Wilted Flowers

In the small, tradition-bound town of Redwood, Texas, Ashton Santiago has built his life around doing everything right. As the school's top student and an Ivy League hopeful, he knows exactly what his future is supposed to look like.

Jesse Hayes has never believed in predictable. As Redwood High's star quarterback and one of the only openly gay students in town, Jesse lives boldly and honestly, even when it makes life harder. He believes in saying what he feels, loving without hesitation, and refusing to shrink for anyone's comfort.

Their families have been close for years, and so have they. But after a single impulsive kiss freshman year, their friendship shifted into something deeper, something neither of them has fully defined. Over time, their connection grows through late-night conversations, shared secrets, and a bond neither of them can quite walk away from.

Jesse wants something real and undeniable. Ashton isn't sure he can risk everything he's worked for to give it to him.

As graduation approaches and their futures begin pulling them in different directions, Ashton and Jesse must decide whether love is worth stepping outside the lives they've always known or if some feelings are meant to stay hidden in the place they first began.

Wilted Flowers is a heartfelt coming-of-age story about identity, ambition, and the terrifying, beautiful risk of being fully known.