Findin' Candy

So awfully bitter, you'll know me by the aftertaste.
I can't tell you where I'm going, and I can't begin to understand where I've been, but I'm alive. Alive and alone, until a savior presents himself in tattered clothes and a frayed beanie.
Shielding me with his protection, the promise of tomorrow seems to be within reach after all. He shows me how to navigate the city, how to steal and survive. And just when I think I might have a future running the streets, my world comes to a halt for a pair of stunning hazel eyes. The boy attached isn't too bad either.
But when a group of armed men, and a mom I didn't know I had, throw my world into chaos, I'm forced to choose between my head and my heart. Spoiler alert - young love never lasts.
Trigger Warning: This is a prequel novella for the I Love Candy Series, giving Candy the origin story she desperately needed. Described from the perspective of a thirteen-year-old runaway, there is violence and angst throughout. No abuse is described, although very faintly hinted at.