Main Characters :

Venus Jade Princeton

Carden Locke

Remy Cabot

Roman Humphries

Extras :

Axel Locke

Clarissa Princeton

Gianna Gideon

Parents :

Tanner Princeton and Cassidy Princeton

Pierce Locke and Juniper Locke

Logan Cabot

Loreali Humphries

...____________________...

...ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇsᴄʀɪᴘᴛɪᴏɴ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ sᴛᴀʀᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ....

...ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟʟ (ɢᴇᴍsᴛᴏɴᴇs) ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ɪᴛ!!...

...sᴛᴀʏ sᴀғᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜʏ. ...

...ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ ☺...

...____________________________________...

~Venus's POV~

I sat in the passenger seat while my dad drove the car. We’re going to school. Yes, we have school.

Let me take a moment to explain education here in Cadara. We start school at the age kids do everywhere else, but we’re students until we’re twenty. I’m currently eighteen years old. In Cadara, the education system entails this strategy which is as follows:

Once we turn nineteen, we get two years of training in our school itself for our future career. Because there aren't too many career options in Cadara, its split into the basics and each student chooses which field they would like to focus on, then were trained for all jobs within that field.

But for now, I'm just learning. It’s my final year of that though.

Cadara is still a kingdom. We follow the old-fashioned method of dictatorship of the royal family but at the same time, were a modern kingdom. We have everything here and slowly but surely, at least I hope, things are changing.

"Venus, are you listening to me?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and turned to my father. "Sorry, what?"

"I asked you what Caden has been doing," he huffed.

Ah, Caden Locke. He's not the problem. His last name is.

I am Venus Jade Princeton and he is Caden Locke.

The problem is, our families despise each other. It's a very long, boring and daunting story, but to sum it up, our great grandfathers were the best of friends, both secretly betraying each other in business, and then both of them tried to kill each other when they found out about the other's betrayal. Ultimately, they both died at each other's hands. Unfortunately for us, before that even happened, they taught their sons to hate the opposing family. Then my grandfather taught the same thing to my father and now he teaches it to me and my sister Clarissa.

She's too young to understand it all though. She's only ten.

"Caden has been doing what Caden does, dad." I sighed.

"Which is?"

I chuckled, turning to him. "Get on my last nerve. Like he always does."

"How do your teachers allow his pathetic pranks?" my dad grumbled.

"They're just pranks, dad. They don't harm anybody, that's how." He pulled up in front of my school and I unbuckled my seatbelt, stepping out of the white convertible Cadillac. "Bye," I smiled.

He drove off and I headed inside the small building. It’s not too big, unfortunately. Education is a privilege here in Cadara. And you're lucky to receive it. Our subjects are simple. Math, English, Science, History, and loads of Arts. Arts includes a lot of different branches. Dance, painting, woodsman ship, singing, theatre, etc. I take English, writing as my art, and dance because we do nothing in it.

I walked into the building, spotting Remy. Remy is my best friend. Our mothers are too, actually. That's how we met. She waved me over and I picked up my pace.

I'm a little late. "What have we got?" I asked.

"English. Come on," she smiled.

I walked with her to class, both of us settling in at our individual tables. I sat behind her.

The best thing about education in Cadara is that the lunch breaks are two hours long and in a huge field. We all basically have a picnic every single day outside.

Most of the class was already here, the only people missing were, of course, our teacher and then... let’s see. Roman isn't here, neither is Gianna and of course, neither is Caden. He's a little bit of a delinquent if you will. I personally have nothing against him. But I've always been told to either stay away from him or make his life miserable. I prefer the former.

His family has taught him the same and clearly, he prefers the latter because he doesn't spare one day. Not one day goes by without him tormenting me. He walked in class with his best friend and... I don't even know what Gianna is to him, he always denies it when people say they're dating. He had a pencil behind his ear.

Roman settled into his seat which was beside Remy and Gianna sat on the other side of the room. Caden, much to my dismay, sits right next to me. The seats are assigned.

"Jade," he sang.

"Caden," I replied mockingly.

"You have some paper I can borrow for my notes?" he asked.

"You don't come to school with paper?" I asked. "What am I asking, of course, you don't. And no, I have no paper for you," I shrugged, ignoring my notebook sitting open right in front of me.

"Venus, I can see your notebook."

"Congratulations then, you're not blind," I scoffed.

People around Cadara know of the feud between our families, and everyone is surprisingly invested in it. Some people clearly prefer my family, some prefer his. The same applies to the student body of our school. Some students very clearly favor Caden over me, others like me more. But we entertain everybody. As I said that, everyone chuckled, shamelessly eavesdropping and staring at us.

Caden glared at me and then snatched my notebook off my desk.

"Caden!" I stood up, trying to grab it but he put one hand on my stomach and kept me away while holding the book out of my reach. "Give it back!" I huffed.

Some of the boys sitting near the wall and under the windows opened the window to let some air into the humid room and Caden smirked at me.

"No!" I exclaimed.

But he threw my notebook out like a frisbee.

