A rule breaker, Ara always wore her heart on her sleeve. One year ago she left everything behind to go to college, where she transformed into someone completely different, her keeps everything together never loses it, and hides all of her problems, walls kept high.
Now summer break, she has to go back home to Washington. There she has to face, what she hoped she never would half to again, self critical mother and resurface with Asher the boy living right next door.
Asher is smart, sexy, confident, and can get under Arabella's skin like on else. He knows her, including her deepest darkest secrets. If he tries to to tempt the old Arabella to return, will he be impossible to resist? But what Arabella doesn't realize is that when she left, she took a piece of Asher's heart with her. Now back, he's determined to win back the girl he lost, no matter what it takes.
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]]