Pressed

Pressed is a gritty, fast-paced urban novel about power, addiction, and the illusion of control in the early days of the fentanyl crisis. In a dead-end housing project known as The Jungle, a teenage crew called the YN's rises from small-time hustlers to untouchable kings almost overnight. What starts as selling weed, pills, and coke turns into something far more dangerous when fentanyl floods the streets—and suddenly, it's the only thing anybody wants. As overdoses spike, so does demand. Death becomes marketing, and the block stays crowded. With money pouring in faster than they can spend it, the YN's live like legends—exotic cars, designer clothes, and reputations that stretch far beyond their neighborhood. But that kind of spotlight comes with a price. Police are watching. Rivals are circling. And inside the crew, cracks are starting to show. As addiction creeps closer to home and bodies begin to drop—from overdoses, violence, and reckless choices—the empire starts to collapse just as fast as it rose. At the center of it all is Demetrius "Big Meat" Kershaw, the mastermind holding everything together… while secretly tearing it apart. In a world where loyalty is currency and survival is never guaranteed, Pressed asks one question: How long can you win… when the game itself is killing everyone playing it?