Hannah, 17, just moved far away because her dad got a new job. She loves swimming and hopes it will help her feel better in this new place. But her life gets harder when her brother, who has ADD, gets more attention from their parents. This leaves Hannah feeling lonely and unnoticed, except when she's in the pool.
The swim team is her new chance, but the team captain, Jordan, seems to hate her for no reason. Hannah tries to stay focused on swimming, but she can't shake the feeling that Jordan is always watching her with cold eyes.
One day, the team goes on a trip for a big competition, and Hannah finds out she'll have to share a room with Jordan. It's awkward, but things get much worse that night when Hannah gets a call from her dad. He tells her that her mom, who's a journalist working in a war zone, has died. Hannah can't breathe and starts to panic.
To her surprise, Jordan hears the conversation and comes out of the room to help. She comforts Hannah, calming her down, even though they never got along. They sit together and watch a movie, and Hannah starts to wonder why Jordan is being so nice. As the movie ends, something changes-Jordan places her hand on Hannah's waist and slowly pulls her into a kiss.
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]]