On Turning Ten By Billy Collins Novels & Stories

Carol said. Just then Evelyn came forward and said, “Sarah, give Asher in my arms, it’s my turn.” A minute later Ronald yelled, “Carol, now give Arabella to me, now it’s my turn.” “Granny Evelyn, it’s my turn,” Stella said. “No, it’s my turn,” Jack said. “No, it’s my turn,” Valerie said. Elder, younger everybody has joined the war and the entire ward echoed with the sound of it’s my turn.

Hallie took my hand and gently said, "I'm his fiancee. Whatever you two had is in the past, Ms. Conner. For the sake of your own dignity, please respect that." Tracie turned deathly pale as she fumbled for her phone and tried to show me Elton's recorded confession. "Look, Jonas. He's admitted to everything! I'm sorry, so please give me a chance. The Conner family is falling apart, and my dad's sick… I have nothing left but you!" "No," I said in a voice devoid of mercy. "You have nothing over me. I spent ten years of my life paying back whatever debt of gratitude I owed you, so we're even now."

“The fight hasn’t started yet, right?” Shaelyn asked worriedly as soon as she reached Zayn, who shook his head. She sighed in relief. As one of the few who knew about how crazy powerful Zayn was, Shaelyn was sure that if Zayn started balled his fist and threw it forward, her family members could morph into a single titan and still be knocked out-cold. Of course, ignorant as they were, the Turners pointed at Zayn and cried about his luck instead. “You’re fortunate Lottie’s here. You were so close to kissing the floor, pal!”

Even X-men only had one power each, but I seem to be Thanos right now collecting them like infinity stones. “I’m not some super wolf just because I was turned and not born,” I conclude. “I guess we’re going to find out,” Star adds as Noah walks in. “Ready?” I turn around and see he’s in a track suit now with the hoodie unzipped. No. Fucking. Shirt. Underneath. “I think you’re forgetting something,” I tell him as I turn around and look at the floor for my hair brush. “And what would that be?” He teases. I just shake my head, I’m not taking the bait. I’m not flirting. I need to refocus on why I’m here and it’ll be easier now that I’m not in heat anymore.. right? I hear him zip up his sweater a

This lot hadn't jumped in to save him this morning, so why were they suddenly getting brave? As Jayce squared up to the leader—Tom Griffith—he did the same, puffing out his chest and straightening up to make himself even taller. As he pushed his chest into Tom's face, the lad took a step back. "Haven't you done enough?" Tom asked. He seemed to have dropped the hard man act and was opting for reasoning with the bully. "Yeah, he did a shitty thing, but he's said he is sorry and you've already taken a pop at him."

The crisp sound echoed through the empty garage, carrying the authority of someone no one could question. My name is Ethan Lane. I do not look for trouble. But I have never been afraid of it. Anyone who dares touch my bottom line will pay me back tenfold, a hundredfold.

"Carry her like a princess! Lock them in the dark room—don't come out for an hour! Hope you two finally make your dream come true!" Then some random girl chimed in, all snarky: "Who's 1874? Some insurance guy? Ugh, hang up." Click. End of call. Pain punched me in the chest. She saved me as '1874'—just the last four digits of my number. Meanwhile, my phone screen still flashed "Sweetheart." God, what a joke. I had work to finish, thought about staying late—but I couldn't focus. So I headed home.

I asked calmly. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a familiar girl walking toward us. A grin spread across my lips. “Then just watch,” I said quietly. “You’ll see.” I slowly began counting. “Five… four… three… two…” Confusion spread across the girl’s face. “One.” “Hey, sweetheart! What are you doing here?” The voice came from behind Zachary. He turned around immediately—and the shock on his face was priceless. “Who’s that girl?” his so-called girlfriend demanded angrily.

I gently patted the back of hers, telling her not to be afraid. Then I pulled a hundred-dollar bill from my wallet. Natalie's eyes lit up instantly. Just as she reached out to grab it, I loosened my fingers. The bill drifted down into the snow, landing beside the dirty apple. "This is for the Natalie who once washed my clothes," I said calmly. "As for you, I don't know you." Then I turned and walked away with my daughter, stepping into the warmth of the car. In the rearview mirror, Natalie knelt in the snow, clutching the money and sobbing uncontrollably.

Please don't fight me over this one. "That's mine!" I snapped through clenched teeth. "If you want to seduce Leopoldo, that's your business. But that necklace was my father's coming-of-age gift for me. You can ask for anything else. This necklace isn't even worth much money. "Give it back." I stepped forward and reached for it. But Elena suddenly twisted aside. Her lips curled as she silently mouthed another silent sentence. "If you want it so badly, catch it."