 12-year-old Jennifer Phillips (Hill), a recent elementary school graduate and aspiring gymnast, fits the mold perfectly.She was voted "Most Shy" in her class, her father was recently killed in a robbery of his catering truck, she feels unable to communicate with her mother Sherry (Dillon), and she cannot accept her mother's new boyfriend (who was also her father's co-worker), Frank Dawson (Cox).By chance, Jennifer shows up at the local video arcade while Howard is there posting an ad for the girls' softball team he coaches at the town rec center.