"Hello ma'am. I'm looking for a Zach Wilson. Is he, by any chance, here?"
...
"Hazel, I've missed you so much. Come in! Grandma is preparing Coconut rice. When did you arrive?"
...
"How can you do that to me? You can't just waltz into my life again, Hazel...."
...
"We lost him. I'm sorry"
...
"I'm done Jason. I can't go on. He's gone"
...
"I'm leaving, I'm sorry"
...
"I'll come visit, okay? I love you"
***
A few years ago, Hazel left Chicago but ntow that she has turned 18, is a legal adult and has regained 85 percent of her memory, she decides to return against her parents' wishes. She misses her friends and yearns to be closer to them especially the one whom she thinks her heart belongs to. But alas, he had moved on, leaving her in his past. Or so he thought.
Hazel makes sure to visit all her friends and they welcome her back with open arms, well except one. She finds out that her friend, whom she sees as her brother, has very little time left on earth. She spends his last month with him and doesn't leave his side during that period hoping he won't die. Further along the line, she refuses to see her parents after finding out the truth or what seemed to be the truth.
What happens when she seems to have no will to live? Does she take her life? Or does she allow her friends and what is left of her family to help her?
Let's find out >>
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]]