In the town of Carbondale live multiple teens with much different stories than usual.
Marcus Bonn, a sixteen year old sophomore, has been living with cerebral palsy his whole life due to a failed abortion attempt by his homophobic, abusive redneck family. He realizes he is gay, but would be beaten if his family found out. So he pursues his secret life by drawing paintings and keeping them "in his closet." When he meets a boy that will change his life, his life changes for the good, but Marcus's dark past could trigger horrible outcomes, or, could it be positive change?
Jake Leeds, seventeen, is also hiding a big secret: he's a gay music lover! But, all of Carbondale sees him as a straight jock. He's outed when his teenage hormones make him show a homosexual act in the locker room towards a boy named David, making him lose all of his friends and personal respect. His sister, Haley, is in Marcus's class and is very close to him, but a dark past and secret feelings of her own will cause her relationship with herself and her family to plummet. When Jake meets Marcus, the two immediately bond, but the pathway to full trust is shaky. After all, Marcus, the poor kid with the disabilities isn't hiding any other secrets of his own, is he?
David Hernandez is a Mexican student studying at Carbondale, but he is facing problems of his own. When the local authorities find out that David's father has been living undocumented, anything but the truth can keep this family together.
Three anonymous writers who tell their own Carbondale High stories cause three huge problems to corrupt the city of Carbondale, but the problem is, who are they?
Story is still being written, and changes are being made.
Copyright, Nathan Bailey. 2017
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]]