A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard
80 words
The tremor in Michael's hands made it difficult to pour his tea. He had just finished painting the fence yesterday, and now Buddy, the beagle, was scratching at the fresh paint again. He sighed, the s...
A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard
66 words
"Here we go again," Mark mumbled, watching Pepper, a tiny chihuahua, sprint across his newly seeded lawn. He pressed his palms to his forehead.
He thought of the landlord's reaction. He thought of th...
A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard
70 words
The aroma of freshly baked cookies filled the kitchen, but Alice couldn't enjoy it. She watched, frozen, as the golden retriever, Winston, pranced into her backyard, trampling her prized tomato plants...
A coach has to cut a player from the team
101 words
"Just relax," his teammate, Ben, had said earlier, clapping him on the back. Easy for him to say. James stared at his reflection in the mirror, his face a pale canvas of tension. He’d skipped dinner...
Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories
131 words
The artist's studio felt suffocating, even with the windows wide open. Clara’s breath caught in her throat. The damning report on her idol, Beatrice Bellweather, lay open on the drafting table, the ...
A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else
147 words
“No, no, no,” Liam whispered, his voice cracking. He sat on the edge of his bed, staring blankly at the laptop screen. The scholarship, the thing that had made his existence here possible, was in ...
Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account
149 words
A cold dread coiled in Sarah's stomach as she stared at the screen. A new Instagram account, a name she didn't recognize, and a cascade of photos featuring her daughter, Chloe, in settings that were c...
Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account
114 words
The air in the car felt thick, heavy with unspoken questions. John, behind the wheel, gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. He had just seen the posts, the videos, on his daug...
Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account
108 words
The vibrant colors of the living room felt muted, faded. Lisa stared at the screen, the details of the secret account of her son, Ben, washing over her. The content of his account was not what she exp...
Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account
104 words
The house felt too quiet, the silence amplifying the thrumming in Grace’s ears. She looked at her reflection in the darkened screen, her face pale, her eyes wide. Her daughter, Olivia's, secret Inst...
Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account
105 words
The weight of the knowledge settled on Henry's shoulders. The secret account, the content, the life his daughter, Sophia, seemed to be living online - it all left him feeling discombobulated.
He ran ...