Charines, an introverted gamer, meets Luis, a hacker with a big heart, who helps her challenge a gaming company claiming to help the world. *** Charines agreed to beta test a new game geared toward helping people battle their social anxieties and brought her cousin, Manny, along for the ride. She didn't expect to meet Luis, a player she hated initially. She also didn't expect the dislike to turn into a crush. But Chari only has Luis to turn to when the game seems to do more harm than good and hits too close to home. * ** [This story will become free on July 5, 2023] Content Warning: This story contains depictions of social anxieties and depression. * ❀❀ WATTYS 2022 SHORTLIST ❀❀ ❀ Featured - Wattpad's Fresh Reads ❀ 2nd Place "General Fiction" -- 2021 Punk Rock Awards © Copyright Vee Lozada Exclusive to W A T T P A D

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]]