In "Pride & Punishment," Rusty learns he's been a jerky nerd, tensions rise between former flames and friends, and Casey comes clean about the fire.

Rusty is feeling a little self-important since he won the engineering award. In his eyes, he's the king of the dorks - and he has big plans to make that translate into getting some girls. One girl, Dana, shows explicit interest, but he has his eyes on a bigger fish, Tri-Pi Erika Miller. 

All of the ZBZ girls are still worried about getting in trouble for the fire. Ashleigh decides that it will be important to refocus their guilt by engaging in some philanthropic activity. She plans to organize a bachelor auction. However, after receiving some computer assistance from Rusty, she decides to change things up by hosting a nerd auction instead. Dale insists that he receive 5% of the profits, so that he can fund his own research - he's still a little bitter about losing the engineering research award to Rusty. 

Ashleigh gives Rusty a dork makeover to transform him from nerd to nerd chic - essentially, by messing up his hair and giving him glasses and a sweater vest. He thinks the makeover is working beautifully when Erika seems very interested in the auction. 

At the auction, Fisher shows up and Ashleigh is completely caught off guard. He leaves immediately but she is clearly distraught. Dana attempts to flirt with Rusty, but he forgets her name and blows her off when he sees Erika arrive. When Rusty is up on the auction block, girls are outbidding each other and Rusty gets a little cocky, joking that he may end up with multiple girls. This triggers something in Ashleigh, since she is reminded of Fisher's cheating, and Ashleigh announces to the crowd that Rusty, like all men, will likely cheat on you. The crowd is somewhat confused, but Erika ends up winning in the end.

Rusty is excited for his date - or what he thinks will be a date - it turns out that several girls in the Tri Pi house put together money to buy his services - and not his man-services, but his nerd services - help with their technical problems. Ashleigh chastises Rusty for being such a jerk to Dana. 

Later, Rusty sees Dana in the quad and apologizes to her for his behavior. She goes off on him about how difficult it is for girls like her to find a decent guy. She had liked him for a year and a half - even when he was the Anchor! Rusty asks her out, and she is appalled and tells him that he blew his chance. He is clueless!

Other relationships continue to be strained, including Evan and Cappie. During an Amphora meeting, they get into a fight, and accidentally knock over a sacred urn, angering the advisors. Their membership in the group may be compromised now...

Cappie finds out that Rebecca is starting to date Evan again and he is not pleased. He urges her to stay away from him but Casey tells him to butt out. She has been talking to Evan again and Cappie has become friendly with Rebecca again as they both try to get into this Human Sexuality class. Casey and Cappie awkwardly dance around the discussion of being friendly with their exes, especially with all the drama surrounding Evan and Rebecca. 

Casey sought out Evan to deal with her crisis of conscious. She is feeling extremely guilty about the fire, particularly since Katherine asked her to join the Pan Hellenic board again, and asked her specifically to investigate the fire. Casey feels she's not all that different from Evan, who did something heinous, in the best interest of the house. Cappie definitely disagrees with her assessment. But Casey goes to Evan to see how he deals with the guilty of his actions. She reveals to him that she was responsible for the Gamma Psi fire and tells him she wants to confess. Evan ensures her that confessing would be a huge mistake. 

Without consulting the other sisters, Casey confesses to Gamma Psi President, Natalie. Natalie's first instinct is to ask for some sort of reparation. She tells Casey that she will not turn Casey in as long as she gives up the ZBZ house until the Gamma Psi house is rebuilt. 

Casey is beside herself, trying to figure out how to tell Ashleigh and the other sisters what Natalie demanded. Evan reminds Casey that Natalie clearly doesn't want to turn Casey in - she must be hiding something - and if Casey can figure out what Natalie's hiding, then she might be able to fight fire with fire without giving up the ZBZ house...

Casey is pretty sure that Natalie cheated in Song Fest. There was that one judge, who gave ZBZ a zero, and the Gamma Psis a 100 - scores which were totally inconsistent with the rest of the judges' scores. Casey poses as a shameless fan of this 'celebrity' judge in question. She insinuates that Natalie slept with the judge in exchange for his vote in the competition and he pretty much confirms her suspicions. 

Casey sets up a meeting with Natalie, and she invites Katherine to tag along. Natalie is visibly unsettled by her presence. Casey admits to Katherine about her complicity in the fire and asks for forgiveness. She then proceeds to inform Katherine about Natalie's attempt to blackmail Casey, and about the sex scandal.  Casey, and the ZBZ sisters accidentally set the Gamma Psi house on fire. But, Natalie, president of Gamma Psi gave it up for some blue ribbon points! The ignominy! If word got out, Gamma Psi's reputation would be destroyed! So it looks like the girls are calling it even...