I walk into his room, just to see him curled up in his bed, sleeping. I turn around, and walk out. I will remind him to do his homework later.
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It's been 274 days since Rose has last seen her little brother alive.
After that day, Rose was never the same. She abruptly stopped going to her school, in order to try to leave behind the demons that still haunt her family. But now, she's back at her school, and the demons are still there. Rose is forced to cope with them, while managing to rebuild her life, and becoming the pretty, popular, lovable girl she used to be.
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An hour later, I go up to his room to call him down for dinner. I try to wake him up. I call his name a few times. When he doesn't respond, I shake him. A little orange bottle falls out of his hand with a note inside.
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]]