My head was spinning. Absolutely spinning, and it wasn't just the glass of champagne. The last month, the last year even, had been a complete blur. From high school swim meets, to a generous college scholarship, to the Olympic trials, to the eight days I...
The Best Kind of Solace by Nicole Larson It was the most embarrassing time of my life. You see, I had sent this series of pictures to my then boyfriend Paul, who was away from school, visiting his family in California. If you know eighteen year old boys,...
My sister Allison woke me with an unceremonious kick to my bed. “Wake up,” she said. “Dad and Mom went to the store and he told us to wash the truck and the car.” I rubbed my eyes, stretched and yawned. The alarm clock on my nightstand said that it was al...
The Contest Winner By Nicole Larson “Did you enjoy the show?” the big security man with the headset asked. “I did!” I gushed. “Very much!” And I had. It had been a long time since I’d been to a rock concert, and I wasn’t a huge fan of Cindee’s music, but...
It was busy at the North Side Café in Vail, Colorado . The breakfast rush was on in force. The wait was twenty five minutes, and the lobby was packed. Every table was filled with people waiting to fill their bellies before they headed up for a day of skii...
Although they came from the same planet, lived in the same town, and were both Seniors in the same high school, they were from different worlds. Clarissa was a brain. Smart as a whip, turned on by anything scientific or informational. Her favorite activit...
Xanaduby Nicole LarsonGameStop closed at eight, and by the time Miles closed the store down and locked up it was eight thirty. By eight forty, he had been home, changed his clothes, and picked me up at my apartment. He drove as fast as caution would allow...
Aftermathby Nicole LarsonMy head was pounding--absolutely pounding--when I woke up. A spear of sunlight had shot through an errant slat in my vertical blinds and lanced right into my eye, waking me up. The pain was close to unbearable, but I didn't have t...
First TouchBy Nicole LarsonWe pulled up to the deBoers' house half an hour before eight. We were supposed to be there at seven, but my mom had this thing about being "fashionably late." Dad parked on the street, and we all got out of the car, and headed u...
