Nick got out of his car and slammed the door shut. "What a piece of junk," he said, and looked at the rust bucket that was his vehicle. The aqua sedan was a godsend when he first bought it years ago. The car got him out of the house during high school and helped him come and go from college. "Good times," mused Nick. Unfortunately, it was apparent that what once was the ticket to his freedom had seen better days. Over the...

Nick stands in front of a house. All the anxiety and hesitation in his body focuses on his fingertip as it inches closer to the doorbell. Pressing the button, Nick hears the ring and braces for a full-on panic attack. A few moments later, the doorknob turns and the door opens to show Carol Crest standing in front of him. "Nick!" she exclaims. "I didn't expect to see you today. What can I do for you?" Carol is wearing a wh...

Nick lay in bed on a Saturday with his left arm behind his head and his right throwing a handheld rubber ball into the air, catching it as it came down. It had been two days since he'd arrived home from college for his summer break and already he was bored. He knew this would happen, the same as last summer. "I should have gone somewhere..." he trailed off, wishing that he had taken his friends up on the offer to go to Ca...