Short Term 12: the Art of Telling Realistic Stories

I've always been so fascinated with the stories behind everyday people. You never know who's got an amazing story. For example, a distant relative of mine invented the first hydraulic ironworker, another worked at Pixar in its beginnings, and yet another flew with Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier by plane.

While lots of people have amazing stories, many have their fair share of sad tales. Short Term 12 shares stories from fictional characters that are quite realistic. Heck, I know some people with interesting, sometimes sad stories. Their names will be kept anonymous out of respect for their personal lives.

(Edit: okay i can't explain why all the text down here is whited out)

E.L.D. was raised by her grandparents, pregnant at age 16, smoked weed, cut herself, and tried to kill herself three times. She's since had one more child, got married, and graduated with a GED.

A.K.A.'s parents divorced when she was eight years old. She's my best friend, was the valedictorian of our class and is at IU Bloomington.

A.M.M.'s younger brother nearly submitted to a suicide pact with his so-called friend. She's a senior in high school, also valedictorian material, and wants to be a doctor in OB/GYN.

K.W.'s parents were missionaries, and hid her sexuality from them. Her parents now accept her sexuality and she's planning to study Middle Eastern cultures when she graduates.

Those are just four of my closest friends from back home. Everyone has a story, what's yours?

A sketch I used a reference base for. From left to right: A.K.A, A.M.M., myself, K.W., and an unmentioned friend C.G.