LOGINWELCOME TO THE PARTYThe Uber finally came to a stop right in front of the Thompson's house. The drizzle had stopped, leaving the road wet and the air cold. Ethan lifted his head from Gina's shoulder after noticing they weren't moving any longer, and looked up. Even from where he sat inside the car he could already see the lights. They flashed through the windows of the building, like the house itself was alive. Gina pulled out her phone from her purse, checked the amount on the app, and quickly Venmo’ed the driver. “Thank you," she said with a smile before opening the door. Cold air rushed into the vehicle and she shuddered. "Come on, Thomas. We've got to go.”Tom came down from the car, still talking. “Look, I'm just saying, man," he blabbered on as he leaned against the door, “keeping your car this clean while being a Lakers fan is really impressive. I mean… not even a random water bottle? That's some dedication." The Uber driver flashed him an awkward smile. “Yeah," he grunte
RING AROUND THE BODIES 2Bullets ripped past the metal table, sending sparks flying everywhere. A few passed through, slamming into the wall in front of them and raining dust over their faces. Aaron placed a hand over his eyes and looked up at the equipment on the table. A burner, some flasks and pipes, the white dust hovering above them–this was a fucking drug lab. “Oh, damn," he said, laughing. "These motherfuckers stole from me, and they're even cooking more.”Jake coughed as the powder floating above them dropped down on their bodies. His eyes burned and his throat itched terribly. “I–I didn't see Casper,” he shouted above the gunfire as he pressed his back against the cold, metal table. "He's not amongst the shooters.”Aaron looked toward the hallway just as a bullet ripped through the sleeves of his shirt. "Oh, we'll deal with the bastard later,” he said before checking his gun. "Right now, we have to take care of these guys.”Jake swallowed, his jaw tightening as he nodded a
RING AROUND THE BODIES“Dad?" Both Jake and Aaron froze at the sound of the voice. Jake looked up from the bin where his face was buried, to the door leading to the back of the room. "Dad, what's the commotion about?” the voice came again as the door slowly creaked open. Aaron's hand gripped his gun tight as the metal barrier swung open, revealing a young guy standing behind it. He had a bandage wrapped around his head, the white stained red at the side. Jake's eyes widened as recognition set in. It was the same guy who had attacked him. He was the Casper they were looking for. “Dad–”The guy paused, his body freezing while his eyes moved around the room. He took in the blood pooling across the white tiles, the body behind the counter, Aaron standing before him with his gun faced down. His face instantly drained of color a s his breath stuttered. Then his eyes moved until they landed on Jake who still sat on the floor, clasping the bin. Recognition flashed in his eyes as he frow
THE SECRET“Blake?” Gina asked as she frowned. “Like… Blake Blake? As in Blake Thompson?”Ethan nodded. "Yeah," he said with a sigh as he rubbed his hands together nervously. “Blake Thompson. Aaron Thompson's little brother. The guy whose brother punched me in the face. The guy whose party we're literally going to right now.”He paused. “Yeah, that Blake Thompson." Gina stared ahead, swallowing. “Oh," she muttered again. And silence returned. For a while, she remained still and just stared at Ethan, eyes wide with something close to disbelief. The car continued on down the street, the quiet hum of the engine filling the quiet between them. Outside, the lights of the city passed by in colorful streaks, but inside the car, everything felt… dark. At least to Gin and Ethan. As for Tom, he kept himself busy trying to make conversation with the driver, completely unaware of what was happening behind him. “So, uh…” he began, tapping his fingers against the dashboard. "I'm guessing y
TELL THE TRUTH ALWAYSThe night was colder than Ethan expected. He pulled his sleeves down and shoved his hands into the pockets of the black jacket he'd later decided on. He stepped outside their house while Gina leaned against the porch railing, scrolling through her phone. For a Saturday night, except for the occasional passing cars, the street felt unusually quiet. It was perfect and for once, Ethan didn't feel the urge to disappear.The clothes really did seem to change him. "So," Gina said suddenly, looking up from her phone with a smirk. "Are you ready?"Ethan glanced at her. "Ready for what?"She rolled her eyes. "Don't act dumb. The party." She playfully nudged his shoulders. “The guy."His face immediately changed and a cold feeling crept up his chest. "Look, Gina...""What?" she laughed. "You think I forgot? You think I'll just forget about the mysterious guy you spent an entire night telling me about. The guy who confuses you, kisses you, almost gets you killed emotiona
THE LAST RUNThe bedroom looked less of a mess than it had been a few moments ago. Jake had thrown most of the clothes back into the closet, and the ones he didn't choose were pushed aside. The pile of shirts and jeans that had buried the bed now laid on the floor. It wasn't perfect, but it was something. Ethan exhaled as he fixed the button of the shirt and stood in front of the bathroom mirror. He stared at his reflection, smoothening an invisible wrinkle on the sleeves. For once, he didn't look like the cliche scrawny nerd that spent most of his time trying to disappear. With the brown flowing cargo pants and baby-blue thrifted button-up shirt, he looked… different. He adjusted the sleeves one last time, staring at the mirror as he ran a hand through his messy brown hair. "I don't really look bad," he muttered to himself, smiling. Satisfied with his new look, he walked toward the room again. The moment the door opened, Gina sat up on the bed with a loud groan. "Finally," sh
THE HOUSE DOWN THE STREETThe glass door slid shut behind Ethan as he stepped into Tom's lawn. Thin sprinklers scattered lazily across the grass sent arcs of water glistening in the late afternoon sunlight, and the air held a faint smell of wet grass and mud. Somewhere over one of the fences, a dog
LEFTOVERSThe class buzzed with almost instantly. The moment Dr. Keller said they should pick their partners, the sound of chairs scraping across the floor echoed across the room as students began turning toward “Calm down," Dr. Keller shouted over the noise, slamming his palm against the desk. “G
THE TASTE OF REGRETThe house carried the strong smell of beer–one that Ethan knew too well. It mixed with the faint scent of cigarette smoke clinging to the couch cushions and curtains, welcoming him as he opened the door. Coughing, he pushed through the ash cloud as he prayed his brother was alr
KISS ME LIKE YOU HATE MECoach Daniels' sharp whistle rang out, echoing across the empty court. The sound of squeaking shoes and quickened breath filled the space as everyone huddled at a corner. “Alright, y’all pair up,” Coach Daniels shouted in a thick southern accent, as he grabbed a basketball







