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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2021
CW: suicidal ideation Sal supposes that drive-in restaurants are the closest thing to heaven. Everyone drowns their problems in chili sauce and soft serve, in grease and sugar. It’s all conveniently brought to their car window, where they are at liberty to spill as much of it in their laps as they wish; it’s like having dinner in a bathtub. In this Kentucky town, there is God at church and God at A&...
The buzzer sounds, cutting through the air with authority and resonance. A gaggle of thirteen-year-old boys clear the court, limbs bouncing and dripping with sweat. Boys from both sides collect their belongings, take long sips of water, and find their family members in the bleachers, waving to them weakly. Brennan finds his dad by the doors of the gymnasium. He pats Brennan on the back twice, and they head out into...
“Grow up.” “But I hate onions.” “Just eat them, stop being a baby.” When his mom stops looking, Eli reaches his fingers between the bun and the patty of his cheeseburger. Delicately, he removes the onions from the bed of ketchup and lettuce. He flings them onto his napkin like little tapeworms. He’d recently seen a video about parasites on Youtube and, like many preteen boys, he had an affinity for gros...
CW: teen pregnancy and allusions to abortion She told him she would meet him at the field after the game so they could talk about the baby. The baby they just found out they were going to have. While he waits in the dugout, he does the math and figures the baby will arrive in March. If things went normally, that is. In the spring, when it would be time to prune the rose bushes. Right before the beginnin...
There are some people who are just impossible to shake. Amber checked her schedule and felt herself shrink when she saw his name in the 12:30 time slot. Steven. He had signed up Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday for tutoring. Despite the nearly two weeks he’d spent with Amber in the computer lab, Steven had made meager progress. She had told a classmate about him, and this classmate called him a...
Trisha stuck her arm out the car window to let the summer sun fry her skin. Her mom was giving her a ride to the fast-food place where she worked. She asked Trisha when she was going to get a driver’s license, as was typical for her mom to do. “I don’t know, Mom, when I take the test.” She also asked about the interview at the daycare center, and Trisha responded that she hadn’t gotten a call yet. “No, Mom, I told you l...
It was the last day of my life. I was a little piece on the Candy Land board. Around me were colors I didn’t know existed. I followed the signs along the path haphazardly, gaping at the sweet landmarks. There was a snowfield with giant candy canes rising out of it. I swung on the red and white stripes and didn’t need to stop and rest. I never really liked peppermint but licked my hands when I was done. I jumped ...
Bystander #1 The concrete vibrated softly underneath us, like being on a lily pad in a pond. A sea of lights flowed toward us before disappearing beneath our feet. Vroom! The boy stood on the wall, holding onto the rusted fence and watching the parade of lights. I looked to the stars for answers. I had been on my way to the convenience store down the road. My friends were expecti...
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