It should have been simple - a summer spent with his girlfriend Zara at her family's holiday cottage in Cornwall. Seventeen-year-old Luke Savage jumps at the chance, envisioning endless hours of sunbathing on the private beach and riding the waves on his beloved surfboard. He isn't interested in love. Though his rugged good looks and lazy charm mean he can have his pick of girls, he has no intention of falling for anyone. Nothing prepares Luke for his reaction to Theo, the sensitive Oxford undergraduate who is Zara's cousin and closest friend.

Jordan Ortiz decides he can no longer hide who he truly is. He’s gay. He comes out to his family, and then he comes out to everyone. It goes well. Like, way better than he thought possible! But that’s about where it ends. There aren’t enough "out gay" kids at school for him to build a queer social life or even consider the possibility of dating. For now, he’s happy to be the gay bestie for his BFF Hannah.

Richard K. Arbuster III is 14, and he’s beginning his freshman year at Indiana University. At least, he thinks he is, until his grandfather’s ultimatum: join the Alpha Alpha Omega fraternity or return to the dreaded and detested Bratsworth Academy. Richard has no desire to join a frat. He would rather spend his time reading and studying. But he has no choice and sets out to become the youngest frat bro ever. 

Rhett is into Mike. He’s also into Emma. If that didn’t complicate his life enough, he soon spots a dark and mysterious boy that his teammates nickname The Prince of Darkness. Rhett embarks on a relationship with all three, while trying to decide which he likes best. He’s doing well on the new swim team and life would be good if not for the serial killer preying on teen boys near Verona, Indiana. As more murders occur, Rhett begins to suspect not one, but both of the boys he is sort-of dating. Has Rhett been making out with a serial killer or has his imagination run wild?

Charming, charismatic, and effortlessly popular, Conrad Stewart seems to have it all...but in reality, he's scrambling to keep his life from tumbling out of control. Brilliant, guarded, and endlessly driven, Alden Roth may as well be the poster boy for perfection...but even he can't help but feel a little broken inside. When these mortal enemies are stuck together on a cross-country road trip to the biggest fan convention of their lives, their infamous rivalry takes a backseat as an unexpected connection is forged. 

"Look out for Zach, and don't hit on him." My brother's request sounds easy enough. Keep an eye out for his best friend on campus and keep my hands to myself. Easy. Even if Zach is a quintessential nerd, who I've always thought was cute, I don't have the time to think with my...stick. There's only one stick I should be focused on this year, and that's my hockey stick. My goal once I graduate is to get an NHL contract. The last thing I need is a distraction. On or off the ice. Only, keeping to the rules is harder than I thought it would be. 

Why must I have these feelings for you? You're my ex-stepbrother, and nothing will change that truth, no matter how many letters I write. I never expected to see you again - or to rescue you from the side of the road in a blizzard. I didn't think you would ever like me, much less kiss me in a steaming hot tub on a snowy night. It seems we make better lovers than brothers, which is all kinds of naughty and nice while we're snowed in together. 

After Kevin meets Lucas, he can’t get him out of his mind. And as if life at Oak River High isn’t hard enough, Kevin has a girlfriend. In the web of mixed feelings and unjust expectations, one thing leads to another, and ultimately someone’s heart is broken.

The boys at school think James is a freak, and he isn’t sure they’re wrong. He’s 15 and possesses a genius level IQ. He has no friends, and his grandmother thinks it’s the 1960s, but none of these are his biggest problem. James is gay and totally incompetent with social interaction. He’s also attracted to a man old enough to be his father. His situation seems hopeless, until he meets Lincoln and Taylor, two boys who begin to teach him how to interact with others and deal with being different.

"He's a psycho." That's what Mike is told when he asks who the kid is with the dark swoop of hair and eyes that look like icebergs floating in milk. From that moment, it becomes Mike's mission to find out everything about this kid. The kid who can fight better than anyone, but doesn't want to. The kid who is the greatest artist Mike's ever met. The kid who only wants to be his friend during the lightest days of summer. The kid who tells him that being his friend at school will only ruin Mike's reputation.

Life hasn’t been good to Francis Murphy. He’s survived 21 years of homelessness by hooking and taking handouts where he can find them. When the local shelter is vandalized, he’s forced to seek food at the Grace and Light Church, where he runs into the pastor’s son, Randy. Randy Wright believes the best in others. He’s immediately drawn to Francis, even though Francis is hardened and wary. When Francis is attacked by one of his johns, Randy and his family take him in and offer him temporary work. 

Christopher Rush is not gay. But after a breakup with his longtime girlfriend, he finds himself crossing swords with his best friend Jeremy Pratt. Who's also not...gay. It was a one-time thing. It didn't mean anything. They like girls. At least, that's what these boys of summer tell themselves as they pretend it wasn't more than experimentation. With only four weeks left before they leave town for college, Christopher and Jeremy awkwardly navigate their way through a series of unfortunate (or very fortunate) events.

Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wisecracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were 18? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died.

I’m a man with too many secrets, so the last thing I need is a new roommate with a sexy smile and blue eyes that see right through me. Eight years ago, Roderick left town after high school. We’re not friends. I owe him nothing. But back then, I let one of my secrets slip, and he’s the only one who noticed. Part of me knows I should run far, far away. But the other part wants him to come upstairs and spend the night. But if I let him in, I could lose everything. 

Sometimes dreams come true, whether you’re ready for them or not. Shane was only 14 when found a photo of a boy his age and became obsessed with it. Now, 13 years later, he has a chance encounter with a man who bears a striking resemblance. Already in a happy relationship, Shane must keep his fantasies in check while attempting to solve the mystery, but little does he realize just how many connections they share. The Boy at the Bottom of the Fountain is a heartwarming short story about love in its many forms, be they real or imagined.