Let me be vital. / I want to burn myself out. #39 Poetry - 11/6/16.

ad·o·les·cence /ˌadlˈesəns/ Noun The period following the onset of puberty during which a young person develops from a child into an adult. Poetry #131 Non-Fiction #51

Sometimes all you really need is a place to call home. *** Claire is lost and scared and utterly alone. Her family is in shambles after the death of her older sister Ina, and she's left to pick up the broken pieces of herself as her life heads into a downwards spiral of loneliness. Her heart leads her to 5:48, a little cafe by 33rd street, where she finds her new home. With a broken heart and a speech disability, Jasper has his heart and mouth sewn shut by the winding threads of hurt and fear. Painting and serving coffee in cafe 5:48 are one of his last few saving graces, but the smile he's been painting on himself will soon fade away as everything he's ever held dear slips away from his grasp. Ezra is out-of-sync and oddly cold by the way life has treated his young self. Abandoned by his single mother at an early age, he has grown up thinking that he is a mistake. His constant shaking hands are a reflection of what he often thinks of himself, but the delightful pastries he bakes for 5:48's customers are a reflection of what others see of him. Drew is a quirky rarity. He is a dash of loud, a pinch of exuberant, and a cup of eccentric - just like the meals he serves in the cafe as the only chef there. Behind his playful grins and outlandish clothes, however, are his jutting ribs, hollowed cheeks, and too-thin arms. Sometimes he cannot stomach being in his own skin as much as he cannot stomach food. This family has gone a long way from finding each other, and they'll be going a long way together too as reality comes catching up to them, threatening the newfound happiness they've found with each other. Secrets are revealed, pasts become presents, and lives are changed. Slowly but surely, they find their way back home. *** NOTE AS OF 08/2026: This is the old version of the story from 2012, posted in FULL. Another story that will be considered a reprise of this old version is in the works, and will be posted under the name "Hiraya House."

A somewhat normal college student decides to stay in a house with six other students: Leon the dramatic pretty boy. Minnie the extreme couponing Philosophy major. Kayla the fashion diva who drinks way too much Starbucks. Ricardo the mature Psychology major. JC the dancing maniac with too cute dimples. Then finally Chance the paranoid and quiet Geology nerd with a heavily medicated turtle that is the devil reincarnated named Larry. And throw in a couple of crazy cousins, an ex who wants revenge, a protective older brother, a couple of killers, and you got yourself a craaaazy first year of College! Warning! This story contains a ton of colorful/naughty words, heated content, a crazy ass turtle, annnd a whole lot of random shit related to fandoms! Oh, and this isn't editted! You've been warned :D Going to be re-written in late 2017/2018.