Leo traced the condensation on his soda can with his index finger. Outside the convenience store window, rain slicked the pavement into a dark mirror reflecting neon signs. He watched headlights blur past, each car carrying people to places he couldn’t imagine. His mom was late again. He jumped when the bell above the door jangled. Finn slid in, shaking rainwater from his dark hair like a wet dog. "Thought you’d be gone b...

I have him wrapped around my finger, silencing his 100+ texts an hour just to keep him waiting, knowing it’ll drive him insane. Maybe I’ll reply, once or twice with a hey or a hi. If I’m bored I’ll send a pic. Even just my bare collarbone gets him all riled up, has him begging to come over just to see me. Today I’m treating him, just this once, dropping my address and giving him twenty minutes to haul his ass over here be...

In my experience, most people stumble through life in a fog of moral obtuseness, where the line between right and wrong blurs into a vast, personal grey area. They justify their indulgences with half-hearted excuses, letting desires dictate their paths. Me? I try to keep my own grey zone as narrow as possible—a tightrope walk that’s cost me friendships, strained relationships, and left my basest urges simmering just benea...

I was born into a loving family with two parents who sacrificed everything for their kids. My parents were hardworking yet gave us all the attention when they were home. My brother and I were very close. Being only eleven months apart, we are what people call Irish twins, which made us closer than most. Since we were babies, my older brother has always been there for me, protecting me. I never wanted to be away from my br...

Upon reflection, Bertram decided that his Scott Pilgrim Versus the World poster had to come down. He was proud of how he’d gotten it for free, and no doubt it added a splash of colour to his drab dorm room wall – but the awkward truth was that he hadn’t actually seen the movie while it was in theatres, and he suspected that Tessa would likely judge him for that. He’d met her in his Early Twentieth Century Literature cours...

Tom was by no means an attractive individual; in fact, he was quite average, as far as he could tell. He was a little above average height; his hair was a dark brown, almost fully black, but he kept it clean and neat. He was also a bit of a shy nerd, as some of his classmates would describe him, and the description fit; he wouldn't really speak up in class but was part of four extracurriculars, none of which were at all r...

It was the summer of 1979, and I was working as a line cook at a major seafood restaurant chain in Aurora, Colorado. The heat was unbearable, the kitchen a sweltering inferno that made the outside seem like a cool breeze in comparison. But the company was even hotter, and it wasn't just the temperature that had me sweating. Lisa, a blonde waitress with an hourglass figure, caught my eye from the moment she started working...

There are just a few weeks left before the first April Fool’s Day of my college career, and I’m scared as hell. It’s not a milestone I ever expected to take much notice of, but here at Caverley University, pranks are practically a religion, and April Fool’s Day is bigger than Christmas. Seriously, Caverley is known for two things: epic pranks and a top-notch film department, the latter of which is what prompted my arguabl...