Novels

Ever since I was old enough to understand, I knew that while most people got their lives from their parents, I got mine from my brother. My brother, Mike, was four years older than me. When he had his pre-school checkup, they found he had a chronic blood disorder. To try and cure Mike, my folks, who hadn’t planned on having another kid, were forced to have me. My Grandma told my mom, "Having another baby might be good. One, it could help Mike. Two, if it's a girl, you'll get yourself a sweet little helper." Then I was born. Unfortunately, I turned out to

Growing up, I was always the outcast. My folks kept my younger brother, Mikey, close, but I was shipped off to live in the sticks. Finally, they brought me home, but it was like I was a ghost. My parents were all about Mikey, catering to his every whim and ignoring me. Mikey, that little snake, accused me of being disrespectful, then straight-up lied and said I hired some guys to beat him up. My parents, without even a second thought, believed his lies. Next thing I knew, I was shipped off to some hellhole of a boarding school. With my folks' blessing and

The day Sarah said "yes" to my proposal, her childhood friend, Jake, killed himself. She tore up our engagement, screaming that I should just die. And soon enough, she got her wish. I was kidnapped and taken to Myanmar; every day felt like it could be my last. Two years later, I was rescued by the police, and Sarah, with red-rimmed eyes, mumbled an apology. I turned away. "I've got someone now, don't bother." 1. It was no secret how crazy I was about Sarah. She loved good food, but was obsessed with additives, so I took cooking classes. Whatever she craved, I made it for her. After five years

I was finally about to marry the woman I loved, Sarah Miller. But then, right as we were exchanging rings, my brother, Jake, texted me. The message read: “Hey bro, wanna bet who your precious bride will choose to be with in the end?” Not even a minute later, Sarah got a call from him. I don’t know what he said, but her usually calm face twisted up in an instant. She just left me standing there, at the altar, in her wedding dress, in front of all our guests. “What’s going on?” I grabbed her arm. She turned to me, her eyes darting

I come from a long line of folks with mental health issues. It's in the genes, you know? Luckily, I got diagnosed early, and with my meds and keeping my emotions in check, I could pass for normal. So normal, in fact, that I even did a Tai Chi demo at the freshman welcome show. I was feeling pretty good about myself that night… until I got back to my dorm room. My bed was covered in paint, my stuff was in the trash, and I knew things were about to get messy. "Well, well, look who it is, the little show-off

The day before the wedding, I stumbled upon my fiancée's secret, one she'd buried for years. She was a mega-popular online author of tearjerker romance novels, turning her tragic first love into a bestseller that had readers across the web sobbing over their star-crossed affair. It hit me then – she didn't love me. The man she truly loved was my best friend, who had passed away. On what was supposed to be our wedding day, I left town, no longer willing to be a doormat. She, however, flew across the country to find me, sobbing and asking if we could try again. ... Tomorrow's the big

One year after I died, I attended my sister's wedding. I watched as my sister, Ashley, and her fiancé, Josh, exchanged rings amidst the cheers and applause. My stepdad had his arm around my mom, who was teary-eyed, whispering soothing words to her. Even my usually grumpy older brother, Ben, was sporting a rare smile. They were still the happy, loving family I remembered, seemingly untouched by the tragedy of my death. Me? I was just a ghost, a lost soul without a body to call home. 1 After the reception, Ashley and Josh headed to their new place, while I followed my mom and stepdad

My mom only gave me a $50 monthly allowance for college. And on top of that, I was supposed to save whatever was left over to give to my little brother. I didn't get angry, I got resourceful. And with my online side hustle, I was pulling in over $1,000 a month. But after three months, I single-handedly drove my mom completely nuts. 1. The day I left for my freshman year, my mom divided up our monthly allowances. I got $50. My brother, Josh, got $500. Luckily, I'd worked my butt off all summer and had enough saved to pay for my tuition. But that left

The Month Before SATs, I Snapped The day my practice test scores came out, my mom went ballistic. “What are you trying to prove?!” she shrieked. “You know your sister didn’t do well, can’t you just, like, back off a little?!” I just laughed, and then I totally lost it. “Back off? I’ll back her right into the freaking stratosphere! Aaaaaah! I'm going to kill them all, kill, kill, kill!” I dropped to the floor, crawling around, screaming, pulling at my hair like a lunatic. 1 The results from my junior year practice SATs dropped, and that's when I woke up. That's also when I