"I never wanted to come on this
stupid trip anyways!" I yell at him. "Why do you keep treating me like I don't
exist? Like I did something to hurt you? Why? What did I ever do to you?" I
whisper out the last part, out of breath. He looks indecisive for a moment, not
sure how to react. Suddenly, a look of determination appears on his hard, chiseled face. He
steps forward, coming towards me and before I know it, his lips are on mine.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Scarlet and Sebastian Johnson are twins. They are nothing alike however. Scarlet is usually quiet, shy and can be found with her nose in a romance novel or catching up on school work. Meanwhile, Sebastian is outgoing, cocky, almost never does his homework and spends most of his time at parties or hanging out with his obnoxious football friends. The two of them never get along, it's always "she did it", "no he did it!" After seventeen years, Scarlet and Sebastian's parents finally have had enough. They decided the two fighting siblings need to get along and "there's no better way than going on a road trip." Sebastian uses this to his advantage, and suddenly it's not only him and Scarlet going; practically the whole football team is coming too. Now, this is going to be an interesting ride.
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]]