"I've been there for her through everything. Heck, I WAS her first everything. Her first friend, Patrick Henry Pre-K. Her first kiss, Christmas of 2010, her house, Christmas time. Her lips had tasted like strawberries, my favorite flavor. When our families had up and rooted us from our homes, I was the one she came too. We shared everything together. I loved her, have for a long time now. Why couldn't she see that? Was I nothing more than just her best friend to her? Why couldn't she see she belonged with me? That she was destined to be mine.."
Zayn Malik and Scarlette James have been best friends since before they could remember. They've gone through everything together. Relationships, break-ups, moves, etc. Just as their relationships have evolved, so have their feelings, but at different times. Now they're about to go through a major change: High School, where Zayn wants nothing more except for Scarlette to be his. Will Scarlette give him that chance?
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]]