"Lacy Wells, you will never speak of this bear ever again." Jace glares at me, eyes flashing from dark to darker.
"And what if I do?" I take a step closer to him. It's just a tiny one, but it's still a step.
"Well, that's for me to know and you to find out," he whispers in my ear, lips near the end of my collarbone. Smirking, he moves away, leaving me a little disgusted and breathless.
Well then Mr. Bad Ass, game on.
• • •
When Lacy is forced moves in with Jace, she doesn't expect anything less from the cocky, no good, rich ass butthead. But as soon as she discovers something can could compromise Jace's infamous reputation, both are put through series of blackmail, lies, humiliation, and a lot of mixed chemistry. Call it a hell ride, or a web of misunderstandings, or maybe, just the Bad Boy's teddy bear.
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]]