Zoe Mitchell doesn't belong there. She's not a bad girl or a rebel. She's not one of those girls that, when you see them, you automatically narrow your eyes and shake your head. So why is she there? She doesn't know. She went to sleep in her bed one night and woke the next morning at Celzics school for Juvenile delinquents.
Tanner Swane Has been at Celvics for three years now, and he isn't meant to be there either. So why is he there? That's for me to know, and you to find out.
When Zoe and Tanner meet each other, they get an instant connection, but she denies it.
"I slid my arm around her shoulders and slipped my black sunglasses on my face as we walked through the halls and towards the door leading to our freedom. I felt her straight brown hair crinkle under the weight of my arm, and our pace quickened. This is the day I have been dreaming of since I set foot in this school three years ago today. This is the day we get out. This is the day we get free. The door's getting closer and I can almost smell the fresh air that we have been so long deprived of. As we walk the corridor seems to get longer, the door farther away. We pick up our pace even more, bringing it to a run. The faster we go, the farther the doors get from us. I let my arm slide from her shoulders, leaving her standing behind me as I continued running for the door, hoping to catch it before it gets even farther away. My legs start pumping faster, my feet seeming to never hit the floor, I run as fast as i can, trying to reach the door. I'm almost there, my fingers almost hitting the red metal, I can barely feel it--"
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]]