Alistair is a seventeen year old boy with hardly any friends -unless, of course, you count the one guy that's been following him around since they met. His parents are useless at being parents, always working late and never there for either Alistair nor his younger sister, Tia.
Even though his parents don't know the first thing about him, they decided that he was depressed. So, they sent him to a shrink.
He begins skipping school after he begins talking more and more to a young girl, Maya, whom he met while applying for a job at the local music store.
They're just friends, though. He swears.
His life was seemingly adequate until one day, when he and his sister are home -alone, as always- she doesn't reply when Alistair knocks on her bedroom door. He had no idea that she was actually the depressed one, but he realises his mistake when he finds her, dead, hanging in her closet.
He finds a diary entry of hers that tells him all of the things that Tia wanted to do in her life, but was never able to do.
Then, he decides to do them all. Starting with a kiss on top of the Eiffel Tower.
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]]