FV2112

(952 days before) The shimmering aurora of the golden street lights passed throughout the night sky like shooting stars as Desmond’s old college roommate Tyler, the designated driver for this escapade, made the hour-long trip from downtown Boston back to Brimerton. Desmond stared blankly into space with his face pressed against the window, having learned the hard way that he couldn’t pound back Johnnie Walker shots with beer chasers like he could in his younger days. Upon passing by th

(975 days before) 2:45 PM. Afternoon announcements had just concluded, and Mrs. Luisa Lopez’s 9th-period Spanish class was on edge, boiling in silent anticipation of hearing that loud beep. In the distance, they could hear the rumblings of their peers in other classes making their way out of their desks, mingling with friends, and gathering by the door, ready to burst forth into the hallways once classes were officially dismissed. But Mrs. Lopez’s students knew that if they dared to e

(988 days before) Being made to sit alone each lunch period was a difficult burden to bear at first, having to watch people he once called his confidants looking over their shoulders from three tables down, shouting cruel jokes and making nasty remarks to try and provoke him. Damien, however, did not react. He remained stoic, reminding himself of what Mr. Mancino told him on Monday. As the week marched on by, Damien slowly found cold comfort in isolation from his former “friend” group;

(988 days before) *January 2006* “I still don’t love the idea of this, Bryan.” “It’s gonna be fine, Maureen. Dr. Willoughby comes highly recommended!” The pretty blonde in her early thirties sat on the couch and nervously played with her hair as both she and her husband awaited the arrival of a special guest, a guest who could very well determine the ultimate fate of their unraveling sacred bond. “I don’t know, I just feel like once you get to the point where someone els

(992 days before) Things didn’t improve much for Damien as sophomore year continued. After two months, it became clear that the only true positive for this year was his first-period biology class with Mr. Mancino. Afterward, the remaining six hours would be filled with nothing but disappointments and stressors. If dealing with mean, annoying, and incompetent teachers weren’t bad enough, Damien’s relationship with his quote-unquote “friends” continued to deteriorate at an exponential pa

(1008 days before) With his recent predicament in mind, Desmond was more grateful than ever that unlike the other conservative, old-fashioned Italian-American families in his hometown, he grew up with very liberal and open-minded parents. The weekend after Desmond walked in on Bryan, leading to a shocking and unprecedented revelation about himself, he decided to make the four-and-a-half-hour drive from Brimerton to his hometown of Grasmere, Staten Island, to visit his parents, Oscar and Lyn

(1015 days before) Bryan exhaled a harried sigh of relief at the absence of a certain teal Bronco in his driveway. "He must be out running errands," his racing mind spoke through the din. As he exited the Toyota, Bryan still couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched, prompting him to look over his shoulder for the hundredth time today. Yet again, no one was around. Thank God. His blackened aviator shades obscured the light of the beautiful cloudless day and hopefully obscure

(1052 days before) “—I kept trying to explain to this woman that if she’s so worried about budget, lobster thermidor for fifty-two people was going to cost WAY more than the chicken or steak dinner, but you know how it is…Client wants, client gets.” After years of contending with bridezillas, in-laws from hell, budget issues, and uncooperative venues, Charlene Marshall strongly felt as if professional wedding planning should be considered an X-treme sport rather than a career. Even whe

(1118 days before) With late spring and the early days of summer defined by weeks and weeks of rain and cooler-than-normal weather, the temperature finally breaking eighty degrees with sunny skies at the tail end of June was a welcome change for both Bryan and Desmond. Despite only being on a nine-month contract, Brimerton’s school district gave teachers the option to split their salaries over the entire year, ensuring income during summer vacation—nothing extravagant, but income nonetheles

(1158 days before) “Milan was known for manufacturing weapons, but was also known for manufacturing silk and textiles, and even in the modern age, Milan is still considered the fashion capital of the world! However, the most important city-state in all of Renaissance Italy? It’s easily gotta be Florence. SO many brilliant artists, poets, architects, and scholars all came from Florence and it’s really no surprise when you realize that they were all funded by the Medici, one of the most power

(1382 days before) Even before he got the job, Desmond always made it a habit to be an early riser, usually for his morning jogs or to hit the weights before the gyms got too crowded. Still, having to wake up at 6:00 AM sharp every Monday through Friday proved to be a much more difficult and inconvenient task than he’d anticipated. The muted yet noticeable sawing sound of a man snoring could be easily heard throughout the house as Desmond got ready for the day. After showering and gett

(1383 days before) Damien simply couldn’t wait to chill out and do nothing at the end of the long and arduous school day, but like a crazed and obsessed stalker, school followed him home in the form of three pages of algebra, two earth science worksheets, a two-page essay in Global History, and a book report on To Kill A Mockingbird in Literature class. “Look at all this fucking homework.” Damien groused. “I get that it’s high school now, but give us noobs a break!” Mathematics wa

For me, the best booktuber to me is KrimsonRogue. His reviews of bad books, especially Onision's books and Empress Theresa, are not only funny as hell, but they're also a wealth of information when it comes to what not to do as a writer.

(1416 days before) The blistering guitar riff of “Rock n Roll All Nite” blared directly in Bryan’s ears, shocking him out of a deep sleep. His large, hairy hand slammed down on the snooze button of his clock radio tuned to the local rock station and the music immediately ceased. He opened his eyes to face the digital display of the combination clock radio and calendar. 6:30 AM- Friday-5 September 2008 He desperately wanted to re-close his eyes for a few more precious hours of slee

I want to avoid spoilers of course, but all I can tell you is that this is NOT going to be a carbon copy of Pretty Little Liars.