AUTHOR'S NOTE (The "Why")
This story is fiction rooted in reality. As an author navigating my own history with CPTSD and anxiety, I wrote this story to give a voice to the specific isolation that comes from trauma. While the plot is dramatic, the emotions are autobiographical. It is a story about how "happily ever after" isn't a fairy tale ending, but a choice to survive the darkness together. Through their Junior and Senior years of high school, Joel and Sam rely on each other to overcome their respective traumas and a town who wants to destroy them.
PROJECT: ALIEN (Working Title)
Format: Young Adult Duology (Book 1 of 2)
Genre: YA Contemporary Drama / Psychological Thriller
In a conservative college town, a fourteen-year-old outcast with severe PTSD and a star athlete hiding a history of abuse forge a dangerous, forbidden connection that forces them to confront their traumas and fight for a future their town—and the athlete's violent father—is determined to destroy.
Forced to move from his childhood home, Fourteen-year-old Joel Tait arrives in Oakland an alien, a survivor of a violent past that left him with crippling CPTSD, anxiety and regular panic attacks. Having albinism makes him an immediate target, and his only goal is invisibility; to survive his last two years of high school, graduate, and return to the big city where he was born and raised. That plan shatters when he meets Samuel "Sam" Hughes, the school's wealthy, charismatic Black basketball captain.
After Joel finds himself in the crosshairs of high school bullies. He discovers an unlikely protector in the town’s golden boy athlete. But when their secret friendship deepens into a life-saving love, Sam is forced to confront the violent abuse happening behind the closed doors of his own home. When Sam’s father, Sidney, discovers their bond, he launches a campaign of terror to destroy Joel and preserve his son’s "perfect" image. The boys must navigate a minefield of secrets, physical attacks, and public outings, realizing that their only chance at survival lies in exposing the ugly truth of their "perfect" town.
THE CHARACTERS
JOEL TAIT (14)
The Survivor. Born with albinism and suffering from severe PTSD after surviving a hate crime, Joel views himself as an Alien. He uses high fashion as armor to deflect from his pain. He is highly intelligent, observant, but deeply fearful, Joel’s arc is about finding the courage to be seen again.
SAMUEL "SAM" HUGHES (16)
The Prince. Sam is high school royalty. He's the captain of the basketball team, devilishly handsome, wealthy, and seemingly perfect in every way. Sam is living a lie to survive his father’s expectations and a future he doesn't want. He struggles with a hidden reading disability and the crushing weight of being the "perfect Black son" in a white town. His love language is protection.
SIDNEY HUGHES
The Antagonist. A former athlete—who failed to reach his NBA dream—turned wealthy rancher. Charming in public, a monster in private. He rules his family through fear and violence. He views Sam not as a son, but as an investment, and views Joel as a contagion that must be eradicated.
THEMES
— Copyright Notice —
© 2025 Steven Preston. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by me. For permission requests, write to the author. steven [at] stevenpreston.im
— Disclaimer —
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.