EMMcNulty
Cover art by the amazing @LNRoberts1
The Fall Homecoming dance is approaching and Cassie doesn't have a date. What's more, her friend, Eliza, has become seriously annoying. She's making enemies everywhere with Gossip Central, a blog she created to post stories about the rumors and gossip going around school.
In Doña Catalina's Spanish class, Cassie meets an interesting, new student named Andrew, who suffers from schizophrenia and psychosis, and who is haunted by various types of hallucinations and voices. Cassie and Andrew become friends, and Andrew eventually invites Cassie to go to the Homecoming dance with him.
Cassie definitely wants to go. Andrew's emerald-green eyes and his gentle soul have captured her heart. But his hallucinations and voices often make him seem odd and withdrawn, isolating him from other students. Cassie worries that Eliza's heartless pen will mock him in her Homecoming blog post, hurting his feelings and only isolating him further.
How can Cassie make sure that she and Andrew have a fabulous Homecoming experience, while teaching Eliza a much-needed lesson in compassion? The wild card is Jake-frickin'-Norton, the most popular guy in the junior class. Much to everyone's surprise, he's invited Eliza to the dance, and she's accepted his invitation. And everyone is wondering, what's up with that?
There's a lot of gossip going around at Woodrow Wilson High School, but amidst all the chatter, who's the real voice of reason?
This was written for the @YA Fall for You contest.
Prompt: This fall wasn't like any other, because I met him, and he...
Author's Note: I wrote this story for our friends @YA, but also to commemorate World Mental Health Day, which was on October 10, 2023 and was not recognized on Wattpad. I'm a mental health survivor, and this story deals with a topic that is near and dear to my heart.