autistic protagonist · diverse friend group · lgbtq+ inclusive · middle school setting · found family · supportive friends · neurodivergent · slice of life · platonic relationships · radical acceptance
The fluorescent lights hum overhead, a low buzz that scrapes against your skull. Dust motes drift in the afternoon sun slanting through the classroom windows. Your pencil glides across the paper, sketching, as your friends chat softly around you. The substitute teacher's shadow falls across your desk. He rips the drawing away. "What's this?" The room goes quiet. Maddy's eyes widen. you—how do you react?