The Only Difference: The Only Series, #5

By Magan Vernon

Originally part of the Beneath the Cape--The Superhero Anthology Created with the sole purpose of benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project. Superheroes. Save the world and protect mankind. But what's beneath the cape? Behind the mask? Under the steel-plated façade? Eight bestselling New Adult romance authors have come together to bring you seven stories about superheroes and what it takes to win their hearts. From the skies, to the cities, to the ocean, our superheroes face death, fight villains, conquer evil and-- Find love. The world is full of heroes. Every-day men and women who risk their lives for the sake of others--for life, liberty, freedom, and justice. Often these men and women are wounded--physically or mentally--in the line of duty. Therefore, we have created this anthology with the sole purpose of benefitting the Wounded Warrior Project. Because heroes should never be forgotten.

The Only Difference between a hero and a villain is what they do with their power. Leonel "Short Stack" Garcia-Shapiro's life changed the night he decided to stop one of his fraternity brothers from taking advantage of a girl. Now he can't stop thinking of that girl and how he can save her.

**This is a standalone book in The Only Series. It's novella length and you can read in order or separate from the other books**

Books in The Only Series:

The Only Exception (Trey and Monica)

The Only One (John Boy and Melanie)

The Only Answer (Trey and Monica)

The Only Way (Tripp and Sam)

The Only Difference (Short Stack and Betsy)

Spin Offs:

Forever Wild (Valerie and Wes)

Forever Sweet (Brick and Paige)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Magan Vernon
• Release date: Mar 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524285500

Magan Vernon

Magan Vernon has been living off of reader tears since she wrote her first short story in 2004. She now spends her time killing off fictional characters, pretending to plot while she really just watches Netflix, and she tries to do this all while her two young children run amuck around her Texas ranch.

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About the Author

Magan Vernon is a Young Adult and New Adult writer who lives with her family in the suburbs of Charlotte, NC. When not writing she spends her time fighting over fake boyfriends via social media.

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Chapter 1

The only difference between a hero and a villain is what they do with their power.

Dammit.

The guys said I had to stop with all of the superhero references. They told me I was making myself look even more awkward than I already was.

Four years in the damn fraternity and I still felt like an outsider.

Four long fucking years.

So why was I still standing there in my Alpha Mu shirt, watching the back door so no random weirdoes tried to sneak into the party?

Because it was what was expected. In a family of heroes I was always the outcast.

Okay, not really heroes.

My dad was an Alpha Mu. My uncle was an Alpha Mu. My older brother was an Alpha Mu. It was a family legacy, but my dad and brother were legends. The kind of guys that the other brothers always told stories about.

Me? I was just...

Hey! Short Stack! Can you watch the pisser?

I turned to see one of the guys, Rico, standing by the sliding glass door. He had his arm around some girl who looked like she could barely stand but was laughing. She had a really great laugh, even for a drunk girl.

I remembered her, I think her name was Betsy. She came around to a lot of the parties and probably got with every member of the house since I was a freshman. Well, everyone except me.

Mars said I was on door duty, I said, trying to hold my ground.

Fuck Mars, man. He's probably balls deep in some Kappa right now and not paying attention to shit.

I hated the way half these guys talked about girls. There was no way I could ever do that and yet they were always hooking up, sometimes with multiple girls in one day. They acted cocky, talked dirty, and the girls flocked to them.

I didn't get it. Not one bit.

Can't someone else watch the bathroom? Maybe one of the freshman? I asked.

I really didn't want to go back inside. It was one of those late April nights where the weather was warm enough that you didn't need a jacket but not too hot that you were boiling. I had less than a month left in the house and I didn't want to be stuck with anymore grunt duties. The plan was to try and enjoy the little time I had left.

Cali has the pledges down for one of his little 'hoorah' speeches. Can't you help me out? He raised his eyebrows.

I looked over at the girl who was gripping onto his shirt. She couldn't stand on her own, let alone probably stay awake for the whole two minutes Rico pounded on her.

You sure she's up for this? I asked.

The fuck do you care, Short Stack? You want to fuck me instead, ya fag?

I cringed. I hated when he used that term. The only reason I lost my virginity, to a girl whose name I didn't even know, was because my pledge class kept pushing me and saying I was a fag if I didn't. There were some days that I didn't know why I even bothered staying around.

I shook my head. No, man. I'm just saying that the girl looked like she's pretty fucked up, so why don't you find someone who is actually conscious enough to actually say 'yes'?

Pft. He shook his head and pulled Betsy closer. Her long, blonde hair whipped around her head and I caught a glimpse of her bright blue eyes. They may have been hazy but the look she was giving me was pleading. There was something that said 'I don't want this; save me'.

"Hey, Betsy, why don't you come with me inside? I'll get you some water