[WATTYS 2016 WINNER!] [COSMOPOLITAN Featured!] Trapped in her white trash hell, Layla Danner is failing at life. Her friend Peyton? Everybody thinks he's perfect, a staggeringly rich, handsome, and well-mannered story book prince. But they don't know what Layla knows. And she'll never tell. Jake? Jake's trouble. A down and dirty charmer, this one's got a devil-may-care attitude and a mouth to match. Everything goes to hell in a handbasket when he shows up to town one summer. Layla never meant to fall in love. All she wanted to do was finish her senior year, get the hell out of this town and never, ever look back. But when mysterious secrets from the boys' past refuse to stay buried, Layla must decide how far she'll go for a chance at a once in a lifetime love. Follow three unforgettable characters in this captivatingly melodramatic, soap-operatic, and larger-than-life tale of first loves, loyalty, intrigue and the magic of growing up. ♦️WARNING: This writer is a hopeless romantic with a filthy mouth and a dirty mind who loves to re-work cliches. The style of the story reflects this. Also, some dark themes. ♦️

As Claire aims to leave her oppressive stepfamily behind, she befriends Zion. Will he be her ticket to freedom or a distraction in achieving her dreams? ***** Claire Olsen has had a crush on Zion Petrakis since the first time she laid eyes on him, but he never noticed, instead only having eyes on the school's it girl, Maddie Jennings. Knowing she couldn't compete with Maddie, Claire hid her feelings for Zion, satisfied with admiring him from afar. However, when a series of events led Claire closer to Zion, her feelings for him grew from infatuation to love. And despite fighting hard to keep her feelings contained by distancing herself from Zion, he was determined to show her that he's earned a spot in her life. [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]