When Dustin Bridges left Camp Verde to try to make it on his own, he left half his heart behind. A life with Hannah Judge was just too dangerous. A mountain of chaos and violence was always aiming for the target on Dustin's back, and that made giving up the only person he ever loved feel necessary.
But impossible isn't a word Dustin believes in. Defying odds is what he's good at. It's how he's survived. And when fate calls him home, he sees it as his chance to take back his girl, to make his heart whole and to put his makeshift family back together.
Just one thing. That family? And more importantly, that girl? They want nothing to do with him.
When Dustin left Hannah without a word, he broke a promise. More than that, he broke a bond. He broke Hannah. The life she saw in her future was gone in a blink, and in its place she grew a heart of stone and a craving for danger.
But isn't danger what Dustin Bridges is really all about?
Dustin Bridge's world is about speed. About the edge. His life has been carved by cutting corners and making moves, following impulsive decisions while weighing the facts at hand.
On the track, that has never steered him wrong.
In life, though? That's another story.
On the cusp of greatness, the world's up-and-coming racing star seems to be living the perfect story. A hero to his hometown. A partner to his best friend. A man poised to take the throne, to become the greatest, and to reap the rewards and attention that come along with it.
He's been branded the track's most eligible bachelor. And rarely does he cross a finish line without a dozen screaming, adoring women brandishing his name on glitter-covered T-shirts across their chests, just hoping he'll break his own rules and take one of them to bed.
But he won't. As loose as Dustin may be on the road, he's become disciplined in life. He let love in completely-once. For one person. Hannah Judge. And she wrecked him.
And now, she's back.
June Mabee is a lot of things.
She's the girl next door. She's the best friend I ever had. She was my first kiss.
And she's the last person I should have feelings for.
Two years ago, I cut all ties with her because I had no choice. No more late-night phone calls, no hellos or goodbyes, not even a passing smile. I left her to wonder what happened to the us we used to be. We were best friends, and then suddenly . . . we weren't. And I know it hurt. But the truth would have hurt her more, and being anything with June would have destroyed my family.
For a while, we managed to exist a hundred feet apart with no connection at all. She changed schools. I kept busy. We existed, apart. But no matter how hard I tried to not think about her, I just couldn't stay away from the funny, adventurous, steadfast girl with wild green eyes.
She's back. We're seniors now. We've grown-all of us. And while I might be different, she's different too. She takes risks, stands up for herself and doesn't back down. The more we're forced together, the more I miss her. But for June to be a part of my story, I need to tell her the whole truth, everything that happened. And I'm not sure any of us are ready for that.
Dustin Bridges has always had two things he could count on-his fearless instincts behind the wheel and the support of his two best friends, Tommy and Hannah Judge.
Dustin brought the speed. Tommy, the brains. And Hannah . . . she was the glue that held everyone together.
Together, they were unstoppable.
From the dirt tracks of their youth to the late-night drag races under a desert moon as teens, the Judge siblings pushed and watched in awe as their friend edged closer to his dream. Always racing, always running. That was Dustin's gift and curse. And while his life at home was unbearable, his world with the Judges always seemed perfect.
Growing up with people makes for a special bond. But sometimes life has a way of testing just how strong a relationship is. And falling in love with one of your best friends, not to mention your other best friend's sister? Well, that can be the toughest test of all.
Heartbreak doesn't know what it's up against, though, because when there is a prize to be won, nobody bets against Dustin Bridges.
Hollis Taylor is allowed to break the rules. She's coach's little girl. And she's good. If that means she gets to bump one of the guys for the starting catcher's job on the Public High baseball team, then the others on the squad better suck it up and deal. But breaking rules has taken Cannon Jennings far in life. One of the nation's top pitching prospects, he came here to throw to his cousin and show college recruiters everything he could do on the mound. Taking his signs from a girl was not part of his blueprint, especially one that screwed over his favorite relative and best friend. Too bad he broke the biggest rule of all before he knew exactly who she was. It was just a New Year's kiss. Totally forgettable. Especially under the circumstances. So why can't he stop thinking about it?
Abby Cortez is a girl with goals, on the verge of turning eighteen and on the brink of stardom. Falling in love isn't just something she doesn't have time for, it's something she doesn't really believe in. Her rule? Date but never, ever fall.
Tory 'Salvatore' D'Angelo loves falling in love . . . just not for real. The star basketball player at Allensville Public High gives his heart away one girl at a time then takes it back when he's ready to move on. No serious feelings, no serious pain.
They're both good plans until Abby's jaded heart gets all tangled up with Tory's hopeless one. A friendly rivalry grows into friendship, and long talks start to blur the lines. Just one problem-Abby's current boyfriend is Tory's twin brother, Hayden.
Jonah Wydner has been in love with his neighbor Eleanor Trombley for years. He has watched her life play out from the sidelines-homecoming dances, football parties, and first dates. Her life seemed easy . . . simple . . . perfect. The complete opposite of his own.
But when Eleanor's younger sister goes missing and the national media sets up camp in the middle of their street, the girl with the seemingly perfect life shows up in Jonah's garage in search of a place to hide from the hurt and chaos. What begins as one night becomes many filled with unexpected surprises and unveiling healing truths about Jonah's own messy past.
