Later, in college, Griffin will process his trauma more overtly with Elliott. At 15, however, he is still trying to make sense of his experiences. After leaving Amanda at the hospital, he lies awake worrying. In the morning, he calls Amanda, and she assures him that she and Dolores are fine. That afternoon, Lily takes him to see Elliott. Griffin talks about acting instead of opening up about Amanda. Elliott reminds him he doesn’t have to act just because he’s good at it.

Griffin and Lily run into Naomi on the street after his appointment. She is affectionate and invites the Hurts to their beach house. Griffin feels uncomfortable. That afternoon, he lies in bed feeling tense and confused about Naomi.

Griffin, Oren, and Lily go to Philadelphia to see another Sam and Sara show. There they meet Shel’s co-star Katie. Griffin immediately recognizes her as the woman he saw Shel with months before. He also notices Lily’s coldness toward Katie. That night, his parents fight, and they’re still angry in the morning. 

At home, Griffin and Oren talk about their parents’ being upset. Oren reveals that he heard Shel talking to Katie on the phone one night. He then says he’s going to his friend’s house. Griffin accuses him of abandoning him; Oren argues that Griffin always abandons him, like he did during the fire.

The next night, Lily leaves Griffin home alone. He calls Amanda and discovers that she’s in Westhampton with her dad. He calls her there and suggests they meet up because Lily is going to nearby Montauk to see Al. 

In Montauk, Griffin convinces Lily and Al to let him take the train to Westhampton. He calls Amanda, who’s surprised he’s coming. In Westhampton, Amanda’s dad and new wife Sylvia pick him up from the station. Amanda is distant when he gets to her house. Embarrassed by her behavior, her dad gives Griffin a bike so he can ride to the beach with Amanda and her friend. However, the girls abandon Griffin shortly after arriving. He bikes around town and goes to another beach alone. Back at the house, Griffin eats with Amanda’s parents. Finally, Amanda returns, asking to go out with friends that night. Her dad suggests Griffin drive her.

Griffin feigns confidence with Amanda’s dad’s stick shift car. He escorts her and Claire around town, determined to make sure they’re safe. When he and Amanda return home later, Griffin wants to say something meaningful, but Amanda is tipsy and dismisses herself to bed.

In the morning, Griffin calls Al, asking to come home. He tells Griffin to be ready by four o’clock. That afternoon, Griffin is shocked when his ride turns out to be the Shah family. Naomi explains he’ll be staying with them. Later, Naomi steals Griffin away so they can talk. Griffin bursts out crying, and Naomi comforts him. They take a drive, pull over, kiss, and have sex. Afterward, they walk on the beach.

In August, Griffin takes refuge in his dressing room at 30 Rock. Sometimes Oren visits, but they haven’t seen each other as much since their parents’ separation and their fight about the fire. One day, Lily calls him and says she’s going to Virginia. While she’s there, he’ll be staying with the Shahs and commuting to New York for shoots.

Griffin moves into the Shahs’ home in Great Neck. He and Naomi resume their secret affair. Sometimes she drives him into the city and attends his shoots. They’re almost caught two times. Once, they’re having sex at Shel’s studio when Oren stops over. Another time, they’re at Sam’s office when Sam finds them. Although they’re not kissing, they’re so close that Sam deduces what’s going on. That night, Griffin listens to the couple fight. 

Over the following days, Griffin starts spending more time with Sam. He worries Sam will confront him, but Sam is kind and generous. One day, Griffin opens up to Sam about Amanda. Sam gives him romantic advice and then teaches him to properly drive stick shift. Meanwhile, Naomi stops sneaking into Griffin’s bed, but one night Griffin finds her crying on the stairs. She kisses him, apologizing for everything.

Griffin wishes the summer would end. Naomi and Sam are still fighting. One night, Sam shoves Naomi, closing her finger in the doorjamb and cutting off her fingertip. Panicked, Griffin drives Sam’s car back to Manhattan.

In September, Griffin’s family finds their way back together. When Oren returns home, the brothers catch up about their summers, although Griffin doesn’t tell Oren about Naomi. One night, Lily tells Griffin that Naomi and Sam have separated.

Griffin finishes his final weeks with The Nuclear Family while Shel finishes his Sam and Sara performances. After one show, the Hurts go out with the cast and read newspaper reviews of the play aloud. Shel is pleased that he gets a favorable line. Not long after, the lead actor drops out, and Shel takes his place. During the subsequent performance, Griffin watches Lily watch Shel and realizes how much she loves him.

In the fall, school starts. Damiano approaches Griffin about playing the lead in the school play. He wants Griffin to commit before Take Two premiers and he starts getting bigger roles. Later, Griffin goes to Hornbeam’s house to watch the producer’s cut of Take Two in his private theater. Afterward, Hornbeam offers him another role in a film he’s shooting in Paris in November. Griffin promises to think about it but throws up afterward.

The following week, Amanda invites Griffin over. They haven’t seen each other since Westhampton. Griffin invites her to the Take Two premier and suggests she dump Rob and be with him instead. Afterward, Griffin and Shel have dinner together, and Griffin asks his father’s advice about Amanda. Shel suggests that if the friendship is too painful, he shouldn’t keep seeing her. Griffin tells Shel he doesn’t want to keep acting, and to Griffin’s surprise, Shel acquiesces. At school the next day, he tells Damiano that he’s not doing the play. That afternoon, he runs into Naomi, who gives him a griffin figurine.

The next time Griffin sees her, it’s 1992, and they’re at Elliott’s memorial service. They end up sharing a car, and Naomi is annoyed when Griffin engages with their driver more than her.

Back in the present, Griffin goes to see Amanda. They take a walk, and Griffin tells her that they can’t be friends anymore because it’s too painful. He rides his bike through the city, studying the sights and reflecting on life in Manhattan.