The Gift I stopped waiting for the contest after a while. It felt stupid to keep hope alive when hope never paid rent. Then, on a Friday night in early March, I was walking my bike home from Mr. Denko’s shop because the wind was too strong to ride through. I opened our mailbox. One…
Boys With Broken Fathers When we went back to school, I saw Bruce in the hallway before first period. He saw me too. Our eyes met for half a second, then he looked away and turned down a different corridor. A bruise bloomed on the left side of his face, yellow-green and fading. Good, I…
The Thing Money Can’t Fix Mid-January, Tina’s teacher called home. Mom didn’t tell me at first. I heard it from Tina. “Mrs. Peterson says I can’t see the board anymore,” Tina said one morning, like she was reporting the weather. “Even in the front row.” I looked at her. “Since when?” Tina shrugged. “It’s blurry….
