Daria Diez remained still, pretending to be asleep, as her mother came into her room. The gentle routine was one she knew well: her mother would check in on her and softly kiss her forehead before leaving, a nightly ritual she performed with each of her children. As soon as she heard the door close, Daria tossed off the covers and got out of bed. She quietly got dressed, waiting a bit to make sure her mom was settled in for the night before heading out. Daria sometimes felt guilty for sneaking out, but if her mother ever found out about where she was going, she would probably ban her from ever leaving the house again. Stealthily, Daria made her way across the street to the house adjacent to hers, which was the home of her best friend, Madison Straight. Madison was just coming out of her house when Daria walked up. Unlike Daria, Madison's mother and stepdad put their complete trust in Madison and gave her freedoms that Daria could only dream of having. “I was just about to see what the hold up was,” Madison said.

“Shh,” Daria hushed her. Madison rolled her eyes, but lowered her voice. “Your mom can't hear all the way over here and you know Conrad doesn't care.”

“Still, I don't want to take any chances.” “You're sneaking out, that's like taking the biggest chance,” Madison said, grabbing Daria's hand, “C’mon, let's go!”

The two got into Madison's car and rode off towards Rose Hills. Daria and Madison hadn't always been friends, but now, they were inseparable. They bonded even more over the fact they both loved someone who their families wouldn't approve of, albeit for different reasons.

Daria was helplessly and unapologetically in love with Frankie Garrett. Daria's mother, however, hated the Garretts and the entire Red faction. There was no one her mother hated more than Natasha, Frankie's mother, but Daria didn't know why. As for Madison, she was with Zion Matthews. Madison and Zion's relationship was casual, but it was clear they had strong feelings for each other. Still, they also faced a lot of obstacles that made things complicated. One of these obstacles was that Madison's mother, Waverly, had high expectations for Madison to follow in her footsteps as a mistress. Another problem was that Zion's family belonged to the Brown faction while Madison - through her stepdad, Conrad - belonged to the Blue faction. The factions operated under the syndicate's umbrella, yet distinct boundaries between them were strictly maintained. Daria struggled to understand the reason for these divisions and wished the syndicate didn't exist at all.