Here’s the thing: I was hoping I was wrong. But I wasn’t. The old, abandoned house was being torn down. Out of all the beginning-of-summer traditions, we hoped our senior year would bring an epic party. I told Nancy, who told Max, who told Todd. And so we went, dark into the night. I felt […]
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The crown sits lazily on my head. Olympia stares at me from across the room. “You’re beautiful when you’re planning world domination,” he says, and I watch as his eyes look me up and down. He focuses on the blood I forgot to wipe off of my cheek. “We’re one step closer, my love,” I […]
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I stepped off the plane and was met with a familiar smell – the smell of home. Deciding to go home for summer was hard – and it was even harder to bring my girlfriend with me. We had been going out since early February, and I was happier than ever. And yet, I was […]
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“Don’t leave.” I desperately offer this failure of a soliloquy. My hands trace circles in the sand. Out here it’s just me, the sand, the ocean that seems to be singing a melancholy song– and him. “I don’t want to,” he tells me and grabs my hand. He stares into my soul and then he […]
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On my last day in Mumbai, I wanted to stay with my friends (well, my crush too). It was the perfect summer day and I went swimming. The first person I saw– Andrew. We made eye contact for a minute. Big thing! Throughout the hour, we shared multiple moments. Later that evening, I bid my friends adieu, and […]
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Lying underneath the blooming oak tree, April ponders her life. Book in hand and Oasis in her earbuds, she can’t help but wonder if she’s doing something wrong. Why am I not excited to be a senior this year? Why am I not experiencing all of the things you hear about in those corny rom-coms, […]
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Callie felt her eyelids slowly close, heavy from a dreary sleep. She envisioned an island with tall, long trees and lakes running deep as the sky. She heard a ruffling of the leaves. She wanted to inspect the noise but her body froze with fear. What if it was a trap? Would she die? She […]
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YA literature is known for its quirky characters, fantastical worlds, and dramatic romances, and young adult literature has continued to succeed (arguably the most of any genre) within the realm of diversity. From explorations of racial identity to sexuality, YA readers have been provided a number of challenging and hopeful stories about young characters navigating […]
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The mingled heat of summer and adrenaline trickles down my spine as you step in closer. I beg my fight or flight response to knock some sense into me before your outstretched hand reaches my cheek; pray for the strength to escape the deadly moment that I know – we both know – will erupt […]
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