Sidelined Novels & Stories

*Aidan Zavia's POV* --- "Hey, hey, hey, hey! What's going on out here?" Nadia asked excitedly as she went near us outside by the pool. She might have heard the noises that the other girls are making in which they are actually cheering for their bets. It will be a swimming race by three laps with me versus Ming. "Who's your bet, Nad?" Kelsey asked the girl and she looked at me intently, then, shook her head while grinning.

“April, your back.” Xavier says awkwardly and scratches the back of his neck. “Do you want to sit with us baby?” She bats her eyes at him as she lets go and stare up into his face. “No, I am sitting with my team we have things to discuss.” He answers with no emotion. “This is Savannah, she is a new member of our team.” He points at me and I give a small wave.

Minus asked. “Nope, can’t do it. Big Frank’s even older than me, has two bum knees. In truth, he hasn’t been able to ride for six months. We’ve been letting him slide, but the staff can’t go to him. So, with me kickin’ the fuckin’ bucket, it’s a good time for both of us to retire.” “And not ride off into the sunset,” Warthog added, to an approving nod from Cutter. “Cricket and I could’ve heard about all of this along with the others when you make your big speech or whatever,” Minus said. “Or better yet, we could have heard about it through the grapevine and spared the travel expense, so why the private pow-wow?”

We hang up, just as my teammate reaches his own locker next to mine. "You ready to hit the road in a couple days, Rowen?" Santos takes a seat on the bench next to me and begins the tedious process of unwrapping all the athletic tape off his body. I make a mental note as I unwrap my own ankles to never take my age for granted. Someday, I'll be taping up every part of myself as well. "I don't normally mind these long stretches. But Tiffany hasn't been feeling well," I explain quietly, not wanting anyone to overhear. "I don't like leaving her behind."

Timi: Goodnight Nahly Nahly? I wanted to ask what it meant but clearly it was one was a short form of Nahlela. I was trying as much to keep my relationship with Timi professional but the complete opposite was happening. I thought of asking that the assignment be handed over to Nadine or Oscar, but this was the chance the boss had given me to prove myself. He had promised me a raise in my salary if I did a good job and honestly I wanted to prove myself and yes I wanted a salary raise. Spending the day with hi, having lunch at his place and cleaning up later with him, going to my parents’ house and chatting as if we are old friends was the definition of crossing the line. The line had been cro

My reasoning is because I was focusing on finishing off high school, had to deal with graduation and family matters, and most of all I was unmotivated and I have been. Yes, I know it sounds like an excuse but I'd rather write Blinded when I'm motivated rather than write crappy chapters that I don't enjoy writing. So for the month of June, I'm going to take a break from writing, find some sort of motivation, and overall figure out what direction I want Blinded to go. So for right now, it is a goodbye unit next month. Sorry for the delay. -L.N.F

“Have a good day at work.” He flashed me another smile, and of course, the man had dimples. Like it wasn’t enough that he had that body, he had to add the most charming smile on top of it. I was relieved when he finally left me alone in the gym. I made a notation in my journal and climbed onto the bike. I had to make some adjustments for my short legs before putting my earbuds in. I started my playlist and began to pedal through a hill course, with the resistance turned up almost to max.

Jeremy, Alexandra, Lloyd, and Alicia found themselves in the owner's box, their usual sanctuary, witnessing the crushing defeat firsthand. As the crowd dispersed, Jeremy's mind became a whirlwind of thoughts. Should he take charge and become the interim head coach, leading the team through the remaining five games of Terrell Hillis' suspension? Or perhaps he should seek out a retired, experienced coach to guide the team temporarily. Terrell's decision to appoint his offensive coordinator as the interim coach had left a sour taste in Jeremy's mouth. He pondered these possibilities, knowing that the future of the team rested on his shoulders.

I remained defiant, despite the fear setting in. I stood my ground even though I knew everything could go sideways here. Sasha’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve got some confidence for someone who…” her lips curled slightly, “...looks like that in a bodycon dress.” The words hit, really hard, like they were meant to. For a split second, everything went quiet in my head. The music faded, the chatters disappeared…It was just me… and that familiar sting. The same one I had experienced for far too long.

"Because when you were shot, it shattered your hip and right now you have no hip bone. You had too much swelling and bleeding to fix it completely. You will have a new one in a few days when your body calms down a little bit." "What about basketball?" "I'm sorry man but," he started to say and couldn't finish the sentence. I was done. My career is over. I honestly didn't care. All I cared about was Finley. "I don't care man. How is Finley?" "Her arm was broken pretty good. She lost a lot of blood, but they were able to get her arm set and she got a blood transfusion." "Will she still be able to play?" "Yes. She has months of therapy ahead of her, as do you, but you'll both live and I'm sure