When an old flame from his childhood moves back to Cottsville and joins Clearwater High, popular Will Kepler is ecstatic. It's been years, but he still has a major crush on her, and he is prepared to unleash his entire arsenal of charm, charisma, wit and insanely good looks on her. Except, Faith Wellington isn't the girl he remembers...at all. The baddest eight year old on the playground no longer exists, replaced by a shy, quiet, book-loving nerd. No matter. Will is determined to win her over, so beginning an epic quest that will involve scores of bookstores, a lost manuscript, midnight book auctions, dramatic showdowns with armies of costumed geeks, murderous librarians and oh so much more. Not to mention Madeline Connelly, the self-professed hippie who's helping Will on his mission. She's a seemingly average person with a colourful personality, a colourful vocabulary, and liberal streaks of odd. One thing's for sure though, the last weeks of sophomore year and Will's summer vacation are going be as eventful as a satisfyingly good adventure story.
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]]