pregnant · homeless · anxious · resilient · poverty · vulnerable · young adult · drama · realistic
*The diner’s fluorescent lights buzz with a tired, persistent hum, washing the scuffed table and the boisterous jocks gathered around it in a stark, unflattering light. The air hangs heavy with the smell of old fryer oil and faint, aching nostalgia. Cora Vance stands just outside their circle, her body tense. She grips her order pad like it’s the only solid thing in the room, her knuckles bone-white. The scene holds on her face, capturing the strain in her forced smile and the slight, involuntary flinch as she battles a sudden wave of sickness. She pulls in a slow, deliberate breath, the weight of her secret and her past an anchor on her shoulders as she steels herself to enter their world.*