I'm Just Fine

The first year at Bernard's Institute was terrible. It wasn't the staff or really the other students, but more the medication the doctors prescribed. At first Flynn didn't really notice the subtle changes taking place. Eventually he did notice though, but he didn't care. He was sitting before his half painted picture and didn't move. It took a little while but one that sunny day he noticed that Trinity, Rico, and Scorch were nowhere to be found. He found it odd that he didn't feel threatened by this acknowledgment. He remembered clearly how distraught he was when his mom told him he was too old to have imaginary friends. He remembers being almost codependent on the three. And yet...
And yet here he was sitting before his picture not caring that it was half finished or that his constant companions for the last decade were gone. Maybe the meds were helping. He didn't dwell on it too much. Instead his mind went blank and he stared at the canvas with unfocused eyes. He lived in a haze of grey and was lethargic to everything.
Flynn's parents visited him at least once a month. They were conflicted over how much their son had changed. They were happy that he no longer saw his imaginary friends... well hallucinations as the doctors called them, but the total lack of care was disheartening. They spoke with Flynn's doctors and they gradually changed his medicine so he could function. He got a little better, but nothing spectacular. He still didn't see his friends and only had the energy to draw for maybe an hour a day. The upside to him not giving a shit about anything was the bullying. Unlike when he was in grade school, Flynn literally looked through the young man and kept on walking. Eventually they left him alone because he was no fun to pick on.
The only bright side to the switch was that he had enough thought going through his head to realize how much he disliked the greyness he was experiencing. When they switched his prescription again he cut back on his doses. Slowly he weened himself off his meds until he felt like himself once more. Trinity was the first to return, slightly angry that he ditched her, soon followed by Scorch and Rico. Flynn once again settled back into a schedule he had been missing for a while. His parents and doctors credited his change to the new medicine. He didn't correct them.
The start of sophomore year turned out to be a lot better than his freshman year combined. He was actually able to make some friends (real friends) and care about his classes. His first friend was Nymphadora Lillis, they met that summer. She was loud, proud, and loved to steal. She Flynn quickly learned, was a kleptomaniac. He only lost a handful of things before he was able to notice her little quirks that gave her away. Their relationship went from her unconsciously stealing from him to a game of 'can you guess if I've stolen or not.'
While she made sure no one picked on him, he in return gave her a pure friendship that she never had. Well, after she blew him. They quickly realized that wasn't the relationship for them and became as close as siblings. They came to care for each other very much and it took them a little while to open their circle to more people. It wasn't until October that they, with the urgency of Trinity, that they invited Trina and he younger sister Malia into their folds. Trina was two years their senior while Malia was their grade. They met Malia first when Nymph was assigned to do a project with the poor girl and basically terrorized her. Flynn ended up as mediator and made Nymph be nice. On numerous occasions he had to 'remind' his friend to return the property she stole from her partner.
Nymph only deemed Malia friend worthy when Malia finally stood up to her. Nymph scowled at her fiercely, testing the other girl's resolve before breaking out into a smile and hugging. Flynn shook his head and smiled as he welcomed Malia into the group. Trina soon followed, highly protective of her fragile sister. For once in a long time Flynn felt normal... even if he still had three friends that were all in his head. At least this time he had almost as many real friends.
They met Marty Smith halfway through third quarter. He randomly showed up at their breakfast table trailing behind Nymph. He was cocky, always had a smirk, knew how to push Nymph's buttons, and had severe anger issues. It was scary how violent he could get when he wasn't on his meds. Flynn feared for Nymph since she and Marty were fuck buddies, but she reassured him that Marty never hurt her. He still told Marty that if he ever hurt Nymph, he's beat the shit out of him. Marty snorted as his grey eyes scanned over Flynn's body, but sincerely promised he never would.
All in all, Flynn's small group of friends were all misfits but were fiercely protective of one another. Marty helped Flynn get into a workout routine, while Flynn took care of everyone. Nymph helped Malia breakout more and try new things, while Trina would find ways for Marty to productively release his anger. Usually it ended up with them in a heated one on one in basketball. Those were always hilarious games that usually ended with sex for Marty and marathoning movies for Trina.
At the end of Sophomore year, the group said goodbye to Trina. She was graduating and would be staying on her college's campus. She promised to visit and they promised to send care packages. They had a lot of fun with those.
The next two years flew by as the group figured out what they wanted to do. Since they were all considered treated or mild cases, they were able to go to a 'normal' college and if they wanted to even stay on campus. Of course with the stipulation that they all attended weekly counseling sessions and continued their medication. They easily agreed, Nymph smirking knowingly at Flynn who still never took his meds. As a group with no real aspirations yet, they all decided to go to the local college that Trina attended. Marty and Flynn became roommates, while Nymph and Malia also roomed together. However, Malia decided to join the schools sorority and moved out when she was initiated in. Nymph luckily kept a room to herself where her nightly escapades didn't disturb anyone. When she found herself lonely, she would wonder over to the boys room and stay with them. Only a few times was Flynn sexiled out by Marty. He counted that as a win.