E'laila Celeste Parker-Laia, or just El if you didn't want to get cussed out-is a 13-year-old girl with green eyes, caramel skin, and a temper as sharp as her tongue. She's small-just 4'8" and barely 74 pounds-but she's always stood tall in her hometown of Sherwood, Georgia. Raised by a single mother who loved her fiercely, Laia never knew her father-he was taken from her far too soon. She always wondered what it would feel like to belong to someone again. When tragedy strikes and she loses the only parent she's ever known, Laia's world unravels. But in the ashes of her grief, something unexpected blooms: the male dean of students at her school steps forward-not as a teacher, but as a guardian. A man of quiet strength, structure, and deep compassion, he offers her shelter, safety, and a second chance at something she never thought she'd have again-family. He doesn't flinch at her sass or backtalk. He doesn't let her run wild. And when she crosses the line, he corrects her-with a firm hand and a steady heart. This is the story of what love takes-and what it gives back. "I didn't ask to be saved, because I didn't think I was worth saving." IB: @blakemicheal

Thirteen-year-old Marleny "Mari" Phoenix Knight isn't afraid of cops, consequences, or correction. She's been raised by chaos, hardened by the city, and stitched together with spite. But after one too many run-ins with the law, and the loss of her mother, Mari's last strike sends her somewhere worse than juvie: a Tennessee ranch owned by the father she thought had abandoned her, and the half-sister she never wanted to know. Out here, silence speaks louder than shouting. Consequences don't come with warnings-they come with corner time, work gloves, and the sting of a belt. Her name ain't just mud-it's fire, history, and blood running deeper than the dirt beneath her boots. They say the land don't lie. And Mari's about to find out the truth has a way of breaking before it builds. #1 in bgwb-- as of 14/09/25 #1 in orphaned --as of 14/09/25 #1 in in trouble-- as of 14/9/25 #1 in lostkid-- 14/9/25