Joe Campbell Jr.

Different Wings synopsis

Kelly Stockton's sheltered family life on Long Island has always been built around the needs of her autistic brother, Kevin. Now seven days before college graduation, she wants to let go of her family and live her own life. But her mother drops a bombshell: Kelly's future must always be tied to Kevin - as his caregiver. Desperate to escape her fate, Kelly launches a last-ditch plan: she'll baby-trap an unsuspecting classmate. She drives back to the Rosecliff College campus in Newport, Rhode Island, and meets her roommates Michelle and Robin for the first night of Senior Week. They attend a cover band show featuring frontman James Turner, a dynamic singer and keyboardist - who secretly plans to kill himself later that night. Kelly is smitten by his performance, and uses her wit and charm to make a compelling first impression on James. He asks her to meet him at Mary Macs Pub. Just then, his bitchy ex-girlfriend Macy crashes their meet cute. While Macy makes her move on James, Kelly tries to leave him with a clever, seductive farewell. But she accidentally trips and falls into a puddle of beer, and storms away humiliated. Outside in the parking lot, Michelle and Robin convince her to drive to Mary Macs.

James' roommate Richie lies to Macy and tells her they're all going to Aidan's Pub. After she leaves, Richie asks James if he's going to Mary Macs Pub. Yeah, he is now, putting his suicide plans on hold. Kelly and her roommates arrive at Mary Macs and join their classmates in the courtyard . A trio of guys check out Kelly's sexy outfit, and she shows interest in meeting these potential baby-daddies. But she quickly rejects their sophomoric pickup lines and dismisses them as "predators" looking for a quick score. Michelle reveals that James and Macy were high school sweethearts in a long-term relationship, re-igniting Kelly's interest in James as someone who can commit. He catches up with the girls in the courtyard. Robin and Michelle find excuses to disappear, leaving Kelly and James alone. He notices she looks cold and offers the jacket in his car. They set off to retrieve it.

Alone at Aidan's Pub, Macy calls James' pager. She then discovers all the seniors went to Mary Macs instead of Aidan's. Mad as hell, she barges out. On the sidewalk next to James' car, he slips his leather jacket on Kelly. His pager buzzes, and they decide to walk to the outdoor payphone at 7-11. He returns the page and realizes it came from Macy. Kelly interrogates James about his past relationship with Macy. In a tender moment, she opens his eyes - and his heart - to the idea of letting go. He declares that he and Macy are done and reveals his attraction to Kelly. But their emotional moment is interrupted just before they kiss. On the way back to Mary Macs, Kelly convinces James to walk to a nearby park along the waterfront, and they set off.

Macy arrives at Mary Macs and searches among the crowd for James. A few blocks away, James and Kelly arrive at the waterfront park. In a gazebo with a moonlight spotlight, they finally kiss. They make plans to continue to see each other and leave the park holding hands. Back at Mary Macs, Robin sees Macy and panics. She searches for Michelle, but can't find her anywhere. She asks Richie and his friends, who are alarmed to hear Macy has arrived. Robin fears there could be another brawl. Richie asks if Kelly knows about... No, she doesn't. When James and Kelly return to Mary Macs, they find Macy by the courtyard fountain, arguing with Richie. Macy curses out Kelly and confronts Robin and Michelle. Macy then makes a shocking revelation to Kelly: Michelle slept with James behind Macy's back. Shattered, Kelly now sees James as just another "predator". She returns the jacket to a dumbfounded James. Macy insults Kelly's outfit, using the "R" word - and triggering Kelly's rage. In a flashback to 6-year-old Kelly, she smacks a classmate with her lunchbox (twice) for calling her brother the "R" word (twice). Back to the present, Kelly grabs Macy by the throat and dumps her into the fountain. Macy screams for the police, and the bouncer throws Kelly out.

Back at their apartment, a furious Kelly confronts Michelle for not revealing her history with James. Michelle explains it only lasted a couple of weeks. When Macy found out, she blindsided Michelle, giving her a concussion. Macy was arrested and expelled from Rosecliff. In a lawsuit settlement, Macy's father agreed to pay for Michelle's college tuition, provided she stayed away from James. Kelly pieces together the clues and realizes she wasn't the only one with a last-ditch plan: with school now over, Michelle wanted to get back together with James. Kelly retreats to the kitchen where she curses her insane baby-trap strategy. She plays a message on the answering machine from her mother and Kevin. It reminds her of the fate that awaits her at home, if she can't find a way out. Revisiting the flashback, 6-year-old Kelly breaks down crying, revealing the emotional weight of her responsibility to protect her brother. Back to the present, a tearful Kelly feels the same weight. She wonders if James could still be the one for her. Flashing lights from the street reveal a police car and a college security van. As Kelly and Robin watch the police approach the building, Kelly admits she didn't know it would be so hard to let go of her family.