"Yeah," Darius said into the phone as Jessica, the receptionist, made no attempt to disguise her eavesdropping. "I just finished the work-trade shift and will take a class with Hannah. After, I'll ... [+]
Our new house really felt like a home, with cockroaches and two pit bulls and a palm tree and a chain-link fence. On that first day, I heated up a can of kidney beans for breakfast and ate it ... [+]
There is a story and it goes like this. There is a tower of brick and stone, raised up like a mountain. Its peak puts holes in the bottoms of clouds. A princess sits by the window at the top, and ... [+]
"Are we there yet?"
"Not yet, dear." I responded, "Just a few more minutes, okay?"
"Okay!"
The day started off like any other day, the sun was shining and the winds blew through the harsh
... [+]
Jerome's after-school routine was simple, efficient, and mechanical. As soon as he stepped off the bus, he was already unzipping his coat so that he could slip out of it by the time he reached the ... [+]
The attic was a mess. Piles and piles of rusted knick-knacks, worn-out books, and moth-ridden clothing took up the majority of the cramped room, leaving only a small path from the ladder to the ... [+]
Just around sundown, Tina burst into Justin’s apartment and informed him that he needed to stop whatever he was doing because something big had just come up. Startled, Justin set down his cereal ... [+]
Slipping on your rain boots for the first time, they’re heavier than you remember; it makes you wonder, how will you get through the day? You knew it wouldn’t be easy, what with the first downpou ... [+]
My father’s last words to me were “Catalina, estás llena de gracia, comparte tu espíritu.” Or, “Catalina you are full of grace, share your spirit.” He wrote these in the form of a lette ... [+]
Moon-Face had lived among us for many summer days, but nobody actually knew her name. She just appeared one night, like a fox who had scavenged one dead city and had now moved on to another. We ... [+]
You ever bury someone? How about bury a priest? How about bury a priest as a fucking detention? I have. Do you know what's it like to be sent into your high school chapel, thinking you'll be doing ... [+]
Flipping through the pages of her journal, she looked for signs of development. Did she accomplish what she set out to do?
Flips page.
If a stranger were to read her entries, what kind
... [+]
My mother is a worrier, and my father doesn't say much. Sometimes I worry that I am too similar to them, but I rarely talk about it.
In elementary school there was a poster on the wall that read
... [+]
Thousands of noises buzzing inside Paul's ears all at once; the endless flow of the crowds, the intoxicating scent of pretzels and hot dogs spicing the air. Paul and his father made it to their seats ... [+]