"The vultures are disguised as humans." Scarlet Turner has her last semester of high school planned out: graduate as best as she can and take care of her sick mother. But when she's told she won't graduate because of the pile of tardies she's collected over the years, she's forced to volunteer for the town's mediocre theatre rendition of Romeo and Juliet for Hales Bay's Mayor Warren. To top it all off, it's a joint production with the pompous rich kids from Lexton Prep. Not only does Scarlet have to divide her time between school, the play, and her mother, but she has to navigate the feud between Winter Bay High and Lexton Prep. Tensions are high, everyone is tiptoeing on glass, but when Jake Miller stops her outside the auditorium with his bright smile, Scarlet is taken aback by the genuine amiability from a Preppy that she starts to intermingle with the enemy. But when Elliot Casselbury warns her about the dangers of dipping into the Preppy side, Scarlet is thrown into a storm. She wonders if Jake will rear back with a taunting laugh and fan the flames of the feud. After all, how can a Preppy ever like a Rodent? Envious, murderous, and covered in crimson blood. ******* Photo by: Jorge Fakhouri Filho on Pexels Edited by: me

"Just shine like you always do." Gwenn Davidson has always known she was adopted, but after clearing up her stuff for her first move out of her parent's house, she finds an old blanket gifted to her by her birth mother that triggers an avalanche of curiosity. She wants to find her biological family, but with a closed adoption and parents that shut her questions down, she has no clue how. Until she's thrown into Ronan King's direction, the guy with all the connections, who just so happens to be her boss's son. The two strike a deal with one condition: no one must know they're working together. But there are eyes everywhere, lurking and waiting to pounce on unsuspecting prey. Gwenn is trapped into a web of lies and blackmail until she questions everything and everyone around her, including herself. Raw and treacherous, the tale of two souls playing with fire and ice. ******* Photo by: cottonbro on Pexels Edited by: me

"Distracting myself is the only way I can survive." Sierra Jenkins didn't think she'd escape the darkness unharmed, but there she was walking into The Gain trying to live a normal life. Just when she thinks everything is too good to be true, she's slapped in the face with an increase in her rent that plummets her back into the depths of darkness. Working double shifts, pulling all-nighters, and working out to escape, she loses herself trying to make ends meet. Her body takes hit after hit as she pushes her limits, but she masks it all with a deceiving smile. But Kyle sees right through it. He knows what it's like to suffer in silence and he doesn't want to see the only trainee that sticks around slowly deteriorate herself. Anxiety-ridden, emotional, and draining, the real life struggle of a college student trying to survive. ******* Photo by: Jaspeorology on Pexels Edited by: me

"I put on makeup to express myself. I could care less about my so-called insecurities." Aura Chandler was so sure she had her life figured out. After securing a photoshoot gig with up-and-coming musician Lacey Redd, she was convinced she would get discovered for her makeup artistry. But all that crumbles when her parents force her to go on a trip to the other side of the country to visit her Grandma Ruby. Now what could've been the opportunity of a lifetime ends up in the hands of another. Distraught, she wonders what to do with her life when she's stuck thousands of miles away from her home for the entire summer. All she needs to do is find her way to make the proper connections in order to get the spotlight she so desperately yearned for. And that's when the perfect opportunity presents itself in the rich and handsome form of Zachary McBane: the son of the beach clubs' owner in Cornelius. She thinks that if she could be around those with heavy pockets, she could be better recognized in the future. Alas, her old childhood best friend, Tyson Smith, sneaks back into her life to remind her that money isn't the secret to life. But she can't help but be enticed by the glitz and glam of the luxury life. Ambitious, determined, and glamorous, the tale of a woman who holds nothing back to get what she wants. ****** Photo by: Arsham Haghani on Pexels Edited by: me