What are we without flesh and blood? Are we nothing but a beating heart in a ribcage, a marching soul inevitably leading to our demise? Or are we here as a test of loyalty to our God, a God we do not know but must trust? And without this trust, we will be punished indefinitely for questioning his divinity. And what is a sheep without his shepherd? Without God, are we nothing but sheep led astray? How will we be guided to the light without a shepherd on earth? Should we trust our shepherd to tell us the truth? Or will we be covered in the blood of the lamb? A shepherd with blood on his hands could infect his flock with poison. And with this poison, he has control. And to Luke, this poison is all he knows. His seventeen years of life have been devoted to nothing else but God. He wakes up, goes to school or church, and sleeps; rinse and repeat. There is no place or time for anything else in his life, such as television, going out with friends, or discovering new hobbies. His father, Pastor Ivy, ensures this. His life purpose will be to serve the Lord and nothing else. A purpose that Luke believes is the right way. What else would there be to life? He hadn't questioned this until he met Gabriel, a man who was the complete opposite of him. A man who was strong in his sense of self. A man who didn't bow to anyone or anything and stood firm in his beliefs in The Church of Satan. A man who Luke feared. But also a man who felt like home to him.

Aiden's summer of quiet isolation is sabotaged by Lucas and his circle of jocks; the exact people Aiden took a job in the woods to avoid. Pestered by stupid jokes and needy campers, his plans to be ready for a musical audition by the end of the summer slips further and further away from reality. There's one person to blame; one person who seems like he'd accept Aiden one moment and laugh at him for having a dream the next. Doubt, misgivings and heartache disrupt his life, but give him a summer he'll never forget. Cover designed by @yukikoking_94!

[Twice feautured Noteworthy Novel & Staff Pick on Tapas!] [Full version available in April] Looking at sixteen-year-old Neo Favre, there isn't anything to point out that would explain him being heavily bullied. He's almost just like any other teenager attending South Haven Highschool. Except one thing; Neo suffers from OCD, and his irky habits are solely the reason for his classmates to make fun of him. But as much as he tries to hide his annoying habits of counting literally everything and tapping light buttons to the beat of "we will rock you", his fellow students know, and they use it to bully him endlessly. Neo just wants it all to end, but right when he worked up the guts to put his actions where his mouth is, Calo show's up to save the day, and maybe his week. And who knows, maybe even his life. With a first best friend, along with a new therapist and seemingly more people supporting him, things seem to take a turn for the better in Neo's life. But as always, with the few positive things in his life, Neo leans onto them for support. So, what happens when one of his supportsystems gets pulled out of his life again? ! Trigger warning; subjects like suicide, mental illness, hatred, bullying and severe physical illnesses will all be in this book !

"Is he... gay!?", is all James Morris hear when he walks through the cafeteria during lunch. He knew he should've never drunk that much at the party on Saturday. Now everyone knows his secret. "Is he... gay?", is all Grant Jones hears sitting at the cafeteria table. The two girls next to him are giggling at something on a phone. I mean, why should they care if someone is gay? When these two cross paths and turn each other worlds inside out, will they be able to catch each other or will they both drown?

Benjamin Hills is the only openly gay kid in his school. He's a nerd and only has 1 friend. He's bullied by the whole football team. One day he's paired up with the star quarterback, Parker Johnson, in a ELA project at school. Parker, is a closeted gay. The more they hang out, the more their feelings for each other grow. TW: homophobia, abuse, death of loved one A/N: I wrote this when I was like 12 so I apologize in advance

In a world where holidays are celebrated differently. Where he celebrates all the holidays he knows there are. Where he meets someone through holidays. Where holidays can bring people closer. |#204 in Short Story 2.3.17|

"I didn't know you had friends like Isaac," Willa said in greeting. "I don't," muttered Jared. Isaac rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you don't. You have //one// friend like Isaac." His voice turned into this stupid mock whisper and he leaned towards Jared conspiratorially. "It's me, by the way."

"Happy New Year!!!" It was now or never. I pulled Alex's arm that I was still holding until he crashed into me in surprise. I put a hand behind his head and closed the gap between us until my lips met his. Alex's body had gone stiff with shock, but I just pulled him closer, letting go of his arm, and putting both hands at the side of his face. Suddenly I felt a change in Alex's body and he began kissing me back. I responded immediately, deepening the kiss, feeling my whole body let go knowing I had done it. I was kissing Alex. The day Jay made the decision to kiss his best friend seemed no different to any other. But that one kiss had consequences that neither boy would have ever dreamed of.

'There. It's done. I can walk away with my pride and the knowledge that after sixteen long years, I've finally gotten laid. (It's a pretty awesome feeling.) Before I go, though, I have to check and make sure that it's Pamela. Because let's face it: A guy has to know who he lost his V-card to. And just assuming that it was Pam isn't going to cut it. So I put the note and pen down and slowly, carefully, creep over to the ball of sheets. I was right to check. There's a tuft of white blonde hair sticking out from the top. Pamela's hair is auburn. The girl's hair is sort of short, I guess, but oh well. I slowly, carefully, lift a sheet, just to catch a glimpse of the person beneath... ...to see a guy. Looking at me calmly.'

One road trip. That was all that it took to tear Zaavan Fleetwood and Vance Dallas's lives apart. It wasn't fair - walls are always built for a reason. The two smoking hot, incredibly athletic rivals were two of the most popular boys at school. If anybody got word of the dark and dirty secrets they were hiding, their lives would be over. But since when was life ever fair? Already on the path to destruction, a newfound battle with sexuality could be the final blow needed to destroy them. That is, if their secrets don't get them first. Because that's the thing with secrets - they tend to get out. ***TRIGGER WARNING! THIS BOOK CONTAINS CERTAIN THEMES ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESSES AND ABUSE THAT MAY BE TRIGGERING OR EXTREMELY UPSETTING.*** Started: April 2018 Completed: May 2019 Edited and re-published: August 2019