Sometimes all you really need is a place to call home. *** Claire is lost and scared and utterly alone. Her family is in shambles after the death of her older sister Ina, and she's left to pick up the broken pieces of herself as her life heads into a downwards spiral of loneliness. Her heart leads her to 5:48, a little cafe by 33rd street, where she finds her new home. With a broken heart and a speech disability, Jasper has his heart and mouth sewn shut by the winding threads of hurt and fear. Painting and serving coffee in cafe 5:48 are one of his last few saving graces, but the smile he's been painting on himself will soon fade away as everything he's ever held dear slips away from his grasp. Ezra is out-of-sync and oddly cold by the way life has treated his young self. Abandoned by his single mother at an early age, he has grown up thinking that he is a mistake. His constant shaking hands are a reflection of what he often thinks of himself, but the delightful pastries he bakes for 5:48's customers are a reflection of what others see of him. Drew is a quirky rarity. He is a dash of loud, a pinch of exuberant, and a cup of eccentric - just like the meals he serves in the cafe as the only chef there. Behind his playful grins and outlandish clothes, however, are his jutting ribs, hollowed cheeks, and too-thin arms. Sometimes he cannot stomach being in his own skin as much as he cannot stomach food. This family has gone a long way from finding each other, and they'll be going a long way together too as reality comes catching up to them, threatening the newfound happiness they've found with each other. Secrets are revealed, pasts become presents, and lives are changed. Slowly but surely, they find their way back home. *** NOTE AS OF 08/2026: This is the old version of the story from 2012, posted in FULL. Another story that will be considered a reprise of this old version is in the works, and will be posted under the name "Hiraya House."

Questions. Unanswered questions. Who doesn't have those? Alexia, just like every other person in the world, has many unanswered questions. What differs in her story is the cute stranger, Daniel, that enters her life and teaches her life lessons that indirectly give her the answers she's been looking for. By the end of her summer vacation, Alexia will have all the answers and lessons she needs except for one: How far can love go? Will Daniel be able to give her the answer she wants or will she end up heartbroken by the end of the summer?

"To be honest, none of us really belong anywhere, but we're all outsiders and outsiders tend to band together like their own island of misfit toys." -Violet Zykin, Flowers. Marie thought her heart was okay. Derek thought that he was alone. Violet thought that being subordinate to her sister didn't bother her. Shamshad thought that he could survive his parents expectations. Rose was sick of being 'perfect'. What happens when all their lives are changed? ||RATED PG13 FOR STRONG LANGUAGE, TOUGH TOPICS||

Elliot "Eli" Wesley and Lana Clarke are from two different worlds during high school. A year later after graduation, it's out with the old high school days, but Eli finds himself in a dilemma after being dumped by his girlfriend, Haley. Confused and upset by his girlfriend's sudden decision, Eli finds out that the guy Haley left him for was none other than Landon, the matured lifeguard at Santa Monica Beach. Is it not mentioned that Landon is Lana's older brother? After coming up with a plan to get close to Lana as a recoil for getting dumped, Eli hopes that doing this would make his ex-girlfriend want him back again. But what happens when Lana Clarke - the girl Eli only heard things about - ends up exposing Eli to her world she's closed off from others? That isn't suppose to be the plan, but Eli and Lana finds out more than they expected and possibly a change of heart...

Hadley Jamison doesn't know what to think when she hears that her classmate, Archer Morales, committed suicide. She didn't exactly know him, but that doesn't stop her from feeling like there was something she could have done to help him. So to Hadley's surprise, on the very night of Archer's funeral, she has a run in with Death himself and is offered the chance to go back in time to stop Archer from ending his life. The catch? She only has twenty-seven days to do it. And if Hadley doesn't succeed? Well, she doesn't want to think about that.

She could be considered a certified insomniac. He hasn't slept the whole night through because of circumstance. She's reserved and quiet at school. He's the silent bad-boy everyone admires. She loves photography. He loves his little brother. Nicole Evans and Caleb Shaw are two completely different people, but they may have a lot more in common than they think. Join these two night owls as they roam the city of Berkeley at night, discovering secrets not only about the city, but about themselves as well.