Altered

Altered is being published! Look for it early 2016.

In the middle of her first semester of law school, OLIVIA (LIV) is devastated by an unexpected breakup with her fiancé, KYE. She is so distraught, that she doesn’t read her cases and is saved from certain embarrassment by her classmate, NICHOLAS, who recognizes the situation and volunteers before Liv is called on by the professor.
Nicholas is somewhat of an enigma. Because of his appearance, most think he is some sort of sixteen-year-old idiot savant who is probably homeless. He does not appear to have any social skills either. Liv vows to find out the story of Nicholas for herself. He’s guarded, but does reveal that he is actually eighteen and is aware of what others think of him. He’s an intelligent and thoughtful kid and Liv intends to bring him into the fold because she believes everyone should have someone to rely on.
Time goes by and Nicholas is a great addition to the study group. He’s extremely organized and exceptionally smart so his other idiosyncrasies are mostly ignored by the rest of the group. Liv just sees him as a good friend, but because she and Nicholas spend so much time together, he misunderstands Liv’s intentions and moves in to kiss her. She apologizes for misleading him, but he is embarrassed and leaves.
After successfully evading Liv for several days, Nicholas eventually gives in and becomes Liv’s friend again. As the end of the semester draws near, Liv and Nicholas spend an extreme amount of time together studying for finals, but Liv is constantly reminding everyone, including Nicholas, that they are just friends and will never be anything more. Liv convinces Nicholas to accompany her home to California because he does not want to ever go back to nearby Austin where his father lives with his stepmother. As with everything with Nicholas, the reason is a mystery...