Bend or Break

With his father's Ponzi scheme assets frozen, Tom Worthington believes finishing college is impossible unless he can pay his own way. After months of sleeping in his car and gypsy cabbing for cash, he's ready to do just that. But his new older-student housing comes with an unapologetically gay roommate. Tom doesn't ask why Reese Anders has been separated from the rest of the student population. He's just happy to be sleeping in a bed.

Jack Tarkington's life is in the toilet. He was supposed to be spending his junior year studying someplace cool, like Paris or Rome. Instead, after taking out his anger on the campus golden boy, whose dad ripped off his parents, Jack is facing possible expulsion. Sure, it's all his own fault, but coming back to the small Iowa town he thought he'd escaped, after crowing about his admission to a prestigious school, has been a humbling experience.

Charles "Cash" Carmichael traded his high-rise condo and family-firm career for a job coaching soccer for Chicago's inner-city kids. He's adjusting to living on minimum wage when his young cousin, newly out and running away from home, shows up on his less than luxurious doorstep. Angsty teens definitely aren't Cash's thing. He needs local backup, and there's only one name he can think of: Stephany Tyler. Back in the day, the bisexual Steph was the perfect friend with benefits until she fell in love with a woman.

Rafael Castro is so far out of his element he can't even see it anymore. Carlisle College in Massachusetts is a long way from his Chicago home, even farther from his Dominican Republic roots. The only thing keeping him attached to his last nerve is the prospect of seeing Denny Winslow again. The first time they met, Denny taught Rafi to fly across the water, rowing hard in a knife-like boat.

Five years ago Tom Worthington busted his ass to overcome the fear and paranoia that led him to withdraw from the world and nearly lose his boyfriend. He never thought he'd find himself right back there, shutting Reese out, keeping secrets again. Reese Anders is ready to try anything to get Tom to talk: If he can't seduce his boyfriend with food, he'll get Tom to open up in bed. But even Tom's confession that his dad is getting out of prison soon doesn't clear the air between them.

Having grown up with artistic implements always in hand, there's almost nothing Austin can't make real. Except for one thing - an official relationship with his best friend, rowing teammate, and occasional hookup, Vinnie. The combination of emotional and sexual frustration fuels a spark between Austin and the nude model in his drawing class. Austin isn't used to having trouble focusing; models are merely challenging subjects to be rendered on paper.

Vincent Lim always assumed his best friend (and occasional hookup) Austin would be waiting for him - that eventually they'd end up together. But now that Austin's in love with another man, Vinnie is at a loss. After the world's most awkward one-night stand with a dance major, Vinnie knows the drill. Minimize the embarrassment by pretending they've never met. Yet Bryan's vibrant spirit and calm center lure Vinnie like a shelter from an emotional storm.