Ready or Not

- Season 5

(1997)

While walking home from school, Busy and Amanda bump into Busy's brother Dom. The girls sense that Dom is in some kind of trouble and when Busy learns the truth, she decides to try to help fix the situation.

During a river environmental clean up, Busy comes to the aid of a fellow student who has an accident. Soon Busy finds out that "being a hero" can often come with a lot of baggage. When a secret about the accident is revealed, Busy decides to do what is right.

Amanda is involved with a weekend acting workshop but her plans must change when her mother asks her to babysit her boyfriend's young daughter Pheobe. Fearing that she will be penalized for missing the workshop, Amanda changes things around to accommodate both the workshop and babysitting. Unfortunately, her plans don't go as expected and Amanda must face the consequences.

Busy grows tired of working, with no pay, at her family's butcher shop. When an opportunity to buy a keyboard comes up, Busy decides that it's time to get a real job. Soon, Busy realizes that being financially independent is not all that it's cracked up to be.

Amanda completely throws herself into her acting troop and problems start to arise when her school work begins to suffer. Angry about her mother's new rules, Amanda decides to choose her own path and it causes some unforeseen issues.

Busy learns that Ernie, a guy from her art class, has a crush on her. Ernie musters up the courage to ask Busy out on a date and she agrees to meet him at her brother's basketball tournament. Trouble starts brewing when Busy begins to have feelings for her brother's friend who is visiting from out of town and Ernie sees her kiss the other guy.

During a presentation by their guidance councilor, Busy and Amanda learn that they have a few new options for continuing high school. The girls get excited about the prospect of attending a performing arts school together but each discover that they have issues with their chosen paths.

When a tragic event rocks Busy and Amanda's school, the girls find themselves having to deal with a lot of difficult feelings. The girls have trouble understanding each other's very different coping mechanisms.

As the girls prepare for their graduation from Dorsey Junior High, Amanda decides to reach out to her father by inviting him to the ceremony. After the ceremony, Amanda still feels like she may never reconcile fully with her father even though her parents seem to have. Eventually the girls begin to understand the importance of change and moving forward.

Busy and her brother Frankie decide to open a hotdog cart selling sausages from her father's shop. Trouble starts to brew when a rival hotdog cart shows up across the street and is manned by a cute boy who just happens to be the son of another meat mogul.

Amanda decides to take part in a protest for Animal Rights against a lab that conducts tests on animals. Soon, Amanda finds herself getting deep into the cause when she decides to go vegan and throw out all of her leather clothing items. When things get intense in the group, Amanda learns that not everything is so black and white.

Amanda is getting ready to celebrate both her mother's wedding and her 3 month anniversary with her boyfriend Milan. Amanda tries to plan a special night in with Milan but obstacles seem to constantly be coming up. When Amanda expresses her intense feelings for Milan she is disappointed that he doesn't feel the same way.

The girls begin planning for their new high school when Amanda tells Busy some news that changes things dramatically. Amanda and Busy decide to go to a party in an old building when chaos occurs. The girls reflect on their friendship and what the future may hold.