A FEATURED WATTPAD STORY When he was five years old, Lucas Langley fell in love with his best friend and he never fell out. 04.07.2017 - 31.10.2017 general fiction #6

EDITOR'S CHOICE ~ When heartbroken March Marino books a road trip across the western US, he has no idea what he's getting himself into.

My heart pulsated through my chest and I didn't think I could hold on for much longer. The frightening, terrorising feeling of his fingers slipping through mine was causing the arm that was gripping to the edge of the cliff to shake. "Hold on, Harry! I've got you, I swear! Please, just hold on!" my voice held a shrill of terror to it and my eyes were filling with tears; tears of pain, frustration and sheer horror. Harry moved his gaze from our slipping fingers to my eyes. "It's okay, Ethan. Let go. You can't save me; not this time." I hated how calm his tone was. I hated how defeated he sounded. He had never given up - we always held hope for one another! We never gave up. "Don't you say that to me! Don't you fucking say that to me!" I roared, a small sob escaping my lips. Harry just smiled sadly, his muscular, beautiful body swaying in the harsh wind. The fall was so big; he would surely die of a heart attack before he hit the ground. I prayed to God he would. No. I was breaking my own rule; I would not give up on him. Either both of us lived or neither of us would. My life would be over the second his ended, anyway.

When Charlie gets away from his drug dealing father and is sent to live with his grandparents, things aren't suddenly okay. Charlie's broken. He's not sure he ever wasn't broken. When things get unbearable, the only thing that helps Charlie feel grounded is music. What can he do when he runs out of batteries for his old walkman? At school crowds of people gather to watch Travis perform, but when he goes home his only company is his cat. He escaped his abusive parents, but now he lives with his older brother who is usually away working. Will the strange, quiet boy he finds sitting on his porch trying to listen in on his music put an end to his loneliness?

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.

❝And, slowly, I will find my way back to you.❞ - in which I attempt to navigate the perils of a terrible love.

Keegan is a boy who loves affection. He's usually quite peppy and excitable, but everything in life has turned against him. He ends up locking away his emotions and making himself distant from the world, trying to avoid further suffering. He's left a shell of his former self, struggling to get through life. He decides to take time away from his abusive life by going on a week long school trip to collect his thoughts. He is placed in situations he couldn't have imagined. Theo is a laid back jock. He can come off as aggressive and bossy, usually around his friends, though he has a heart and can be quite kind. His life is hectic and full of annoying people. His parents are inconsiderate, his friends are clingy and loud, and the rest of the school sucks up to him, which he doesn't received well. He just wants to be left alone. After deceiving his clingy friends he snuck away on the school trip, hoping he could finally get some peace and quiet. This trip would hold some surprises for him, and maybe even change his life. What future will await these two? Are they destined for greatness, or despair?

Harvey is a quiet, shy, and extremely talented sixteen year old boy. He never really enjoyed speaking much, he usually lost himself in thought. At his school he's either bullied or completely ignored by the students, the teachers don't help him at all either. Its as if everything is working against him. Though he began getting used to it. It was pretty normal for him at this point. His parents are always out working only coming home a few times every couple of months. He's always had lot of free time growing up due to this. He learned how to do many thing. He'd play his dad's guitar, he'd read, dance, sing, and even learned how to cook. He's extremely talented in a range of skills and hobbies. But no one knew this. Two years ago they moved due to work. His parents got an offer which would require them to change locations. He transfered schools. But things only got worse. On his first day at Winterlake High he began crushing on one of the students. It was a guy named Liam. He's one of the popular student. He's tall, outgoing and very attractive. He has everyone and everything in his grasp. He can do whatever he pleases at school. He began bullying Harvey on the second day of his arrival. It became more violent in the recent months. What could be the reason for this? How will the school react to Harvey's wide range of skills and talents? Will he be able make friends and win the school over... including his crush? ------------------------ This is my first story EVER so i apologize in advance.