Converse, Tangerines, and the Art of Getting Laid:
There is nothing in the world given to us that we can't handle. But every so often, something manages to wiggle its way in that drives us completely insane.
Tara White has just about lived every nightmare there is. Her mother had been sent off to war five years ago, and has been missing in action ever since. Her father is a drunk, abusive, sex-prone escort who she hasn't seen for the past two years. Throw getting raped, dealing with physical and verbal abuse at school, and having to help raise her best friend's child into the mixture, and you have the exact definition of a living hell.
Jace Matthews has just lost the single most important person in his life. His grandfather knew him better than anyone else ever could. He was there for him when he felt alone. He brought him joy when all he knew was sadness. But when his grandad dies of cancer, Jace feels his life is over. And when his family can't take his anger any longer, they ship him off to LA to live with his sick Aunt Penelope until he can get his life back together.
And when two angry, stubborn, depressed people meet, you better prepare yourself for bucket loads of shoe throwing, innocent children, loud profanities, tangerine chewing, violent fights, happy reunions, and an occasional hit and run.
As Claire aims to leave her oppressive stepfamily behind, she befriends Zion. Will he be her ticket to freedom or a distraction in achieving her dreams?
*****
Claire Olsen has had a crush on Zion Petrakis since the first time she laid eyes on him, but he never noticed, instead only having eyes on the school's it girl, Maddie Jennings. Knowing she couldn't compete with Maddie, Claire hid her feelings for Zion, satisfied with admiring him from afar. However, when a series of events led Claire closer to Zion, her feelings for him grew from infatuation to love. And despite fighting hard to keep her feelings contained by distancing herself from Zion, he was determined to show her that he's earned a spot in her life.
[[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]