Nova can't escape the rich town of Riverside, where a tragedy follows her every step, but she can work to uncover who's been lying to her all these years. ***** When seventeen-year-old Nova Nightingale returns to her late mother's hometown the last thing she expects is to be public enemy number one, but the rumors surrounding her mother's sudden disappearance fifteen years earlier follow Nova everywhere she goes. And to top it all off, the local rich boy, Isaac Royal, is adamant about making her life hell. Surrounded by rumors, lies, and a secret keeping the town on edge, Nova has to figure out why she's hated and why the boy hell-bent on making her suffer seems to be the only person she can trust. Content/Triggering Warning: this story contains themes of suicide and violence [[word count: 80,000-90,000 words]]

He takes his other hand putting my hair behind my ear. Why is he doing this? He slowly brings his lips to my ear. I can feel his lips barely touching the top of my ear making me suck in a sharp breath. "I like knowing you're scared of me" He whispers. His breath hits my ear and fans out to my neck. I shiver at his words. He stays that way for a moment before sliding his hand down my forearm and slowly pulling his head away. Our bodies still touching, he looks down at me with a smirk on his lips before he lets me go and walks away without another word. ~~~~ He is not the same person anymore. He has secrets. With him in her life, it is just a bittersweet tragedy.