"Caden!" I shoved him before rushing over, sticking my head out of the window. I could see my notebook on the ground with some unstuck pages fallen around it.

Everybody that favors him laughed, people who favored me rolled their eyes. I have a surprising number of people on my team considering that Caden Locke is the prince of Cadara. Yes, he is the prince. And even the prince comes to high school here.

I groaned, going and sitting in my seat, "Remy."

She turned to me with a sheet of paper, stifling a laugh.

"Thank you," I sang, shooting a smug look at Caden.

He rolled his eyes and we all turned to the front as our teacher walked in. "Morning class," Mr. Whittemore nodded. "Mr. Locke, Ms. Princeton. Please try not causing a scene in my class today."

I looked down at the table sheepishly while Caden sat there nonchalantly. Yesterday during class, we sort of made an issue out of the fact that we were put together in a group for a discussion. It was more him than me though, trust me.

"Here is your work for today. It's a poem. Everybody will analyze it and write a thousand-word essay answering the question at the end. Ms. Princeton, give these out for me."

I stood up, dodging the leg that Caden stuck out for me to trip over. I distributed the sheets, purposely throwing Caden's at his face.

He flinched and then glared up at me. I walked past him but he grabbed my wrist, yanking me back.

"Ow!" I winced, pulling my wrist out of his grasp.

"It's not exactly a good day to be getting on my nerves, Venus. Let's do this later, hmm?"

"You always start these things, when will you stop expecting me to bow down to you like others do?" I walked past him, giving out the rest of the sheets.

Everyone is listening. I don't care. The teachers don't say much to Caden because he's the prince. In fact, they all kind of listen to him because he could snatch their jobs in a heartbeat. So Mr. Whittemore kept quiet.

"Others do that for a reason, darling," he smirked as I sat in my seat.

"I'm not your darling," I smiled before turning to Mr. Whittemore. "No class today, sir?" I lifted a sharp brow.

"Very well, Ms. Princeton," he sighed, grabbing the chalk. "Let's discuss the poem as a class and then everybody will get on with their work. Let's begin."

I made short notes and annotated the poem as he talked, answering the few questions he asked me. After the discussion ended, I started writing my essay while referring to my notes. Until my note sheet was snatched away too. I sighed, glaring up at Caden.

He smirked at me, using my notes and writing his essay.

As the bell rang, I snatched his essay. He sat up straighter, glaring at me.

"You took my notes, I took your essay. When will you understand, Caden?" I laughed while standing up, tearing his essay to shreds in the process.

Everybody humming, "Ooh!"

"I won't bow to you like others." I put my palm on the table and leaned down, my face inches from his. "And I'm not your darling, stop calling me that," I said and then I turned around, walking out of the room.

~Caden's POV~

The bell rang for lunch and we all left the classroom and headed to the field. Believe me when I tell you it’s a picnic every day. Seriously. If we don't bring our own blankets to spread out and sit down, the school even provides us with some.

Roman, Gianna, and I walked to our spot and she pulled out her blanket, spreading it out onto the grass. We all sat down and started talking. Gianna surprisingly brings lunch for us all. And I'm sure you're wondering who Gianna is. Gianna is my... fling? I don't quite know. We have a thing going on. But it's nothing serious and we both agreed to that. We haven't even slept together yet, but we're just... flinging?

"Can I ask you a question, Caden?" Gianna asked while handing me a ham and cheese sandwich.

Roman and I exchanged a look before I nodded.

"What is this feud between you and Venus?"

I resisted an eye roll.

"Their families hate each other." Roman shrugged, answering for me.

"Why?"

"Because our great grandfathers tried killing each other."

"So?" she asked. "What does that have to do with you two?"

"It has to do with our families so it has to do with us," I shrugged, my eyes drifting to the gate of the field which opened as Venus and Remy walked in. Venus was laughing at something while holding the basket with their lunch while Remy clutched their blanket. "Roman, let’s play soccer," I said.

He gave me a blank look. "No," he shook his head. "I know you want to play just to hit her with the ball. Why do you always poke the bear, Caden? She doesn't even say anything to you unless you start it," he said and then rolled his eyes at me.

"Didn't you see what she did in English to Caden?" Gianna jumped to my defense.

"I poke the bear because it’s fun," I chuckled. "And she ripped my essay to shreds."

"You took her notebook and threw it out the window. Then you took her notes too. We all know she isn't royalty like you, but you know what her father does, right? Or should I remind you?"

"I know that he is the boss of the largest weaponry business in Cadara," I rolled my eyes. "What difference does it make?" I turned my gaze back to Venus who was now settling down with Remy in the field. "I'm not interested in her father and his business," I said, my eyes following her every move. "I'm interested in the daughter," I mumbled under my breath so Gianna didn't hear.

We're not committed or together, but she's a little possessive.

"Every single day you start some sort of war with her. It's pointless. I'm starting to think you do it because you want to be around her," Roman snorted.

I shot him a glare and we both turned to Gianna. "Why would he want to be around her?" she scoffed. "Look at her."

