❝He stutters, while she babbles.❞ Highest Rank: #8 in Short Story - 01/10/18 Copyright © 2016 Cher Manelle

When Everly Reed collides with the cynical and devilishly handsome Mason Valdez, she knows trouble is ahead, but she never could have guessed how much she would be drawn to the storm. ***** Nineteen-year-old Ever Reed likes when things make sense. Which is probably why she excels at math, enough to secure her a spot at an Ivy League school out of state. Sheltered by her mother and older brother Asher for most of her life, Ever hasn't experienced much of the world, but she knows New York will be an adventure. Enter Mason Valdez: cynical, arrogant, and undeniably attractive-exactly what Ever doesn't need. But as their paths keep crossing, Ever finds herself intrigued by Mason, and eager to know the boy behind the bitter mask. As secrets, scars, and painful pasts rise to the surface, Ever knows one thing for sure: they can only make it through if they face their storms together. [[word count: 150,000 - 200,000]] Cover designed by Frances Louise De Ramos Spinoff to The Hoodie Girl Book One of the A Thousand Storms series [[The Fiction Awards 2018 Best Overall Story and Best Romance Winner]] Content/trigger warning: This story mentions sexual assault and childhood abuse

I, Brittany Malene, have been dubbed the oh-so honorable title of the school's "Slut." With great power, comes great responsibility and I just have to say that a lot of legwork went into this achievement. Pun intended. Okay, so it's not exactly ideal, but I'm the queen of making the best out of a sticky situation. Again, pun intended. Anyway, I think that what a girl chooses to do with her body is entirely her choice. While I've definitely made some pretty questionable choices over the years, there is a bigger picture at hand. From trying to save a damaged bad boy who wasn't worth the side effects, to saving other girls from making the same mistake. Needless to say, the walls I've meticulously built around my heart are strong enough to make conservatives weak in the knees. So, my brother's best friend, Sam "Nice Guy" Jacobs, is the least of my worries. Or so I thought.