Kari Curt is an ordinary high school girl. She has friends, family, love, and even a boy she likes, too. And that's all she needs. She's doing great.
That is, until the first day of tenth grade.
While walking to school, she comes across a situation that will change the course of her life forever. Kari is approached by a young man who takes her away and tells her that she must have "private sessions" with him in basically any isolated area, and if she doesn't, she'll suffer dire consequences. And, to Kari's bewilderment, she finds herself stuck in an even more stickier situation that she never thought she'd encounter— love.
And it doesn't help that Kari feels that what she is doing is wrong. Yet there's something else in that, too... While choosing between love and sanity, Kari also finds herself in a dire situation that cannot be ignored.
And all the while, something is stirring. Something unbelievable, unacceptable, indescribable, and definitely uncalled for.
Join Kari and her friends as they cope with love, trust, violence, pain, and most of all— the real world.
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]]