My name's Catelyn-AKA Cat--and I'm a perfectly normal girl. Then, life threw me a curveball and my normal, boring life became a not-so-boring, not-so-normal one with doctors, blood tests, monthly medical visits, and unexplainable symptoms.
Add in the social experiment we call high school in which hormonal teenagers get to be packed into rooms to try to pay attention to school and you have an even more stressful life. And, the fact that I'm half Latina, half Irish doesn't make this social experiment any easier.
Oh, and one more thing: a new kid just came to town. Though, to be honest, kid is not the right word. In a small town, Dax stands out. He could, literally, have any girl he wanted but, for some inexplicable reason, he's fixated on me. But, when I get a diagnosis that changes my life, I make the decision to not let anyone close. He just doesn't seem to respect said decision.
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]]