It is a good thing Bradley Groves was undoubtedly handsome or else Emerson Evans might have killed him a long time ago.
Bradley never wanted to fall in love with Emerson, he just tripped on a rock or something.
Emerson never wanted to fall in love with Bradley, she just tripped over him.
"You know you're terribly clumsy, right?" I bend down, placing my hands on my knees, watching him lay on the dirty floor.
"That must be how I fell for someone like you." He looks me dead in the eyes as he speaks.
"You've fallen in love... with me? Yeah, right." I roll my eyes in response.
"No, I'm a hundred percent serious. I, Bradley Groves, have fallen in love with you, Emerson Evans." He confesses as he props himself up on his elbows, getting closer to me.
"Well, that's too bad because I don't fall that easily, especially over someone like you." My voice trembles as I speak.
"Mark my words, Emerson Evans. I will make you fall in love with me, even if I have to trip you myself!" Bradley calls to my retreating figure.
Two unsuspecting neighbors, that have grown up pranking, teasing, and hating each other, slowly begin to find that falling in love can hurt. However, in the end, it's totally worth 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]]