a room followed by a sheepish looking David.
At that moment, Hugh lets it go and asks his daughter to join the stage. After toasting to her,
he asks all the kids to leave and approaches David, who is standing in the corner.
He offers to show David out the door and walks with him. While leaving, David lets
him know that he really respects his daughter and just wanted her to have a good time.
Back home, Jade tells her dad she’s going to her room, but instead she sneaks out and
runs to where David is. Among the cars, they share a passionate kiss for the first time.
It is a beautiful moment for David, who has been dying to do it for years.
After kissing him, Jade runs back home, her arms wide open to the wind
as she feels the moment with all her being. The next day, she gets a text from David and they
meet up for some time at his father’s garage. Later on, Jade’s dad and her are playing chess
when there is a sputtering sound outside. They run out to see what it is.
Turns out, David has fixed an old car that belonged to the Butterfields and meant a
lot to them. At first, Hugh is hostile towards David, but the entire family,
including Jade’s mom and Keith invite him in for dinner after he cleans up in their house.
Over dinner, Hugh tells David that his daughter is following in his footsteps doing pre-med.
While saying this, he hands her a family heirloom, a hospital instrument that belonged
to her grandfather, then her father, and then it was supposed to go to Chris, her brother
but he passed away, so now it goes to her. Hugh boasts about the internship that Jade has
gotten, surprising David. An internship means she will be leaving soon. Anyone
can tell that David’s heart falls to his chest by the look in his eyes.
Keith changes the topic by talking about his future major,
he has chosen communications for himself, a choice his father makes a sour face at.
Later that night, Hugh questions David, just like he did with Keith’s girlfriend.
He asks him about his future plans, note worthy qualities and other superficial aspects of life,
but David does not have plans to go to college right now, even though
he confesses that he got a 2090 in SAT. David claims that he does not need much in life,
to him, a warm bed, clean socks, milk in the fridge and a nice girl
to come home to would be enough. Hearing this, Hugh offers him a piece
of advice. He tells the young teen that love is important, but its not the most
important thing in life, and that there are unromantic things like life insurances,
PPOs and mortgages that need to be handled. But David argues, saying that love is the
most important, and these things in life come later. He gives the example of his own parents.
But Hugh, as rigid as he is, loudly says “homeless and in love” and sits back.
Nevertheless, they toast to love. Later, Jade’s mom walks with David in the hallway,
she tells him his words were inspiring to her, something she lacks these days;
inspiration. She is actually a writer, but says she lost the motivation after one book.
Hugh and Jade walk up to him and they say goodnight. While David is walking away,
Jade throws him a paper plane, asking him to wait until the lights turn off.
After the lights turn off, David sneaks in through the backdoor. He walks inside to see
Jade standing by the fireplace. He quietly walks to her as they stare at each other’s
faces illuminated by the fireplace and kiss. He lets her know she doesn't have to do this,
he can wait for her, but she says she doesn't want to wait, she wants to feel it with him.
They undress in the dark and make love in front of the fire. As the sun rises, David gets up to
leave, and his button falls off. Jade takes it in her palms and calls it his first gift to her.
As they are walking down the lobby, they come across a picture of Chris.
They talk a bit about him and Jade compliments her dad for taking care of the entire family.
Later at the hospital, Jade’s dad tells her she can stay to watch the next surgery take place,
but she leaves, telling him she has plans. She meets with David and tells him she has to
leave soon for her internship. At first he looks dejected, but then he tells her he doesn't care,
and that he will make the most out of how many days they have.
The next few scenes are them spending time; kissing in the library, riding bicycles together,
going to clubs, they even have a water fight at Jade’s house with her entire family,
minus her father of course. 2 days before Jade goes to Brown,
David takes her to a concert where they have the time of their lives,
kissing on the way back and saying they love each other.
After dropping her home, David tries to leave but they run back to each other and in their passion,
jade tells him to tell her to stay, and he does.
