And I Am Here, Naked

Stella doesn’t want to be told who she is – not by her parents, not by her friends, and definitely not by society. She’s sharp, self-aware, and unapologetically herself. Until Jacopo reappears in her life. He’s not just the boy she used to race in primary school — now he’s a reminder of who she was, who she is, and who she might still become. 

Told through alternating points of view, And I Am Here, Naked captures the raw beauty of adolescence: the blurred lines between love and friendship, the pressure to perform and conform, the fear of vulnerability, and the moments of connection that feel like lifelines.

I don’t know how long it’s been since I last sang, laughed, touched myself, or lifted my head to see what colour the sky is.
When you’re happy, you know you’re happy —
but you only truly understand what happiness is when you lose everything and fall.