The Dixon Rule

Shane accompanies Diana to a family barbecue, where he meets her father, Tom, her stepmother, Larissa, and her younger brother, Thomas. During the gathering, Tom shares a childhood story about Diana standing up to a boy twice her size on the playground after he tried to force her to eat ants. Diana beat him up, earning a reputation for toughness.

Though Diana seems embarrassed by the story, Tom proudly insists she’s the toughest girl Shane will ever meet. Shane notices that while Diana smiles in response, it doesn’t quite reach her eyes, hinting at underlying emotions she’s not sharing.

As the fall semester begins, Shane is excited to return to hockey. During practice, he performs exceptionally well, earning praise from his coach and teammates. When the team invites him out for drinks afterward, Shane has to admit he has dance rehearsal with Diana, prompting some good-natured teasing.

After practice, Shane heads to his first class, but runs into Lynsey along the way. They catch up briefly and ask about each other’s relationships—Lynsey is still with Tyreek, and Shane continues to maintain the pretense of dating Diana. Before parting, Lynsey suggests grabbing coffee sometime next week, and Shane agrees.

During rehearsal, Diana’s “Ride or Dance” Instagram account gets tagged in a video by Martinique and Viktor, a dance duo mocking them and claiming they’ll dominate at NUABC. The trolling reignites Shane’s determination, pushing him to work harder on the dances.

Later, Shane heads to Diana’s apartment for the Fling or Forever finale. Midway through the episode, Will texts Diana, asking if he can crash at her place because Beck brought a girl home, and he’s tempted to join. Shane expresses discomfort with the idea of Will staying over. Diana shares Will’s situation with Shane in confidence, explaining that Will feels guilty over his lifestyle because he fears societal judgment. Shane, unbothered, says everyone has their kinks and admits he’s not into threesomes but wouldn’t mind being watched during sex. Diana finds herself intrigued by the idea.

After finishing the episode, Will arrives, and Shane heads back to his apartment. Unlike last time, Diana makes Will sleep on the couch instead of sharing her bed. Unable to sleep, Diana texts Shane for a hookup.

Shane comes over to Diana’s apartment, but instead of heading to her bedroom, they stay in the kitchen. Their encounter quickly becomes heated, fueled by the thrill of Will sleeping nearby on the couch. When Will speaks up, asking if they’re really going to continue, Shane and Diana give him the choice to either leave for the bedroom or stay and watch. With their consent, Will chooses to stay. The three of them find mutual pleasure in the situation.

A week later, Diana runs into Lynsey on campus and offers to help her find her building. Lynsey asks about Diana’s relationship with Shane, and Diana claims it’s going great. When Diana asks about Tyreek, Lynsey seems less enthusiastic, mentioning that while BU is only an hour away, she always has to drive to him, since he rarely visits.

The conversation shifts to Shane, with Lynsey expressing surprise that Diana convinced him to compete in three NUABC events. Lynsey calls it refreshing to see Shane maturing into the man she always believed he could be, which Diana finds offensive on Shane’s behalf. Lynsey criticizes Shane for being selfish and hockey-focused during their relationship, while Diana defends him, saying hockey is still his priority, but he’s better at balancing his schedule now.

Lynsey admits frustration, comparing Shane to a fixer-upper house she invested time and energy into renovating, only for Diana to now enjoy the benefits. She jokes about wanting to “buy the house back,” but quickly follows up by claiming she doesn’t want Shane back. However, Lynsey smugly adds that if she did, it wouldn’t be difficult to win him over.

Irritated by the encounter, Diana reminds herself that her relationship with Shane isn’t real. However, deep down, she realizes she wishes it were.

Shane attends the opening football game of the season at the home stadium with Ryder, Gigi, some teammates, and Gigi’s friend, freshman Blake Logan. During halftime, Shane finds himself mesmerized by Diana as she leads her cheer squad in their routines. After the game, Diana joins them in the parking lot, and they make plans to head to a frat party together. At the party, a football player named Isaac Grant tries to hit on Blake, but she shuts him down.

The next morning, Shane has breakfast with Diana and Blake, who stayed the night at Diana’s apartment. They decide to join Shane for a day of golfing. Shane is surprised to discover Blake is skilled at golf despite claiming to hate it, while Diana struggles with the sport. On the course, Shane notices a few guys checking out Diana and feels jealous, realizing their relationship no longer feels fake to him.

