𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴.

"𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧."

"She never asked to be chosen second. He never asked to love soft." Ka'Lani Simone Harris spent her whole life watching boys pick her brownskin twin, Imani, first. Every text, every glance, every "you cute but..." - it all ended the same. But when Juelz Amir Thompson steps into her world - quiet, tattooed, hood-smart, and realer than any man she's known - he flips her entire mindset. Only... Ka'Lani ain't sure if he really sees her, or just another shadow of her sister. Juelz got demons. A past that moves quiet but dangerous. And love? That shit was never part of the plan. But Ka'Lani pulls something out of him nobody's ever touched - not his exes, not his block, not even his blood. Now the city watching. Girls throwing shade. Secrets resurfacing. And his enemies? They don't like seeing him soft. But love like this? Ain't soft. It's bold. It's bruised. And it refuses to be background. This ain't no fairytale. This is hood love

Anaiah Carter is off-limits - the daughter of Ohio State's head football coach and fiercely protected on campus. Jeremiah Smith is the team's star wide receiver with a smile that turns heads and a reputation that keeps her guard up. But when stolen glances turn into late-night study sessions and secret coffee dates, they find themselves risking everything for a love neither of them planned. With her father's rules, the media's eyes, and Jeremiah's rising fame threatening to pull them apart, Anaiah must decide: is love worth breaking every rule?

"You want tater tots, I'm finna make some." Kamaria rubbed her stomach feeling hungry. "Why you say it like that?" "Say what, like how?" She questioned, raising her eye brows in confusion since she hadn't said anything out of the ordinary. "You say Ta-ter like Tay-Tah. Like Tayta." He kept his eyes trained on her, not missing how the corners of her mouth twitched trying not to smile. "Imma call you that now." He declared with a shrug. "Uhh no you ain't, and you could've just said you ain't want none." She shut it down waving him off. "Okay...Tayta." He smirked. --- Ever since a small child, Kamaria had always been the feisty middle child bringing life to every situation with her vibrant ways. She never took mess from any one, and was big on defending herself. Toting a big heart, she always saw the good in people, which had to be her best and worst trait wrapped in one. Known for her spirited ways, her life is turned upside down when one deadly night occurs. Changing her life for the worst. Samir was always the outgoing friend of his group. Known for his unapologetic attitude, he never had to feel like an outsider with his two bestfriends. Although the life of the party, Samir struggles to be contempt with living a normal teenage life, always finding himself in the middle of troubling situations. It wasn't until one fatal evening that changed his view on life, forever. Fast forward years later, brilliant and ambitious Kamaria finds herself struggling with her academic life as the trauma she has endured takes a toll on her every day life. Focused on securing her future life throws her in for another loop when the past she had been avoiding shows up with a bright smile on his face, crashing full force into her life. Being back in the presence of one another their worlds collide in a whirlwind of emotions and an undeniable connection between the two of them. Started; October 20th 2023 Published; October 22nd 2023 Finished; February 29th 2024

"Do you think we're soul mates?" She asked, lifting her head in order to lock eyes with him. It took him a moment, mustering up his answer. Thinking about how they were so alike, but so different. How they had been through similar things and had the same outlooks on certain perspectives in life. The connection that they shared. It was like she was made specifically for him. No one would ever be able to hold a candle to her and the way she made him feel. She was his person, and he was hers. "To be honest...yeah." He replied, wrapping his arm around her. --- Knucks is a misunderstood teenage girl, deemed as destructive to the society with her reoccurring outbursts and rebellious behavior. Anger fuels her defiant spirit but beneath her exterior, lies a vulnerable girl searching high and low for someone to help her through a time of crisis. Bones quiet and reserved, has nothing but a hard exterior looking from the outside in, when in reality he is just an innocent boy. He's fighting to keep his head above the water also known as life, that is trying its hardest to submerge and break him down mentally. When the two teenagers find themselves in an environment far away from home with others just like them, it leaves both of them separately hopeless about the outcomes of their future lives. One night upon meeting each other, one felt as if they had nothing to live for anymore, while the other felt the same way only holding a different meaning a sense.The night bringing them closer than ever eventually has to come to an end. It's up to the two of them to carry out the strange but alluring connection made with each other, or leave it in the night they met. SLOW BURN; 2 books in 1 STARTED; FEB 19th 2024 PUBLISHED; MARCH 3rd 2024 FINISHED; SEPTEMBER 29th, 2024