"ᴡᴀꜱꜱᴀᴍ ʙᴀʙʏ"

This will be a somewhat short story He kisses me every chance he gets, but he's not mine. He makes love to me as if my body only belongs to him, but he's not mine. He holds me and rubs my back after sex, but he's not mine. He takes me on dates and pays the bill, but he's not mine. We argue like a couple, but he's not mine. He begs me to forgive him after we argue, but he's not mine. How could somebody who I'm not in a relationship with break my heart so bad? Read to find out.

Based in 2020, outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia Capri Laurent, a 19 year old community college student pursuing a degree with no real end goal in mind. Living at home with his parents, sister and baby bo, his life isn't as easy as it appears to be. Having his son at the ripe age of 17, Capri has to make ends meet for his kid, especially when the mother wasn't exactly in the picture. As if his life wasn't hard enough, after his son is diagnosed with autism Capri isn't sure how their lives will look for them. Playing the cards he was dealt, he grows, like a rose through concrete- with help of course. Harlem Santino, a 20 year old with dreams higher than he can reach. Harlem had always been amazing in sports, you name it- football, soccer, baseball, but basketball owned his heart. It was his passion, what kept the light shining bright in his big brown eyes. With a once in a lifetime opportunity with a full basketball scholarship to GSU Harlem would have been stupid to turn it down. However life had a twisted and fucked up way of making good people hurt. When his mother and only living family member is diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer Harlem is forced to touch bases with old connects and pick up a not so safe side hustle. All while balancing his sport management degree and his grilling basketball requirements. Seemingly both alone in their own ways, who knew that an old hardly in use skating rink, a few joints, and good old r&b story telling would bring two drowning souls together and make life seem all the more bearable.

Watty's 2024 shortlist, Watty's 2024 Best Characters winner A story of boxing, drugs, and love Tyreek Nixon is a 26 year old underground boxer who goes by the alias Pretty Boy. He's known he was attracted to boys for as long as he could remember, but one man really catches his attention during one of his fights. All he wants is even the chance to get to know this man better, no matter how many fights he has to win to impress him. DeAndre Kingston is a 28 year old New York native who is known around the city for his product- weed and pills. One day when DeAndre is selling at an underground boxing event, he finds himself suddenly enraptured by one of the fighters. DeAndre may have never felt an attraction for a man before but that sure didn't stop him from wanting this "Pretty Boy" The two embark on an intertwining story of romance, blood, and drama, enduring it all for the sake of being able to call each other "mine"

Kareem Jabar is a 26 year old college graduate moving back home to start as an intern at a local hospital in Miami, Florida. Returning home wasn't on his list of things but with an ill mother and an older brother running the streets it was necessary. He always imagined leaving the hood never to return but now coming back old memories and deadly secrets come back to haunt him. James "Deuce" Cartier is a 30 year old drug distributor for a big time Mexican Kingpin. He kills first and ask questions later. He has had his claws in Miami since he was just 21 and there are no signs of stopping anytime soon thats until he runs into an old flame that sparks a fire he has buried and when enemies emerge from the shadows things get deadly in a Thugs World.

𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝. 𝐇𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐌𝐫.𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. "𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐌𝐫.𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐈 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮..."

Jay didn't come from a place filled with happily ever afters. He was a black kid growing up in Harlem. Like most boys in his neighborhood Jay was drawn into the gangster life. The money and bitches just appealed to him. But, when he gets into some serious trouble, his mother has had enough. She sends him off to Texas to stay with her best friend and get him away from the life on the streets. While there Jay meets Leo. Leo has lived in the south his entire life. He was a country cowboy and hasn't known anything different. He gets a surprise when his mother introduces him to Jay. Leo has never met or saw anyone like him in his life. These two come from two completely different backgrounds but, as they start to spend more time around each other, will they be able to find some common ground. There will be fights, heat and drama as these two begin to become closer. Let's hope Jay and Leo are strapped into this Texas Rollercoaster.

𝐈𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐂 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞, 𝐊𝐲𝐫𝐨𝐧.

"𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐛𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐜𝐲" "𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 ..."

Gazzy Garcia doesn't love, trust or get attached after the tragic death of his family leaving him homeless. Omar Paneiro doesnt love,trust or get attached because no ones ever shown him how, his family was built on lies and money. maybe they can show eachother?