It may feel good to be pretty, but the problem with being beautiful is that there are thousands of people who look like you. Ugliness, however, is unique. ------------------- One girl, a walking-talking example of contradictions -- ambitious but naive, kind but blunt, social but awkward -- is living in perhaps the most competitive society in this world. She has a dream, a fairly conventional and acceptable dream, one which every parent would approve of. Unfortunately, millions of others share this dream, and in order to fulfill hers, she has to eliminate her competition, literally. Throw in a fair share of drama. Friends and family, crushes and exes, decisions and choices, and the life story of an Indian teenager would be complete. ---------------------- The last few years of school are the most memorable; grades, stress and career mixed with friends, fun and dreams. But most of the time when we are planning our awesome candid picture-perfect life, we end up crossing the 'i's and dotting the 't's. ------------------------------------ COMPLETED ON JULY 14, 2018 Featured in the teen fiction reading list of Wattpad India! Cover credits: @reluctantbibliophile

|| Featured FREE story with exclusive paid chapters - previously a paid story || When Haley discovers the truth behind Xavier, whose silence holds a deeper meaning, she sets her mind on making his life better one small step at a time. ***** Haley Rosamond is happy with her simple life, content under the wing of her father. Well-protected, she has no idea of the darkness surrounding Xavier Hunt, with his all-black attire and infrequent presence in school-accompanied by his bruises and scars. That is, until Haley catches a glimpse of Xavier's reality and is made to question everything she knows about family and life in general. The truth, she realizes, couldn't be more different from everything she has heard. Supported by her father, Haley sets her mind on helping Xavier any way she can, and what begins with tutoring sessions, free food, and random acts of kindness blooms into friendship and something a little more. But when Haley's admission into her dream college and another tragedy in Xavier's life threaten to undo everything she has worked for, Haley needs to decide if she'll stick by Xavier or simply be another person in his life that disappears. [[word count: 80,000-90,000 words]] Cover designed by Holly Thurston