"CELESTE
Social anxiety has been the shaky foundation on which I've built my life. I've survived like this for twenty years. When my parents stop helping with college expenses, I need to find a way to stand on my own two feet. And the songwriting mentorship of my dreams offers the perfect solution. There's just one issue: I have to put together a musical that will most definitely put me in the spotlight.
Learning how to be loud, big, and bold over the course of one summer is impossible. Teaming up with a guy who naturally knows how to be all that and more . . . less impossible.
LINCOLN
Focus and responsibility have never been my strong suits. But, after a disappointing hockey season and a tough semester, I can't ignore reality anymore. I'm on the precipice of academic probation and scary close to being benched in my senior year.
It's long past time for me to figure out this whole future thing. When the girl of my dreams asks for help, I join her project in a heartbeat. Not just for the volunteer credit hours or the much-needed structure it offers. Working together may be what I need to understand that she's never going to fall for someone like me.
Contains mature themes."
"Aderyn: Resident playboy, Samson Morgan, thinks he can beat me at my own game.
The hockey captain truly believes he can stop playing the field for longer than I can start having one-night stands. Okay, sure, historically I'm known for being an all-in, ask-to-be-your-girlfriend-on-the-first-date romantic. But being a player isn't that hard. And I came to Mendell University to win. Whether that's on the ice or off.
Morgan doesn't realize it yet but he's finally met an opponent who can take him down.
Sam: My bet with the women's hockey team captain feels like an easy win.
Three months pretending to be a one-woman kind of man? Easy . . . scary easy, actually. Somewhere along the line, I start taking my role too seriously. This semester isn't the time for me to get distracted from my main goal—ensuring my team gets a fair shot this season.
But Aderyn Jacobs consistently makes me rethink everything I've ever wanted. I'm in danger of losing something far bigger than our bet.
Contains mature themes."
"It isn't always lonely at the top.
Noah Blue's finally got her foot in the door. After clawing her way to the top of the charts with her webcomic, she's garnered enough attention to earn a full-time position at a comic company relaunching their cult classic comic: Queen Leisah.
Queen Leisah is predicted to be an instant bestseller with movie deals already in the making. There's nowhere to go but up . . . as soon as she gets one person out of her way.
Sage Montgomery has always been the best artist in every building she's stepped foot in. Raw talent's gotten her webcomic to the top of the charts every month for the past eight years. Sure, her career has plateaued but that can be fixed with a big, mainstream comic.
She was promised full creative control over Leisah. Instead, she got a shared credit with the one artist who's been breathing down her neck since college. The one artist who has a fighting chance of being better than her. Sage and Noah have to work as a team—or, at least appear to work as a team. They thought the hardest part of the relaunch would be drawing together. But that's easy in comparison to resisting their feelings for each other.
Contains mature themes."
"Naomi: I can't understand why—out of the four hockey players I'm sharing a house with this semester—Finn Howard's the one who catches my eye. The guy never smiles. He doesn't say much and disapproves plenty.
But, something about him feels familiar. Something about him feels safe.
I'm not falling for Finn, I'm just curious. Could I make him smile? It wouldn't hurt to try. I love a good challenge. And who knows, maybe it'll distract me from pining over a guy I meet online.
Finn: I don't get nervous unless I'm on the ice. So why does my chest feel tight whenever Naomi Lewis looks in my direction? She's witty, kind, and happy. How is someone that happy all the time?
If her sunny disposition isn't enough to distract me, the fact that her voice sounds exactly like the streamer I anonymously moderate for will.
If Naomi is her, she's in for a huge disappointment. I'm not the guy she thinks I am . . . not anymore, at least. And for that reason alone, I should stay away from her. I should stop trying to get closer. I should stop wanting her because she fell for someone else. Someone I will never be again.
Contains mature themes."
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