Boys of Riverside

My entire life changed in an instant. One violent moment took my mother and destroyed me. I can't even remember it. All I know is…it was my fault. Now I'm entering senior year after hiding away from the world for as long as I could. The only distraction I have from the heavy weight of my scars is my best friend, Graham. He's been my rock through it all. When his cousin Atlas appears, my world suddenly tilts on its already unsteady axis. Everyone warns me to stay away from the star football player with a bad boy reputation and a chip on his shoulder.

All I wanted for so long was to remember the car crash that killed my mother. Like it might somehow chase away the guilt and grief that followed her death. But now I remember, and everything has changed. I should be relieved. Instead, I'm angry at the world. My mother. Father. And especially the boy who stole my heart and crushed it beneath his palm. Everyone warned me to stay away from Atlas Scott—the bad boy football star with a reputation for trouble. Maybe I should've listened. But our bond was seemingly unbreakable, forged in the fire of tragedy. Until it wasn't.

After all, I'm Graham Scott, son of a football legend and guaranteed a scholarship. But now, I'm so far off the beaten path I barely recognize myself anymore. My father is a cheat. My best friend broke my heart. And I owe ten thousand dollars in gambling debt. The only thing I seem to find solace in anymore is the bottom of a booze bottle.