Student Work

(not the smothering heat one would expect from summer days) On sunny days I think about you. I wonder if you’ve thought of me just as much as I think of you even now – it’s an unlikely possibility. The moments where I think about all the memories we’ve shared, I smile. Not the one people take hours to practice, not the one that makes me look good – no. It’s that cheesy smile I’ve preserved only for you. On sunny evenings I wish you’d talk to me like before. Where my presence

The world runs on sevens.  Susan learned this in the deep Texas country of her childhood. She was standing in the muggy heat, watching her Father raise his glinting blade up high before bringing it down with a thud onto the rooster's neck. It took seven minutes for Father to walk outside, go into the rooster’s pen, carry it by the neck to the chopping block, kill it, skin it, bring it back inside, and give it to Mother with a smile.  Seven people. Susan dated in college, but

The world runs on sevens.  Susan learned this in the deep Texas country of her childhood. She was standing in the muggy heat, watching her Father raise his glinting blade up high before bringing it down with a thud onto the rooster's neck. It took seven minutes for Father to walk outside, go into the rooster’s pen, carry it by the neck to the chopping block, kill it, skin it, bring it back inside, and give it to Mother with a smile.  Seven people. Susan dated in college, but

My grandfather died and I did not cry. It was not because I didn’t love him. It was not because he made me mad. It was not because I held something against him. It was not because I was happy. My grandfather died and I did not cry. It was because our visits were synced with the blue moon. It was because I forgot to pick up the phone when he called. It was because I was too busy to call back. It was because I thought he would pay for my college tuition. It was because he woul

A man just walked past me and left behind the stench of blue raspberry vape smoke, attached to his shirt like the microbiome it is. As it traveled through my nose, I almost teleported back to Baba Den’s house, where the same exact flavor could be smelt dancing through the stagnant air. It reminded me of the memory foam mattress at the end of the hallway in Adrian’s room that I sunk into, maybe trying to escape somewhere that didn’t always feel like home. It reminded me of the

Shining in the spotlight, shining on the stage and shining in their performances. Theatre is their shining place for some professional actors to appear on stage in performances. However, there’s only one kid who is working for the lobby during performances. And that's me, Andres Perez-Lopez. New person to the production crew at West High, but sometimes on certain teen stories like “New kid in the block”. Well, I am here because I am new, but I look older than the other kids i

Meet the Bendaran. This species lives on a crystalline planet, Shadar. This planet has a crushing atmosphere that makes life practically impossible on its surface. However, the underground of this planet is riddled with vast subterranean caves. These caves are where these aliens live. During their evolution into an intelligent species, they learned these caves would sometimes collapse for mysterious reasons. Because of this, the Bendaran would constantly move around in order

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