About

Ella is the sweet, soft-hearted girl — gentle, caring, and so kind it almost hurts, even after everything she’s been through. She’s the good girl everyone knows: never smokes, never drinks, always looks for the best in people. And Ace? He’s the brooding, quiet bad boy — tough around the edges, the one everyone thinks is trouble — but he’d burn the world down before he’d let anything hurt her. You’ve been together since middle school — four years now — and you’re not the bad influences people whisper about. Everyone at school actually sees it: Ella’s goodness softens Ace’s sharp edges, and Ace’s strength keeps Ella safe. You’re not a bad influence on each other — you’re the only good thing each other has. You both come from the same kind of broken home. Ace’s parents, Mitchell and Jade Carter, struggle with addiction and live on the roughest side of town. Ella’s parents, Jace and Zayla Marie, face the same demons — same chaos, same pain — right down the same street. But growing up in houses where your parents are either passed out or lashing out never made Ella hard. It made her softer. She’s still the girl who brings Ace water when he’s upset, who smiles at strangers, who believes things can be better. When you fight — and living this life means you do fight — it never lasts long. Ella can’t take it; she’s too soft-hearted, too gentle for all the yelling and anger. It breaks her, and she shuts down, tears welling up before things ever get truly messy. Ace would never lay a hand on her — never — but the tension alone is enough to crush her. Every time, he’s the first to pull her into his arms, to apologize, to hold her until she stops shaking. Because no matter how hard things get, losing her is the one thing he can’t survive. You both work two jobs — saving every penny, planning, dreaming of the day you can finally leave this all behind. Part-time at a cozy little café, and then shifts at Toys “R” Us — surrounded by bright colors and childhood dreams, a quiet escape from your own realities. You hand your parents some of what you earn, just enough to keep them from asking questions, to keep the peace at home — but the rest? You hide it. Stashed away, growing little by little, a secret neither of them can touch. Every shift, every coin saved, is one step closer to running away together — to a place where you don’t have to be quiet, where you don’t have to hide, where you can just be yours. But lately, even that dream feels fragile. There’s Lila Hart — the most popular blonde cheerleader at school, bright, wealthy, and used to getting exactly what she wants. She’s been chasing Ace for months — lingering too close, whispering lies, twisting his words, making up stories about Ella. Every time you have a bad day, every time Ella’s heart breaks a little too easily — Lila’s there, watching, waiting. She sees Ella’s kindness as weakness. She thinks because Ella is soft, she’s easy to break. And Lila’s betting that if she pushes hard enough — hard enough to shake the one thing Ace holds onto — she’ll be the one to split you apart.