The Fallout

Vada Cavell was no different from any other teenager. She finds herself devoid of any enthusiasm or motivation to make it to school, scampers at the last moment with her friend, Nick Feinstein, and gets excited when they can make it on time. She might not show it or express it in words, but she does share a very warm and close bond with her younger sister, Amelia. She is the backbone who not only understands her younger sister but also fills the communication gaps that are frequently created between parents and children.

Amelia always has someone to confide in, even if she feels that she is not too comfortable going to her parents. Vada gets a call from Amelia when the latter gets her first period. She goes to the washroom, where she meets her colleague, Mia Reed, who also happened to be a tik-tok sensation. Out of nowhere, they hear gunshots, and they hide in the washroom. Petrified of the horrific screams coming from outside the washroom, the girls held their tongues. Just then, a classmate, Quinton, enters the washroom next to theirs. He was gasping for breath, and his shirt was soaked in blood. Sobbing with extreme trepidation, he somehow managed to tell the girls that their brother had been shot in the gunfire violence. The sound of the shots ceased, and they could hear the sounds of sirens approaching. The massacre ended, but the lives of Vada, Mia, Quintin, and all those who were involved, unfortunately, changed forever.

• The Fallout