She Don't Fade

Ian Bouffard is a 16-year-old boy growing up in the late 1980’s in Connecticut, raised by a single father who was barley his own age when Ian was born, limited to the knowledge of his true family history by what he has been told over the years. He is awkward and introverted, often times bullied at school and not confident in the talents that he possesses. One morning he is abruptly and awkwardly introduced to his father’s new girlfriend, Kryssi, who is closer to his own age than his father’s. From the outset, her bubbly personality is infectious to the audience but seems to confuse Ian. She takes an immediate liking to him and quickly becomes a part of his daily routine, seemingly spending more time with Ian than his father. Kryssi challenges Ian to think in ways he has never done before. Her carefree outlook on life and perpetually positive attitude slowly takes a hold on his mind as he continues to wrestle with questions of his own self-worth and confronting the undercurrents of his sexuality that he has either suppressed up until this point, or just never took the time to identify. Ian begins to no longer care what the other kids at school think of him as he steps out of his shell and explores more of what the world has to offer, regardless of the risk or discomfort that comes with it. This becomes a constant tug of war match in his head as he inwardly embraces his true self while outwardly displaying that same confidence. One day, in the blink of an eye, Kryssi is gone as quickly as she appeared that one morning. With no answers to be had from his father, Ian decides that he cannot just accept her leaving and makes his boldest move of all, embarking on a solo cross-country road trip to track her down and get answers to the burning questions in his mind. In this quest for closure Ian is confronted with more trials and tribulations than he ever expected, and simply finding out the reason Kryssi left becomes almost inconsequential in comparison to the life and death struggle he endures, not to mention the reality he must wrestle with when Kryssi accidentally reveals information about Ian’s mother who died when he was still a baby and the secret his father has been harboring all of these years to honor her memory.