"I'm not a normal teenager!" I cried, throwing my arms up in the air. "In a few months, I'm going to be a Princess, and someday, The Queen!" "You're so very lucky," said Katie "There are so many girls out there who want to be in your position." "I know," I said, as if the whole thing sounded implausable, "But they don't realize how much my life will change. I'm going to be a completetly different person by the end of the day, and there's just so much that's involved. People are going to judge, critique, critisize, and I'm going to be thrown around everywhere! I'm going to be the new face of the country, and I'm only eighteen!" "Well," said Katie, running her fingers through her dyed-blonde hair "that's what happens when you go from normal to royal."
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]]