"She looks fine to me, Gianni," I blurted out, blinking away from Venus and back to Gianna. "For who she is," I shrugged and Gianna shrugged it off, flashing me a smile.

Roman shook his head at me.

"Gianna!"

She looked up, spotting her friends calling her to their spot. "I'll be back later," she grinned, pecking my cheek and then skipping away.

"What?" I asked Roman who was giving me a disapproving look.

"What are you doing, Caden? Man, seriously. What are you doing?"

I raised my brows at him.

"Why are you with Gianna?"

"Cause she's hot," I mumbled, taking a bite out of the sandwich while leaning back on my side, propping myself up on my elbow.

"And Venus?"

"What about her?"

"When are you going to stop bothering her?"

"Hey, look. Don't get so defensive just because you've been crushing on Remy for years, okay?" He looked away, glancing at Remy before looking back at me. "You know you don't have to listen to what your parents tell you, right? And anyway, you've got a choice. Bother her or stay away from her. Just stay away from her, you piss her off incredibly. And watching you annoy her pisses me off too because the things you do are intolerable."

"That's the whole point. And if watching them annoys you, then don't watch, brother. But annoying her brings me pleasure."

"Are you sure you don't just like finding reasons to interact with her?" he smirked teasingly.

I rolled my eyes at him, my eyes going back to Venus. She was lying on her stomach, her yellow sundress hiking up just a bit. She kneeled, grabbed a jacket from her bag, and tied it around her waist before lying back down. She was talking to Remy while peeling an orange, squinting slightly under the sun.

I looked over, spotting the guys playing football. He's about to kick it in that direction. This is Ezra. He's one of those people who stays on my team rather than Venus but he tries annoying her like I do as well. Which isn't his job, it's mine.

He kicked the ball but she saw it coming and conveniently ducked her head down.

She glared at him but ignored him, going back to her conversation.

I pushed myself off the grass.

"Caden, no," Roman warned.

"Shh!" I hissed. I jogged over, picking up the ball and Ezra waved at me for the ball. I bounced it up and kicked it hard when it was about to reach the floor. It hit him right in the stomach as he caught it, letting out coughs of air. I walked over giving him a gentle push. "Don't kick that ball over there again, hear me?" I pointed a finger at him.

"Goddamn, okay," he huffed.

I walked back over, passing Venus. She was staring up at me a little confused. I ignored her gaze. I went and sat back down with Roman.

"I'll never understand you. Ever. You start a war with her and then you defend her when anyone else tries to do something to her," he laughed.

"It’s complicated, okay?" I huffed.

"What is? Your feelings about her?"

I shot him another glare.

"Sorry, your opinions about her?" he scoffed.

"I hate her," I said adamantly.

"So, you say," he shrugged, clearly not convinced.

I shook my head. "I don't understand why we need to hate each other," I groaned.

"So, you admit that you just pretend to?"

"No," I said quickly. "I hate her."

"She's coming over," he mumbled.

I looked up, spotting her walking over with a sheet of paper in her hands. She stood above me, glaring at me.

"What have I done now?" I asked, pushing myself up to my feet.

"Did I say, you did something?" she deadpanned.

Roman snorted, covering his mouth and looking away. I kicked his backpack into his stomach before turning my attention back to her.

She handed me the paper. "This is your essay."

"My essay? The one you tore? Did you bring it back with magic?" I smirked, reading it through. It was an essay. But not mine.

"I wrote another one since I ripped yours apart."

"And why did you write another one?" I arched a brow at her.

"One of us has to be a little mature now, right? And I humiliated you how I wanted to anyway," she shrugged. "Take it if you want it, otherwise you can throw it away."

I nodded, folding it up and keeping it in my hand.

"By the way, you owe me a new notebook," she glared at me, turning to leave. I grabbed her wrist and yanked her back. She huffed in frustration, standing still. "What?" she huffed.

I wanted to tell her ‘Thank you’ for the essay. But I couldn't bring the words to spill out of my mouth. "Tell your dad I say hi," I smirked.

Her glare hardened and she looked like she was going to punch me. She snatched the essay out of my hands and started walking away.

"Well done, idiot," Roman nodded.

I jogged over, catching up to her and blocking her path. "That's my essay." I snatched it back.

"No, it’s not I wrote it. And for once I thought I'd have some humanity, but clearly, that's always a mistake when it comes to you. I changed my mind. I don't want to show you humanity. You threw my notebook, you took my notes, and your sassy little diva remark back there wasn't appreciated at all. So, no thanks, I'll keep my essay to myself, that you very much," she rambled, snatching it right out of my hands and strutting away.

I groaned, "Venus!"

She turned to look at me, flipping me the finger before swiveling around and continuing to go back to her spot.

I watched her, biting back a smile. This is why I bother her. Why I can't stop doing it. Because she always snaps back.

Always.

And she doesn't fall at my feet. And then everyone in the field cheered for her. Even people who like me better.

She stood at her blanket and took a bow, grinning. Then she sat down and flipped the finger at me again.