Nolan Lennox had things figured out. Named after a baseball legend, she enjoyed being the tomboy. Her closet was filled with her brother's hand-me-downs, cut-off jeans, and soccer shorts. But when her first trip to high school results in a broken heart from the first boy ever to make her heart flutter and cruel words from an older girl she once thought a family friend, Nolan starts to question the very person she thought she was.

Throughout the next four years, Nolan struggles to maintain herself throughout her path of discovery, learning just how cruel teenagers can be through the pressures of underage drinking, sexuality, and class. And despite how life seems to continue to work against her, she still manages to listen to her heart, falling deeper and deeper for the guy the entire town adores, even if he only sees her as a friend. Can Nolan strike a compromise between her own integrity and the boy she loves? And can she make him notice her before it's too late?

Reed Johnson came to Coolidge High School with a lot of fanfare. The son of a hometown football legend and the brother of a local football hero, Reed wore all the pressures of carrying a town without hope into the spotlight. Thankfully he had the talent to back it up. But when he meets a girl who makes him think twice about exactly what being a hero means, he starts to wonder if following in his brother's footsteps might be all wrong.

Nolan Lennox was everything that was opposite of expected. She didn't flirt, she didn't drink, and she didn't sleep around. Nothing about her was easy, but something about her made Reed want to try harder. Though she didn't look the part, she seemed to be spending a lot of time in Reed's thoughts, and he wondered if she could be the one who made it all worthwhile. But could Reed handle letting her down? And would breaking her heart break him beyond repair?