(BOOK #2 IN 'THE HANES SERIES')
"When it comes to Love, do you listen to your Head? Or your Heart?"
Kimberly Renae Marco is the kind of girl everyone can depend on. She's straight up honest about things, will stick up for her friends if need be, and (maybe a little violently), put anyone in their place that deserves it. And that's exactly what Kimberly does for her ultimate best friend, Alchemy Hanes.
After her bestie got knocked up their Senior year and dropped out of high school because she didn't want anybody to know about her pregnancy, she soon had the baby later on in the year, Kimberly claiming to be the godmother of the child.
Four years later after Alicia is grown up enough and Alchemy gets the dream restaurant she's always wanted, but then soon encounter's her baby's daddy and everything goes to shit. Kimberly then steps in to help her best friend once again. Which means keeping Randy as far away from Ally and Alicia as possible.
But did anyone ever think about what happened between Kimberly and Robby, Alchemy's other best friend of her high school years? And to be honest, even Kimberly doesn't know what happened to him. After graduating high school, Robby had joined the military and soon comes back into town to visit his old friends, causing old feelings and memories to rise within Kimberly as she fights to stay independent. But with Robby so close to her, how can she ever stand to let him go once again?
Time is dwindling as Kimberly conflicts herself into letting him stay, or letting him go and out of her life for good. But what does Robby have up his sleeve for her that her own best friend knows of but won't even hint to what it is?
And, most of all, sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants.
Ella is falling apart trying to live a "perfect" high school life. Then she meets Ren, who can see past her scars. Suddenly perfection isn't her only option.
*****
Ella Volkov is a gifted music student, but she's depressed and starting to crack under the pressure of high school. Her overbearing father won't even let her choose what instrument she plays. Then she finds herself alone at a party with Ren, her best friend's crush. She'd always thought he was rude, but after that night he's all Ella can think about. Now she's trapped. If Ella dates Ren, it will ruin her friendship with Jenny. But if she stays true to Jenny, she's losing the one person who can see past her scars. It's up to Ella to decide if she will forge her own path, or stay in the "perfect" box designed for her...
Content and/or Trigger Warning: depression, anxiety, self-harm, violence, sexual assault.
[[word count: 50,000-100,000 words]]