I sat at my desk at the front of the class, listening to my history teacher blabbering on about math for some reason and as Mr. Manco finished his sentence, my eyes felt heavy.
"Ugh. I'm soo tired." I leaned behind me, expecting my best friend Kiley to be seated there.
Only I saw Ace, the most popular guy in school.
He smiled at me, making my heart skip a beat.
Blushing intensely, I turned around, trying to avoid myself from looking stupid anymore than I already did.
Suddenly, the bell rang.
I was just about to stand up as a hand touched my shoulder.
With me being frozen solid, Ace leaned down and whispered in my ear,
"You're cute. Let's talk some time."
Ace stood up and as he left, Kiley ran in, noticing the awkward aura in the room.
"Come on! Let's get going! We aren't gonna have time for lunch!" With Kiley holding my arm, we ran out the door together.
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]]