In the Case of Understanding — Sudipta Quabili

John, Jemma, Marie, Nick and Neena are pushing to get through their last year of high school, which isn't the easiest thing to do considering the all the awful stuff that's been happening to them over the years. John is dealing with a conceited girlfriend (who is not really his girlfriend), school royalty: Sally E. Carter. The ‘E' stands for Emily, but she wouldn't tell you if you asked. Jemma is consumed by a sense of worthlessness, which she figures is appropriate given that she lost her sister to suicide not too long ago. Marie cannot stand the futility of high school and the teenage “rites of passage” that she finds so meaningless. Nick is the school hot shot, popular with the ladies and a jock by all standards. His family has his whole life planned out for him. But, he's worried he's not going to live up to what's expected of him, especially now that he has an amazingly hot, super-confident boyfriend named Eric. Neena is a bit of an outsider, she has seen some messed up things in her past and her friends know this, so they don't bring it up. Nowadays, she is often under the control of a schizophrenic apparition that she has named “Able”, who is like a father to her �" but not really. These five found each other and have formed a close group of outcasts who have yet to realize they're outcasts, and that group has recently grown to include Sally and Eric. Their friendship is solidified on Friday nights when they drive to the countryside to a bunch of hills and light a campfire, gathering around to share stories and beer and carelessness. As their time at high school draws to a close, the group figures that they need to go out with a bang. So, they take an impromptu trip to the Atlantic City coastline to have a night of revelry. But the night becomes nothing like what they hoped as stupid decisions turn into immediate consequences. As they leave the city behind, they fear that nothing will never be the same again. The comfort that they had found in each other is now only a nervous bond between them. Returning home, there's only one thing on their minds: who knows their secrets and, if they do, what are they going to do about it?