Kara Lawrence is not popular, pretty, friendly, etc, or for that matter, sane. Her only redeeming quality is that she is smart. And somehow this makes everyone love her. They ask her before the teacher if they have questions, they beg her to help with their math problems, and they all but worship her as some sort of Latin goddess.
They call her the Regina Latinae, the queen of Latin. But all Kara wants is to make it out of middle school alive, and preferably, with at least some sanity left. So when a new girl arrives in search of Kara's title, she happily gives it up. Bad move.
Almost all of the characters and settings in this story are based on real people and places, but all of the names are changed. However, most of the events in this story are fictional. Enjoy.
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]]