"Wait... I've got... Aerials, uh... Roman Candles, Spinners, Mines, " Bodhi dropped, on sandy knees, holding a beer, rifling through his backpack one-handed, a lit cigarette loosely between his lips. Flash-round, a wiry wick: "And Cherry Bombs."
__________________
It's June, 2007. Jessamyn Cruz is wasting yet another summer saving up while working at a seedy seaside amusement park: Castaway's Playland Palace. Her boss sucks. Her best friends are dating. Her bike was just stolen. But Bodhi Grey is only on gig in Ocean Park until September, and Jess, albeit exhausted, is intrigued by him. They don't have to know each other. He'll leave. When he pulls over and offers her a ride one stormy morning, Bodhi blows up her summer single-handedly: a summer fling always ends, and ignited by a pyro blow-in, a spark (almost) always ends with an explosion.
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]]