"Where were you?" asked the deep, husky sexy voice that made my heart race.
"I-I- was with a friend." I replied shakily, surprised by how close he was. His dark hair was swished to one side and he wasn't wearing a shirt, showing off his chiseled abs and tan skin.
"What friend?" His angry voice startled me.
"Noah." I replied shakily, moving slightly backwards.
He moved in closer, pressing me up to the side of my bed. His eyes moved to my lips, and he pressed his warm lips to mine, causing me to gasp in shock.
"Don't hang out with him." He whispered.
"What?" I pushed him away." You can't tell me what to do!"
"Yes I can!" He shoved me back against the wall and trailed kisses down my neck. I shivered with pleasure as his tongue stroked my neck. "Because I know..." he lowered his hands to my hips."That I'm the only one who can make you feel pleasure."
His lips moved down to my chest and he lowered my short, black dress with his lips, kissing my breasts. I moaned slightly from the pleasure. He lightly sqeezed my breasts and I gripped his hair and pushed him back towards the wall, still kissing him until I heard," Kaitlyn? C'mon babe, we're leaving!"
I froze and pulled away. Wait, what am I doing?? I have a boyfriend, and this is......my step-brother!!
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]]