Ella is falling apart trying to live a "perfect" high school life. Then she meets Ren, who can see past her scars. Suddenly perfection isn't her only option. ***** Ella Volkov is a gifted music student, but she's depressed and starting to crack under the pressure of high school. Her overbearing father won't even let her choose what instrument she plays. Then she finds herself alone at a party with Ren, her best friend's crush. She'd always thought he was rude, but after that night he's all Ella can think about. Now she's trapped. If Ella dates Ren, it will ruin her friendship with Jenny. But if she stays true to Jenny, she's losing the one person who can see past her scars. It's up to Ella to decide if she will forge her own path, or stay in the "perfect" box designed for her... Content and/or Trigger Warning: depression, anxiety, self-harm, violence, sexual assault. [[word count: 50,000-100,000 words]]

[wattys 2021 winner - new adult] A heroin addict struggling with recovery finds an unusual solace in a brilliant, beautiful girl in his therapy group, who seems to have being happy and sober down to a science. [2x wattpad editor's choice pick (2021 & 2023) & 6x featured story] Copyright 2020-2025 | Taylor Romagnoli [moonraess]

After a tragic event drives her out of little Hillsborough, NC, 19-year-old Meghan Greene finds herself living in a Manhattan apartment with her best friend Chelsea Matthews. Officially enrolled in NYU and wanting to forget about her old life in her little hometown, she faces challenges involving her depression, trust-issues, and a broken heart. 21-year-old Sebastian Hawke is a brooding, leather-jacket wearing, brown-eyed boy on the verge of losing himself. That is until he meets a girl by the name of Chelsea Matthews, who introduces him to a group of people who make him feel not-so alone anymore. What happens when the girl who runs away meets the boy who's afraid to be left behind?