"Go ahead," I said, backing up against the pink wall of the shop. "Do something other than glare at me." I waited. One, two, three seconds... and nothing. I raised my chin at him. "You're boring me, mute boy." He stepped closer. Leaned toward me as his gaze burned into mine. Then... ❀ ❀ ❀ After three months in juvenile detention, it's time for Romy Pereira to help out with her family's flower shop. And it's not all bad... until they hire Jack Michel to work beside her. He doesn't speak, communicating with glares and scowls instead of words, and seems to be more interested in literal rocks than other human beings. And with an ex-convict mother, her friends drifting away, and the flower shop falling apart, the last thing Romy wants to deal with is Jack's attitude. She'll forever praise the day he screws up big time and gets himself fired, but until that day comes, it's mostly one cold-hearted girl, her silent (but still infuriating) coworker, and a whole lot flowers. [word count: 100k] [originally written in 2014-2015; re-write completed 2020-2021] ❀ Rankings ❀ #1 in #badgirl #1 in #goodboy #1 in #flowershop #1 in #sociopath

Ramona "Mona" Gray only wanted to catch a big fish. Instead she caught a boy the same height as herself. Adam Fink was trying to catch a girl to take home to his grandpa that only wanted him to fall in love... With anyone, he didn't care as long as Adam was happy like his parents had been when they had met. Ramona didn't want a boy to bring home to her mom. Her sister already had a man lined up for the both of them, and neither of those boys was Adam. No, they were "respectful" gentlemen. Which to Ramona meant they were snobbish and most likely sexist in their own subtle ways. They wouldn't care for her boy short hair or that she loved her beanie dearly and would never part with it. Still, with matching plaid button ups that were both bought from the same side of the store it was clear that these two would get along... Well mostly, Adam wasn't too keen when she pushed him off the dock. And Ramona wasn't too happy to jump in after him to save him when he could have easily stood up in the water. After she took to calling him princess while he continued to access that she needed to grow out some stubble since she was already working the "man of the wilderness" look. Their adventures of their senior year will be tricky, probably a bit roundabout, and maybe just a teeny bit romantic. Still its like Ramona always says, "high school is just some pond to practice life in, once its over you go down the river of college and then you're at the ocean of opportunity and depending on what kind of fish you are it could be scary and vast or it can be too small and lonely." Former cover made by -ichor

THANK YOU, Wattpad, for the HQ Love Watty Award! Concept: A mysterious young woman flees from her troubled past only to discover it is impossible to escape THE SECRET that haunts her. *PLEASE NOTE: This story was originally inspired by the movie "Sleeping With the Enemy". * * * * * "I would never, Steven," she promised, turning away from him in an attempt to protect herself. "I know you wouldn't," he screamed. Cupping her chin in his hand, he forced her to look at him. "Because I would kill you." His words hung heavy in the air. Sarah's heart sank into her stomach. No matter how many times she'd heard the menacing phrase, she could never get used to it. It had the same affect on her as the first time he'd thrown the ugly words in her face. The familiar sting of bile rose in her throat, and she knew she would deplete the contents of her stomach once she was locked in the safety of their master bath. 'If I make it through this time,' she agonized. Her biggest fear was that one day he would really lose his temper with her. Who knew what would happen then? *This story is an unedited first draft. Top Ranks: Action #1, Mystery and Thriller #1 *This story contains scenes of abuse and may be disturbing to some readers. While the characters are fictional, domestic violence is a serious issue that many people across the world face. If you or someone you know is the victim of abuse, please seek help immediately. Notice: This document is not authorized for upload or use with artificial intelligence systems or platforms. Any attempt to upload, analyze, or process this content using AI technology is strictly prohibited.