Emma Taylor has always watched Hunter Knight from afar. She's not his kind of girl-she spends most of her time in the classroom, the library, or at one of her many jobs. More than that, he's not her kind of guy-he spends most of his time on his motorcycle, cutting class, or collecting secrets, of which he has more and more, seemingly by the day. Emma isn't interested...
...but love isn't a one-sided thing. Hunter might be shrouded in mystery (and his trademark leather jacket, of course), but Emma knows that he's a man to be avoided, no matter how much she loves a good mystery. Hunter's notorious for three things: his temper, his silver tongue, and his life outside of school. Or rather, the fact that nobody knows anything about him.
But everyone has hypotheses. Nobody's been right so far.
Nobody, at least, until Emma.
As little as she wants to know Hunter, sometimes fate has other plans.
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]]