When Franny learns why former popular boy Tyler fell from grace, she gets thrown head-first into his dangerous world but also closer to his timid heart. ***** Eighteen-year-old Tyler Madden used to have everything. He was captain of the football team, popular, high achiever, and was set to have a successful career. But when a secret too hard to handle comes to light, he turns to underground fighting to deal with the pain. Now, he's in too deep. And when Francesca Howard befriends him at school in the hopes of figuring out what went wrong, she unknowingly gets pulled into the criminal world he's now stuck in. As the two find comfort in each other, they find themselves faced with their impending future and trying to get Tyler out alive. Content/Trigger Warning: this story contains scenes pertaining to drug use, substance abuse, and violence. [#1 in teen fiction, romance and action]

"Because you've forgotten what it's like to actually feel something." I whispered. Peter's expression softened and the only sounds between us were the steady unsynchronized breaths falling from our lips. He swallowed, the closeness of our bodies making my heart beat faster and adrenaline course through me. The feeling was neither pleasant nor unpleasant as I looked into his forest green eyes. "How can you make me feel so belittled with only words?" his troubled voice fell into a whisper and he gripped my shoulders. "Is it your goal to stand before me and pull me apart until I am nothing?"