*Mitch POV* I knew something was wrong when I couldn't breathe. It was in the middle of our social studies lesson for the day, and I tried to take a breath. All that happened was worse suffocation. Being twelve, I didn't handle it well. I opened my mouth to try to speak, but all that came out was an odd sounding croak. My teacher hushed me. But someone sitting next to me looked at me and noticed how pale I looked, or noticed that tears were welling in my eyes and I was drooping. I wrapped my hands around my throat seconds before I blacked out. That was only the first instance. In the time that I was unconscious, my lungs filled with fluid and I almost died. I was out for nearly two days, and my parents really thought that I would die. I vaguely remember hearing my mom crying while I couldn't open my eyes, and my dad telling her that maybe it was just my time and they had to let me go. But then I woke up, and the fluid had been drained from my lungs. I spent a while more in the hospital, and in that time, my parents found out that I had cancer. It had been determined that I probably wouldn't live much longer, maybe three months at the most. The conversation was happening outside my room, where I was supposed to be asleep, but I still heard the whole thing. What I remember most is my mom's sobs.

"He kissed me and there was nothing in the world that could explain how badly I wanted his lips to be Mitch's."

Five kids - definitely not destined for greatness. One teacher - out to single-handedly prove that theory wrong. For Avi, Kirstie, Mitch, Kevin and Scott, life is far from a walk in the park. Their futures have already been laid out for them, whether they are happy or not. Their existence has always been a one filled with doubt, worry, and criticism. That is until young teacher Jeremy Lewis enters to break that cycle, because he knows that no child is destined for failure. Children will live up to whatever you believe in them.

Scott Hoying - a 16 year old worker at a local gas station - met Mitch grassi, a shy unpopular boy, on one of his shifts. Where will they go from their first encounter? WARNING: This story does contain some topics that might be hard for some readers and I will not warn you before a chapter because I don't want to give anything away. So let this be a overall warning that there might be sensitive subjects in this story. BOOK TWO IS OUT NOW

"please, scotty? you know i won't judge you." "no." "but why not?" "my voice is horrible." "i'm sure it isn't, baby." "well, you're wrong." "prove it."

Mitch Grassi is a depressed cutter. But you don't have to look very deep to find the source of his pain. Mitch is in a very abuse relationship with his boyfriend Travis. No one knows about the hell Mitch has to live through not even his best friends. Will the find out in time to save Mitch or is he too far gone?

"I'll never stop caring for you, even if we're not together, and we're far, far away from each other I don't think I could ever stop."

I need you like water. Inspired by Misbehavin by horsedancer123. This book was a runner-up in the 2017 Hidden Gems Awards.