Gem City

Courtney Ross has always done everything by the book. She’s a top student, captain of the cheer squad at Scottsdale High School, and a nervous wreck most of the time. For summer vacation before senior year, she finally has her chance to relax: spending it with her best friend, Vanessa, in her tiny hometown of Gem City, Ohio. Courtney’s hoping for a chance to breathe and relax. What she doesn’t expect is Ethan Fisher. Courtney knows she’s in trouble the minute she sees him holding a guitar at her Welcome Back party.

Ethan Fisher is going to college. He knows he'll run into Courtney eventually, and is determined to get another chance to be the man she thought he was. If it's possible for her to speak to him without throwing her coffee in his face. Ethan is willing to take his chances, hoping that the infatuation of their summer love can hold up in the real world. Courtney Ross feels like she just stepped out of a time machine. She thought going away to college involved some sort of growing up.

Sixteen-year-old Vanessa Roberts is quickly learning how to deal with her annoying pretty-boy lab partner, her incredibly ADD best friend, and the seemingly widening gap between her and her mother. Zack Roads should have been everything she deserved. He is more than just a nice distraction; he is also the cause for every envious glance shot Vanessa’s way as she enters her sophomore year at Gem City High. What happens when she finds herself amid a storm of hope, regret, and the danger of losing herself along the way?   

Luke Miller embraces being a golden boy. He’s not even ashamed to admit it. But when he goes home, all of that fades away. His mom doesn’t particularly care that he’s in the running to be captain of the basketball team, or that his girlfriend is freaking awesome, or even that he made honor roll the previous year. Well, almost made it.