"It wasn't just a want, it was a need. A deep desire, no a craving, that burned through me constantly. It was so great my head pounded, I was twitchy, and ready to snap at any moment. All from just not having it. It was crazy how something so small and seemingly insignificant could impact my life. Pills. Percocets were my poision of choice. I craved other drugs too, but none of them quite like this. It wasn't this great hold that drove me completely mad. It was more like it drove me kind of mad... I needed them to function everyday. All the other things, while yes I wanted them, I didn't need them quite everyday."
Strawberry Sunshine, yes that is her birth given name, is 19 years old and a drug addict. She's so far over her head in debt that she can barely find a dealer in town to sell her anything. She'll take anything to get her high and going a day without? Hah. She'd rip her hair out, nevermind the fact that she doesn't have the money to support herself and pay rent let alone her habits. So when she's confronted by the guy who just happens to be the one in charge of nearly every drug dealer she owes money too she thinks she's done for. That is until he springs something surprising on her. To pay off her debts she would belong to him completely, and that would mean being his wife. A drug addict and a drug dealer. Perfect match right? Or is it?
This isn't just an arranged marriage story, it's about the struggle of addiction, the pain of the past, and one girls journey to finding herself and her purpose.
As Claire aims to leave her oppressive stepfamily behind, she befriends Zion. Will he be her ticket to freedom or a distraction in achieving her dreams?
*****
Claire Olsen has had a crush on Zion Petrakis since the first time she laid eyes on him, but he never noticed, instead only having eyes on the school's it girl, Maddie Jennings. Knowing she couldn't compete with Maddie, Claire hid her feelings for Zion, satisfied with admiring him from afar. However, when a series of events led Claire closer to Zion, her feelings for him grew from infatuation to love. And despite fighting hard to keep her feelings contained by distancing herself from Zion, he was determined to show her that he's earned a spot in her life.
[[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]