Empty Smiles Novels & Stories

I click the friend request button before I can talk myself out of it. Then I sit back and wait. My phone vibrates on the table. I glance down. Derek. Hey babe, thinking lunch together today? I can leave early. Oh, the timing. Truly. This man. I type back: Dentist appointment, remember? Maybe dinner instead. He sends a heart emoji. A heart emoji.

"It was like that for me after my mother died." "Is it still?" "Not as much." I set the sweater aside. "Sometimes, though. Emptiness is like a shadow that you never really can get rid of. You can try and fill the void, but filling it won't erase it. Filling it just distracts it." "You sound like you've really thought this through." The pile of clothes on the floor was slowly diminishing into neat folded stacks. "I have." "So how do you erase the void?" "I haven't figured that out yet. If I had, I'd definitely tell you." I half smiled.

"Jeez, you look like a mess. Did you even get any sleep?" "I don't need any sleep. The more these cases remain unsolved, by the end of five years, we will be having nothing less than ten deaths depending on how many blondes want to be models and wish to go through bright life magazine" he picked the burger from the table and began devouring on it as he turned to search for what he had been missing all night.

2000's Trigger Warning: Graphic Sexual Content Looking out the window of our new Dodge Neon, I notice all the little details as the world drifts by, I see little kids playing soccer at the local park. of course, they are playing with empty soda cans marking the goal lines. This doesn’t bother them. it's how it always has been. As kids growing up in poverty, we used what we have.

Jeremy kept trying to kill Jake, Mathew kept crying while Leah stuffed chocolate in his mouth and patted him on the back because "Jay's grandma looked so sad and ugly" It took nearly two hours for the situation to calm down, so they could sit and have a proper conversation. Jake finally got the chance to explain everything. As he spoke, a smile couldn't help but spread on his face. It reached his eyes, making the turquoise color look so vibrant and lively.

I add with a concern in my utterance. Sam crafts a tiny smile although he doesn't really face his head and body to see me. Moreover, there is a pause between our conversation. I notice he is sighing for a moment. After that, he replies in careful tones, "I cannot tell you right now. I only need some fresh air on my own, Stacy."

Gardens blooming between shining streets. It looked alive. Yet there was no movement. No people. No birds. No sound. Ama hurried down the hill. The city gates stood open. No guards. No banners. No markings. She entered carefully. Every building was flawless. Every window gleamed. Every fountain flowed with crystal water. But every home was empty. Every chair. Every table. Every bed. Untouched. As though someone had built an entire civilization... And forgotten to live in it. Ama wandered through the silent streets.

They started bickering and exchanging slick comments. I got my books out of my locker and slammed it so loud, it made them shut their mouths and turn to me. I showed them my brightest fake smile, "As much as I'd love to be in the middle of whatever this is, I've got to get going." I started walking away, "Thanks for the invite though Emma." "You're welcome, and it's Eva." she yelled after me. **

The solid floor beneath me felt as if it instantly collapsed and melted, transforming into bottomless, icy, and bone-chilling quicksand. I am being silently and irresistibly swallowed and sunk by this quicksand, falling straight down into an abyss with no light, no echo, and only boundless cold. My world completely plunged into darkness. “Bleiz!” “Quick, call a healer!” ... Overnight, my family produced another new joke. Yesterday, I left my mate behind at the mate bond ceremony, and today I’m desperately trying to get rid of my mate. My room is already a complete mess. I’ve smashed everything that could be smashed to pieces.

He looked up, a glimmer of hope reigniting in his eyes. "You can pay on a monthly basis. I'll give you a 30-day payment term." That glimmer died, replaced by an unreadable expression. "12,000 dollars? That's what you charge your family?" "Family, huh?" I reiterated, savoring the words. "Uncle Liam, do you know what that word means in my book? In my book, treating someone like family means paying them on time, not ripping them off, and not weaponizing blood ties to haggle on prices. I'm sure you know the state of your factory better than I do, Uncle Liam.