Beatrice tilted her head, studying Theo with a curious glint in her eyes. "Theo, you seemed rather fixated on Henry just now. Are you... jealous?"
Theo scoffed, a faint blush creeping up his neck. "Jealous? Ridiculous."
Beatrice grinned mischievously. "Oh, come now, Theo. Don't pretend you weren't shooting daggers at him."
Theo shifted uncomfortably, crossing his arms. "I was merely observing."
"Sure, Theo. Observing with intensity," Bea teased, raising an eyebrow.
"He's just..." Theo paused, searching for the right word. "Overbearing."
Beatrice chuckled softly. "Well, lucky for you, he's not my type."
Theo's jaw tightened, a flicker of relief crossing his features. "I never asked."
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]]