Jade sneaks back and starts unpacking her suitcase. Hugh comes in and asks
her what she is doing and she tells him that she called Dr Fitzgerald,
and she is not leaving for the internship. Hugh lets out a loud sigh and tells her to talk
to him about it. After a few tries of getting the truth out of her, she finally tells him
that she wants more time with David, that's why she is rejecting the internship. Her
father leaves the room disappointed, after telling her this is very unlike her.
The next morning, Jade wakes up to a lot of noise in the house. She runs downstairs to find her
mom telling her to pack for a couple of weeks because they're going to their lake house.
Next she runs out to her dad, screaming at him to understand, but he hears none of it.
Back at David's house, his dad picks up a college brochure from David's bed,
and he says he is thinking about it. The Butterfield reach their lake house, and
suddenly the bell rings. There stands David with his bag. Jade hugs her boyfriend with happiness.
It seems like she secretly invited him over. Hugh clearly states that it was a family trip and
he never invited David, but Jade states that he is her guest.
Outside, Jade and David take a dive in the lake, while Hugh talks to his wife about what happened.
His wife explains to him that their daughter is falling in love after
2 years of wasting her teenage years. Over lunch, Hugh apologizes to David about
being rude, and asks if if they can start afresh, making David and the rest of the family really
happy. He also finds out that David is applying to college, which is very pleasant news.
Some of Hugh’s colleagues arrive at the lake house, and he goes to greet them.
The youngsters and Jade’s mom spend the night playing with fireworks. Keith sends David to
their garage to get a few more sparklers. When he goes there, he sees Hugh kissing his
female colleague in secret, this makes David’s eyes widen and he quietly walks out.
Later, the next morning even before sunrise, Hugh takes David out to his boat, a little
forcefully. David confronts him about what he saw but Hugh lets him off with a threat.
Later that day, the teens go out to a pool party, but Mace is there and he takes them to the zoo,
where they plan to get high and play with wildlife.
When the night hits, the kids get the carousal playing. There, David and Keith
have a heart to heart conversation, until they hear police alarms.
David’s ex reported them to the police because she got jealous when she saw
Jade and David kiss in the zoo. In order to save Jade from the police,
David has them run after him instead. They catch him and take him to the station.
Jade runs home and begs her parents to help them. Just then, Hugh takes out a report
he dug on David’s past and tells Jade that it hasn’t been his first time at the station.
Jade exclaims that she doesn't care about his past, and Hugh finally agrees to get
him out on one condition. Outside the police station,
Hugh receives David and tells him he wont go back to the lake house with them, saying
that his relationship with Jade is over. When David doesn't seem to sway by his words,
Hugh pettily brings up David’s family history, telling him of the assault
he committed when he was young and how his parents didn’t have love between them.
Unable to hear any more of the taunts, David punches Hugh in the face,
immediately regretting it after. Hugh leaves. When he gets back home, he tries to act innocent
in front of his family, but Jade doesn't believe him, steals his car keys and runs off.
At a diner, Mace and David talk about how last night was stupid, just then, jenny walks in, turns
out Mace invited her without David knowing. She sits beside him and tells him that girls
like Jade feel like they're settling for guys like him. At that moment,
Jade walks in and sees her boyfriend and Jenny sitting close together. She rushes out.
David runs after her and tells her to trust him, but she sees his bloody knuckle,
meaning that he really did punch her father. Jade asks why he didn’t tell her about his mom,
and he tells her he was ashamed of it. The breaking point of their relationship is
when he tells her that he knows hes not good enough for her,
but he doesn't want to spend his entire life proving it. He starts walking away.
Jade calls him a coward and drives off, while he chases her car. Just then, her car hits
another. Jade just got in a car accident. Her family rushes to the hospital. Thankfully,
the car accident wasn’t too serious and Jade is alright. David calls his father,
Harry Elliot over, and Hugh walks in, asking to speak with him.