Can Matthew's love of vintage dresses and a temporary job for Grandmother Rose give them the courage to take the plunge and live as their true self, Kiki?
Copyright 2025 by Ariel Montine Strickland. All Rights Reserved.
The room was bathed in pastel pink tones, with airy curtains letting in the afternoon light. The floor was covered in colorful wigs, sparkly shoes, brushes, and children's makeup. Sitting on the edge of the bed, eight-year-old Tomás held the straps of a lavender glittering dress in both hands, looking at himself with a mix of wonder and longing.
Author's note: This is the story I hoped to expand into something capable of meeting the requirements of the romance contest. But, since I couldn't manage that, I am setting it free . . .
“So… exactly how many high school fantasies are we fulfilling right now?” Paul asks as I tune my bass guitar, and I can’t help but smirk as I can already guess how the impending argument will go.
“Bit inappropriate to ask about MY high school fantasies, but I’ll let it slide,” Stuart replies, and I sense my opportunity to chip in.
“If it helps, Paul, I’m wondering the same thing,” I say, chuckling at the mock-offended look on my mentor’s face.
“…Okay, yes, every music student dreams of playing in a garage band in an actual garage,” Stuart concedes.
A Hillbilly Funeral
by
Rebecca Anna Coleman
Part Three of Three
I found my uncle stumbling around the small bathroom of the church. He was drunk as a jude, and the moment he spotted me out of the corner of his beady eyes he stumbled toward me. His eyes were glazed over and his breath reeked of cheap, corn whiskey. When he was mere inches from me, he reached out and placed both of his hands upon my shoulder.
Two lonely high school students walk parallel paths. One, impoverished and losing hope, yearns desperately to become their authentic self. The other, wealthy and the victim of unfathomable manipulation, resists changing to something they never wanted to be. Can these two, meeting amidst the clatter and chatter of the school cafeteria, find connection? Can they embrace their fractured selves and each other and then become whole? Or will a duplicitous villainess, in the guise of a loving mother, destroy their fragile hope and leave them living a miserable, incomplete existence?
A Hillbilly Funeral
By
Rebecca Anna Coleman
Part One of Three
I took a deep breath and slowly I released it. My heart was beating like a jack-hammer, and once more I firmly gripped the rectangle shaped NES controller. For endless days I've been battling the never-ending horde of monsters, killing and slashing my way through the many acolytes who wanted to plunge fair land once more into eternal darkness. I'd searched the land from one corner to the other, seeking out hidden knowledge.
“Ah- shit, sorry…” Luke mumbled as he entered the college’s toilet block to find his twin standing at a urinal fastening his zipper.
“S’okay,” Lucas mumbled, not looking at Luke as the young trans man limped toward one of the cubicles. Both twins grimaced as the encounter ended, not least because it was the most words they’d exchanged with each other for weeks.
Things were going well in Dublin, but I now needed to move to London. From there I could apply at the Embassy for a passport with greater leeway as to who could countersign the paperwork. We told Sameed that we would be quitting at the end of the week and he was most disconsolate. He persuaded us to do one more week and we were happy to oblige him. He also gave us a reference in Arabic in the event that we wanted to look for work in any of the Lebanese restaurants or Arabic-themed clubs there.
I could barely catch my breath as I stood before the mirror, my heart racing in my chest—not from physical pain, though there was certainly plenty of that—but from sheer, overwhelming disbelief at my reflection.
"You wanted to dress like a whore, so here you go. When you're done, I'm going to leave you on a street corner, and you're not coming home until you make $4,000 giving men head. Did you hear me?!"
The sound of shattering glass echoed through the alley, freezing the boy in his tracks. His heart hammered against his ribs as he pressed himself against the cold brick wall, barely daring to breathe. He shouldn’t have followed the man in the black coat. He should have stayed home, right where his mother had told him to. But curiosity had always been his weakness. And now, he’d seen something he couldn’t unsee.
Before we begin this is my second story so please bear with me as I learn and grow. I am not the best writer and my dyslexia doesn’t help with it lol. I appreciate the support of my previous story.
This story follows Sarah as she grows her salon and needs workers. An old friend from college visits, and they come up with an idea to help her fill the salon’s roster.
Sammy had to make Finley wait downstairs while he put on his makeup, breathing very intentionally so he did not rush or mismatch his eyeliner.That done, he tousled his hair until it looked vaguely correct, and added a few little white clips to keep his bangs under control.
Jack O' Lanterns, Moonlight, and Magic
By
Rebecca Anna Coleman
Chapter Six : Nurse Cerridwen (Part One of Three)
“One hundred and three fever.” I heard a voice say as I slowly opened my eyes. “If I was your mother, I would bundle you up in some blankets and rush you to the hospital. But, I'm your cousin, not your mother, and beside the roads between here and Benton are iced over.”
Princess Alexandria Alessi’s life has turned upside down in the blink of an eye. Only a few days ago, she was enjoying a clandestine summer shopping with her best friend at the local mall. Coming home, she was alarmed to discover her mom was there, and her secret of being transgender was suddenly no longer secret! Within a few short hours, her life became like a movie as she discovered that her long-lost father was the Crown Prince of Osané, a small, secluded island nation. Alexandria was immediately thrust into the spotlight in a whirlwind weekend that led to a Monday press conference to announce her royal lineage.
Royal Performer is the second Tiffany Shar's 'Suddenly Royal' series.
Princess Alexandria Alessi’s life has turned upside down in the blink of an eye. Only a few days ago, she was enjoying a clandestine summer shopping with her best friend at the local mall. Coming home, she was alarmed to discover her mom was there, and her secret of being transgender was suddenly no longer secret! Within a few short hours, her life became like a movie as she discovered that her long-lost father was the Crown Prince of Osané, a small, secluded island nation. Alexandria was immediately thrust into the spotlight in a whirlwind weekend that led to a Monday press conference to announce her royal lineage.
Royal Performer is the second Tiffany Shar's 'Suddenly Royal' series.
Princess Alexandria Alessi’s life has turned upside down in the blink of an eye. Only a few days ago, she was enjoying a clandestine summer shopping with her best friend at the local mall. Coming home, she was alarmed to discover her mom was there, and her secret of being transgender was suddenly no longer secret! Within a few short hours, her life became like a movie as she discovered that her long-lost father was the Crown Prince of Osané, a small, secluded island nation. Alexandria was immediately thrust into the spotlight in a whirlwind weekend that led to a Monday press conference to announce her royal lineage.
Royal Performer is the second Tiffany Shar's 'Suddenly Royal' series.
Checks can be made out & sent to:
Joyce Melton
1001 Third St.
Space 80
Calimesa, CA 92320
USA
Note: $6000 is the operating, maintenance and upgrade budget. Amounts received in excess of the $6000 will be applied to long term debt accrued over the last 19 years.
