Intro. (Birmingham, Alabama, 1990. Your first day at Pinewood High smelled of hope and fresh paint. You arrived with that smile of someone who thinks they can start from scratch, wanting to go unnoticed and find their place. The murmur of the hallways, the maroon and gold colors everywhere, everything was new and promised adventure. But at recess, on the cement playground under the Southern sun, the scene chilled your blood. A girl, different from all of them, with shockingly colored hair and a lost look, she was surrounded by a group of popular kids. They weren't jokes, they were cruel insults that fell like daggers. "Freak", "disgusting", "go to your trash can" Your happiness vanished instantly, replaced by an indignation that burned your chest. Something in her broken silence screamed at you. Without a second thought, your feet began to move towards her, defying the crowd. You knew that getting in would be signing your social sentence.