In loving me, you hold a knife to my throat.
In loving you, I tell you exactly where to cut.

Teenage girls are like dogs. Loyal beings, begging to be loved, taking nips from your skin without realizing she's hurting you. Barking, biting, crying, waiting for you. I am like a dog, always waiting at your feet, waiting for you to show that you love me as much as I love you. If Kennedy Eden's a dog, her mother is her owner, controlling the leash that is tied around her neck. Yanking, pulling,  tugging, choking.

Even the happiest of people live
in the darkness of their own minds.

Nevermore Academy is Kennedy's home away from her cage. It's where her friends are, her boyfriend, and where her mother isn't. She likes to pretend that her life is perfect, that she's a cool girl, when really, everyone knows the truth, Mason Eden died and Dara Eden went crazy, that maybe Kennedy had gone crazy in the process. But she'd not crazy. She's not violent. She's not a dog at all. She's just a girl.

Xavier Thorpe saw Kennedy for what she was, a girl with a big heart whose kindness shined over her insecurities, and he loved her. But some days were harder than others. Some days, Xavier didn't know how to handle the breakdowns or the lashing out. The tears. The snapping of teeth. It was something he didn't know how to fix.

Kennedy's eyes are her father's and her mother saw his face in hers, so she kept her locked in a cage. Incomes the leash. Kennedy's always trapped. Trapped animals are destined to turn violent.

But Xavier had insecurities of his own. A father he desperately wishes loved him, an outcast to the rest of the world, not thinking he was good enough for anybody, including his own girlfriend. Unhappy people clash, even couples.

Violent dogs tear each other apart.

So one tragic events leads to another, a consecutive life sentence. Her father dying. Her  mother turning cold. Moving in with her grandmother. Her mom telling her not to come home. Xavier breaking up with her. Xavier dating who was once her best friend. Suddenly, Nevermore's her home anymore and the cage follows her. The leash remained tight. She's locked in a cage with other animals and trying not to tear them apart, including herself.

I'm not a violent dog.
I don't know why I bite.

Sofia Wylie      Kennedy Eden

Christopher Briney   Xavier Thorpe

Journee Smollett  Dara Eden

Sandra Oh  Nia Yeun

Olivia Rodrigo  Presley Gonzalez

Jenna Ortega  Wednesday Addams

Warnings:  This fic contains strong language,  mental health issues, mentions of abuse,  death,  eating disorders,  and mentions of suicidal thoughts.  please read at your own risk!