First love can feel like a freefall. For the sheltered teenager Nicole, it begins at dusk on a wooden roller coaster. As neon lights flicker, she meets David. The wind is in her hair, his hand is in hers, and as the car plunges, a tender song seems to silence the world. The ride ends, but his grip lingers, a subtle omen of what’s to come.
Back home, Nicole’s world is one of careful boundaries,...
