"Colby?" Avery asks, his voice wavering only slightly. I turn to him, cursing at myself for hesitating, if only for a minute. "Yeah?" "Do you have a crush on me?" My heart shatters, but I can't lie. Not to him. Not about this. "Yes, Avery. I've had a crush on you since that day you got drunk and stumbled into my house. Every time I look at you, I can't help wanting to touch you and craving you." I pause, taking in a shuddering breath. "This doesn't have to change anything. You don't --" He snatches my hands. "You wanna touch me, Colby?" His sudden boldness stops me in my tracks. I nod slowly as he nears my face, his cheek brushing mine. He whispers in my ear, a raspy murmur that sends electric shocks through my entire body. "Do it. I fucking dare you." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Avery Thomas and Colby Beck are best friends; thick as thieves, but polar opposites. Where Avery is energetic and social, Colby is closed off and selects very few people to really know him. Their relationship has always been simply this: best friends. That is, until one drunken night like all of the others; Avery saunters into Colby's house, seeking help in his state. As he assists Avery, Colby realizes that he is beginning to become attracted to him in more ways than best friends should be. *WARNING* Mature sexual scenes and some homophobia. Chapters marked with "M" contain adultery or some sexual interaction between heroines. All scenes have consent, and characters are over 18. Be warned. Your mental health matters. DON'T COPYRIGHT! This is an original work.

"When I push it into your mouth... just swallow." His lips part slightly, breath uneven. I lean in, close enough to count the flecks in his eyes. Our knees brush slightly. He pulls back a second too late. I take a slow drag, hold it, then exhale steady between us. The smoke slips past his lips, and in that second, I can't help it. I press my mouth to his. *** Blake Callahan ruined me without even trying. Now I'm going to ruin him too-one threat, one kiss, one perfectly timed prank at a time. He has everything-money, looks, and a last name that opens doors. The golden boy of Seattle: captain of the soccer team, top of the class, with a future already written in Ivy League gold. Me? I'm Ryder Quinn. Dyed hair, piercings, fists bruised from too many fights, and a life with no safety net. Reckless. Broke. No future. We come from opposite worlds-his built on privilege, mine on survival. We're supposed to hate each other. And for a while, we do. But hate turns into tension. Tension turns into something neither of us can control. Because loving him was never part of the plan. Destroying him was. Trigger warning ⚠️ -Mature language -Sexual scenes -Violence -Drug use

Conan Hill is a trans male looking to escape his haunting past. He wants nothing more than to keep his head down and remain unnoticed at his new school, though that is quite difficult when the captain of the track team seems to have fallen for him. ***** Life has been hard for Conan. In hopes of escaping past bullies and finding a fresh start where no one knows who he used to be, his family decides to move from Texas to Massachusetts. He makes a promise to himself that he will survive high school by going unnoticed and avoiding any conflict that might reveal his former identity. But this ends up being more difficult than expected when the school's golden boy and popular jock, Owen Wilson, takes up a keen interest in him. Could this be the beginning of something beautiful for Conan, or just another chapter of his life that he would have to run away from? Content/trigger warning: This story contains themes of bullying, transphobia, homophobia, abuse, and suicidal thoughts, as well as sexual activity. [[word count: 80,000 - 90,000]] Cover designed by Jenna Conrad