WATTPAD FEATURED STORY Daniel Evans is trying not to let his crush on Jonah Clarke get in the way of their new found friendship, because Jonah Clarke is definitely not gay. Placed third in the Valentine's Day Contest hosted by @taygetsthegay

WATTPAD ORIGINAL EDITION When Elliot Goldman meets his sweet and charming new lab partner, Jordan Hughes, suddenly high school doesn't seem so bad. For the first time ever, Elliot can't wait to get to chemistry class... ***** Smart, good looking and charismatic, Jordan opens Elliot's eyes to the possibilities around him and gives him butterflies like nobody else does. Jordan isn't exactly the kind of person Elliot's used to having as a lab partner, but when they start acing their assignments, life is suddenly about more than boring lectures, bad cafeteria nachos, or relentless bullying. And then one night, the butterflies start to make sense - the trouble is, now nothing else does. As Elliot begins to figure out how he really feels about Jordan, he realizes that sometimes the last thing you are expecting is the one thing you need the most. [[word count: 40,000-50,000 words]]

Lea and Gabe are in the same creative writing class. They get the same pop culture references, order the same Chinese food, and hang out in the same places. Unfortunately, Lea is reserved, Gabe has issues, and despite their initial mutual crush, it looks like they are never going to work things out. But somehow even when nothing is going on, something is happening between them, and everyone can see it. Their creative writing teacher pushes them together. The baristas at the local Starbucks watch their relationship like a TV show. Their bus driver tells his wife about them. The waitress at the diner automatically seats them together. Even the squirrel who lives on the college green believes in their relationship.

❝Hello, this is the Starb-❞ ❝HEEELP ME!! PLEASE! THERE'S A MURDERER IN MY HOUSE!❞ ❝OH SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!! WHAT DO I DO?! THIS IS STARBUCKS, NOT FREAKING 911. WAIT, HOLD ON. TRY TO KEEP YOURSELF ALIVE, I'LL CALL 911!! STAY CALM. IT'S GOING TO BE O- ❞ ❝Wait...did you just say Starbucks?❞ ❝Um...yeah?❞ ❝They have a hotline?❞ ---- fun conversations between two Potterheads over the Starbucks hotline. [highest rank: #6 in short story] [highest rank: #2 in short story 5/6/17]

WATTPAD ORIGINAL EDITION Adrift after a failed suicide attempt, golden boy Everest can't find anything worth living for - until he meets Beverly, a loner determined to prove him wrong. ***** For a boy who seemed to have it all - wealth, good looks, popularity, a wide circle of friends - Everest Finley becomes the ultimate social outcast after failing to take his own life. Dejected and alone, he starts his last year of high school by acting out, determined to ruin his golden boy reputation after his best friend and girlfriend both turn on him. But to his surprise, resident loner Beverly Davis reaches out and tries to befriend him. Ever the optimistic, her empathy and persistence eventually convinces him to spend time with her, and the two slowly bond over their complicated family lives and a love of singing. But even as their budding friendship begins to hint at something more, Everest continues to struggle with depression and unhappiness. Can a simple pact between the two truly encourage him to find something worth living for? Content and/or Trigger Warning: this story contains mentions and descriptions of depression and self harm. -SKY

Every Tuesday during football practice, sixteen year old Sem Bolton finds himself stealing glances at the gorgeous college boy jogging down the path next to the fields. He was his dirty little secret. His guilty pleasure. His unobtainable fantasy: safe and distant on the other side of the chainlink fence. Then, through a series of unpleasant events including being forced on a camping trip, it turns out his unobtainable fantasy is not so unobtainable after all. Not only is gorgeous college boy gay as well, he also wants to date Sem. Now, Sem was never one to play it safe. But outing himself was in a whole different league than testing his mother's patience or taking hits in the boxing ring. Was he really ready to date a guy, all consequences included? As if internal struggles weren't enough, count on girls, friends, and an estranged brother, to complicate stuff even further. Photo on the cover by: https://unsplash.com/@nickkarvounis

Jaime Lane definitely wasn't gay. But, he wasn't exactly straight either. In an attempt to satisfy his growing bi-curiosity, Jaime accepts a hookup with a male stranger online. It was going to be his one-time wild moment, an experiment to scratch the itch, and to subsequently forget about the next day. Instead of getting a casual one-night fling, however, Jaime finds himself in a big mess when his annoying, flirty coworker, Isaac, shows up for their date. All Jaime wants now is to erase the awkward encounter from his memory, but he and Isaac can't seem to leave each other alone anymore. And what was supposed to be a small diversion ends up making Jaime question not only his sexuality but everything he thought he wanted.

|Nerd Alert spin-off| Chris is anxious about taking his relationship with Alex to the next level, and Paul needs to learn a little more self-confidence. Read Wimp to get a more rounded ending for the story Nerd Alert.