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

WATTPAD ORIGINAL EDITION When Elliot Goldman meets his sweet and charming new lab partner, Jordan Hughes, suddenly high school doesn't seem so bad. For the first time ever, Elliot can't wait to get to chemistry class... ***** Smart, good looking and charismatic, Jordan opens Elliot's eyes to the possibilities around him and gives him butterflies like nobody else does. Jordan isn't exactly the kind of person Elliot's used to having as a lab partner, but when they start acing their assignments, life is suddenly about more than boring lectures, bad cafeteria nachos, or relentless bullying. And then one night, the butterflies start to make sense - the trouble is, now nothing else does. As Elliot begins to figure out how he really feels about Jordan, he realizes that sometimes the last thing you are expecting is the one thing you need the most. [[word count: 40,000-50,000 words]]

Ethan Wong, an ex-prodigy violinist, thinks it's not meant to be. After his latest mental breakdown at his last violin competition, where he placed tenth out of ten contestants, he's not sure why his music professor appointed him the soloist for their New York concerto. Cameron Langley, the star college baseball athlete, believes it's meant to be. After being completely ghosted and shut out of Ethan's life after high school, he's finally found the man at a chance encounter at an overbooked hotel. More determined than he is to win his college's first championship, Cameron is desperate for answers and another shot at love with the guy who stole his heart. Will they face the music or strike out from each other's lives for good? -An Open Novella Contest 2023 Shortlister-