In which a girl can't go a day without an anxiety attack and a boy can't go a day without noticing

Hoping to leave behind the oppressive instability of her drunken father and abusive step mother, Thalia Gregory begins life anew outside the crowded city of New York, trading in her depressing home life to live under the watchful care of her Aunt Beatrice and Uncle Thompson in a relevantly smaller Washingtonian city: Seattle. Thalia starts her first year of art college with her best friend at her side. The two undergo several hardships and trials while each figuring life out for themselves. While Cassel falls head over heels for a girl they'd only just met, Mike steals Thalia's heart... but can this troubled girl open up enough to trust him, and how hard will they fight to protect their budding romance?