The former relationship and now distant friendship between Rick Munro and Caitlin Ryan occurred in Degrassi Junior High.
Relationship History[]
In The Cover Up, Caitlin and her best friend Susie Rivera attempt to make Rick Munro smile, although they are not aware that he was being abused at home by his father. While the pairs' attempts continually fail, Rick finally smiles after he makes a friend in Joey Jeremiah, and announces that he has moved out of his abusive household and in with his brother Frank. Seeing him smile makes both Caitlin and Susie very happy.
In Smokescreen, Caitlin is seen with both Kathleen and Susie prompting people to sign their petition to help clean up the environment. When no one signs their petition, Caitlin seems upset wondering why no one wants to help, but she is happy and surprised when her crush Rick signs the petition, saying that she had no idea he cared about the environment. He smiles, and then walks away. Susie tells Caitlin that he likes her, and that he is cute although Kathleen says he is as dumb as a post, Caitlin says maybe all he needs is a little help. Caitlin sees Rick talking to Ms. Avery who is worried about his grades since he hasn't been turning in his assignments, and that he does not need to repeat the same mistakes he made the previous year, once again he leaves the classroom angrily and slams his hand against a locker. Rick is then seen talking to Shane McKay in the boys toilets and Rick asks what is a way to get Caitlin to like him. Shane suggests that he join Caitlin's Environmental Action Committee, Rick agrees. When Rick goes to the committee meeting they are surprised that he wants to join although Kathleen questions him wondering why he became interested in the environment, but Caitlin and her friend Susie convince Kathleen to let him join and she finally agrees. As school ends Kathleen asks Caitlin what was with letting Rick join their committee, saying that he has a bad reputation. Caitlin tells her that it's not his fault he is poor and disadvantaged and she believes people do not give him a fair chance and that maybe they should give him a chance. Kathleen says it sounds like a real stupid idea although Caitlin said she is going to give him a chance and Kathleen walks off angrily.
The next day at school Caitlin asks Rick if he would like to help her make an announcement about her petition, Rick smiles and agrees and Caitlin tells him she'll do all the writing and says they can work on it at her house. On their way to her house they pass a factory in which many toxins that are polluting the air are coming from, Rick then tells Caitlin about when he lived with his father he lived by a factory and it would get very hot in the summer but he could not open his window because the air smelled so bad Caitlin told him he should have bought an air-purifier, but he says he couldn't afford one and Caitlin apologizes. At Caitlin's house Rick looks around telling her that she has a nice place saying her parents must be rich, she dismisses this and they discuss what their parents do and Rick tells Caitlin about his living situation. They then discuss how the announcement should go, Caitlin gives her suggestion although Rick says that she sounds like a teacher and that the problem with announcements is that they are all the same and that they should do something different. Rick then looks at Caitlin's radio saying he has an idea. Caitlin does a rap about the environment over the announcements and this gets many people to sign her petition, which makes her very happy. Then at the next environmental committee, Caitlin suggests the idea of taking the petition to the factory since they have almost 200 signatures but Kathleen shoots down this idea saying who would pay attention to a bunch of kids. Rick tells her it's called taking action, and calls her a brain box and Kathleen seems angry. Caitlin says it's okay, cooling down the argument and says that Rick, Susie and her will take it to the factory during lunch the next day during lunch. Later, Caitlin and Susie have a talk about Rick at Caitlin's house and Susie tells Caitlin to stop treating Rick like her experiment and just admit that she likes him, Caitlin says she doesn't because they have nothing in common. Susie laughs knowing that Caitlin does like Rick. The next day Caitlin, Rick and Susie go to the factory to show them the petition but Caitlin becomes worried saying maybe they should just mail the petition but Rick says otherwise and they enter the factory. In the factory the three have a discussion with a man who shoots down the idea that their factory is polluting toxins into the air, he takes their petition and says he'll be sure the president of the factory gets it. As they leave Rick is angry saying the guy was rude and lied about showing the petition to the factory president, although Caitlin and Susie say he seemed honest and Caitlin says at least they tried but Rick does not agree and walks away. At the committee meeting Kathleen discusses how she saw Caitlin kiss Rick on the cheek after hearing his idea, added by Rick smoking and that he should be kicked out of the club. Caitlin is surprised at this and Rick ends up leaving. After the meeting is over Rick tries talking to Caitlin but she tells him to leave her alone, she tells him about how she wanted to prove everyone wrong about him and how she wanted to help him, Rick is angry asking if he is her project or something he then tells her that he joined her committee because he liked her not because he needed help. Kathleen tries talking to Caitlin saying Rick just wasn't right for the committee she then tells Kathleen that she is a real jerk and leaves. After school Caitlin apologizes to Rick and says that it was true the factory ignored them and she wonders what else they could go, Rick says they could take their story to a paper saying papers love good stories. Caitlin tells Rick he is brilliant and kisses him on the cheek. Rick tells her to keep hush as he has a reputation.
In Stage Fright, Rick and Caitlin run into each other frequently throughout the time span.
In Bottled Up, Caitlin, Susie, Nancy Kramer, Tim O'Connor and Kathleen Mead were chosen to be the five contestants representing Degrassi Junior High on the educational game show, "Quest," for the best going up against five contestants from Liberman Junior High School. Caitlin is annoyed with Kathleen constantly interrupting people and acting like a know it all during their practice in the school library. Then, Caitlin and her team decide to watch a VHS tape recording of the previous weeks quest for the best match to see what they were up against to get to know their opponents. But the only place they could watch it was at Kathleen's house because the school was closing soon and she was the only one with a VCR and also according to Caitlin, she really bragged and boasted about it when she first got it. When they got to Kathleen's house as they were watching the tape, Kathleen's mother who had been drunk was constantly interrupting and disturbing them so they couldn't finish watching the tape and they all had to go home and call it off. The day before the show Rick offered to take Caitlin out for a burger after the show which at first she didn't seem too excited about, because she was more focused on feeling bad for Kathleen discovering that her mother was an alcoholic and that it was the possible reason that she was so rude and bossy all the time. The night of the show their team was victorious and won the match and since it was a school night she told Rick she wasn't allowed to go out for a burger with him after the show ended. The next day she seemed a little jealous to find out that Rick loaned Kathleen his jacket and walked her home after the show and that Kathleen was warming up a little to Rick now.
Trivia[]
- They both had a conflict with Kathleen Mead.
- Rick was rescued from his father by Caitlin's future ex-fiancé Joey Jeremiah.
- They resemble Degrassi's future couple, Sean Cameron and Emma Nelson.
- They only had one on-screen kiss.
- They both made their first appearances in Kiss Me, Steph.
