Brad Lockwood. The player/quarterback of the high school. His high school days are over when he becomes a celebrity overnight after he graduates. He remembers Amelia Tanner, from highschool. Always moping, and sulking. The emo kid he thought back then. But now, years into the future, he looks at her differently.
Amelia Tanner is a criminal. Or that's what people call her. She tells people she's innocent, but no one really listens until her cheerful lawyer Jason Waters an old friend, proves her innocent. This cheerful preppiness is new to her, with her poor background, with sad, mourning full days. She too feels unwanted, and feels a spark, a start of a fire, making her feel bright, something ever since the incident she felt like she wouldn't feel. A temporary shelter.
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]]