[WATTY'S 2024 SHORTLIST] Seventeen-year-old, popular Athlete, Ontario Hackman struggles with identity, and the fact he may be facing something deeper-rooted than the surface, and when fellow gay boy, Nathaniel Ericson comes along, out and about, with his rainbow bracelets, and his shameless crush on the Popular Athlete, and begins experiencing torment at the hands of his peers, Ontario realizes just how much easier it is to stay hidden. But everyone knows, What's done in the dark will always come to the light - In the gilded halls of his high school, seventeen-year-old Ontario Hackman is the epitome of perfection-a star athlete, a charismatic leader, and the heartthrob of every party. But beneath the surface of his flawless facade lies a turmoil of uncertainty and hidden desires. When Nathaniel Ericson, openly gay and unapologetically himself, arrives with rainbow bracelets and an unabashed crush on Ontario, it sets off a chain reaction that shatters the delicate balance of Ontario's carefully curated life. As Nathaniel faces relentless bullying at the hands of his peers, Ontario is forced to confront the shadowed corners of his own identity. The conflict between staying hidden in the comfort of his popularity and embracing his true self becomes a battleground for Ontario's soul. As their worlds collide and intertwine, Ontario and Nathaniel must navigate the tumultuous waters of love, acceptance, and self-discovery. [Word count: 45k) #1 in mentallyunstable out of 3.97k (July 4th, 2024, 10:39 AM)

"I'm sorry that I put you in this situation." "I'm not following." I really wasn't. "This. Us! What we did last night was reckless and so so perfect at the same time." He got up and walked over to me. "All I could think about was the look on your face. I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about the feel of your skin against mine." He came closer and now he was a breath away. "What are you saying?" I whispered. "I don't know." "I thought you didn't do girlfriends." "I don't." And just like that our lips met and the fire ignited within me again. _________________ You must think this is your typical love story with it's sickly sweet characters who slowly fall in love. In some aspects it is actually and in others it's the total opposite. This is the story of how Kate Reynolds fought to keep her broken family together as well as trying to manage her fast, wild and explosive love life. A modern, coming of age story of how an ordinary girl experiences all that she shouldn't and out of trying to fix everyone else, she tries to fix herself.

When Alexis agrees to help the school's player, she must guard the secret that could unravel everything - even as unexpected feelings complicate the game. *** What happens when Alexis Dawson, the 'resident loser' of Redwood High, agrees to help the school's notorious player, Aaron Walker? How can she stop herself from falling for him? It isn't all love and romance - Alexis has a secret of her own. Join them on a journey of jealousy, betrayal, trust, friendship, and love. A little favour just got a whole lot more complicated. *** He was so close, his breath hit my lips. His eyes darted from my eyes to my lips. I stared intently, awaiting his next move. His lips fell near my ear. "Shut up and kiss me" He whispered roughly. A chill shot up my spine. I pulled back, staring at his eyes and leaned in...

Eighteen-year-old Rylee Evans just moved back to Charlottesville, VA, with her dad and sister after being gone for three years. She's not the same girl she was when she left, or so she thought. Austin Hayes is the good-looking, arrogant, popular guy at school. And the one person that Rylee wants to avoid more than anything. It's no secret that he made her life miserable in middle school. Austin needs to keep his grades up to stay on the football team, so he needs a tutor. Except there's only one tutor available...Rylee. Austin and Rylee find themselves quickly falling for each other, except Austin's ex-girlfriend refuses to let him go that easily and starts causing problems for them. Rylee has the life she's always dreamed of: a loving boyfriend and a bigger circle of friends. There's only one problem...Rylee's father. Will Rylee have the courage to keep what she's found with Austin or let her father tear them apart forever? Warning... It talks about abuse that could be triggering for some readers.

"Come on Austin. Please delete the video!" "No way." He smirks, "That'll be too easy." "What do you want from me?" "I need you to be my fake girlfriend." "What! No way in hell." "Fine then I'll just send this to everyone in school." "Okay fine I'll do it," I roll my eyes and he smirks, "but there's rules." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Emma Princeton(18 years old) is a normal teenage girl except she's lost a lot and has a shocking past that only a few people know about. She's not a nerd, although she gets good grades, she has a lot of friends but she's not one of the "populars". Austin King(also 18 just a couple months older), the schools bad boy. The top one in the "populars" group. He's known for dating girls for a day or two then breaking their hearts and tossing them to the side. Never thinking about them again. But what happens when Emma finds herself in a situation where Austin has a certain leverage over her and needs a fake girlfriend that's presentable to his mother and not one of his usual flings? What happens when Emma agrees, will they fall in love? Or will he just use her and break her heart like all the other girls that he's dated? There's a thin line between love and hate.