At the driving range, Diana cheers him on when he performs well, which chokes him up, as Lynsey never supported his interests. When Shane shares that Lynsey only went golfing with him on special occasions, Diana comments that their relationship sounds one-sided, with Shane making most of the effort. She adds that Lynsey “dims some of [his] light” (386). Shane hesitates to accept her perspective, insisting he and Lynsey had a good relationship. Diana doesn’t deny that but questions whether Shane ever fully opened up to Lynsey and showed her every part of himself. Reflecting on this, Shane realizes that while he was open, Lynsey rarely indulged his interests and often made it clear she didn’t enjoy the activities he invited her to.

When Blake mentions Gigi and Ryder’s wedding and shows pictures on her phone, Shane asks about the photos Diana took at the wedding. Diana says they’re saved in a folder on her phone titled “G’s Wedding.” Shane takes her phone to look but accidentally opens another folder. To his shock, he finds photos of Diana’s bruised face and screenshots of text messages with Percy.

After dropping Blake off at her dorm, Shane confronts Diana about the photos he found in her phone. He directly asks if Percy hit her, and Diana finally confesses the truth. She shares the full story, explaining what happened and how Percy has continued to make her life difficult. Shane presses her on why she didn’t go to the police and chose to lie about the bruises. Diana admits she felt humiliated. Known for being strong and resilient, the idea of revealing that her ex-boyfriend had hit her made her feel weak and vulnerable.

Shane encourages her to report Percy to prevent him from harming anyone else in the future. After some convincing, Diana agrees to go to the police and seek justice. Shane also realizes the deeper reason why Diana insisted he pretend to be her boyfriend when Percy moved into Meadow Hill—because she was genuinely afraid of him.

Shane drives Diana to the police station, where she gives her statement and hands over her evidence. The detective advises her to get a restraining order against Percy, warning that he likely won’t react well to the report. Later, Diana’s father arrives, called by Shane. He reveals that a background check uncovered another assault charge on Percy’s record—he had also hit a previous girlfriend. Diana later learns Shane confided in Gigi to get her father’s contact information. She thanks him for pushing her to go to the police.

Diana’s father drives her home. He is upset that she didn’t report the assault sooner or tell him about it. Diana explains that she didn’t want him to think less of her, as he sees her as strong and capable. He reassures her that she is tough, and nothing that happens to her will ever change that. Diana asks him to inform her mom about the situation on her behalf, and he agrees.

After showering, Diana reframes the assault in her mind. She stops blaming herself, recognizing her strength and placing the blame squarely on Percy. A long call with Gigi helps her process further. After the call, she sees a text from her dad saying he’s spoken to her mom and that her mom will wait for Diana to reach out when she’s ready. Despite this, Diana is hurt that her mom hasn’t reached out. Seeking comfort, Diana texts Shane to come over. For the first time in their three-month friends-with-benefits arrangement, she asks him to stay the night.

Shane informs Coach Jensen that he won’t be riding the team bus to Saturday’s hockey game against Boston College, as he’ll be competing in the NUABC competition in Boston earlier that day. He assures his coach that the competition will end by late afternoon, and he’ll make it to the game on time.

When Coach Jensen asks why Shane is participating in the competition, Shane hesitates. Though it initially started as a way to make Lynsey jealous, he realizes he hasn’t thought about her in a long time. Instead, Shane admits he’s doing it because he genuinely enjoys it and knows how much it means to Diana. Coach Jensen hints that he might bring the hockey team to watch the competition, leaving Shane horrified at the thought of performing in front of his teammates.

Shane and Diana wait in the ballroom of the Silverwood Hotel in Boston, surrounded by the other NUABC competitors, including their rivals Viktor and Martinique.

Before the competition begins, Lynsey approaches to wish them luck, though her focus is clearly on Shane. When it’s time for their first dance, the tango, Shane’s nerves spike as his hockey teammates cheer and heckle from the audience. However, once they begin, their undeniable chemistry takes over, captivating both the judges and the audience. They finish to loud applause, boosting their confidence for the next rounds.