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]]

I knew him. Yes, past tense. Sabagay, who wouldn't? Gavin Mateo is the famous point guard of our University basketball team and probably the best looking sa varsity. But there's more to it. I knew him because he used to be my Lab partner in Chemistry. Usually he would come to class wearing his headset while waiting for our prof and I assumed it was because ayaw niyang maki-mingle sa gaya naming mga ordinary students. He seemed to be so full of himself and hardly make friends. But later on I came to really know him. Hindi pala siya masyadong suplado, hindi rin sobrang masungit. Medyo lang. There were even times when he laughed at my corny jokes. And as we became closer, I noticed him wearing his headset less and less until it was totally gone. He was my friend. Or so I thought. After just one unintentional mistake, he suddenly changed. The next thing I knew, he was back to his old cold self. His guard was up. Even his headset was back. And he never talked to me again after that. Until now. It's been two years. Am I hallucinating? Is he really in front of me, piercing me with his Zac Efron eyes and saying something I never knew I would ever hear from anyone? "I need you, Syndell Grace."