Character Relationship Map: Behaving Badly

Characters

• Rick Stevens (played by Nat Wolff) — protagonist

  Teenage protagonist who harbors a crush on Nina Pennington. After she breaks up with Kevin, he pursues her and makes a wager to sleep with her before Arbor Day. His reckless bet triggers a severe chai...

• Nina Pennington (played by Selena Gomez) — protagonist

  The object of Rick's teenage crush and central figure of his wager. After ending her relationship with Kevin Carpenter, she becomes the primary target of Rick's pursuit. Her involvement in the ensuing...

• Lucy Stevens / Saint Lola (played by Mary-Louise Parker) — supporting

  Rick's mother, who is found apparently unconscious at home. Authorities investigate the house as a possible homicide scene after discovering suicide notes, and Lucy later returns home behaving strange...

• Pamela Bender (played by Elisabeth Shue) — supporting

  Identified as Rick's best friend's mother. She becomes an unwilling participant in Rick's wager, leading to a forced encounter that escalates the plot's severe chain of events and contributes to the t...

• Billy Bender (played by Lachlan Buchanan) — supporting

  Rick's best friend, who is in jail during the family crisis. He also participates with Rick in a school gamble about whether a nun has died.

• Principal Basil Poole (played by Patrick Warburton) — minor

  The school principal who summons Rick and Billy to his office after Kevin reports their wager.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Billy Bender → Principal Basil Poole (Professional Student And Principal) — Billy shares the disciplinary consequences of the wager with Rick.

  Principal Basil Poole summons Rick and Billy after their school gambling is reported.

• Rick Stevens → Principal Basil Poole (Professional Student And Principal) — Poole represents school authority confronting Rick's reckless behavior.

  Principal Basil Poole summons Rick to his office after Kevin Carpenter reports the gambling bet.

• Rick Stevens → Pamela Bender (Romantic Sexual Affair) — The affair creates guilt, family damage, and Rick's promise to avoid further intimacy with Pamela.

  Rick admits to Pamela that he had sex with her and believes the affair contributed to Lucy's apparent suicide attempt.

• Rick Stevens → Nina Pennington (Romantic Pursuit) — Rick views Nina as a possible escape from his family crisis, but his reckless behavior damages the relationship.

  Rick harbors a crush on Nina, pursues her after she breaks up with Kevin, and goes on a date with her.

• Billy Bender → Pamela Bender (Family Son And Mother) — Their family connection becomes central when Rick's affair with Pamela affects Billy's family.

  Pamela is explicitly identified as Billy's mother, while Billy is Rick's best friend.

• Rick Stevens → Lucy Stevens / Saint Lola (Family Son And Mother) — Rick is deeply affected by Lucy's apparent suicide attempt and later vows to repair their family.

  Lucy is identified as Rick's mother, and Rick calls an ambulance after finding her apparently unconscious at home.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Rick Stevens → Billy Bender (Social Best Friends) — Their friendship frames the gambling incidents and connects Rick to Pamela's household.

  Billy is explicitly described as Rick's best friend, although Billy remains in jail during the crisis.

Story Analysis

A reckless teenager confronts the consequences of destructive choices while trying to protect his family and recover damaged relationships.

Plot Progression

1. A Life in Collapse — Rick introduces the reckless choices that have destabilized his life. Billy's imprisonment, his father's fugitive status, and the discovery in Lucy's trunk establish the crisis.
2. The House of Suspicions — Rick finds Lucy apparently unconscious and calls an ambulance. Authorities treat the house as a possible homicide scene and discover suicide notes addressed partly to Rick.
3. Romance Amid Disaster — Nina agrees to date Rick, but their funeral date and concert plans unfold beside his continuing family troubles. Rick's efforts to escape the crisis repeatedly become absurd.
4. School Bets and Consequences — Rick and Billy gamble over a nun's death, only to see her wake during class. Principal Basil Poole summons them, while the school's history makes the situation even stranger.
5. Confession and Responsibility — Rick confesses his affair with Pamela and connects it to Lucy's apparent suicide attempt. He resists Pamela's temptation, loses Nina's willingness to speak, and resolves to repair his family.