Kenneth Anderson packed up and left his foster home, stealing their car and heading to Florida, in search of his biological parents. He meets a strange boy with an undisclosed past named Darcy along the way.
If that doesn't sell you, think of it like an indie coming-of-age love story.
WARNING: this story has very heavy themes to it. I'll try my best to represent these as accurate as I can, but if I don't convey something correctly, feel free to call me out and we can have a conversation about it :)
TW: abandonment, abuse, trust issues, homelessness, death, homophobia, addiction, negligence, depression, anxiety
there will be absolutely no smut in this story, please don't even ask that. However, a character does have a sexual past that will be covered and talked about, but nothing graphic is shown.
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]]