A person finds out their article was published under someone else's name
127 words
Her vision swam as she scrolled through the online journal. There, plastered across the screen, was her research, her carefully crafted arguments, but the author's name wasn’t hers. A cold wave cras...
A person finds out their article was published under someone else's name
102 words
He saw the article on the magazine's website. The title, his title. The research, his research. The name, not his. He backed away from his computer, his heart lodging itself in his throat. He ran a ha...
A person finds out their article was published under someone else's name
102 words
The glossy magazine, with her ideas emblazoned on the cover, sat mocking her from the coffee table. Her name wasn't there. It was his, his boss's. She picked up a magazine, her fingers trailing along ...
A person finds out their article was published under someone else's name
85 words
It was online, in black and white, for the entire world to see. A profound sense of unreality washed over her. Her life’s work, stolen, usurped. The author's name, not hers. She felt as though the g...
A person finds out their article was published under someone else's name
77 words
The news broke at the conference. Her research, presented under another’s name. A wave of murmurs rippled through the room. She felt all the eyes on her, accusing, pitying. She felt a deep, chilling...
An athlete doesn't make the team they expected to join
152 words
Liam stared at the email, the screen's bright light searing his retinas. The subject line, "Team Roster Announcement," mocked him. He’d known, of course, that the competition was fierce, but he’d ...
An employee is transferred to a different department
89 words
"So, you're the new guy!" The voice boomed, startling him. He jumped, spilling coffee down his crisp white shirt. He stammered a response, the words catching in his throat.
The IT department. The pla...
Someone receives a friend request from a childhood bully
121 words
The email notification chimed, a small, innocuous sound that suddenly amplified into a deafening roar in my ears. I knew, even before I looked, who it was from: David Miller. A wave of heat washed ove...
Someone receives a friend request from a childhood bully
113 words
It was a cold sweat. He woke up in the middle of the night, heart pounding against his ribs, sheets tangled around his legs. The phone on the nightstand pulsed, a persistent green light, illuminating ...
Someone receives a friend request from a childhood bully
102 words
The screen was the problem. The request blinked, a digital serpent, its eyes fixed on me. It was from Emily Carter. I felt a jolt of panic, a sudden, desperate urge to hide.
I couldn’t breathe prop...
A person finds out their surprise party has been cancelled
94 words
The email glowed on the laptop screen, a stark white rectangle against the pre-dusk gloom. His heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic bird trapped in a cage. He pictured the cake, the balloons, th...
A person finds out their surprise party has been cancelled
82 words
He stared at the empty ballroom, usually buzzing with the murmur of anticipation. It was deathly still, save for the faint hum of the air conditioning. The balloons, deflated and drooping, lay on the ...
A person finds out their surprise party has been cancelled
86 words
“No, no, that can’t be right,” Sarah mumbled, staring at the text message on her phone. She felt her face flush, heat prickling her skin. The party, the meticulously arranged celebration… gone...
A person finds out their surprise party has been cancelled
72 words
The vibrant decorations, the streamers and banners, now seemed to mock her. She felt like she was trapped in a funhouse mirror, where everything was distorted and wrong. She sank onto the sofa, the co...