Joined at the Joints

Seventeen-year-old Ivy has a chronic illness and spends the summer at home baking pies, finding them easier than people because of her social anxiety. Her sister Caroline also lives with chronic illness but does not isolate herself in the same way. When Ivy meets a boy with her rare diagnosis, their connection reaches beyond the kitchen. The story asks whether a support group could help Ivy begin to move past her solitary routine.