2000; Indiana Wiley and Carter Warren; five year olds. Very dedicated fans to the Beatles. Ice cream lovers with Big dreams. Sounds like normal children who lived normal childhoods, right? 2011; Indiana Wiley; sixteen years old. Depressed. Anorexic. Brokenhearted. Carter Warren; sixteen years old. Illegal alcoholic with unstable anger issues. There was a climax in their life, where everything they hoped for and dreamed of together collapsed because of one encounter with a drunkard. (Goal: A n t i - A l c o h o l A w a r e n e s s.) [cover by the amazing @luminouscities.]

Sometimes all you really need is a place to call home. *** Claire is lost and scared and utterly alone. Her family is in shambles after the death of her older sister Ina, and she's left to pick up the broken pieces of herself as her life heads into a downwards spiral of loneliness. Her heart leads her to 5:48, a little cafe by 33rd street, where she finds her new home. With a broken heart and a speech disability, Jasper has his heart and mouth sewn shut by the winding threads of hurt and fear. Painting and serving coffee in cafe 5:48 are one of his last few saving graces, but the smile he's been painting on himself will soon fade away as everything he's ever held dear slips away from his grasp. Ezra is out-of-sync and oddly cold by the way life has treated his young self. Abandoned by his single mother at an early age, he has grown up thinking that he is a mistake. His constant shaking hands are a reflection of what he often thinks of himself, but the delightful pastries he bakes for 5:48's customers are a reflection of what others see of him. Drew is a quirky rarity. He is a dash of loud, a pinch of exuberant, and a cup of eccentric - just like the meals he serves in the cafe as the only chef there. Behind his playful grins and outlandish clothes, however, are his jutting ribs, hollowed cheeks, and too-thin arms. Sometimes he cannot stomach being in his own skin as much as he cannot stomach food. This family has gone a long way from finding each other, and they'll be going a long way together too as reality comes catching up to them, threatening the newfound happiness they've found with each other. Secrets are revealed, pasts become presents, and lives are changed. Slowly but surely, they find their way back home. *** NOTE AS OF 08/2026: This is the old version of the story from 2012, posted in FULL. Another story that will be considered a reprise of this old version is in the works, and will be posted under the name "Hiraya House."

"As I sat on the toilet, I realized how badass I was being. First of all, I (kind of) broke into Walmart; Second, I was (kind of) plotting to steal toilet paper; and third, I was doing all this while a hurricane was brewing outside." Ellie wanted a quick trip to Walmart to buy some toilet paper for her mom. A minute in, a minute out. Instead, she got locked in. With her secret love, of course.

Leah is beautiful, outgoing, and popular. Because of this, she's gotten everything she's ever wanted. Except for one thing. All she's ever really wanted was to please people, but she never seems to be able to. Unlike her friends, she doesn't care about any of the superficial things that seem so important. To Leah, if something isn't fair, it just isn't right. So when an isolated classmate named Blake gets to listen to music during class while no one else can, she can't help but feel annoyed by him. When their English teacher partners the two of them up for a project that will last them the entire school year, this only adds fuel to the fire. Their assignment is to create a song describing their relationship. Sounds easy, right? Not for these two. Blake is different, and Leah is about to find out that different is just what she wants and needs. But what she doesn't know is that Blake has a secret, and it's something he desperately wants to keep from her. Falling in love with someone isn't as easy as it might seem. Life isn't fair, but Leah and Blake are about to find out that love isn't either.