"Didn't we almost have it all?"
***
Raileigh thought her senior year in high school would be just like any other-filled with friends, schoolwork, and dreams of living life to the fullest. She's an academic achiever, always charming and bubbly, the kind of girl who lights up a room. But her world turns upside down when she meets Rafael, the enigmatic and distant brother of her best friend.
Rafael is everything Raileigh isn't- introverted, intensely focused, with no time for frivolous distractions like romance. His life revolves around his studies and his unwavering dreams. Meeting Raileigh was never part of his plan, but fate had other ideas.
As Raileigh's innocent curiosity blossoms into something deeper, she finds herself grappling with feelings she's never experienced before. Rafael, too, feels the unsettling stirrings of emotions he thought he had no room for.
Caught between their individual ambitions and the undeniable connection growing between them, Raileigh and Rafael must decide: Will they risk everything for a love that feels almost impossible? Or will the gap between their worlds prove too wide to bridge?
A story of first love, heartache, and the bittersweet beauty of almost.
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]]