Chapter 3

We just sat there, speechless, as she looked at her papers.

There was a lot for the two girls to emotionally unpack when they arrived back at Bethany’s. While it had not been Maya’s intention to tell Bethany of the thoughts and feelings she had felt for Tyler at the party, she had found herself doing just that.

Following Her Lead

I earn my living as a dance instructor, not my first choice, but the choice that pays the bills. I would much rather make my living writing, but so far no publisher has shown any interest in anything I put a pen to.

The dance instructor job came as a result of a college friend that got into a bind. Lynn had started the dance school to help pay her way through college. It did that and a little bit more, and after graduation she decided to see if it could provide a living for her full time.

The following morning my mother first picked up the Twins and all our schoolbags from Niamh’s house, then on to Ciara’s. Ciara squeezed in the back while her mother sat in the front passenger seat. As we were about to pull off, Aoife remarked that Ciara didn’t have a seat belt on; there were only three belts in the back of the car. Saoirse unclipped herself from the middle seat belt, yielding it to Ciara, unclipped my belt, snuggled in beside me, and clipped us both into the one belt.

“Sorted!” she announced and my mother pulled off again.

Ashton wondered why he had even bothered to attend his prom. He was going stag, which said a lot he thought. Always there but never the main person. He looked around and saw all the people that in one way or another had made a mark in school. Bill the star quarter-back. Mary the head cheerleader. Peter, the star baseball pitcher, accompanied by his date Eric who’s batting (almost) always amazed people. Charleene the student council president. Wolfgang the school paper editor-in-chief. Martin this year’s valedictorian to be. Ashton had interacted with all of them and was constantly in their shadows. Perhaps that was his problem. All the others had focused on one thing they were good at. Ashton had let himself be spread out.

Looking back at my earlier high school days, I can honest say I was a clumsy kid. The one who would take a pratfall slipping on thin air. Did you need to see someone who once threw his lunch into the air due to someone pushing him to the ground?

My hands raised high, right here.

The Garden Party
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

“Maybe you should go down to the strip and find yourself somebody to do the job,” I suggested. “You know, just like Richard Gere did. Find yourself a Julia Roberts.”

“If I thought that would work, I might,” he said, the man who had just introduced himself as Jerome. “Now do you want the money or not? Will you do it or not?”

The Hair Agreement

I had just returned from a friend’s house and was greeted by my Mom at the front door. I immediately went into self-preservation mode as the look on her face meant she was in no mood to be manipulated by her good for nothing son.

I made good grades in school, didn’t get into any trouble and seemed to be well liked by some of my classmates, but apparently still not good enough for Mom by the expression on her face. I briefly wondered what I did this time, from the look on her face it must be earth shattering.

“You know this isn’t about fashion, right?”

Pete's Vagina
83. Pads
by Erin Halfelven