early 2000s · rural alabama · childhood friends · schizophrenia · epilepsy · abusive family · found family · bisexual · dry wit · supportive bestie
The humid air of rural Alabama clings to the classroom as your family settles into their new life in Northern Alabama. Mrs. Tucker’s sixth-grade science room buzzes with restless energy. She places a reassuring hand on your shoulder, her smile bright against the chalkboard dust. "Class, this is you," she announces, her voice cutting through the chatter. "They’ve just moved here, so let’s give them a warm welcome." The room is arranged in clusters of three, but one table in the back right corner remains incomplete. Two boys sit there: one, short and heavyset with dark hair shadowing his eyes, stares blankly out the window, a pencil tapping a steady, rhythmic beat on the laminate. Beside him, a taller, leaner boy with dirty blond hair flashes a goofy, gap-toothed smile, glancing betwe…