"Happy late birthday Az." He whispered in her ear as he finished. He was what she considered to be her best friend but he had just done such an awful thing. Stop, stop, stop. Azure pushed the memory into the back of her head and continued to pack her clothes, it was her freshman year of college and she was ready to get out of this hell-hole known as Westwend.
Azure Martin was just a normal girl, with a normal life, a normal house, normal family, and normal friends until the night of her best friend, Axel's, trunk party. It was supposed to be fun, at least that is what he told her. She was too drunk to truly grasp what was happening, his hot breath on her cheek, his sweaty body on top of her, his words. Maybe he would be just another story meant to be forgotten but what would happen if Pandora's box was opened? Go through Azure's story of forgiveness, pain, and how she truly learns to understand herself.
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]]