FREE STORY WITH EXCLUSIVE CONTENT. This is *not* a Paid Story. Eighteen-year-old hockey prodigy Elliot Wexler has three goals for senior year. One: somehow graduate with a 3.5 GPA. Two: hide his bipolar disorder from his peers. And three: make it into the NHL with no scandals. Piece of cake. What he doesn't expect is to find Lucy, a homeless girl, hiding from the winter frost in his dad's shed. Elliot's busy, complicated life doesn't permit room for error, and falling in love with a girl from a totally different world sounds like the opposite of a good idea. But Elliot can't help but be drawn to Lucy and her elusive ways--even when she seems to vanish from his life non-stop, each time leaving him with a bigger hole in his heart. But Elliot is determined to break down Lucy's barriers. And when he does, he discovers that her life is more complicated--and dangerous--than he could have imagined. With drafting season approaching, and Elliot's fragile mental health deteriorating, he's forced to face a difficult question: Is first love supposed to hurt so much? *** PLEASE DO NOT ADD THIS STORY TO GOODREADS.

[This story is free as of February 10, 2021] "Move over A Walk to Remember, and make way for one of the most heartwarming stories this side of Wattpad. It's so cute, I could cry (again)." - Grace @ HQ After tragedy strikes, Nolan loses all faith and never expects to love, let alone smile again until Nora-perky and persistent-walks into his life. ***** 15-year-old Nolan Haynes has everything. A loving family, a promising future as a filmmaker, and a pretty cool group of friends. That is until tragedy strikes and he's forced to move towns. Nolan vows never to let anyone in ever again-they always leave. But on a summer day two years later, when the super upbeat, Nora walks to his lunch table-Nolan has to try a bit harder to keep a smile off his face. Little does he know that Nora is fighting a battle of her own, one that no one could even imagine. And as the two get closer, they not only find solace in each other but in God. When Nolan is faced with a situation in which he has to break Nora's trust to protect her, can their budding relationship still stand and will God show up in all of this? [[word count: 80,000-90,000 words]] Content and/or Trigger Warning: This story contains scenes of verbal and physical abuse that may be triggering for some readers. NOTICE: Before the Morning is currently undergoing revisions! A sensitivity reader (someone who goes through your manuscript and assesses representations in your work) identified a number of issues surrounding the Filipino representation in BTM. I'm rewriting with the goal of creating a more authentic and respectful story. I'm sorry for the pain I caused by failing to include accurate Filipino culture and in having written from Nora's point of view.