"You walk around like you don't need anyone, yet, you crave for some human companionship," he smirks down at me as he cages my body against the wall with his arms.
"And you act like you have the world in your hands when in reality it's crumbling around you," I retort with an unwavering gaze. I'm tired of people thinking that I can be intimidated whenever, labeling me as if I'm just another product on the shelf. Do you have to walk around in life with a label on your forehead determining who you're going to be?
"Deep down, you want me, I can see it in your eyes, you crave me," he strokes my cheek with his knuckles. What the hell is he supposed to be, a snickers chocolate bar? 'You crave me,' do I look like Edward Cullen to him?
"And you can just go fuck yourself," I pull my face away before kneeing him in the crotch. That's right Mr. Bad Boy, not every girl falls at your feet.
Avery Thaller and Jericho Santana, two people living in a world full of cliques and clichés suddenly clash by the hands of fate, or by an overly conceited bad boy that thinks he can get whatever he wants when he wants it. She's fine living life without the baggage that comes with people, he wants to be noticed. They hate each other, don't understand the other, but why do they keep crossing paths no matter how hard she tries not to? Why do the clique leaders continue to pursue this 'nobody'? Could this bad boy be falling for someone so average?
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]]