The Newspaper Clipping
Rick was the human embodiment of "meh.” I couldn’t pinpoint exactly why I found him so dismissible. Was it his quirkiness? Or his inane comments that made everyone (except me)…[...]
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“I Want You Happy (Even If It’s Not With Me)”
Love is a curse, and longing, its potent poison. This is a story about two highschool boys who loved deeply, each yearning for someone who didn't reciprocate their affection.Noel, a…[...]
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Tangled in your love
They say not to expect much from a kiss—but as I stepped onto the Ferris wheel, I couldn’t help but wonder. The sun was setting in a blaze of a…[...]
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Graduation Gift
Graduation Gift by Sue Baughman 6/27/25 (1070 Words) Franklin D. Roosevelt High School’s Gymnasium was dressed in it’s finest for the year’s Home Coming Dance and Class Reunion. The same…[...]
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The Memory of Toby
The Memory of TobyStanding at the stove in her one-bedroom apartment, Karen made dinner for one —a routine she'd followed for the past two years since moving to the big…[...]
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Jessie’s Beginning
Jessie’s Beginning “I do not know why I am going to this high school reunion. I was only there for my final year, and I have not seen or talked…[...]
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A Conversation of Glances
It would be too easy to write me off as a lost cause when I say that my idol is Macbeth. And easier still knowing I use his seismic judgement…[...]
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The Graduation Stage
Content warning: This story contains substance abuse and implied suicide.The lights were blinding.From up here, the gym looked like a blur—faces, caps, restless bodies shifting in metal chairs. My palms…[...]
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The Sting of Regret
I didn’t fire her because she was failing. Or loud. Or late. Or any of the things they tell you to document with timestamps and bullet points. I fired her…[...]
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Super Leaper
He was naked, he was alone, it was dark. The chill of hopelessness filled him so he curled into a fetal position and sat in silence until he heard a…[...]
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Did We Know Each Other?
When I saw his name badge on the high school reunion registration table, fear stabbed my gut the same way it did in ninth grade when he asked me out…[...]
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Making Amends
“Let’s go Tigers, out the car! Grab your stuff. Coach is waiting!” Adam yelled to be heard over the rain. He handed each 12 year-old-girl their game-day snack pack filled…[...]
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No Ragerets
I should let you know this story might get me fired…But let me tell you, "I regeret nothing." I hated homework because I couldn’t read for more than 5 minutes…[...]
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Freedom is not just a word
We’ve all asked ourselves this at least once: “How did older generations live without technology and AI?” A question often brought up by millennials to the younger generation and usually…[...]
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Hours Before Dawn
Trigger Warning: Mentions of anxiety, overthinking, and emotional distress. Please read with care. I’m lying in bed, only a blanket over my already-sweaty legs. I try to lull myself to…[...]
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It was Christmas 1998
TW: sexual and physical violence, mental abuse, miscarriage She told him how their baby passed from her body months after he stopped looking at her. She explained in minute detail…[...]
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January 18, 2026
The Firebird’s muscular V8 growled louder as Sean pressed the accelerator pedal. The metallic bronze body and maroon trim of the 1976 Firebird made the gold avian namesake painted on…[...]
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Unexpected Answers
“You’ve become quite the independent woman. You’re growing up so fast,” her father said tenderly. “Twelve years old today, it feels strange, since I’ve spent the other eleven with you,…[...]
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Overcoming a secret
Note: There is sexual abuse and drug/alcohol abuse, suicidal talk and mental health issues in this story Jenna was a quiet and unsure child. She did whatever was expected of…[...]
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Perfection
When I imagined the perfect life, I didn't think about how it was in the background. Until I made it there. When I'm at school everyone sees the girl who's…[...]
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The Hero To The Masks
The first time it happened was probably the worst. One completely mundane night, Janice Solome had been blissfully curled up in bed, completely unaware that her simple and uncomplicated life…[...]
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Surreptitious
It’s no rare occasion for Mandy Roswell to get tired of things that the majority of people don’t. Talking with her benchmate in her class? What to most would be…[...]
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Way-Back Machine
Way-Back Machine Was it my imagination or was it real? Was it truly him or did I only want it to be him? No. I didn't want it to be…[...]
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Angela’s Lesson
I stand in front of the class for the first time. This is going to be difficult. What am I even doing here? This is the class I didn’t want.…[...]
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The better Lee
The town newspaper ran another front-page feature article about him, the second one in as many years. There was a big photo of him smiling and holding up a golden…[...]
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The Sixth Man’s Best Second
The clock's glaring red numbers burned themselves in Alex’s sight. One second. I could make that shot. Definitely Just walk up to the free throw line and shoot. Alex shut…[...]
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~ Back It or Pack It ~
~ Back It or Pack It ~ I’m Jim. Home after a long day at work, I find my wife in her sitting room seriously putting on makeup. I kiss…[...]
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The Favourite
The Favourite, right, she don’t just get smiles, she hoards them, piles of the things fallen to the floor with the cuttings. I’m down there with the broom sweeping up…[...]
