Start your story with someone saying “I quit!”

Posted in Adults on Oct 28, 2022

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✍️ 55 stories

“Veronica's Meltdown” by Patty Cresalia

Submitted to Contest #166

Veronica’s Meltdown “I quit!”, Veronica repeated, “I’m done!” Looking around she noted the grocery store had continued to fill with people. Mostly women, a few harassed-looking mothers with children in tow. All wearing reserved, “mission-ready” faces. Guarding their eyes, the shoppers searched and scanned shelves, yet avoided unnecessary eye contact with others as they pushed their carts down the aisle. The moment Veronica entered the parking lot, she knew it was a bad idea to come on a Saturday morning. After circling the parking...

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“How she become Louisa Anne Horton” by Natalia Nava

Submitted to Contest #166

“I quit!” That was all that Louisa said, all those years of sacrifice were gone, and all because of Amber. Louisa had a hard childhood, however, when she was nine years old she found something she was passionate about. Riding horses, she couldn't love a single thing more than she loved horses. Horseback riding was her escape, the only thing that enabled her to escape her problems. While riding, Louisa felt a connection with the horse as well as with nature. The breeze on her face, that adrenaline that made her heart race, she loved everythin...

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“Doctor?! I barely know her!” by Josh Mullenax

Submitted to Contest #166

The words left his mouth before he could stop them. They flew through the room and out into the ether like colorful songbirds rising the sun on beautiful wings. He stood there, heaving, and looking around the room at those around him- watching in stunned silence. All eyes were on him now except the eyes of the woman laying on the surgical table- hers remained closed. He pulled down his mask and repeated, “I. Fucking. Quit.” He said, exasperating each word as if it was his final. He looked around, suddenly feeling exposed. The bright lights o...

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“Walk-out” by Aaron Tippit

Submitted to Contest #166

"I quit," Derek said as he flopped his head against the headrest. "Yeah?" Lance, his partner, retorted. "To do what? Bag groceries? Flip burgers? Ours is a pretty specialized skill set." "I'm just done," Derek sighed. "After twenty-five years, this job really tears into your soul. If you get to keep one." They sat in an old sedan, built before plastic and crumple zones. A hunched figure piled in rags shuffled by them, pushing a scavenged shopping cart down the dark sidewalk. "It's true," Lance was in his late twenties, his youthful looks...

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“Quitting For The Weekend” by Noelle James

Submitted to Contest #166

“I quit!” he beamed through the phone. Cheers sounded in the background. That must be the rest of the bachelor party. Surely they already had enough to celebrate this weekend, but Brian’s newly found freedom would call for additional rounds at the bar. After a beat I realized I was still silent. “Wait, what?” I asked, as if I didn’t actually hear him the first time. “I quit!” he repeated. More cheers. “WHEN?” I found myself shouting to overcome the growing echoes of joy roaring through the phone. I was acutely aware th...

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“Row, Row, Row Your Boat” by Alex Tetarevski

Submitted to Contest #166

"I quit," said Alina, as if the words flew out of her mouth uncontrollably, making her stomach turn over. "The real question is, how much money do you want to make, and the answer is, as much as possible." Jonathan walked through the room with confidence. "At the end of the day, in every role in this field, you will find something that interests you more and something that interests you less. The division between the roles is arbitrary." While Jonathan spoke, Alina recalled a lullaby that her mother always sang to her. Row, row, ro...

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“The muse” by Emilie Heroux

Submitted to Contest #166

“I quit!” Steve’s yell echoed through out his apartment, for years he had been working on his artwork wanting to make the leap from hobby to profession, but the endless stream of rejection had driven him to his limit. His eyes shimmering with tears he looked around the room, the walls were covered in what he believed to be his best work, which he hung up for himself to enjoy after each piece failed to sell. What use to make his heart soar now made it fill with despair, after all his hard work, after having poured his soul into these painting...

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“I Quit” by Corrie McCue

Submitted to Contest #166

“I quit! Before you, I will lay down the failure of all of this.” She raises her eyes to the top of the mountain across the lake. Stars begin to fade as the sky becomes bruised with the first hints of dawn. In her outstretched hands, she holds a leather bound notebook. Mist rises lazily from the lake below her. Her toes feel the coolness of moisture on the wooden dock planks.It’s all here, scrawled upon the pages in her minimalist cursive–everything she could remember that had ever gone wrong in her life. No longer would she carry it wi...

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“Baggage” by Marie White

Submitted to Contest #166

“I quit!” she declared, scooting forward on Destry’s stiff suede couch. She hadn’t planned to say it—not today, at least. She’d thought that she could endure a little more rejection, a little more wasted effort. But she’d done everything she could think to do: She’d taken Kyleigh to restaurants. The mall. The movies (even though sitting for two straight hours in the dark was not her idea of a good time). She’d asked her abo...

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“Not a Quitter, Not a Winner” by Mickie Bee

Submitted to Contest #166

TW: Themes of mental abuse"I quit", were the words that uttered out of my mouth, as I slammed my moog synthesizer on my ex boyfriend's coffee table- causing it to break it's circuit board, amongst other damages (beyond materialistic).I'm a musician, and I have been in an electro-dream pop band with my boyfriend and his mistress for the last two years. Word to the wise, never pursue music with a love interest- we've seen the outcome time and time again (a la Fleetwood Mac), yet, I didn't heed to that cautionary tale when I decided to pursue m...

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Start your story with someone saying “I quit!”

Submissions are closed

✍️ 55 stories

“Veronica's Meltdown” by Patty Cresalia

“How she become Louisa Anne Horton” by Natalia Nava

“Doctor?! I barely know her!” by Josh Mullenax

“Walk-out” by Aaron Tippit

“Quitting For The Weekend” by Noelle James

“Row, Row, Row Your Boat” by Alex Tetarevski

“The muse” by Emilie Heroux

“I Quit” by Corrie McCue

“Baggage” by Marie White

“Not a Quitter, Not a Winner” by Mickie Bee

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about someone who knows it’s time to retire or change jobs, but is hesitating.

Write about a rivalry between two coworkers that has unforeseen consequences.

Set your story at a retirement or leaving party.

Write about someone who has long since quit but decides to go another round for old time’s sake.

Contest #166

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

180

Contest entries

73

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: