Classic bullying case. "Bystander" view, victim view, and finally, a more mature view many years after the scenes unfolded...
Always remember to love each other <3
14 year old Nina is your average school girl; loves to sing, read, write, has good grades, and tons of great friends. She doesn't have the perfect life by far, but she's pretty content. So when she notices quiet, awkward, s-s-stuttering Casey she just has to help her. After all, she is seemingly crying out for help with those inked words on that pink and orange flowery pencil pouch...
14 year old "Casey" is your not-so-average, nerdy, dorky, awkward but adorable, sweet, teenage weirdo. Quiet and reserved in school, or at least as an underclassman, the complete opposite outside of school. One day in creative writing class the teacher showed the class one of the student's stories. It was a peculiar story, with very familiar characters...and it was all wrong. Once simply oblivious and uncaring, now paranoid of people talking behind her back is added to "Casey's" adjectives describing her.
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]]