She didn't expect that taking a 'breather' would lead to this.
All she wanted to do was to get away from the stuffy house for a while, clear her head from the dizziness all those drinks had caused her. She didn't think that she would come across a fight - a fight that would eventually lead to deaths.
She was drunk, so drunk she couldn't even comprehend what was going on, so drunk you couldn't even hear her creeping up behind them, her tall stiletto heels making (surprisingly) almost no sound. In fact, maybe this could've been avoided, maybe no one would've noticed her and she could've gone on with her life, went back to the party and took more shots. However, that's not what happened.
She clutched her stomach as she got even more uneasy, trying hard to keep balance by looking on the concrete floor.
"Shit." She grunted. All of a sudden, all the heads turned towards her, and with them - their guns.
"Who the fuck is that?" One of them nodded towards her, scowling.
"I don't fucking know. She's drunk off her ass. Oi lady, get the hell outta here before we shoot you too." Another one yelled. She looked up, her vision going blurry. That's when it happened. Right then, right there, she vomited, all over her stiletto heels.
And this is how it all began.
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]]