Drive

The next afternoon, Paige shows up and argues with Reid, stating that Lia took all the furniture. To escape, Stella agrees to cover Paige’s shift. In the car, the sisters fight, and Stella vows never to forgive Paige. After her shift, Stella uses an office computer and finds missed emails from Nate inviting her to a concert and an interview.

Outside, Nate waits and drives her to a Dead Sergeants show. Reid spots her arriving with Nate, turns cold, calls her “little sister,” and tells her to take his truck home. During the set, he never looks at her. They drive back in silence, and Stella sleeps alone.

The band secures paid weekly gigs, and Stella meets Reid at work to celebrate. That night, at a bar with the band, Reid kisses her in front of everyone. Adam jokes that she’s a “Yoko,” but Ben defends her. The public affection is new and startling to Stella.

Back at the apartment, Stella reads Reid’s lyric notebook without permission and finds raw material about self-harm and abandonment. Reid catches her, but brushes it off. They reconcile and become intimate. Afterward, he calls her “Grenade” for the first time, acknowledging her disruptive impact on his life.

The next morning, Stella and Reid talk about his song “Trust.” In their first regular outing as a couple, they go to a music store for new drumsticks. Reid admires a high-end DW drum set, and when he learns that it’s a raffle prize, both he and Stella enter.

Later, Reid gives Stella a basic drum lesson. After many tries, she hits a steady beat. The band joins in and plays “Santeria” with Stella on drums. She makes it through the song, and the band’s good-natured teasing makes her feel welcome.

On moving day, Lexi arrives to help Stella pack. Reid has a loud, angry phone call, and Ben takes Stella outside to give him space. When the call ends, Reid tells Stella that he has quit the band, has been evicted, and is leaving Austin. He sold his drums and must move back to Nacogdoches to support his family.

Stella offers help, but Reid refuses. Overwhelmed, he punches the closet wall. Stella bandages his bleeding knuckles as they argue and admit their feelings. He insists that they must part and kisses her. As she goes, Stella begs him not to give up music. Calling after her, he promises that he won’t.

Flashing forward to the present, Stella tries to rest in a motel but can’t escape her memories. She knows that her husband is worried but isn’t ready to talk to him.

The narrative introduces a play button and the song title “Whiter Shade of Pale” by Annie Lennox to signal a return to Stella’s flashback. The past timeline resumes several weeks after Reid has left Austin. Stella wins the DW drum set in the music store raffle. The kit is delivered to the new apartment she shares with Lexi, who is now dating Ben. Stella insists that the drums belong to Reid and persuades Ben to take them to Nacogdoches, instructing him to lie and say that someone found them to ensure that Reid accepts them.

Stella quits her restaurant job, cuts off contact with Paige, and keeps to herself. She finishes her articles and submits them to Nate.

At the start of the fall semester, Stella enrolls at UT, takes a new waitressing job, and focuses on moving forward. Ben returns and confirms that he delivered the drums. Nate praises Stella’s articles and hires her at Austin Speak, introducing her to her reporting partner, JJ.

JJ talks down to Stella about her inexperience, so she suggests they cover a show together. They spend the night talking through their approaches to reporting and find common ground, leaving Stella with a small lift of hope.

A month later, Stella covers the Austin City Limits festival. The heat and crowd overwhelm her. She suddenly locks eyes with Reid, who stands in the crowd with a blonde woman. Shocked to realize he is back in Austin, she pushes her way out of the crowd and runs into Nate, who is there with his friend Marcus.

Seeing her distress and signs of heat exhaustion, Nate carries her out of the crowd and insists that she skip the next day’s coverage. He says that he was on a bad blind date. They sit on the sidelines for hours and talk.

Nate drives Stella home. After he leaves, she spots Reid leaning against his truck outside her apartment. He gives her an accusatory look and speeds off. Ben confirms that Reid was only in town for the festival. Stella confronts Ben for not telling her, but then apologizes for lashing out.

A few nights later, Reid calls her from an unknown number. He’s drunk and asks if she won the drums, accusing her of trying to save him. He admits that seeing Nate drop her off made him jealous and says she was never his. Stella tells him that she was his and still is. He apologizes and hangs up, leaving her devastated.