"the heart may freeze, or it can burn. the pain will ease if I can learn... there is no future, there is no past.. I live this moment as my last"
-----------
Halle Kovacs: 17, 5'7", long black hair; a little wavy, light-skinned Puerto Rican-Dominican, purple eyes, not sure about how she identifies
Derek Jackson: 18, 5'9", ruffled blonde hair, not of foreign descent, blue eyes, super straight
Monica Jackson: 17 & 1/2, 5'4", short-ish dark brown hair; extremely wavy, Latina, dark brown eyes, super gay (identifies as pansexual)
-----------
Who will Halle choose? Derek, the cute straight guy? Or will she pick his gay sister?
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]]