Before I Sprouted

This story contains themes of suicide, self-harm, abuse, addiction, eating disorders, violence, and assault. Viewer discretion is advised.

"What was life like, before you sprouted? What was life like, when you were a teenager?" Three groups of friends at Saint Thomas High School try to navigate their past, present, and possible future.

Ray Gu is a Freshman international student from China. He gets paired with Rose Fukumoto, a Junior. Ray admires Rose and is drawn to his beauty. One night, Ray goes over to Rose's house to review for Ray's upcoming test. As Ray snoops around Rose's room, he discovers a box full of poetry that Rose wrote. Upon reading some of Rose's words, he gets a quick glimpse of Rose's heartbreaking past. Ray wants to be there for Rose, but will Rose open up to him? What happened to Rose in the past? And what is the meaning behind Rose's poetry?

A new student has arrived in Lily's pre-calculus class. He's mysterious. He's quiet. He's not even sick, but he wears a mask. Lily is intrigued by Taehyung Min. He's afraid of showing his face to everyone, but will Lily help Taehyung break out of his shell and learn the reason behind the mask? What happened in his past that caused him to hide his face? Where did Taehyung come from?

Finn Garner, Lloyd Lombardi, and Honey Bliss have been friends since middle school. Only they know each other's secrets. Only they know how to help each other deal with their past hardships. But is keeping everything in, really okay for the future? What is the consequence of pretending everything is okay and suppressing your emotions, but you're actually suffering?