Like everything else in their life, it all started with a foreign exchange student.
Where Nicole is the new foreign exchange student and is very open about her sexuality and Alexandra, who can't be as open and hates Nicole's optimism, is the only one who comes to the LGBT meeting she set up. Until Josh, Alexandra's best friend, shows up next week, followed by Connor, the boy who wears cute skirts everyday, Olivia, the student council vice-president, Jay, the resident 'bad boy', and a whole lot more. Soon, there's an actual club in Miss Turner's classroom every Wednesday after school, talking about advancements made for LGBT rights and trying to act like normal teenagers who don't have to hide the pain every day. But, everything is fine - until it isn't.
Soon, Alexandra is forced to deal with a mental illness and a family that doesn't seem to care, Nicole's fantasy world is shattered as she realizes that coming out isn't an option for everyone, Connor has to choose between his mental health or his parents' approval, Olivia's simple rivalry with the student council president gets out of hand, Jay's choice to drop the 'bad boy' act has certain consequences, and Josh is forced to wonder who will keep him together if he's too busy with everyone else. Everyone faces tragedy, heartbreak, and the sad reality of growing up in a way that only teenagers can.
Oh, and everyone ships the two new freshmen in the club. A lot
❝ I don't even know why I even think of him so much, but I do, and it hurts.❞
-
A boy by the name of Lucas Middleton dies of a terminal illness, and with an assembly in school, his death changes the lives of a peculiar group of people.
A story that is told in three different perspectives:
ISABELLA DEL VECCHIO, the anxiety-ridden, closeted new girl with a hopeless crush on another girl, who has absolutely no relations to the dead boy.
As she finds the girl that she yearned for crying in a bathroom stall over the death of one of her friends, she finds herself getting pulled deeper and deeper into the death of the boy that she hasn't even ever spoken to in person.
NATHAN SMITH, the star player and captain of the baseball team, the most popular boy in school, and absolutely heartbroken over his best friend's death.
He's confused, bewildered, sad and angered all at once. And sooner or later, he discovers his conflicting feelings about his ex-best friend, and that maybe it's alright to be the one that needs comforting.
LUCAS MIDDLETON, the quiet nobody that nobody every really took notice to and is just about managing with his daily financial needs. He has confusing, horrible, and hopeless feelings towards his best friend that is his polar opposite.
He's always wondered why his heart beats quicker than usual when he was around him, or why his stomach would be filled with butterflies when he looks into his eyes.
And with a diagnosis of a terminal illness, he has come to terms with and knows that his death won't be far.
Only question is, how far?
(EXTENDED SUMMARY INSIDE)