The Scent of Laila Thorinson was first published in Lunch Ticket . “Who did you pick?” my mom calls from the kitchen where she is chopping, knife hitting wood. Something sizzles and smells meaty—spam and rice. I wiggle my backpack off and it lands with a thud. I try to sneak off to my room but Mom […]
Content Warning: passing, veiled references to physical abuse and sexual assault. How the prom committee thinks they’ve turned this gods-awful gym into a passable Greek temple is beyond me. I stand in the foyer, heels digging into the linoleum floor as if the flimsy material could keep me safe. I’m early and dateless and the […]
After we drink the amazing potion Rosa and Paulo concocted, we dance our asses off until we’re all glistening with sweat. It’s the best. Even though I know the alcohol was burned off when Paulo lit the cauldron of potion aflame, I feel like I’m buzzing on a high. We all are. Glazed eyes everywhere. […]
My parents used to say that kids never know what they’re doing when they make their own decisions, but the night I met Shiloh wasn’t an accident. It was the summer before my senior year of high school, and I was in charge of WonderWorlds Theme Park for the weekend while Bruce visited our sister […]
Matt Summer’s barely started, but it’s so hot here in L.A. already, even this late at night, that I go straight to the rooftop patio when I get home. My parents are in bed, and when I crack open the Dr. Pepper I brought up, I almost down the entire thing on the first swig. […]
The universe is crashing down on her and all she can do is lie there, eyes dazzling with broken stars. A wave of asteroids pummels her, shards of icy rock plunge into her torso. Hazy shadows filter in and obscure one side of her face, the moon sees all. A tall, haunting figure stands at […]
I’m not sure how long I’ve been out here, staring at this envelope. I’ve planted myself against a cinder block wall on a dimly lit patio that’s attached to a hole-in-the-wall club. It reeks of rancid beer and mildew, but it’s the only place in town that hosts all-ages shows. I should be inside, doing […]
“Luck is a very thin wire between survival and disaster, and not many people can keep their balance on it.” Hunter S. Thompson Gillian settled into the ratty chair behind the sales counter at her mother’s vintage store and propped her feet up on the edge of the register. Don’t think about it, she told […]
I’m not sure how Mrs. Maupin managed to guess the exact last thing I want to be doing on a Saturday morning, but I suppose she’s just that good, because here I am. The old prop house reeks of asbestos and stale egos. The previously-maroon carpet is now brown with black mildew speckles, like a […]
Jenji held her fan delicately, her nails reflecting the sun. With short, stiff motions she directed the feather forward. It levitated once, twice, jumping the sticks I’d laid out as obstacles. My fan was folded, pinched tight in my sweating hands as I watched her feather pull ahead of mine. The dry breeze blew her […]
I never get this much attention. So, after the second girl points at me, eyes wide, and half-whispers to her friend, “Look,” I figure either I look like a clown, or a clown is following me, and I accelerate. My Doc Martens pound the tile to the beat of my heart as I hustle to […]
The hours of operation printed on the door said Closed on Mondays. It was, of course, Monday. The “CLOSED” sign confirmed they shouldn’t be there. Adam read the invitation again. VALENTINE’S DAY OFFER ONE FREE ESCAPE ROOM EXPERIENCE FOR YOU AND ONE GUEST GUARANTEED ROMANCE AND THRILLS ONE COUPLE WILL WIN $100 For use on […]