Annie Peter pressed his index finger to his lips in a gesture of silence, and then we squatted closer against the kitchen pillar. My parents were going up the stairs to the top floor together with Amber, while the younger woman kept talking to hide her embarrassment. But my parents were stiff as th
Laura I saw Jason approaching where I was there in front of the building where Amber Morton's apartment was right after Annie left with Nancy's child. “Are you okay, darling?” I asked, my face scrunched up in an expression of concern. I approached him, linking my arms with his. He was panting af
Laura “Oh my God, Jason and Laura. We are very sorry for all the embarrassment you are going through right now,” was Nancy's voice coming from the other end of the line. She looked apprehensive and worried. Jason and I were already in the car at this point. “I usually work out, and my wife always
Anne “Holly crap! Why is this car so painful to drive?” Peter complained while still behind the wheel of my car, driving down the road. "Because it's a car made just for a girl?” I replied with a mocking tone. “The problem isn’t the car, it’s you. You're too tall, honey,” I said, as I was fixing m
Annie The plan was to go to Denver by car, and for that, we had to settle for about 26 hours on the road. That trip had everything to be a great bore, but incredibly, there was nothing boring when Peter was around me. He and I simply had no reason to turn around and obey our parents for what they
Annie Peter and I were in the car as we got closer and closer to the patrol car in front of us. The police officer had the traffic lights up, indicating that we had to pull over. I swallowed hard when Peter did this, the gun in my pink purse felt heavy, as if it carried the full weight of my guilt.
Annie After Peter was searched like a criminal by the police officer, we were released. “Thank your girlfriend and her willingness to visit Pennsylvania, young man,” the officer was saying. “Otherwise, I would send you back to where you left!” The man had a menacing look to him as he spoke, and aft
Annie Peter and I spent some more time on the road until we both felt hungry, and the car ran out of fuel to continue, so we stopped at a pub to eat and replenish our energy. I was wrinkling my nose at the smell of onions on my burger while Peter was stealing my fries. “Ugh! I hate spiced onions,”
Annie When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was the feeling of lying in my bed. I was back home, safe, and just knowing that made me want to cry with happiness. I hugged my pillow and inhaled that smell of my comfort that felt so good to me; I just couldn't believe that I had actually decided t
“I really wish I didn't care, just like you don't care,” I said. “Are my grades at school terrible? Fuck them; I don't care. Who cares about social life or social issues? I want everyone to explode. I'm going to continue here in my room playing my shooting and death games until I feel accomplished.
Jake Gardner “Please tell me. Is he really out of danger?” My wife asked on the other end of the line. “Yes, he is,” I replied. “The bullet hit his shoulder. He’s going to be fine.” I heard her sighing on the other end of the line. "Thank God. I'm going to call Amber to let her know; she's so wo
Annie It was my parents there trying to get closer to me. My heart almost came out of my mouth, and I almost melted with relief and also anguish. “Dad… Mom,” I stammered, my eyes filling with tears. But Peter was quick; he put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me to his chest, and placed the bar
Laura Jason was driving the car while talking to me about something random. “Terry is coming home this Christmas,” he was saying. “He has done an incredible job at the Pretoria branch, but he misses his family.” It had been a few months since Terence had moved to South Africa for work; he was one
Warning: sensitive content Annie “Are you ready?” Peter asked me as he and I were about to storm the Mexican diner down the street. He and I had spent hours talking about it, and no matter how much I told him not to do that and go back home, he said he would only come back after I granted him that
Laura I woke up with a start when I woke up, suddenly remembering where I was and what I was doing. “Wake up, Jason…” I called him, while running my hand over my face. He was sleeping next to me and woke up too. “Hmm, what's wrong? Did something happen?” He asked, looking at me with a sleepy fa
Annie “I thought you were the only one who understood me. So now you can’t blame me for being attracted to the monster that I am.” Peter's words weighed on me. When I found out about his secret, it was as if the world around me woke up in its most naked and raw colors; it was as if I now realized
Annie “I can't believe it; it's not true. Peter would tell me something like that if it were true,” I said in denial, my voice breaking. The surrounding town took its course as I stood there at the payphone with the phone to my ear. Peter's psychologist had just told me something that was shaking a