A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard
87 words
"Just breathe," Mark muttered to himself, attempting to regain some semblance of calm. The board meeting was tomorrow, the presentation was incomplete, and the weight of responsibility felt crushing. ...
A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard
73 words
The apartment was stifling, the air conditioner broken, and the rent overdue. John was staring at the blank screen, the deadline looming, the pressure unbearable. A loud thump, the sound of Buster's e...
A coach has to cut a player from the team
109 words
The air in the arena was thick, the noise of the crowd a low, constant hum. Coach Williams sat on the bench, watching the team practice, the scene a blur of motion and color. Every whistle of the ref,...
Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories
148 words
Liam stared at the email, his vision blurring. It was from his agent, with a link to a blog post, a post that accused his literary hero, Alistair Bloom, of stealing plotlines. He slumped back in his c...
Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories
137 words
The phone rang, a jarring intrusion into Clara’s quiet Sunday afternoon. It was her best friend, Sarah, excitedly telling her about the scandal surrounding her favourite author, Evelyn Reed. Clara c...
Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories
126 words
The news report played on the television, the image of Elias Thorne, her literary idol, splashed across the screen. Sarah let out a sigh, then promptly switched it off. The screen went dark, but the s...
Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories
117 words
The cafe buzzed with the lunchtime crowd, but for Emily, the sounds were muffled. The article on her phone, detailing the plagiarism charges against Arthur Hayes, a writer she adored, continued to tau...
Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories
121 words
"That’s impossible," Marcus said aloud, the words echoing in the empty apartment. The accusation against his favorite author, Theodore Crowe, had just appeared on his computer screen. Marcus felt li...
A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else
107 words
"I just… I don't understand," she stammered to her advisor, her voice barely a whisper. Her hands, clasped together in her lap, were white-knuckled. The advisor’s office, usually a beacon of calm,...
A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else
89 words
“Can you believe this?” Leo said, his voice tight. He slammed his laptop shut, the screen reflecting his agitated face. He had been so focused on his studies, had poured everything into his work, ...
A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else
104 words
I felt a cold dread creep through me, settling in my bones. The email, a casual announcement of the clerical error, was a gut punch. My fingers fumbled with the mouse as I reread it, each word a hamme...
A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else
97 words
He walked aimlessly, the campus bustling around him, yet he felt utterly alone. The email, a digital ghost, had shattered his carefully constructed world. The scholarship, the foundation of his future...
Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account
130 words
The office was quiet, the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead. Emily felt the sting in her eyes, the familiar precursor to a migraine. The private Facebook group, a digital haven for her daughter, Chl...
Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account
116 words
The house seemed smaller, the walls closing in. John paced the living room, the hardwood floors creaking with each agitated step. His daughter, Lily, had a hidden Twitter account filled with sarcastic...
Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account
129 words
He felt a coldness creeping through him, a bone-deep chill that had nothing to do with the thermostat. Mark sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the screen. The images of his son, Jake, on his secre...
Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account
96 words
The car keys felt heavy in her hand. Maria pulled into the driveway, the familiar sight of her house suddenly foreign. Her son, Alex, had been distant, but she had brushed it off as typical teenage an...
Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account
111 words
The silence of the house was oppressive, broken only by the ticking of the grandfather clock in the hall. Robert stood in the doorway, staring at the laptop. His son, Ben's, hidden Tumblr account was ...
Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account
98 words
The phone vibrated in her hand, a harsh, insistent pulse. Sophia, her teenage daughter, Maya, had a secret profile on a platform she didn't even recognize, full of videos. The quick, rapid-fire cuts o...
Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account
103 words
The laundry sat, untouched, in the basket, mirroring the stagnation in his heart. Daniel stared at the hidden Instagram account of his daughter, Olivia. The bright, filtered images felt like a slap in...