Time stretches out, the beat of my heart like a ticking clock. Spit it out. I slowly look down at his lips, making it as clear as possible. Rhys's breath hitches in his throat, and my heart soars. "He's my best friend," I whisper. *** Maverick and Rhys have been best friends for as long as they can remember. But when a photo of Maverick kissing a boy goes viral, they find themselves growing apart. Between a clingy girlfriend, constant social pressures, and hectic lacrosse games, Maverick and Rhys find it increasingly more difficult to ignore the inevitable changes to what they've always known. *** Notable Rankings! #48 on boyxboy list 🏳️‍🌈 #93 on lgbt list #15 on bisexual list #7 on gayaf list *** Warnings and Disclaimers inside--please read them!

"I didn't know you had friends like Isaac," Willa said in greeting. "I don't," muttered Jared. Isaac rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you don't. You have //one// friend like Isaac." His voice turned into this stupid mock whisper and he leaned towards Jared conspiratorially. "It's me, by the way."

"I just wanna feel something"

"Fall in love... with a single touch"

NOTE: This is the ORIGINAL version. The revised version, which includes multiple added scenes and extended storylines, will be published on amazon as two separate books (A Thin Line Between Love & Hate / A Short Distance Between Heaven & Hell). The revised versions may or may not be uploaded onto wattpad, I haven't yet decided if I will be doing that. **The extremist group in this story is based on the Westboro Baptist Church located in Topeka, Kansas. ________________________________ Josh Waylon is a prisoner in his own home, his own mind. Part of an extreme religious group who has targeted homosexuals, Josh is forced to live the hate that the leader--his father--has poisoned them with. But Josh has a secret of his own, one which would bring him extreme pain and punishment within the group and alienate him from everyone he knows. When the group moves to a new town, a community which is predominantly LGBTQ, and Josh starts at the new school, he feels like a sheep amidst wolves as the many gay kids within the school know exactly who he is and what his family does. Josh feels no security with his two older brothers, who expect him to suck it up and accept the persecution as a servant of God. Brandon Nichols immediately detects the difference between Josh and his brothers, seeing deeper within the young man and the truth he is hiding, desperate not to be found out. Brandon believes his calling is to help bridge the gap between the gays and Christians in his school, but he has his work cut out for him with Josh Waylon and the extremist group that has him locked down--emotionally, spiritually...and sexually.

Two childhood best friends. One accidental kiss. A summer that changes everything. *** Felipe Rivera has a problem. Several problems, really; as if his anxiety disorder and his strained relationship with his father weren't enough, he's also been in love with his best friend for as long as he can remember. Now that it's their last summer together before they go to separate colleges and leave the suburb they grew up in behind, he's determined to keep his feelings for Aaron bottled up. However, things quickly move beyond his control, and what was supposed to be a summer like every other turns out to be something that might just put their friendship to the ultimate test. Content warnings for themes of anxiety/mental health issues and recreational drug use