Before the man, there was a boy. Before the Ripper, there was Jakey from the Block. Before Maya, there were PLENTY of magazines...

Wrestling team captains Max Desera and Axel Cortés must settle their long-standing rivalry - but a different kind of fire may ignite between them. ***** The school decides it will only keep one of its two male wrestling teams, adding fire to the cutthroat rivalry between the two captains, Max Desera and Axel Cortés. Axel sees Max as undeserving of the title, but when Max, who is proudly bisexual, finds out that Axel is closeted gay, their dynamics begin to change. Things heat up before the tournament when a terrible incident of foul play occurs, forcing the two sworn enemies to suddenly rely on each other - but this time, the heat feels different. [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]

Twenty-two year old Grace McCaffrey is humiliated when she can't find a job after graduating college and has to move back in with her parents. She always assumed she'd do something big with her life-create change or do something that matters-not work at the Banner Market as a cashier. Soon, Grace gets roped into being a chaperone for a high school backpacking trip with her ex-boyfriend, Miles Dalby. However, she quickly learns these students are part of a mentorship program for troubled youth. As she tries to get them to open up, Grace starts to doubt herself. How can she make a difference in the world if she can't even help these students? Or is her mom right and sometimes it's the little things that can make all the difference?