What started as a bet can only end in heartache. Moving to the middle of nowhere right before my senior year wasn’t ideal. Then again, neither was my brother dying. The move was supposed to be a fresh start. A new town, a new school, a new mindset. Too bad my past indiscretions followed me. Enter Jace Rivera, the literal boy next door. Jace is loved by the town. Admired by his peers. Worshipped by his teammates. On the basketball court, he’s a god amongst men. Off the court, he’s… nothing at all like I expected. He’s profound and pure and… devastatingly tortured. Yet somehow, he offers me light while I offer him hope. In the end, we’ll either hurt or heal each other. There’s no in between. “Pain is the price we pay for love,” he once told me. And a broken heart is the consequence of it.

Publication Year: 2024