Auden's life has been anything but easy. With a mother who acts more like a friend, and an absentee father, Auden's no stranger to poverty and neglect.
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When her mother meets a new boyfriend, Auden suddenly finds herself far away from her hometown in Arizona and forced to go to school in an all new town in California. Now she's living amongst the wealthy, navigating all new territory, a life she is completely unfamiliar with.
By chance encounter, she meets charming, popular, Hunter, who, sure, can be arrogant, assertive, and a bit full on, but is more than happy to welcome Auden to the town and introduce her to his friend group. Hunter is different from anyone Auden has ever known. He's magnetic and compelling, yet, also dangerous. Being with him makes Auden forget about everything else, especially her issues at home. Her relationship with Hunter happens fast, and Auden's unsure if he's too good to be true.
But Auden isn't alone in struggling with her homelife. There's also Ender. The closed-off, myserious boy living not far from her house who she can't deny the intense pull she feels towards him. He understands her and knows exactly what she's going through. Their bond may be a bit too intense to ignore.
As Auden is torn between the two, she begins to realize everyone's lives are infinitely more complex than they first appeared. The facades are beginning to wither, leaving behind brutal truths. Love isn't supposed to hurt like this, is it?
This story contains: alcohol, drugs, partying, swearing, abuse, domestic violence
When you live in small, typical town like Portland, Oregon, you don't expect much. Arielle Martinez had her best friends, an annoying sister, and a single mother. Life was just a sweet time. She got through middle school and was now living her third year of high school. Junior. The only thing for her agenda this year is smiles, laughs, more laughs, and more memories.
Of course, the dark-haired troubled, bad boy, Shadowfax Skywood didn't pop in her delicate, easygoing mind. Why would it? Freshman through Sophomore they never acknowledged each other's presence. Not even fight for the last apple pie in the cafeteria.
But things have changed when both are thrown more and more into each other's path, but this doesn't bother Arielle much because she has nothing to hide, but what about Shadow? He's not popular, but he isn't close to a loner or at all of being ignored.
So what is it? What's his secret?
No turning back now, they're both in deep, but will this destroy them or get them closer?