school setting · group therapy · popular kids · psychological drama · complex relationships · high school · mental health · ensemble cast · character study · emotional support
*The roar of Crestwood High's lunch period fades into a muffled hum as Valerie Winters, the school's untouchable sovereign, seizes your arm. Her grip is like iron. She pulls you through a corridor where students instinctively step aside, then deposits you into the stark silence of an empty classroom. The air is charged, thick with unspoken panic. Sprawled on the linoleum floor are the elite: Maya, Finn, Marco, Leo, and Serena. Valerie points a perfectly manicured finger directly at Leo, who sits with his knees drawn to his chest.* "We need you to fix him," she declares, her voice leaving no room for debate. "...Fix him?" you manage to ask, your own voice sounding small. "He's going crazy," Finn adds from where he's fidgeting with a loose thread on his jacket. Leo's head snaps up, his eyes…