USER SERIES 1 Micah Rex: He's handsome, dangerous, reckless. An addict. When he walks into a room, people notice. People are scared of him, people don't look him in the eye. AJ Ferro: She's cute, nice respectful. A helper. When she walks in a room, people usually get flowers. People love her, people want to be her friend. Despite her cheery nature and soft words AJ has never had it easy when it came to addiction -or depression. Without his addiction, sadness and anger Micah doesn't know who he is -and he hates not knowing things. And, of all places, they meet at a rehab center. He looked at her and saw a peppy girl with no future. She looked at him and saw a troubled boy with a bad past. Micah wants to die, AJ wants him to live. It's only a matter of time before one of them breaks through or breaks the other. - I was 12 the first time I took a hit off a joint at a party, smoked a blunt by myself and bought a bong. I was 13 when I started drinking alcohol for fun. 14 the first time I took ecstasy at a college party I snuck into, the same age I lost my virginity. This was the first time I went to a mental institution because it's also the year I first tried to kill myself. 15 the first time I smoked meth, took a bump of cocaine, shot myself up with heroine. This was the first time I got sent to rehab, it didn't work and I came out worse. I was 16 when I tried to commit three times in the same year, the last time I got my heart to stop for 30 seconds. That year was also the first time I snorted Hydrocodone, getting me started in opiates, I experimented with Xanax and liked it. And I was a month from 17 when I got sober. - "Fuck you." I snap. "You already have." Micah bites out. "And I'm pretty fucking sure you liked it too, if your orgasms were anything to go by." - "I want-" Micah stopped, running his fingers through his hair. "Never mind what I want. What do you want?" His voice is quieter now, more gentle. "You."

"I am the textbook definition of in love with you." *** Castor Rex: He's snarky, quiet and mysterious. A secret keeper. He doesn't like his life to be on display. People avoid him, even if they respect him. Jasper Red: He's polite, nice and helpful. A open book. He likes filling his life with other people and their love. People love him, they can't help it. Because of his quiet nature, snarky smirks and sarcastic words Castor has always had a hard time when it came to making friends -and keeping them. Something Jazz doesn't struggle with. With Jazz's protective nature, shyness and many friends he doesn't need someone else to fill a spot in his life -at least, that's what he thought. Then they met. And that empty part in Jazz's heart felt a little bit bigger because he started to realize Cas could fill it. Cas sees him as a grinning, happy dork he has no chance with. Jazz sees him as a adorable, grumpy jock that now, is his. Castor wants to get through the school year as quietly as possible but with how loud Jazz loves, neither of them know if it's possible, and to make matters worse they're roommates for the rest of the year. It's only a matter of time before they come together or fall apart. *** As a private person, someone who doesn't share myself with others, I can say that learning how to interact with others is difficult. It's like baking, almost, you have to mix the right ingredients together, and if you add the wrong ones things can taste hideous even if they look good. It's a lot like our words. But I've mastered how to tell someone just a little about myself but doing it in a way that makes the person in front of me think they know a lot. Jasper, somehow, sees through this every fucking time and it's absolutely infuriating. He's never satisfied with just a little of me, with my hidden truth, and it's the most annoying thing I've ever experienced. *** @STESLARA made the second POV in her book 'Jasper Red's Anomaly'

He looks so proud, standing there with a grin and a sunflower. "Take over the world for me." He says. And I knew that for him, I'd do anything. *** Castor Rex: He's snarky, quiet but lovable. A real keeper, despite being an asshole. He doesn't like his life to be on display, but he'll show off Jazz every change he gets. People respect him, even if he tries to avoid them. Jasper Red: He's polite, nice and loving. An open book. He fills his life up with Castor's love, and he likes it. People love him, they can't help it. Castor naturally has this... this energy about him that seems to heal other people. All his life, he's attracted damaged people to him just like his mom. But he doesn't heal them. He's been drained or hurt by them. So when he chooses to be around someone, when he chooses to spend his time with them, it's a much bigger deal than it seems. Jasper Red is his person, and has been for the past year. They've spent months getting to know each other, they're together, and now they have to spend this next year making sure it stays that way. *** As someone who went from a guy with only one friend but more people willing to hurt me than I could count on one hand to having countless people in my corner and a loving boyfriend, I think I'm particularly qualified to say that however unfair, life isn't nearly as bad as people say. It's a lot like falling in love. People say that if you fall in love when you're young that it will just hurt, that you'll fall out of it and everything will feel wrong. But that's not true. Jasper Red knows every inch of my body, he's seen every scar and it doesn't make me feel any more bare or vulnerable. Instead it makes me feel the most valued I've ever been.

"Meeting you was the best coincidence of my life, whether you want to call that dumb luck or fate, but it makes me believe in something. And that something is us." *** Eris Rex: She's wild, snarky and always on her feet. Someone who looks her challenges in the face and tells them to fuck off. People are drawn to her, she's magnetic. It's as simple as that. Demetrius 'Zeno' Bonnes: He's awkward, silent and doesn't know what to do with himself. He's a mathematical genius but has no clue how to deal with people. He's half-deaf but not afraid to call someone out. Because of her blunt nature, too-honest tongue and loud laughter Eris is always seen as a bit odd but she could care less what people think. Friends are something Zeno struggles to make. So when he got the chance to help her and become her friend, he took it. And Eris wasn't about to let that opportunity slip between her fingers. However unlikely their pairing is, it's true that opposites attract as Zeno realizes just how cute Eris is when she goes red. And Eris realizes how fun it is to tease someone who never expected to be teased. Eris sees him as a shy, awkward nerd she wants to make confident. Zeno sees her as a tiny, sarcastic girl he's lucky to be friends with. As always, Eris doesn't care about getting in trouble during school if only for a little fun, and this time, she has Zeno to drag along with her. Neither of them knows how long they can keep the pretense of friends up. It's only a matter of time before one of them breaks.

ADDICT IN BLACK SPIN OFF Keagan Monikol: the jock with a hidden talent for poetry and an unarming amount of intelligence. Hidden away under stereotypes and an unwillingness to correct people's assumptions, his true self is far less dumb and far more sensitive than other's give him credit for. He's ordinary, so why not just let them all think he's ordinary, too? Robin Rae: All around nerd, complete Star Wars fan, and absolutely doesn't care about people's opinions. And she thinks he's a total dummy. Have you ever wanted to run away? To become completely different from who you are, to just start over? Keagan...doesn't. He has no need to change, no need to prove himself. No one knows him, not really. But what happens when he meets someone who he wants to be himself around? After being paired for an assignment in their math class, the two can't help but to butt heads. It also seems that Keagan can't stop himself from falling for the girl who is severely underestimating him. He puts love poems in the pages of her book and wishes it was enough to make her know how serious he is about her. They have to keep working together for the rest of the year and Keagan finds arguing fun for once. Both with baggage, he refuses to share things with her and rarely lets her glimpse at his true intellect while Robin doesn't really ever look at him unless she's forced. It's only a matter of time before the bickering between a awkward nerd and a smart jock creates one hell of a story. ----- Birdie laughs loudly, head tilted back and clutching at herself. But while her eyes are gleaming with amusement I can't help but to let my heart drop heavily in my chest. It's not a joke, I think. I love you. ----- Nudging her up at the elbow, I grin when she finally stands. "Come on, Four-eyes, we need to get a move on." "Whatever, Jock-Strap," Robin sighs, giving me a look. "I didn't know your time was so important to you." "Keep up Birdie, time isn't real."