In a small town, a recently single good-girl finds herself attracted to the mysterious new boy in class when her ex suddenly reappears - dating someone no less -making things complicated.
*****
Ivy Sterling has a list of ever-growing favs. Favorite soda? Orange Crush. Favorite season? Spring. Favorite Boy? Aspen Fall's rising track star - Devon Pierce. She's known him since elementary school, and he's everything a boyfriend ought to be: sweet, attentive, charming and hella hot, but something doesn't quite mesh between the two, and as he prepares to head off to college, Ivy finds the rift between them too great to close. The realization that Devon isn't what her heart wants is a painful one, but Ivy acts on it anyway, breaking up with him on her eighteenth birthday. Newly single, Ivy heads into her junior year hoping to exist peacefully with her peers. But Devon's ardent fans aren't willing to let her off the hook for breaking their idol's heart. While seeking refuge under a maple tree in the school's courtyard, Ivy meets the new boy in school, Leslie Maxwell, and dislikes him immediately. He's everything Devon isn't: too chatty, too forceful, flighty, and completely oblivious, and yet, Ivy is drawn to him. Then, the worst happens: Devon reappears in her life, with a new girl hooked around his arm. Ivy says she's fine, but no matter how many times its repeated, her heart aches every time she sees him. Before too long, Ivy finds herself torn between the old and the new. But with room in her heart for only one favorite, which will it be? Devon or Max?
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]]