When Everly Reed collides with the cynical and devilishly handsome Mason Valdez, she knows trouble is ahead, but she never could have guessed how much she would be drawn to the storm. ***** Nineteen-year-old Ever Reed likes when things make sense. Which is probably why she excels at math, enough to secure her a spot at an Ivy League school out of state. Sheltered by her mother and older brother Asher for most of her life, Ever hasn't experienced much of the world, but she knows New York will be an adventure. Enter Mason Valdez: cynical, arrogant, and undeniably attractive-exactly what Ever doesn't need. But as their paths keep crossing, Ever finds herself intrigued by Mason, and eager to know the boy behind the bitter mask. As secrets, scars, and painful pasts rise to the surface, Ever knows one thing for sure: they can only make it through if they face their storms together. [[word count: 150,000 - 200,000]] Cover designed by Frances Louise De Ramos Spinoff to The Hoodie Girl Book One of the A Thousand Storms series [[The Fiction Awards 2018 Best Overall Story and Best Romance Winner]] Content/trigger warning: This story mentions sexual assault and childhood abuse

COMPLETED. A university student. A professional hockey player. They've proved they can be friends. Can they be more? Although they're both in their early twenties and living in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, their lives couldn't be more different. Camille Riccardi is a university student who doesn't feel like she has her life together quite just yet. A scary thought, considering she's graduating in a few months. Taylor Hudson, on the other hand, is exactly where he wants to be in life. Drafted first overall in the spring, he's set to begin his first National Hockey League season with the Winnipeg Storm. When they meet through mutual friends, they realize that they may have things in common, after all. They realize that maybe they could be friends. Maybe they could be even more. But it's not nearly as simple as it all sounds. This is their story. Cover designed on Canva with photo by Mika Korhonen on Unsplash.