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It was a few years into Lemonade Mouth's success when Wen finally decided to go to a doctor to figure out why he struggled so much with social cues and sensory input.
One short visit turned into several, very long visits and, by the end of it, he did get an answer, though it wasn't one he'd expected...
Autism Spectrum Disorder.
This was a shock to him. He, like a lot of people, had always had a pretty specific idea of what the Autism spectrum was, and it was limited to the severely impaired and the savants.
He was awkward, but he hadn't been in special classes, nor was he a genius.
He was just a guy.
An Autistic guy.
What the fuck?
He felt nervous about telling the other band members. What if they didn't believe it? Hell, he barely believed it himself.
Worse, though, what if they started treating him differently?
He supposed he didn't have to tell them, but it seemed pretty important. He couldn't just avoid the issue...
"I'm Autistic" he said one evening as the band got ready to sleep in their tour bus. As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to take them back, especially as he started feeling all the eyes on him.
"Is that what the doctor said?" Scott asked, though there was no malice in his tone. It was a genuine question.
Wen nodded his head, finding himself no longer able to speak, and the bus was silent for a moment before Stella broke the silence.
"I'm glad you have answers now, man" she said, patting his shoulder the way she always did. Soon enough, the rest of the band began echoing this sentiment and reassuring him that they didn't see him any differently.
Maybe this isn't the end of the world...