With a bag in my right hand and trash bag in the other, I paused for a moment outside the car, staring at her. "Well, it was heck of a night," I said finally."Come here," she said, and I took a step forward. She hugged me and the bags made it hard to hug her back, but if a drop them, 1. some stuffs might break there, 2. I might wake someone up. I could feel her on her tiptoes and then her mouth was right up against my ear and she said, very clearly, "I. Will. Miss. Hanging. Out. With. You."
"You don't have to," I answered aloud. I tried to hide my disappointment. "If you don't like them anymore," I said, "just hang out with me. My friends are actually, like, nice."She chuckled. Not the 'popular Shannen laugh' but the 'cute inner child Shannen laugh'. "If only that's possible my dear R." She smiled and walked towards her Mustang, "If only." She whispered not loud enough that she doesn't know I heard. She drove off easily . Wow, she really did muster turning on her Mustang, I mean, that car had been passed on their family.I went inside our house through our unlocked front door and but the trash bag under bed. Well, it's been helluva night. What would I say to Shannen tomorrow to school? Would everything change? Would people like? Or would they hate her? I don't really know, but the only way knowing that is to sleep fro like two or less hours.
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]]