I walk into the school, and go straight to my locker, as to not alert attention to my presence, until I'm ready. The timing has to be JUST right, and I will make sure it is. After a few minutes of fumbling around at my locker, I see the final bus has arrived, as my boyfriend walks up to me because he was on the last bus. I run up to Theo and hug him so I almost choke him, and scream happily. Needless to say, I caused a huge scene.
"Hey babe!" Theo says "I missed you!"
"Same here!" I say happily "Ready?"
Theo nods
I grab Theo's speaker, connect it to my phone, and turn on my song, blaring. I drop my board, look at Theo, and wink. I skate down the hallway throwing leftover Pop-Its from the 4th Of July, scaring the pee out of people. I keep skating and when the song nears its end, I skate right through a crowd of popular girls who bullied me and my friends last year. I laugh like a maniac until I nearly crash into our principal.
"ANN. MY OFFICE NOW!!!" he barks
.......................
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]]