"You don't belong here!" I can feel tears rolling down my face but I'm not sad. I'm more than sad, I'm depressed. Suicidal thoughts fly in and out of my mind in a continuous loop, he screams at me again. I don't have the courage to look up, my heads too heavy filled with all my regrets. I storm out of the small, cheap apartment complex, rain falling heavily on my head. I don't even bother going to my favourite restaurant, too many bad memories. Instead I go this quiet restaurant hidden in this dark alley and that is how I met them. There's seven of them, all sitting inside munching down some nice noodles. I didn't want to ruin their day, they seemed just fine before I came in. They looked at me, my eyes crying waterfalls. I just turned and minded my own business. I didn't want to eat even though I was starving, and I'm not fat trying to become skinny. I've been skinny my whole life, for so long I was called plastic. I haven't been myself ever since I started dating him and I will never be myself because of him. I look at down at my frozen arm, bruised, burnt, scratched and destroyed. He knew what he was doing and he knew it was wrong. Then a boy with round cheeks and mint green hair walks up to me.
"Hey, are you okay?" I didn't reply. He analyses my broken body. "Oh my God" he says in shock. He runs to get a napkin then dips it in his water. He then runs it across my skin polishing it and just like that it's all gone. He's a walking, breathing, living miracle. The boys look at me with concerned faces. Another boy walks over, a young boy that looks the same age, with dark brown hair and eyes. He sits next to me giving me hugs and comforting me. He asked me what was wrong, I didn't answer. Another boy with blonde hair looks down at his phone gasping.
"We have to go guys, pack up. It's almost 11:30". Something about it sound familiar, too familiar. I sit and stare as they leave me hanging, walking out the door. But what can I say, my life's a rigged game.
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]]