I was so stupid to believe anyone really cared. My father left us, his own family behind to start a new one. My long time best friend abandoned me in my time of need. He was my everything, my first kiss to child hood love, gone. The school hated me as I dated almost all the guys trying to find love as all the people I have ever loved left me. My life is upside down as everything I knew was a lie. My friends, I had one, and I faced betrayal. What did I have to live for, I have scars why not end it all?

Hopelessly depressed, orphaned teen Jill attempts to end her life by jumping in front of a subway train but is stopped by Alexander, a handsome young man who begins to change her life for the better. Then comes Anette, a cancer-battling fourteen-year-old girl with a strong will and a beautiful heart. She enters Jill's life in an unusual way and teaches her that human beings are pefectly capable of fighting their battles, even when it's a fight against themselves. Through Alexander, Anette, and her other friends, Jill experiences an array of new emotions that are more positive than she could ever hope for. She also begins to realize that even Alexander might have some scars of his own as well as witnessing Anette's unrelenting strength and determination. This is a story about love, loss, and the healing of a teenage girl's broken mind and heart through the friendship and courage of others. "You were just a handsome boy, your bright future and hopes and dreams and endless happiness etched invisibly onto your face. I was just a broken girl, all my pain and nightmares and thoughts scratched onto my arms. Except they weren’t invisible." PREVIOUSLY TITLED "SWEETLY BROKEN" cover is by Laura Makabresku (mala-lesbia on deviantart). no copyright infringement intended. I do not own the cover photograph.

/ / Stock·holm syn·drome (noun) / / feelings of trust or affection felt in certain cases of kidnapping or hostage-taking by a victim toward a captor. *DISCLAIMER: CONTAINS SUBJECTS SUCH AS SELF-HARM AND ABUSE*