"Ch-Charity? What are you doing, Cupcake ?" Derrick struggled from the large men that were restraining him, his best friend held a cold piece to his head, as he stared at his lover.
Charity sat at the foot of the table with the outmost elegance, a chinchilla's coat draped over her frail shoulders . A revealing midnight black dress, which matched her hair, hugged her curvaceous body. The only thing that stood out was her bright red lipstick. The color almost exactly matching the color of blood .
"This gang, this kingdom you've made, " she spoke lowly, taking a long drag of her cigarette, " I like it. I want it. I own it." Derrick was taken aback. "You see sweetheart, your boys work for me. They were tired of your poor treatment, tired of your arrogance, tired of your-" The caramel skinned beauty stopped to recompose herself. " They felt as though, it need a woman's touch."
Swiftly, the young woman arose for her seat, and with such grace and dominance , strolled toward the Italian hostage. "Ciao, amore mio. It's just business . " Letting out a spine chilling laugh, she whispered familiar lyrics into Derrick's ear. "Bang,Bang she shot me down. Bang, Bang I hit the ground . Bang, Bang that glorious sound. Bang, Bang my baby shot me down." Placing her pointer finger and middle finger together, and extending her thumb, she smiled. Derrick closed his eyes. And Charity twitched her thumb with each word.
"Bang, Bang."
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]]