Branches Book

BRANCHES

“Where’s Chris?” I asked and plopped myself down on the couch. Even in all the awkwardness of the moment, my habit of making myself at home did not subside. Michael looked up from behind the kitchen counter and paused for a moment. “Chris is… um, well he’s uh, we’re not together anymore.” “Oh, Michael. I’m so sorry. What happened? I thought you guys were getting serious, you talked about maybe getting married one day.” “Tessa,” said James putting his hand on my leg. I realized I was rambling. “Maybe he doesn’t want to talk about it.” I looked up at Michael. “No, no, it’s fine, I knew it would come up.” He poured the hot water into three mugs and added a splash of milk just the way my dad used to. They were more similar than Michael knew and it gave me a brief moment of comfort. “He said he wouldn’t stick around unless….” He trailed off. “Unless what?” I interjected. “Tessa,” James warned. Michael grabbed two of the mugs and set them down of the coffee table. “Unless I got my act together. Clean up, stop using.” My heart broke a little more with every word he spoke. How had I let this happen to him? Michael’s hands were shaking as he put the mugs down on the table. He paused in front of me and his eyes landed on the locket. I was about to speak, but he turned around to go get the other mug from the kitchen. I glanced at James and he nodded, knowing what my look meant. “Hey Michael, do you mind showing me where the bathroom is? I haven’t been here in awhile,” James said with an awkward laugh. “Yeah sure, no problem.” Michael showed him the way, and then came back to the small living room and sat down on the leather chair opposite me. We sat there for a few moments, transfixed, sipping our tea in silence, neither of us knowing what to say. He glanced at my locket again and I realize what he wanted, but was too afraid to say. I reached behind my head and unclasped the metal from my neck. I have always loved creative writing, but have not had much of an opportunity to do it, at least in the short story format. Story telling has long been a part of my life in the form of songwriting. A good song and a good story share a lot in common, but writing a story is a completely different experience. There is so much freedom in writing fiction. You can create entire worlds of your own. I think it’s important for people to read fiction both to hear stories similar and different from their own lives. There are certain Author’s Statement: Kayla Streiber

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