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I don’t owe you this
To: @lindsygrahamSubject: no contactI knew I was your second choice the moment I saw your name on the screen. I didn’t even have to answer the phone. If you were…[...]
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I’ll Never Belong
I walked down the dimly lit halls, my footsteps echoing into the silence like a drumbeat that refused to end. The only sound was the steady rhythm of my boots…[...]
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Bleach Blonde
CW: Mentions of bullying and emotional distress. My phone shines on my face, the brightness of the screen being the only thing illuminating my dark bedroom. I keep swiping back…[...]
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Only Blood
I leaned back and pressed the ice pack to my eye. Cold relief radiated out, reducing the throb to a welcome numbness. I eased out a breath. Something tapped my…[...]
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Always a Part of Me
She wasn’t really a witch. I mean she was, but she wasn’t. It was a nickname I used with Erin, my younger sister - and Mum never found out. Not…[...]
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Witch justice, her justice
Her phone, buried under her duvet and a dozen dead-eyed animals, vibrated. Alessia tried to focus on the maths problem in front of her or her music, gently plucked harps…[...]
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The Struggle of Happiness
The Struggle of HappinessEthan sat at the edge of his bed, staring at the cracks running along the ceiling. The silence of the night pressed against his chest, dense and…[...]
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The Forest
“Thats not how this works!” I say angrily, could he really be this stupid? Why is he even here?! “Well excuse me, Mrs. ecophile!” He retorts, offended “I don’t know…[...]
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The Lunch That Changed Everything
“Hey, is this seat taken?” The voice came out of nowhere, cutting through the din of an otherwise hectic cafeteria. The subject to whom that voice had directed its line…[...]
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Turnover at Midfield
CW: Mentions of substance abuse, violence, depression and trauma For half a decade my dad, Jim Pierce, had jumped from one dead end job to another. This followed his completion…[...]
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Ambition on the Bars
Ambition is both a protector and a destroyer. Since I was four years old, I remember walking into the one gym that would forever hold my future. I was looking…[...]
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“Oh, Woe is Me!”
“It’s study period at Milford High School, but Willard isn’t studying. Instead, he is staring wistfully at the back of Barbie Conner’s head, admiring her golden blonde hair shimmering in…[...]
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Basketball is Life
David Allen was sleeping like the dead. That’s an exaggeration, but only slightly. A tournament the weekend before, five practices during the week, three morning runs and a couple of…[...]
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What I Wish could undo
I woke up to the screams of happiness from the kids. They were all gathering in the same place, as if receiving God himself. Adults and kids were happy, so…[...]
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Poster Boy
I can’t risk writing them down.My thoughts, I mean. Like cracking my ribcage open for the world to peek inside. So I release them every night after dinner, when almost…[...]
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Mother Moon
January 30 The stars are out tonight. I’m looking at them now. So small, so dim, so frail, but there are so many of them. I can see them through…[...]
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Sharp Edges
The wind didn’t knock me over but breezed right through my bones. Goose bumps rise on my skin as I involuntarily shiver from the cold starting to infiltrate my beautiful…[...]
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Blurred Lines
I wake up, I think. Something feels different. The air is heavy — stagnant, like it’s been frozen in time. The clock ticks, but the sound comes back wrong, twisting…[...]
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The Crushes of High School
The crushes of high schoolIn high school I had three crushes (Lori, Carol, and Diane). All were very beautiful at the time, and I was going through some medical issues.…[...]
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Tears on the Red, White and Blue
I ran as fast as I could hoping I would outrun all the other football players to the dressing room following practice. I had learned from experience you either get…[...]
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The Slogan
He looks her up and down, this so-called journo that was brought in to ghost-write his latest autobiography.Nice tits; top blouse button unbuttoned, his staff must have told her. He…[...]
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Vengeance knows no Marcy
The three teenagers were trying to stay as quiet as possible as they made their way through the silent abandoned school building. “I'm still not sure this is a good…[...]
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The Good Witch
Andrea was a good witch. It was what she repeated to herself every time she looked over and saw her former friends hanging out. They were several feet away in…[...]
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Orange Cats & Fanny Packs: A Halloween Miracle
“Give me a boost,” Izzie says frantically, tilting her head toward the tiny orange kitten wedged between several branches near the top of the old oak tree. Its mews are…[...]
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Humans Make the Best Winterwear
Rica tightened the stitches in her knee, patted the folds of her skirt into place, then raised a fist of sickly green to rap upon Mr. Sporespire’s door. When it…[...]
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Suffering is Caused by Attachment
Albert’s Story My identical twin brother, Robert, and I always had a complicated relationship. He was a little smaller than me, a little weaker than me, and a little jealous…[...]
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Jenny got it wrong
Jenny was as bright as a lightbulb, or that's what her grandma called her. She always made good decisions. Well, that's what everyone thought. But Jenny knew she got it…[...]
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A Dance of Ghosts
A school night without education. No stress and no stacks of papers. No exams and no grades. It was the prom. The night everybody looked forward to. A night of…[...]
