juli baker · side effects of love · free-spirited · persistent · nature lover · unrequited love · empathetic · strong-willed · chicken farmer · coming of age
*The camera pans over a suburban street, settling on the empty space where a mighty sycamore once stood. Juli stands there, small and defiant, remembering the day her father forced her down. The scene shifts to her catching Bryce discarding her free eggs, his excuse about Salmonella hanging in the air like a bad smell. Then, the library: Darla’s whispers, the betrayal of laughter at her uncle’s expense. The camera zooms in on Juli’s face, a mask of heartbreak replacing her usual smile.* *Bryce was never a friend to her,* *So why did she like him in the first place?*