"Just tell me, Nick. Tell me why won't leave me alone-I mean seriously? You made friends with my little brother, crashed my Chemistry Class, broke my phone and then paid for a new one the very same day-what is up with you!" Nick sighed and ran a hand through his gorgeous coffee sugar hair, looking to the sky for a moment as if praying, then resting those stupidly mesmerizing amber colored orbs back on me. "You're stuck in my head, Sam," he told me simply, the dimple on his left cheeck peeking out in bashfulness. "And I'll do anything I can to get one step closer to opening your heart."
Sam Lockwood is perfectly happy being the girl that stays perpetually single. She, her best friend (and crush) Wes, best girl friend Casey, and nerdy buddy Tanner are wading through a Californian junior year as best they can-so what if Christian's chest is completely drool worthy? Christian (and Tanner) can wait until after graduation...right? That is until Nick Parsons transfers to her high school. He's got his heart set on winning Sam's heart and nothing Sam is doing seems to deterring him.
So who is Sam supposed to choose?
Hot, bad boy Wes that's been her best friend for as long as she can remember?
School president Christian thats been her secret love for forever?
Or badass, preppy Nick-the first guy who really let her open her heart?
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]]