"Well, your name's Charity right?" He inches closer and closer. I feel the electricity in my chest. No, he can't reel me in. I won't let him. Irritated, I stare at him.
"Yeah"
"Well, charities are all about giving right?" He begins to smirk, and I glare. Knowing where this is going. And a part of me doesn't want it to stop.
"So why don't you give me a chance."
Suddenly my ears are filled with his obnoxious yet cute laughter.
I shove him away. Annoyed because of his childish joke, and annoyed because that's all it was. A joke. Right?
*********************************
Charity Hannon had what she thought was a good life. Keyword: had. After a family tragedy, and a heartbreaking affair, Charity, and her mom move in with her grandfather over the summer. Surrounded by endless empty fields, and miles long roadways that lead to nowhere, Charity has nothing to do but lie around, and think. Think and change for the worst. But what could happen when hot-tempered, distant, cold, and broken Charity meets charismatic, adored, loveable, and popular Chance Collins? Can he find the girl lost in her own head? Or will he be scared off by her forgotten past?
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]]