Paul Bruner is a college student in the same psychology class as Shirley Partridge. His grad-student advisor is Margo, who's in his dorm. Paul and Shirley first meet on their first day of class when Shirley drops her books and Paul picks them up for her, then offers to buy her a cup of coffee. Paul has a crush on Shirley, but Shirley only likes him as a friend. A few days later, Paul and Shirley drive to a lecture on the other side of town together. Their car runs out of gas on the way back, and Shirley doesn't get home until 2:06 AM. Shirley invites Paul to dinner, hoping to make it clear that she isn't romantically interested in him. When Paul arrives at their house, he learns for the first time that Shirley, who enrolled under her maiden name, is really a member of the Partridge Family. Shirley prepares to politely reject Paul, but Paul now has a crush on Laurie Partridge and asks Shirley for permission to take her to a lecture. Shirley grants it.