NOT A COINCIDENCE Belle Isandrina Lacasandile was in a race against time, desperately trying to get back to her university for a dreaded Inorganic Chemistry exam. After running an errand for a friend from another school, she found herself stranded, with no hope of finding a cab. Panic set in as she feared being late and having to take an even more difficult make-up test. Just as her anxiety peaked, the famous UP Maroon basketball star, Juan Gomez de Liaño, appeared and offered her a ride, saving the day. What started as a simple favor soon grew into an unexpected connection-ice cream dates, spontaneous afternoon hangouts, and an undeniable spark that everyone around them noticed. Their chemistry felt like something out of a movie. But Belle believed their meeting was merely a blessing in disguise, a chance occurrence without deeper meaning. As someone who spent countless hours in biochemistry labs, proving theories with hard evidence, she didn't believe in love born from a random encounter. Was it really just a coincidence? Or could it be something more-science, fate, and destiny intertwined?

If you're judging this book by its cover and title, you're already proving the point this story wants to make. Try to move past this satirical obstacle in front of you. This is a story about bullying, and like the hundreds of other books on the topic, it will show you the harsh reality of being discriminated, belittled, ridiculed for something you cannot control- how you look, who you love, or what you believe in. But unlike these books, this story's sole purpose is not to tear your heart out of your chest as you mourn over your loss of faith in humanity. Instead, this book will make you laugh and love alongside these characters. Just like in life, there will be moments of dread and surrender, but there will also be moments of happiness, laughter, and love. - Naomi Lorraine, better known as Nerdy Naomi with her thick-rimmed glasses and straight-A report card, is the most unpopular girl in her school. Even with the help of her sarcastic comebacks, that doesn't stop her from getting bullied by everyone in Dartwell High. Every day her childhood bully, Raymond Meyers, knocks her off her feet, literally. However, she can't do anything but survive the laughs, insults, and bruises high school gives her. There are three senior transfer students, dubbed the Three Musketeers: Bennett Frazier, Jordan Wallace, and Declan Lynch. All in one day, Naomi catches their attention one by one. With her snarky attitude, but innocent look, they can't help but want her. But not the way you're thinking. Oh no, not like that. Instead, it's probably the whole opposite. It's quite simple really. She'll be their good girl. And they'll be her bad boys. ~ [This story is a first draft written by a 13 to 15-year-old girl so it has its fair share of grammar mistakes and plot holes.] Wattys 2015 Talk of the Town Award Second Place Story of 2015 Best Humor and Overall Points of The Fiction Awards 2016 Third in the Writers Awards 2016 Highest Ranks: #1 Humor, #1 Teen Fiction