Millicent James is completely and totally done with everything ever. For starters, her absolutely terrible grandma name makes things a bit tricky. When she introduces herself as Milly, it begs the question of, "Is that short for anything?" As much as Milly wishes it wasn't, it is, and she has zero capacity to lie, so she tells the entire story of how suckish her grandma name is, how life can so-totally suck sometimes, and how Milly just 100 percent suits her in every way possible, and how she's thinking of spelling it with an I instead of the Y she uses now. Because Milly is awkward and she talks too much.
Parker Loraine is the opposite of awkward. He's smooth, Mr. Cool. He's got a problem, though. He's tired of it all. He's tired of the parties on the weekends and sitting with all his "friends" every day at lunch. He wants to start anew, which is virtually impossible in such a small town, where everyone seems to know everyone. Parker finds his chance, however, when a beautiful, talks-too-much girl moves in with her father and younger brother... right next door. Parker's got his sights set on the girl, and he plans to become her friend, no matter how much sneaking around with her it takes to uphold his image... and Milly totally and completely understands. Until she doesn't.
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.
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