Character Relationship Map: Our Time

Characters

• Abby (played by Pamela Sue Martin) — protagonist

  Abby Reed is Muffy Pratt's best friend and roommate at Penfield Academy. She visits her boyfriend Michael, loses her virginity to him, and later supports Muffy through her pregnancy and search for an...

• Muffy (played by Betsy Slade) — supporting

  Muffy Pratt is Abby Reed's best friend and roommate, an insecure student who longs for romantic attention. After Buzzy rejects her, she has sex with Malcolm and later discovers she is pregnant. Seekin...

• Michael (played by Parker Stevenson) — supporting

  Michael is Abby Reed's boyfriend and attends the nearby all-boys school St. Ambrose. He persuades Abby to visit him, and they have sex during her weekend trip. Later, he helps arrange an abortion for...

• Malcolm (played by George O'Hanlon, Jr.) — supporting

  Malcolm is an awkward boy who has feelings for Muffy, though she initially fails to notice his affection. After Buzzy rejects her, Malcolm has sex with Muffy, despite first recognizing that she is ups...

• Mrs. Pendleton (played by Edith Atwater) — supporting

  Mrs. Pendleton is the headmistress whom Abby must persuade in order to obtain a weekend pass. Muffy impersonates Abby's grandmother over the phone as part of Abby's ruse, and Abby succeeds in getting...

• Nurse (played by Meg Wyllie) — minor

  The school nurse is the person Abby wants to tell when Muffy becomes ill from hemorrhaging after the abortion. Muffy refuses to let Abby explain what caused the bleeding, leaving the nurse without tha...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Muffy → Nurse (Professional Patient Care) — The nurse is part of the school medical response to Muffy's crisis.

  After Muffy becomes ill and hemorrhages at school, she refuses to allow Abby to tell the school nurse what caused her condition.

• Abby → Mrs. Pendleton (Power Student Authority) — Mrs. Pendleton controls Abby's permission to leave school.

  Abby needs Mrs. Pendleton's approval for a weekend pass and obtains it by claiming she is visiting her grandmother.

• Malcolm → Muffy (Romantic Unrequited Love) — Malcolm's affection persists despite Muffy's lack of interest.

  Malcolm has feelings for Muffy, but she is initially oblivious to his affections. Abby later tells Muffy that Malcolm wants to marry her.

• Abby → Michael (Romantic Boyfriend) — Michael is Abby's boyfriend and first sexual partner.

  Abby says she nearly had sex with her boyfriend Michael, and Michael later asks her to visit him.

Story Dynamics

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

• Abby → Malcolm (Alliance Crisis Companions) — They cooperate in supporting Muffy during the emergency.

  Abby and Malcolm accompany Muffy and Michael to a nearby city after Muffy seeks an abortion.

• Muffy → Mrs. Pendleton (Unknown Deception Participant) — Muffy helps Abby circumvent school authority.

  Muffy impersonates Abby's grandmother over the phone so that Abby can deceive Mrs. Pendleton and receive a weekend pass.

• Abby → Muffy (Social Best Friends) — Their close friendship is the emotional center of the story.

  Abby and Muffy are introduced as best friends and roommates at Penfield Academy. Abby comforts Muffy after Buzzy humiliates her and later accompanies...

Story Analysis

The story follows two friends whose attempts to navigate love, sexuality, autonomy, and social restriction culminate in irreversible loss.

Plot Progression

1. Friendship and First Desires — Abby and Muffy begin senior year as close roommates and discuss their romantic and sexual experiences. A school mixer exposes Muffy's unrequited feelings for Buzzy and deepens her insecurity.
2. The Weekend Secret — Abby and Muffy deceive Mrs. Pendleton to secure a weekend pass. Abby visits Michael at a hotel, where their relationship becomes sexual and emotionally more complicated.
3. Rejection and Recklessness — Muffy responds to Buzzy's apology and invites him to a Christmas Eve party. His rejection leads Muffy into a rushed sexual encounter with Malcolm, who has long loved her.
4. An Impossible Choice — Muffy discovers that she is pregnant and cannot obtain help through ordinary medical or family channels. Abby, Michael, and Malcolm accompany her while she pursues an unsafe abortion.
5. Loss at Graduation — Muffy suffers a fatal hemorrhage after the procedure and dies in the hospital. Abby mourns her friend before attending graduation alone.