Growing Pains

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Today was the day. The day that Olive had to choose. The day that she turned 18.

Brett and Jenna had made a big breakfast for Olive. The three of them sat down at the dining table. Before Olive could even take her first bite. It happened the thing she had been dreading for the past 2 months. Olive sat her food back down on her plate and placed her hands in her lap.

"I think that this is unfair. Why do you want to get rid of me?" Olive cried looking down at her hands a tear sliding down her cheek.

"Oh baby girl we don't want to get rid of you. We just want you to learn how to survive on your own. Like we had to. It will make you stronger." Jenna said as she held on tightly to her daughters hand.

"You need to decide Olive. Leave with $1,000,000 and have nothing to do with us ever again, or Leave with nothing and find your own way. Get a job, find a place to live, visit us whenever you like and in a few years time you can get your trust fund." Said Brett as he stood up from the table and walked into the kitchen and grabbed a cold jug of water out of the fridge before returning to the table.

Olive sat at the table tears streaming down her face. She nodded her head slowly before meeting her father's eyes she whispered "I'll do it. I'll try and find job".

After a dead silent breakfast Olive packed her things and was standing by the front door crying heavily as she hugged her parents goodbye.

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It had been almost 2 weeks since Olive had left her parents house and she was finding living away from home much harder than she thought it would be.

Olive had been out everyday going around to every shop and restaurant in and around Melbourne handing out resume after resume.

But today was different the last 2 weeks see had been staying at a community house for the homeless and today was the day she was being evicted. She didn't have anywhere to go and she still didn't have a job.

Olive was sitting on an old rusted park bench looking at the beautiful gardens stretched out in front of her. It was so peaceful and quiet and yet she was still crying into her hands. How could her parents make her leave and live on the streets? Olive lied down on the bench and decided she may as well get used to sleeping on it because that's where she was going to be sleeping for quite some time.

She awoke to the sound of two men yelling at each other. Her eyes shot open as she slowly sat up trying not to bring too much attention to herself. There was a tall blonde man throwing punches at a slightly small man in a hood, the blonde missed a few hits then landed massive one straight to the hooded mans ose knocking his to the ground. The other man didn't let up and kept yelling and kicking at the man that was lying on the ground clearly in pain.

Olive stood up and yelled out to the blonde man to stop his attack on the hooded man. She instantly regret it when the tall blonde turned towards her with a look of intense rage on his face. He started walking towards Olive. Being the shy, scared little girl she was Olive backed up and fell onto the park bench behind her.

The guy laughed and reached out to grab her. The only thing Olive could think to do was lift her leg and kick the man right where it hurt the most. He dropped to the ground clutching his very sore male parts and grunted. Olive ran over to the guy on the ground and tried to help him up but he pushed her away.

"Don't touch me. I don't need your help" The hooded man snapped as he spat blood out of his mouth, "Get the fuck away before he gets back up."

Olive's head was spinning she couldn't believe he had spoken to her like that after she had just tried to help him. She had put her own life in danger to help the man and he didn't even say thank you. Olive stood up and shook her head and started walking away from the two mean men. She had decided that no matter what she would not be sleeping on the park bench, she would have to find another.

She began walking back towards her home. Well her parents home. But she couldn't do that they wouldn't let her back in just because some guys were mean to her. So Olive turned around and decided to go back to the park and find a bench on the other side of the park to sleep on for the night. Before she could even start her walk back to the park a car came speeding around the corner. Luckily the driver slammed on the breaks and swerved to the left. Just missing Olive by a hair. The driver's side door swung open. Olive waited as the driver climbed out of the car and stood tall over her. It was the same hooded man from earlier in the park. The one she had tried to help.

He removed the hood and stood there glaring at her. His eyes looked almost as black as the sky did. His hair was long and dark brown with loads of curls that hung over his face.

He spoke breaking her out of the trance she managed to find herself in. "Do you have a death wish or something kid? Did you even look before you walked? No you didn't. You're lucky that I saw you when I did." He crossed his arms across his chest.

"S-sorry I wasn't paying attention" Olive stuttered out "But you were driving like a maniac anyway. You would have hit someone eventually. It's not my fault you're an ass that can't drive."

The man looked at her and grunted before storming back off to his car. Olive watched as he sped off down the road before she started walking back to the park again.

Olive curled up on the freezing cold park bench and shut her eyes desperately trying to wake up from the horrible nightmare that was becoming her life.  

A/N: Please recommend this book to friends and family. For anyone who votes, comments, reads and recommends this book message me after you have and I'll make sure to dedicate a chapter of the book to you! xo