Branch Extended

Life passed by and Olive never tried to slow it down, even if everything moved too fast to keep up. Everyone else seemed to manage, and over the last few months she had learned to cope with not understanding just how they did it.

A fateful trip to detention, an annoyingly persistent boy named Ben, and a whirlwind of chance changed everything for the girl who had all but given up on herself.

. . . . .

"You're trying to fix me!" I yelled, letting my temper unleash itself through my volume. But I wasn't mad. I was disappointed in myself. "I know I'm broken but what kind of repair job would it be if I didn't do it myself?" My effort to lower my voice was in vain, apparently.

"You're not broken!" Ben yelled back.

I scoffed at the notion, provoking Ben even more. He grabbed my shoulders tightly and jerked my body enough so that my head swung up towards him, forcing eye contact out of me to convey his sincerity. "You are not broken. You're... you're like a puzzle that's just halfway done."

"Huh?"

"You have all your pieces, and you're working on putting yourself together. Is it really so bad if I point out where a piece could go? You're doing all the work; I just want to keep you company while you do."

His honey-brown eyes never wavered from me. His gaze was intense, and if anyone else looked at me the way he was, I would have been uncomfortable. With Ben, though, it made me relax, letting my shoulders sag into his hands. We stood like that for at least a long moment, if not forever.

. . . . .

TW: This book deals with mental health, specifically depression, and sexual assault.