Kayla Day is an eighth grader in her final week at Miles Grove Middle School, a public school in the state of New York. She posts motivational videos on YouTube about confidence and self-image that get little to no views. Nervous and struggling to make friends at school, she is voted “Most Quiet” by her classmates. Meanwhile, Mark, her single father, struggles to connect with her and break her reliance on social media. Eighth Grade 2018 full
She is invited to popular classmate Kennedy’s pool party by Kennedy’s mother. At the party, Kayla has a panic attack in the bathroom but eventually goes outside to swim, where she meets Gabe, Kennedy’s nerdy cousin. After trying to leave the party, Kayla has an awkward encounter with her crush, Aiden, who suggests that she rejoin the group. She overcomes her fear and volunteers to sing karaoke.
Hearing that Aiden broke up with his last girlfriend because she refused to send him nude photos, Kayla tells Aiden that she has a dirty photos folder on her phone, a fabricated story that piques his interest. He asks if she gives blowjobs, and unsure of what to answer, she says she does. She later looks up oral sex instructions online and is disgusted.
Kayla attends a high school shadow program, where she meets Olivia, a friendly senior who shows her around the high school. Olivia gives Kayla her number, and she later invites Kayla to the mall with some of her friends. They have a good time, though Kayla spots her father spying from afar and, mortified, orders him to leave. Olivia’s friend Riley gives Kayla a ride home from the mall. He initiates an awkward game of truth or dare where he asks about her sexual experience, takes off his shirt, and asks her to remove hers. She refuses, and he backs off, angrily claiming he was just trying to help her gain some experience.