Disconnected
I stared at the tangle of ethernet cables behind my gaming PC, willing them to magically untangle themselves. At 16, I should've been worrying about driver's licenses and crushes, ...
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I stared at the tangle of ethernet cables behind my gaming PC, willing them to magically untangle themselves. At 16, I should've been worrying about driver's licenses and crushes, ...
Maya's reflection in the bathroom mirror showed catastrophe: a chunk of **spinach** wedged firmly between her front braces, glowing fluorescent green like radioactive waste. "You...
The social pyramid at Northwood High had Leo at the bottom—freshman, band geek, socially invisible. Until the day he found himself stuck inside the pyramid exhibit at the carnival,...
Maya's hair was supposed to be her moment. Finally, she'd bleach the awkward brunette waves that everyone called "mousy" and become someone else—someone confident, someone who'd ca...
The pool party at Jessica's house was supposed to be my rebranding moment. New school year, new me — confident, chill, ready to finally escape the "quiet kid" label I'd been draggi...
Leo's hand pressed against his **palm**, sweat already gathering at 7:45 AM. Tryouts. Again. His dad's voice echoed in his head: "You're a Martinez, Leo. Martinezes play **baseball...
I've been operating on three hours of sleep and an energy drink that tasted like battery acid, so I'm basically a zombie walking through the hallways. My eyes are doing that twitch...
The first day of sophomore year, I walked into homeroom feeling like a zombie. Not the cool, Netflix kind with dramatic plotlines and hot survivors. I'm talking actual zombie—dead ...
Maya pulled her beanie down lower, cursing her school's no-hat policy internally. Why did freshman year have to coincide with the worst hair cut of her life? The hat was her armor ...
Kayla stood at the edge of Miller's Creek, toes curled into the mud. The water looked deceptively calm, but she knew better. Deep down, it held monsters—or at least, that's what sh...
Maya's iPhone screen glowed at 11:47 PM, the group chat blowing up about Tyler's party tomorrow. She'd been typing and deleting the same response for twenty minutes—casual cool or ...
Maya's Afro had betrayed her. On the day of sophomore semiformal, it had decided to stage a rebellion — part puff, part pyramid, entirely unmanageable. "You look fine," her mom ye...