"Would you just stop arguing with me?" he let out in an exasperated tone.
"I'm not arguing," I shot back. "I'm simply explaining that I'm right," I smirked smugly. I gave him the look to give up but he just shook his head in reply.
"No. I'm not saying it."
"Say it," I demanded as I shuffled closer to him, breathing onto his face.
He gulped for a moment and finally gave in. "Fine. You're the best twerker and dancer I've ever seen in my entire life."
"Now that I've proved you wrong, give me that prize you've promised me."
"Oh, I'm not only giving it to you. I'm gonna show you," he smirked and held my head in his hands.
"Wh-" I started, but I was cut off immediately by his soft lips.
Holy fuck, Asher is kissing me.
*
She escaped once, finding refuge in someone she never met. She embraced her talents, trying to forget her horrible past. Ayla Collins may seem like the perfect girl to anyone who's heard of her, but what they don't know is what lays beneath those happy smiles and melodic voice. She was just a frightened, broken girl who ran away from what terrified her.
*
He danced to reach the top, his crew having his back. Asher Velazquez may have had the to-die-for looks and the irresistible Spanish accent, but he was way more than what meets the eye.
She ran away once. Now she's doing it again.
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]]