EmmaLeonerdo
At fifteen, El is a pro at the high-stakes game of hide-and-seek. She hides behind oversized hoodies, a razor-sharp tongue, and a "tough girl" persona that keeps the world-and her own insecurities-at a distance. In her eyes, she's the "chubby sister," a girl with a Roman nose and dark eyes who will never fit the polished beauty standards of the "Big Kids" school.
To her, the "Elite Squad"-her brother's high-ego, dangerously attractive friends-are just background noise she needs to avoid. She's convinced they see her as a joke, a "grumpy hobbit" barely worth a second glance.
She couldn't be more wrong.
While El is busy trying to stay invisible, two of the most untouchable guys in school have stopped looking past her. One watches her from the shadows, noticing every small shift in her confidence and the flawless beauty she tries to bury. The other hides his growing fascination behind teased jokes, realizing too late that the girl he's been provoking is the only one he can't get out of his head.
When a family emergency leaves El without a ride to school, the "shield" of her bedroom door is gone. Forced into the orbit of the very guys she fears most, El begins to shed her layers-unaware that she's the center of a silent, brewing storm.
As she learns to stop apologizing for the space she takes up, she has no idea that two hearts are already racing just to keep up with her. In a world of filtered perfection, they've found the one thing that's real.
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