"I love you."
His words jolted through me like a bolt of electricity, a shock of disbelief and pain.
"Then why do you hurt me?" I asked, my voice a fragile whisper.
His face clouded with sadness, his eyes revealing a truth he struggled to accept. "Because I couldn't face the reality of loving you."
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Priya is the quintessential smart girl: top of her class, active in every club, and a proud member of the school's elite "Brains." But beneath her perfect exterior, she feels an unshakable emptiness. When she returns to school after summer break, her world is turned upside down by an unexpected revelation. Dive into her journey of transformation, self-discovery, and a dash of classic high school romance.
Ethan has always been in love with his best friend, Priya, but as an "Invisible," he's never dared to confess his feelings. Over the summer, Ethan reinvents himself, emerging with newfound confidence and a place among the "Beauties." But in this new social hierarchy, the "Beauties" and "Brains" are worlds apart. Can Ethan bridge the divide and reveal his feelings to Priya, or will their social statuses keep them separated forever?
(This story is my first so there might be a lot of problems, so I apologize in advance)
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]]