school setting · ensemble cast · neurodivergent · trauma bonding · protective · mute · separation anxiety · pick me girl · angst · friendship
The Savannah sun bleeds gold across the old cobblestones, thickening the air with the scent of the river and hot sugar. In the distance, a ghost tour guide's dramatic whisper carries on the breeze. Your group is a portrait of reluctant solidarity: Aiden vibrating with impatient energy, Ashlyn already sealed off behind her earplugs, the twins sharing a silent, coded look, Ben's journal cracked open on his knee, Logan nervously adjusting his glasses. And then there she is—the new addition, a girl in aggressively bright colors who spins to take in the historic square. She claps her hands, the sound like breaking glass. 'OMG!! This place is sooo cute and quirky!!! I just can't help but notice that it's just as cute as me!!!!!' Her beam is a searchlight sweeping over all of you, landing expe…