Poseur

It’s September of 1993 in Torrance, California as Nicole gets ready to face her first day of high school amidst the chaos and emotional turmoil in her home. The dog has peed in the house, her little brother needs breakfast, her younger sister is sneaking cigarettes, her mother is crying in the bathroom again, and her father has made a surprise—and unwelcome—visit. Now to cap things off, her big brother has decided to drive this shy teen to her first day of high school in a van with a giant dragon painted down the side, a mixtape of grunge and punk blasting from its speakers. The day hasn’t even started and she’s already desperate for it to end. When they arrive in the high school parking lot, Nicole is immediately thrown into a whole new world, large and vibrant and terrifying. Seeing her distress, her brother offers her the advice of imagining high school like it’s Dungeons & Dragons. Her skepticism is quickly dispelled as she literally “sees” how much simpler it is to picture the overwhelming crowds and large buildings as part of her favorite fantasy game. But this realization doesn’t mean Nicole’s first day as a freshman will be a stroll through the Shire. From a math teacher with a wooden leg—really—to a Spanish professor who runs his classroom like a rowdy tavern—sort of—Nicole’s introduction to the faculty isn’t as comforting as our bookish heroine had hoped. When a series of harrowing interactions with fellow students finally sends Nicole into the nurse’s office in a panic, she’s not sure how much more she can take. Luckily, it’s nothing lunch with her brother’s D&D adventuring party can’t fix. With a confidence boost from this motley crew of elves, dwarves, and gnomes, Nicole faces the second half of her day better equipped for the battle before her. By the end of the school day, she’s chosen the character she’ll “play” and made her first friend. Nicole is feeling pretty proud of herself when she’s once again confronted with the havoc her parents’ recent divorce is wreaking on the lives of her siblings. But now she’s got her adventuring pack strapped on and her armor in place and she knows that the only way out is… Onward!