Tabula Rasa

"We're both running away, you know," she said. "Except I'm running from my future and you're running from your past."

Sixteen-year-old Adaro has everything he wants in high school: he's on a varsity sports team, he gets decent grades, and he's in some advanced classes.

The only thing he's missing is a friend, someone who can truly understand him. But his inner self is so different from his outer self, he's sure that nobody will like him if they see him as he really is.

Adaro left California to escape a death he may have caused, but the pain's still there. Starting over doesn't change the past. If his new life has taught him anything, it's how to fake and lie and pretend.

The pain is there when he wakes up, and it's the last thing he feels before he falls asleep. As the perfect life he's built for himself starts to fall apart, he's forced to go to great lengths to keep his secret safe.

Life isn't a blank slate; you can't wipe it clean and start all over again. But sometimes living the mess is better than running away from who you are.