"Why will you not let me help you," Tanner shouted at me angrily," You keep closing yourself off, and you expect me to sit there and let you cry. Well, I won't do it." He walked towards me, picking me up off of the floor,and looking me in the eye as he stood me up." Let me help you," he whispered as he held me. " Let me in." Kat Parker is in her senior year of college, and has been successful in being the closed off, coldhearted girl she had to become to stay sane. When the star quarterback Tanner Tate sees her, he, being the arrogant ass that he is, tells her of the date he is taking her on. When she turns him down immediately, he promises to get under her skin. But when he starts to see the broken pieces she has been hiding, his hard player act slips, and he finds himself wanting more of the beautiful, broken girl. He is determined to make her understand that she is not alone, and she is determined to keep him at a distance, fearing that the closer he gets, the more it will hurt her when he leaves.
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]]