"Seriously Chris, get a grip!" I groaned. "No shit balls I'm making your parents get you a phone so we can call!" My best friend Chris argued.
"As if they're changing their mind. Don't worry Chris, I'll miss you. And if it makes you not miss me, I uh, stole your, favorite movie, umm, The Dark Knight..." "What the hell Tori?! Give it to me!" "No can do Chris. It's probably buried under piles of stuff by now."
"Victoria! Time to go!" Mom called. "Be there in maybe a minute! Or more... So I'll miss you man. Maybe I shouldn't can you 'man' yet, considering you haven't started... puberty..." "Oh shut up Tori! Anyways I'll miss you too."
With that, I climbed into my parents' car. As we drove away, Chris replied, "Tori, when you get back, I'll be done puberty!" "Well you would be 18! I'm staying there for 4 years! Bye Chris!"
"Bye Tori," ---------------------------------------------
Tori used to be the loud, confident, outgoing tomboy when she was a 14. Her best friend Chris used to be the fun, adventurous, the boy who could stay past seven kind of boy when he was 14.
When Tori's parents move to California, Tori changes.
Now her parents came back to Florida and she finds Chris there, like meant to, but not the Chris she knew. What happened to her Chris?
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]]