Dear Melissa,
I miss you, why did you leave me? You’re my sister; you promised you’d be there for me forever. Now mom’s got depressed and dad drinks. I’m alone most of the time. All my friends aren’t my friends anymore. I’m alone… How could you? What makes you think I’ll be okay? I’ve tried to get over it, but nothing’s working. Oh and a new guy in school thinks he can talk to me. Melissa, why did you leave? I’m bullied and yelled at. The new guy is annoying because he gets mad when I don‘t talk. I won‘t talk to him or anyone because I‘m mute and that is that. I mean why shouldn‘t I be mute? You‘re gone, so it doesn‘t matter anyway.
Love you,
Ceil <3
Cecilia is a mute girl, but by choice because of her sister Melissa’s death. Cecilia is still haunted by the aftermath of when her sister died. Her mom depressed, never talking, always sulking. Her father a drunken mess. Sometimes Cecilia gets hit, but as soon as it’s done her father breaks down and sobs. To feel a little better Cecilia writes in a journal her sister gave her, she writes letters to her sister hoping one day to feel better and not sad all the time. Cecilia misses her life, her sister, and then a new boy comes in. Cecilia doesn’t get why Jackson is paying any attention to her. She’s just mute and no one talks to her. Jackson is determined to get her to talk to him. Jackson lost his mother when he was ten and his father has raised him sense. Jackson finds this mute Cecilia intriguing, but he doesn’t know why. Will his plan work? Will Cecilia and her family come out of this funk? Will Jackson find her uninteresting?
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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