After the death of her father, Rikki Pierce has found no reason to keep trying, and the good girl she used to be is replaced by the more fun, reckless, violent and bad girl she is now. Life for her now is all about parties, boyfriends, drinking, and not caring, and this has resulted in her being repeatedly expelled from schools, and finally, now sick of the constant disappointment, her mom has sent her to live with her not so long and not very lost sister Samantha Pierce in sunny Carlifornia. Being good is the only option left for Rikki before everyone gives up on her or time runs out before she gets to pull her life together and get serious. Yes. For the last two years of high school, Rikki is going to try. But this is proving to be hard when the sexy bad boy, the hot, caring and spontaneous jock, the charming ex-boyfriend, who also happens to be dating her big sister, and lastly but definitely not least, the cute and nerdy best friend all compete for her attention and affection. Not only does she have to keep her grades sharp, but she also needs to pick between the four guys that make her feel more like her old self. Who will she choose?
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]]