Eighteen year old Cori Temperance is about to head off to college. Cori has never left the city, and she never planned on doing so. However, when her older brother becomes engaged to his college sweetheart, Cori and her family are whisked from the buzzing city lights and sounds of New York and into the quite hum of Southern Georgia under millions of stars. The last thing she wants is to spend the summer being pestered by the bugs, weather, and boys of Greenmist, Georgia.
The only person who is more upset about the Temperance's visit is Cori's soon to be brother-in-law, Mack Elliot. Mack has just broken up with his girlfriend of three years, and the last thing he needs is to be absorbed in a summer of wedding planning. He wanted to spend the summer going fishing, going to parties, and running from his troubles. However, Mack now must stay and pick out dresses, cake, decor, and guests for a wedding he doesn't support.
Will the two find company in each other's misery or will the soon to be sibling bond push them apart?
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]]