I stared uncomfortably at my plate. A million smells hit my head painfully. Susen’s perfume was giving me a migraine and her loud boisterous voice wasn’t helping. I folded and unfolded my hands, hoping no one would ask me any questions. My appetite had left long ago. The dress I was wearing was much too tight and breathing was impossible. Not to mention that I don’t understand the ruffles. Why wou...

Amelie still can’t get used to her large friend group.

It’s like she woke up one day and there they were. Her loud, chaotic friends.

She wouldn’t want it any other way.

So she sits at Jeremiah’s dining table with her friends crowding around the too small space.

She’s squished between Ria and Bell. Going in order, next to Bell is Cross, then Roman, Jeremiah, Zac, Liam, Tharen, Lou, and Jone...

He found her out on the balcony, leaning heavily against the railing. Her knuckles turned as white as her dress. She gripped the iron railing as if it were the only thing holding her together. He watched her shoulders rise and fall, uneven and staggering.

"You okay, Bridge?"

"I'm fine." She said sharply, without facing him. Strands of hair came loose out of her braid, shielding his view. Her v...

Warm laughter floated up the crystal chandeliers of the hall. Its light illuminated the whole place in a dreamy shade of Golden. Wind rushed in from the high windows, filling the air with a scent of lavender. The crystals occasionally swayed and gently clinked into one another.

Aiden swirled the Golden nectar in his goblet. The color so rich, he could see his own reflection in it. He adjusted hi...

"I hate this!" Brigid stomped on the ground, crushing the innocent grass beneath her boots. The rolled parchment in her hands crinkled.

Aiden watched his elven friend storm back and forth. He was sitting cross-legged under a massive, literal blue tree. One of the Sapphire leaves fluttered and gently landed on his head.

"Why are you getting so worked up about it?" Aiden picked up the shimmery l...

Every single year, their questions remain the same.

So do my answers. And so does this godawful food. Boiled green beans and overcooked cabbage and a side of soggy mashed potatoes. How is it even possible to mess up mashed potatoes? That’s one of the most foolproof foods out there, along with cheese pizza and vanilla ice cream. And yet, every year, they manage to make it so it’s both gluey...

[Not the exact prompt. This was my first assignment for my Intro to Fiction class at PVA, so I ran with it. And, if you know who these characters really are(Tyson and Sergei are replacement names), you need to keep your mouth shut. I love you <3 have fun.]

“I’m not an _actor_, Sergei, and you goddamn know it,” I seethe, eyes wide in the darkness of the ballroom corner I had ducked into. “If you...

Stomach turned coughing and splattering.

Tangy taste in the mouth inbeween worlds

Queasy stomach

Sickness

Acidic breath

Pale eyes, red heart face flush

Trembling arms and legs

Blood in the eyes

Lack of appetite

shivering sensation

Deathly quiet

Something wet underneath

Suspicious

Feeling of dread

The stitch

The stench miasma...

I’m sitting at the table

Trying not to cry

Mom shoots me a look

So I drown the tears inside

I smile and say my “please” and “thank you”s

I laugh as Grandma talks about how big I’ve gotten

(she doesn’t know I’ve binged too often)

My uncle pats me on the back

The jolliest of this jolly pack

They all laugh and sing and shout

A family reunion brings joy about

I smile although I want to die

(they mus...

. Only half of me

is invited to

dinner

since I told them

my truth

We keep things polite

and fun

but when they ask

the dating life

questions

they

skip

...