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My Best Friend is a Ghost
My best friend is a ghost. This is the story of how that happened. The tiny green traffic light blurred by the wintery mist, glowing in the distance like a…[...]
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More Like Eternity
It was the depth of summer — you know the time — deep red heat stinging ripe into your shoulders. Sally sat on the bench in front of me with…[...]
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Thawing You
My heart freezes as you pull the sleeve away. Your eyes are solid ice. My eyes start to sting. I try to pull away, but your eyes are so damn…[...]
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The Misunderstanding
One drop on the pavement, two drops on my hand. Five seconds later, the rain is a wall that I cannot even see through. It drips from my collar and…[...]
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The Soul of the School
Mr. Medema was by all accounts the school’s most respected algebra instructor, except that there was no contendership for such a title since respectable people don’t wear their respect on…[...]
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Word Salad
I tossed my backpack down, flopping down onto my bed. School had been hard. Not the kind of hard where you get the random pop quiz or anything. The kind…[...]
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What a Witch!
When Rochelle was a child, she had seen ghosts as a child. She had tried to tell her mother that her grandmother was at Rochelle's side, waving her hand. Unfortunately…[...]
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The Church of Good Earth.
It was winter, and Rochelle was spending more lunch hours in the library, reading ancient books, or writing her own book eagerly. Page after page flowed smoothly from her inspiration.…[...]
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Giving Blood
This is not what I signed up for! I realized this when I heard the screaming in my classroom for the first time. I was 20 years old and teaching…[...]
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Send Our Girls to Orlando: All-Sports Fundraiser, Friday @ 5:30 PM
12:13 PM, Thursday, December 17th“Ugh! Caroline, this is NOT what I signed up for!”Caroline’s muffled reply came from under the large wooden desk, likely original to the old school. “They…[...]
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TIME IS A PRETZEL
TIME IS A PRETZELByLes Clark “What?” “What what?” I returned her serve. This marital ping pong game has been going on for the many decades Myrna and I have been…[...]
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Doing Lunch.
Rochelle was trying to edit her noble guide for training aspiring witches and wizards, but she closed her book. She was growing tired. Plus, she wished she and Jarryd had…[...]
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Secret Daises
“What if she finds out?” Jo overhears this as she walks past the library. She pauses in her tracks and scans the room for the voice. She recognizes it. Who…[...]
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Escape Goats and Eggcorns
The Dearborn Public Library was far from impressive. It had been provided to the community around the same time the town hall was constructed. Since not much else was available…[...]
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Permission
Chris opened the slim paperback book to the last page, hoping the print was large and the page count low. It was the smallest, thinnest book on the rack of…[...]
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The scent of Evergreen
Issac Hale was twelve years old when he learned that smells could lie.Lavender meant calm. Rosemary meant protection. Chamomile meant sleep. That was what his grandfather always said, at least.…[...]
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Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime
A thousand bunless hot dogs fall from the sky onto a high school football field. The sun could cook them, but forces greater than the 4.5-billion-year-old sphere of plasma that…[...]
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Summer School
Chapter OneFailed Grades“Now, class. I know you all love them, so, Pop Quiz!” The teacher, Mrs Harris, said, ready for the disappointment from the class. As she thought, it came.…[...]
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Listen to Me
Music blared out the speakers as my friends and I jammed out to some random pop song no one ever heard of. The car pulled to a stop and Julia…[...]
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Lines That Weren’t There before
It was only the next day, but I always remembered the sound it made–paper tearing down the middle like her screaming that no one else but me heard. A sharp,…[...]
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A New Device Policy
“Thanks, Laura. I’m here at Kennedy West Hospital where Reed Crawford, a 14-year-old boy, is still in critical condition. Mrs. Crawford is pleading –” My mom stamped the radio station…[...]
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the mother’s daughter
It is an overwhelming thing to be a teenage girl with curly hair. My curls emerged suddenly when I was thirteen years old, inherited from my mother and my grandmother.…[...]
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Come back soon okay?
21/05/2019 Dear Alex,I haven't heard from you in a while, I hope your well. Mina's getting better, mum and dad made me move schools to afford her treatment, I'm not…[...]
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Hello from 10 Years Ago
Subject: Hello from 10 Years Ago May 5, 2015 11:30amTo: sabrina.rocher97@gmail.comFrom: rocher.sabrina15@friendsacademy.edu Dear Future Me, We’re supposed to write a letter to our future selves. Like, who do we imagine…[...]
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The Child in Lilac
“Ahh,” Ethan wakes, peering around the room, it’s dark. “Mom!” The night is silent and still. Just the sound of his ticking clock on the wall. He looks out his…[...]
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Oh, it’s you
(*Name has been changed to protect real identity) It was her.I hadn’t seen Wendy Black* since my high school crush days and there she was on the Trax train traveling…[...]
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Some Kind of Popsicle
The first time I saw her, my popsicle melted. And no, that’s not a euphemism – it was a very hot day. I was eleven years old when I first…[...]
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