"Beautiful things don't ask for attention." In a world that thrives on conformity, August is an anomaly. Raised in a secretive overbearing family, she was chosen to leave its hidden grounds-not for freedom, but for duty. Sent to college to become the strategic mind for her generation behind the family's growing empire, she tries to move through the world like a ghost, draped in gothic shadows with secrets too heavy to share but her style is just too much to go unnoticed by judging eyes unscathed. Then she meets Kason through his older brother. A rising rapper with a reckless charm and a hunger for something real, dealing with battles of his own, he's instantly drawn to August's eerie demeanor and the quiet storm that lingers behind her dark mysterious eyes. She's nothing like the women he's used to-unbothered by trends, and untouched by the need for validation. The more she resists, the deeper he falls, his infatuation turning into an obsession he can't shake. One he cant let go of. As their worlds collide, the slow burn of their connection threatens to ignite everything August has been taught to suppress. With her past closing in and expectations pressing down, she must decide if she's willing to defy everything she's ever known for the chance at something dangerously real. In a society that demands she fit a mold, August stands in defiance. Unfortunately, love has a way of making even the strongest question their silence. STARTED; February 22nd , 2025 PUBLISHED; MARCH 18th, 2025 FINISHED; MAY 27th, 2025

Damn, college really is the best part of yo life. Especially at an HBCU.

"𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭." 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦. "𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦. 𝘈𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭." 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦.

❝𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙨... 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙢 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨, 𝙞 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 ❞ 𝐄𝐒𝐓. 𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

"You ain't even that cute." Jojo playfully rolled her eyes allowing Dice to pull her arm to wherever he seemed to be leading her. "Where are you taking me!" She grew annoyed with the anticipation. "On a trip, just chill." -- For as long as she can remember, Jojo Rosewood has lived a picture-perfect life in a suburban area located in Chicago-designer clothes, private schools, and a glamorous lifestyle all thanks to her high-powered mother. Evidently her perfect world seems to be a lie when it comes crashing down as her mother's secrets come to the light, forcing her to face reality. Now having all of her family's assets cleared she's every bit of confused on what to do. With nowhere else to turn, Jojo is forced to leave behind everything she knows and move across a plethora of states to live with her father, a man she barely knows due to distance, and his new family. Learning to balance the shift in culture and the chaos of her first year in college all in one, Jojo struggles to adjust to her circumstances and blend into a world where her privilege no longer holds any weight. Things grow even more complicated when she meets Dice, her half-brother's best friend-a well mannered , street-smart young adult who seems to embody everything Jojos maternal side of the family warned her about. Dice is equally frustrating and intriguing, with a no-nonsense attitude that calls Jojo out on her unrealistic expectations. As their chemistry builds, Jojo finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew about family, loyalty, and love while Dice struggles letting Jojo take a trip to his world. Started; December 18th, 2024 Published; January 4th, 2025 Finished; March 2nd, 2025

noun: weakness. /ˈwēknəs/ -a person or thing that one is unable to resist or likes excessively.

𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚣𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚞𝚜

𝚆𝚑𝚘 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚢...𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚢...𝚌𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚑𝚎, 𝚌𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚑𝚎, 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑𝚎

" 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘵" 𝐀𝐏𝐑21 𝐀 𝐑𝐈4𝐕𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐒𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

It's not that I won't or refuse...I can't. (S)chizoid (P)ersonality (D)isorder- A condition in which people avoid social activities and interacting with others. Depersonalized Schizoid- Often described by the schizoid patient as a tuning out or a turning off. Affectless Schizoid- Lack passion, remain unresponsive in social situations, and are highly unlikely to show any affection to prospective significant others.