Taylor Sinclair has been best friends with Ryan Cummings since forever. They are neighbours and best friends who have grown up together. She's the quiet nerd who plays a multitude of instruments and is in the school marching band. He's the star of the soccer team, funny, popular, and of course, dead gorgeous. The only problem is the Queen Bitch who has her claws in him - Ryan's girlfriend Rory Bridges, a.k.a. Taylor's arch-nemesis since freshman year. Is it seriously so hard for Ryan to see that Rory is full of it and so not good enough for him? Can't he see that Taylor's the One? She can.
Rory Bridges is the reigning queen. Beautiful, intelligent, funny, and cheer captain to boot - so of course she snags the only guy around who can match her social status. It's not like that for Rory though - she really loves her boyfriend, but with peer pressure as it is, how can she be sure that he loves her back, or is just keeping up an image? It doesn't help that Taylor Sinclair is out to steal Ryan from under her very nose - talented, intelligent and beautiful (well, behind the glasses) Taylor is a rival to be wary of, but what if there was no competition from the start? What if Taylor had always had Ryan's heart?
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.
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