Lauren Rice

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jun, 2021

Stories (10)

10 Stories

195 karma pts

?

“Meet Me at the MOMA” by Lauren Rice

Submitted to Contest #242

Nobody tells you how hard it is to date in your late twenties.Even harder yet, dating as someone who has uprooted themselves to begin again in a new and (supposedly) exciting place.  To pack all of your belongings (mostly books in my case) in your 2004 Subaru Outback and drive halfway across the country to the city that shares its name with the state it belongs to. The concrete jungle where dreams are made of, according to Alicia Keys. The Big Apple.  If you have not caught on by now, which I would be incredibly shocked if you hadn...

4 comments 4
Read story

“New Year, New Me” by Lauren Rice

Submitted to Contest #233

I can do this, I thought to myself as I sat on the edge of the bed, my head throbbing from the night before.January 1st. The first day of the New Year. A fresh start, a clean slate, a new chapter.Whatever you wanted to call it, something about ringing in a New Year, pulling down your old calendar, and slapping up a new one made it feel like you could just begin again. Whatever you had done last year, or hell, even all the years before, was old news done by old you. New you was limitless, full of potential, pure and undefiled, and overfl...

4 comments 4
Read story

“The Invisible String” by Lauren Rice

Submitted to Contest #202

“So, what do you do for work?” “Where are you living these days?” “How are things going with you and that one guy?” She could already hear all the inevitable questions she would be asked tonight, the questions nobody yet had a chance to ask as she had snuck into the back of the church as close to the start of the ceremony as possible to avoid such conversations. Now, as she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, she could not work up the nerve to go out to the reception. She had snuck a peek at the whimsical fairy lights twinkling...

4 comments 4
Read story

“Blind Spot” by Lauren Rice

Submitted to Contest #182

4:02 am and my alarm goes off. I reach over lazily and hit aimlessly, hoping one of the attempts will be successful in shutting the beeping up.4:11 am and I have made it out of my bed, by some miracle unbeknownst to me.I am brushing my teeth, the little red light I have grown so used to blaring at me from the corner of the bathroom. I look away. 4:16 am and I have just popped a slice of bread into the toaster.A quick spread of avocado, a light sprinkle of sea salt and pepper, and voila, breakfast.I shove it in my mouth as I crouch ...

2 comments 2
Read story

“The Road Less Traveled” by Lauren Rice

Submitted to Contest #124

I’m pulled over on the side of the road, my hazards flashing red against the pure white snow every few seconds. It’s literally 0º outside and the heat blowing fiercely from my vents is quickly stolen from me by my window. My gloved hands grip the map tightly. I have no idea how to read this thing. Who knew GPS wouldn’t work in the middle of the freaking mountains. My iPhone, the one thing I can always be found holding close to my face, has been tossed onto the passenger seat, completely useless to me after snapping a few shots I plan to post...

2 comments 2
Read story

“Til Diner Do Us Part” by Lauren Rice

Submitted to Contest #110

“I’ll get the chocolate chip pancakes with a side of bacon, please. Oh, and coffee. Black, please.” “Anything else for ya, sugar?” The waitress looked up from her notepad, a sad look in her eyes that I could only assume was pity. “No, that’s all.” I gave her a weak smile and passed the menu back to her.  She stared at me for a moment then started to make her way towards another table who was examining their menus, ready to place their own order. I glanced out the window. It had started to rain, which if I recalled correctly w...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Seeing is Deceiving ” by Lauren Rice

Submitted to Contest #102

Human nature is the ocean.  It does as it pleases, no instructions needed. The difference between the two however, is that the ocean knows when it’s gone too far. It had been 107 days. My hair had grown past my shoulders and was now just above my waist. It was matted and tangled and filthy, but I still kept it braided on either side. Gabriel’s hair had grown too, quicker than mine. He now kept it in a small bun atop his head, but I loved when he let it down at night before we fell asleep, the thick blonde waves falling to frame ...

2 comments 2
Read story

“The Mirror of Marriage” by Lauren Rice

Submitted to Contest #101

I ran up the stairs to my room, desperate to see myself one last time before being married off to Duncan.  “Annaliese, where are you going?” my mother yelled from the bottom of the stairs. “I just need a moment alone, mother,” I replied as I quietly closed the bedroom door. There it was. The gold, intricate trim beholding detailed flowers and leaves. It stood at 6 feet tall with a curve at the top and was flat on the bottom where it rested on the floor. It was one of the most beautiful things my parents have ever gotten me and I w...

4 comments 4
Read story

“Just an Old Friend” by Lauren Rice

Submitted to Contest #99

I set my bag down gently in the sand and bent over to grab a towel from it.The sound of the waves crashed in the near distance as the sun kissed my exposed neck. I unrolled the towel and spread it out, setting the bag on the bottom left corner to keep it from blowing away.“This is a great spot. The tide shouldn't come too close. We can build a fire right here.” James moved his hands in circular motions around the plot of beach he was referring to.“Great,” I replied. The 'spot' was about 20 feet from the boardwalk, one of the only spaces not ...

2 comments 2
Read story

“Two Sisters and a Mouse” by Lauren Rice

Submitted to Contest #99

Constance leaned forward and rested her chin on the steering wheel. She had been driving for 8 hours straight now with 9 more hours to go and the day was starting to catch up with her. Nova reached forward to change the radio station. After scanning for something worth listening to for a few minutes and only hearing static, she settled on the only station that would come through clear enough to understand the lyrics. “You know I literally hate country music, right?” Constance glanced over at Nova with an agitated look on her face and then ...

2 comments 2
Read story

Author bio

Singer, artist, coffee enthusiast, and bibliophile. Located in the Great Pacific Northwest.