Taking A Stand Novels & Stories

“Is there something you want to say?” “Well…….she isn’t wrong. You have always run away from all problems. You have never been one to confront anyone or anything. I never said anything before because you are my bestie and I want to support you always. You have to take a stand at some point in your life and I can’t think of a better time than now.” If she wasn’t right, I’d be pissed with Lynn right now. She is right, and so was my mom. I have to take a stand, and there is no better time than now.

“We don’t have the whole day to ourselves. Unlike some people, I have a real job to do.” Sharon only manages to walk a few steps before I firmly stand my ground. “I’m not going.” She spins around, her brows furrowed. “Excuse me?” I meet her gaze confidently. “I said I won’t go. Are you having trouble hearing?” She stares at me as if I’ve lost my mind. “Are you really sure you want to do this right now?” “Yes, Sharon. I’m standing my ground. And I’m doing it right here, right now, and right in front of you. What are you going to do about it?” I cross my arms and strike a defiant pose.

If anything the only way that you could be able to fight for your right was to stand in front of the things that made you different and not allow yourself to be drenched. "I don't care for whatever advances he's trying to make towards me period in fact I think that it is quite stupid for him to think that I would fall into his trap by helping me with an agreement that had been signed by both parties." I laughed at his mode of defense. Nobody was going to tell anybody how to behave, period . In fact , it was going to take a long time before they would be able to understand where another was coming from and I got that into my mind.

It would be won by who refused to be moved at all. And I was done letting the world decide when I was allowed to stand my ground…

This was someone who actually seemed to… care. “I know standing up to them is scary,” Karl said. “But you’re stronger than you think, Calen. You don’t have to take their shit. You don’t have to be invisible just because that’s what feels safe.” I looked down at my hands. “It’s not that simple.” “I know. But…” He tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his eyes. “Will you try? Not for me. For yourself. Just… try to believe you’re worth defending.”

"Which is different." "The effect is the same," the younger man said. "No," I said. "It is not. A person who cannot stand unless they are held is a different thing from a person who stands and who has someone beside them. I have been trying to explain that all evening. I have not changed my position because someone was present when I needed a second to find my footing." The younger man looked like he was about to respond and the older man raised one hand, a small gesture, the gesture of someone who has heard enough of a particular direction and is closing it.

I opened my mouth, then closed it. "My children are on the other side of that stand," I said finally. "My research. Marlon. You. Everything that matters is already inside it. The stand isn't keeping good things out anymore." I stopped then continued. "I know that the stand was the right structure years ago, and I just never took it down." "Because taking it down is frightening," he said.

Anything else about them belonged to them, not to any camera in this room. Diane understood. She moved on. Near the end, she asked me what I would say to any woman watching who was still inside something she could not see her way out of. I thought about that for a long time. "I would say two things," I said. "The first is that the version of you who survives this is already inside you. You do not have to build her. You only have to stop apologizing for taking up the space she needs to stand up in." I paused. "The second is that the day you decide to stand up is not the day you win. It is the day the people who bet against you begin to lose. That takes longer. Give it the time it needs. And d

If I was going to lead them into this, it wouldn't be through fear. I faced them, straightening my shoulders, letting my voice ring clear. "Listen to me! This is our fight now! We don't cower, and we sure as hell don't run. We stand and we take back what's ours. Look at the land behind us, it's healing, fighting to survive, just like we are."

“I’m giving you one last chance to rethink. To step back.” I held my ground, lifting my chin as I locked eyes with him. “I’m not one of those people who run when it gets hard. I stand by my words. I may not have mafia blood in my veins, but I’ve learned how to fight. I don’t crawl into holes to hide, I face what’s coming.” A smirk tugged at my lips as I took a step past him, my back straight and my heart burning. “I think we should leave,” I said, as I turned my back to him.