Gaia has never been the perfect goody-two-shoes like in the fairytales. She tends to rebel against the rules with her best friend, Imani, speaking her mind freely about the world around her and flipping people off if they need to be put in their place. All of this gets her into a lot of trouble with the older generation, but high schoolers like her have grown a sense of respect, admiring Gaia's honesty, sharp tongue, and confidence.
Not everyone has the best relationship with her, though. In fact, no one else makes her blood boil more than a guy who she has hated since the very first day she met him in primary school. Poppyblooms is a lively but small town surrounded by nature, due to these circumstances, all of her friends and her enemy go to the same high school.
Her life seemed to be going on as usual until Gaia came face to face with an old friend, whose goal was to rekindle what once was... and maybe even more. The only problem the eighteen-year-old didn't see coming, is that sometimes the people you once thought you knew may not be the same anymore.
With life taking a completely different turn, Gaia will find out which people truly care for her and are ready to reach their hands out to help. New friendships, heartbreak, and romance are all to come for the young rebel.
"Everything can be masked by a smile and charismatic attitude."
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]]