The young, 15 year old Gray Price moved from New York all the way to Arizona, only to fulfill her alcoholic and psychopathic mother's dreams. If she were to try and resist the move, her mother probably would've beaten her. And not to mention, her abusive father had abandoned them while Gray was still a baby, so she doesn't have very profound memories of him. The worst part of it all is that she is an only child, so her mother only has her and takes out all her anger on her.
Gray had to abandon all her life long friends and this didn't really put her in the best state of mind. She was upset for a few weeks, which cause her to become very depressed. She knew for a fact that her mother didn't give a crap, let alone would she put her through the proper therapy to cure it.
When she began school as a Sophomore, she was very anxious. She didn't know who she would meet or what they would think of her. Would they all like her and accept her into their groups or would they all judge her and push her away? She took a deep breath and walked into her new school with her earbuds in and her schedule in her pocket. She had zero confidence in trying to find any friends. When it came to her second class, she met this wonderful lady, Esmay Smith. They became the best of friends, telling each other everything from the past to the present. They became each other's therapist for the two long years they were friends.
Then one day, Gray started.......
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]]