Nova can't escape the rich town of Riverside, where a tragedy follows her every step, but she can work to uncover who's been lying to her all these years. ***** When seventeen-year-old Nova Nightingale returns to her late mother's hometown the last thing she expects is to be public enemy number one, but the rumors surrounding her mother's sudden disappearance fifteen years earlier follow Nova everywhere she goes. And to top it all off, the local rich boy, Isaac Royal, is adamant about making her life hell. Surrounded by rumors, lies, and a secret keeping the town on edge, Nova has to figure out why she's hated and why the boy hell-bent on making her suffer seems to be the only person she can trust. Content/Triggering Warning: this story contains themes of suicide and violence [[word count: 80,000-90,000 words]]

Ashley Martin has been through more grief than a person experiences in their entire life and carries baggage that no kid should ever entail. Tyler Miller is the school's scandalous bad boy who acts on impulse, blinded rage and will single-handedly destroy anybody who stands in his way. Then all of a sudden, they're thrown together and despite their destructive past, they're forced to overcome their differences. It's time for Ashley to stop running away from his death glares, blank stares and that spine-chilling scowl that reminds her just how little he cares. Driven by a whirlwind of secrets, a class assignment and midnight walks into the past, things should start working out. But then fate kicks in; hard-hitting and soul-crushing. It's a fight-or-flight situation, a reincarnation of her past, a chance for him to right the wrongs he did by her. A second chance is like giving someone an extra bullet for their gun after they missed you the first time round. So here's Tyler's gun. Here's Ashley's heart. And here's to their second chance, however hopeless it may seem.

I have so much to tell you, but I don't know where to start. This is the beginning of giving you my heart. I've been through a lot of sorrow, I've been forced to endure pain. I have had some feelings that I never could explain. My heart has been shattered, time and time again. And I came close to believing that love was a sin. Now all I have are pieces of a heart that once was whole. And I'm trying to fix the damage from where it took it's tole. I'll be completely honest, I'm overcome with fear. I'm terrified of love because it only brings me tears. I'm clinging to my heart, afraid of handing it to you, because I'm afraid that, like the others, you'll just crush it too. If my heart breaks anymore, all I'll have left is dust. I'll be devoid of emotion, sanity, or trust. So if I give you my heart, please handle it with care. Don't throw it to the ground and leave me swimming in dispair. It's just so hard to love again when my heart is so worn out. I promise I'll try but please forgive me if I have doubts. I just hold my breath and close my eyes as the two of us get shoved into this fearful nightmare we have come to know as love.