One girl. Beautiful, shiny, popular, radiant. That girl. Sad, pained, hated, lonely. Nothing appears as it truly is with Scarlett. She's always been the beautiful and popular and radiant girl everyone wants to be. But there's one thing she's never been; Depressed. She's got it hard but no one knows it. Not her friends, not her family. No one. It's unbearable, so unbearable to the point where she finds herself on a bridge, ready to jump. But then someone came, someone she never knew she needed. Lincoln, the bold farm boy that everyone has had their share picking on, including Scarlett. Yes, he saves her life, but he also saves 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]]