I was a part of the invisible crowd in high school, but when I started my freshmen year at college, everything changed. I met Karen, my best friend for life; Kyle, a gorgeous graduate student who I fell for my first day on campus; and Gunnar, a buff rugby player with a great smile and big heart.

I heard rumors that the most popular girl from my home town was also at my school. We weren't rivals, she had dismissed me long before our senior year of high school, so we were able to become almost-friends. Yet, this geeky girl, meaning me, of course, would be the one to save the prom queen after a sordid night trying to mend her broken heart with alcohol, frat boys and a fateful walk down a dark alley alone.

In between trying to do the right thing, I was falling in love, studying and partying way too hard, and singing with Kyle in his band. Just when I thought my dreams were all coming true, along with a few amazing surprises, I discovered it was my own heart I had to protect when Kyle’s past crept into our lives and changed everything... maybe forever.