Soon, Jonah gets to know the real Eleanor, and discover all the ways they're the same. Friendship blossoms into more, plans turn into promises, and hopes and dreams become shared under the warm glow of the fading Midwestern sunsets. But how far can a kiss under a candy-colored sky take them? And what happens when the clouds close in?
Lucas Fuller is a lot of things. He's the boy next door. He's the first crush I ever had. He was my first kiss. He's also the only person who has ever broken my heart.
For two years, I've wondered what happened to the us I used to know. We were best friends, and then suddenly . . . we weren't.
I tried to run away from it. I even changed schools just to make the hurt disappear. But no matter how hard I tried to not think about Lucas, I just couldn't stay away from the high school quarterback with perfect blue eyes and so many secrets.
I'm back. We're seniors now. We've grown-all of us. And Lucas Fuller might be different, but I'm different too. This is my time to take risks, to experience life, and to fall in love for real.
I want Lucas Fuller to be a part of my story, but I know for that to happen, I need to know the truth about our past.
Tristan Lopez is loyal to his brothers. He doesn't really have a choice, born into a gang that has a chokehold on every kid that roams its streets. He gave his life to them willingly, knowing if he did, then one day this kingdom, led by boys drunk with power and ruled by fear, would all be his.
He thought about becoming someone else. It was hard not to crave the life of a regular seventeen-year-old. It's the only reason he stayed in school-to pretend. But he always fell back in line.
Riley Rojas didn't belong in Tristan's real world. She should have only been part of the fantasy, one of the many faces he got to pretend with amidst rows of metal chairs and desks and whiteboards with assignments. But there she was, moving boxes from the back of an old pick-up into a house Tristan had shot up on a dare with his friends only a few months before.
Riley took up space on his streets, her loud mouth fearless in the face of the gang leaders who terrified everyone else. She pushed Tristan around on the hard court, and she balled better than his friends-better than him sometimes. She challenged him. She needed him. He liked it. And when her pale blue eyes stared into his, he quit wanting to pretend.
Contains mature themes.
I’m not supposed to be here.
Death has come for me more than once, and each time it’s been a boy who’s stood between me and my final breath.
I called him Christopher when he saved me as a child. When he came into my life again, only months ago, I knew him as Wes. Just as he did the time before, he disappeared the moment he made sure I was out of harm’s way; as if I didn’t need any more saving.
This time, though, death left me with a reminder of how powerful it is. I know it meant to strip me of my spirit again, but it failed.
Even so, I know I need Wes to survive. Our souls are woven together somehow, our every breath in sync. I feel it, even though everyone says I shouldn’t.
The world thinks he’s missing.
His loved ones don’t want to believe he’s dead.
Only I know just how special he is.
I’m going to find him and bring him home, where he belongs. Together, we’ll face impossible—we’ll rewrite our ending.
And when the bad guys come calling, we will always win.
They say everyone’s a superhero to someone. I’m not sure who I’m supposed to save, but I know who saved me.
We were kids. His name was Christopher. And up until the day he pulled me from death’s grip, he was nothing more than a boy I felt sorry for. In a blink of an eye, he became the only person who made me feel safe.
And then he disappeared.
Now I’m seventeen. I’m not a kid anymore. I haven’t been for years. While death didn’t take me that day, the things that happened left me with scars—the kind that robbed me of everything I once loved and drove me into darkness. But more than anything else, that day—and every day since—has taken away my desire to dream.
I wasn’t going to have hope. I wouldn’t let myself wish. Those things—they weren’t for girls like me. That’s what I believed…until the new boy.
He’s nothing like the old boy. He’s taller and older. His hair is longer, and his body is lean—strong and ready for anything. I don’t feel sorry for him. And sometimes, I hate him. He challenges me. From the moment I first saw him standing there on the baseball field, he pushed me—his eyes constantly questioning, doubting…daring. Still, something about him—it feels…familiar.
He says his name is Wes. But I can’t help but feel like he’s someone else. Someone from my past. Someone who’s come back to save me.
This time, though, he’s too late. Josselyn Winters, the girl he once knew, is gone. I am the threat; I am my worst enemy. And he can’t save me from myself.
Nico Medina’s world is eleven miles away from mine. During the day, it’s a place where doors are open—where homes are lived in, and neighbors love. But when the sun sets, it becomes a place where young boys are afraid, where eyes watch from idling cars that hide in the shadows and wicked smoke flows from pipes.
West End is the kind of place that people survive. It buries them—one at a time, one way or another. And when Nico was a little boy, his mom always told him to run.
I’m Reagan Prescott—coach’s daughter, sister to the prodigal son, daughter in the perfect family.
Life on top.
Lies.
My world is the ugly one. Private school politics and one of the best high school football programs in the country can break even the toughest souls. Our darkness plays out in whispers and rumors, and money and status trump all. I would know—I’ve watched it kill my family slowly, strangling us for years.
In our twisted world, a boy from West End is the only shining light.
Quarterback.
Hero.
Heart.
Good.
I hated him before I needed him.
I fell for him fast.
I loved him when it was almost too late.
When two ugly worlds collide, even the strongest fall. But my world…it hasn’t met the boy from West End.
