Kalen Mercer's Rules of Survival Rule #1: Don't get caught. Rule #2: Always get even. Rule #3: Trust Nobody. Survival isn't just a word to Ioney Mercer; it's a way of life. Having grown up in poverty in Chicago where some of the most ruthless gangs in the country preside, Ioney knows better than anyone what it takes to stay in the game. Or so she thought. When her older brother Kalen is brutally murdered and Ioney is left to take care of her younger siblings, she doesn't think things can get any worse. That is until in a cataclysmic turn of events, Ioney is thrown into a pit of danger her brother has left behind. Sinister people have suddenly developed an interest in her, she unwittingly falls into the middle of growing gang rivalries, and unfortunately manages to land herself under the scrutiny of Chicago Blood Kings Enforcer Justice Montoya. As things escalate rapidly, Ioney finds herself at a crossroads. Can she trust notoriously ruthless gangster Justice Montoya, or is he just another enemy she has to conquer in order to survive.

While in the E.R. at Mercy Hospital, Noah meets a strange boy by the name of Tyson, who seems to be a walking contradiction. On the outside he seems cold and distant, yet when he sees Noah in the waiting room with her hand bleeding, he comes over to help her and stays by her side the whole time. When they part that night, both think they'll never see each other again. But, when Noah goes back to school after summer break she finds out that Tyson is the new student. And more surprising still, he acts like he's never seen her before and treats her coldy. Confused, Noah tries to figure out what his deal is, and it does't help that they've been paired together for a class assignment that will take the whole year to complete. ((INITIAL DRAFT))