He took my face in his hands and kissed me softly. It was an innocent, experimental, peck on the lips. He had kissed me before, at a Christmas party a few months after my parents adopted him, and when his leaned back to smile down at me, that’s what it reminded me of, a time
where I was sure he was the only person in the world who still loved me. The second kiss was the exact opposite. His lips began moving against mine as my body was pushed back onto the couch where he strattled me. My hands moved on their own accord to the back of his neck while his thumb stroked my cheek.
In the other room I could hear family
laughing and glasses clinging together to
celebrate the New Year, but we were in our own world. A world where he wasn't my little brother and we could be together like this forever, But we didn't. He was my younger brother, it was my job to protect him, from every thing that
could cause him harm, and this, letting him kiss. me, could have no other out come but pain. I pushed him back gently, and tried to explain why this was wrong, but he didn’t listen. He ran out of the room, and ultimately out of my life, with out ever looking back.
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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