Fifty-three minutes later, a hard knock sounded on my apartment door, making me shoot up from my seat where I’d been restlessly playing Gardenscapes on my phone.Moments before, I’d been tempted to delete the entire app, because the spreading honey level was pissing me the fuck off. But this waiting-for-Haven’s-parents-to-show horseshit was making me antsy enough that I kept playing the mind-numbing game and matching up three lines of fruit against the damn honey, anyway, batting it back as if I were fighting an approaching wildfire. And dying every round.Tossing my phone down as the honey consumed a leaf and a pear, I strode toward the door. Izzy popped up from where she’d been sitting across the room as me, cross-legged and madly typing on her laptop.I sliced her a warning glance as she tried to follow. “Why don’t you stay back a bit? They’re probably still pissed at me for putting them through the wringer.” I didn’t want anyone’s anger spilling over onto my sister.Rolling her
Issue 2 of “Hopeless Henry”By Alice BennetTaken from the University GazetteCollege was different than I thought it’d be. Harder in some ways; easier in others. One thing I seriously needed to learn was time management.As I stepped from the history department building, my head spun with everything I needed to get done. My professor had just reminded us of midterms coming up and an essay that was due next week. Then I had another paper in my English class to finish, a group project to work on in sociology, and a big lab assignment to start in chemistry, not to mention we had a parade to practice for in band, and another home game to perform at this weekend, and—Well, let’s just say I had no idea when I was going to get everything done. That pretty much summed it up.Turning down a sidewalk that led toward the cafeteria, I swung my book bag over one shoulder just as Rush appeared at my side.“Henry, my man,” he greeted, bumping his shoulder companionably into mine. “So, I’ve b
Seven words. That’s all it took to bring Wick Webster to his knees. Hook, line, and sinker. I could tell from the poleaxed expression on his face that I had him right where I wanted him.I honestly hadn’t meant to admit such a mortifying feeling aloud. I mean, how embarrassing to blurt out such a private thought like that, even though I felt it to be true with every fiber of my being. I did feel instinctively safe standing there, looking at him. The entire aura around him screamed protector. Besides, I knew Topher would never bother me again with a detractor like his nemesis around.But now that I had said it, it ended up exposing his weakness, not mine. The boy really must have a compulsion to keep people safe. And I’d just unknowingly stumbled my way into saying the magic words to get whatever I wanted from him.Silence filled the front room of his apartment as he stared at me as if I’d just punched all the air from his diaphragm.Then I went in for the kill and softly added, “Ho
Grateful that my old roommate and Topher were both nowhere around when Dad and I arrived at Dandridge Hall, we packed my belongings into his and Mom’s van, then into my car, for over an hour until I had all my college possessions completely cleared from Annabeth’s apartment, only to return to my new place and realize the sheets wouldn’t fit the ones I’d had for the single-sized bed I’d used in my dorm apartment.Wick offered to lend me a second set he had on hand, but stubborn, I-want-to-be-independent me resisted. Thankfully, the nearest twenty-four-hour mart was only a few blocks away, so after I shooed my parents out the door and on their way home to keep them from being on the road any later than necessary, I ran out and found myself some queen-sized sheets, trying to look at things on the bright side: I was getting a bigger bed!When I returned, Wick walked me down to the building’s basement to show me where the laundry room was kept so I wouldn’t have to sleep in itchy, new she
The moment I stepped outside, it seemed extra dark and spooky without Wick with me. I held my breath as I approached the steps that led down to the basement, thinking this would be an ideal place for a stalker to hang out while waiting for his next victim to pass by.Great. That vision calmed me down so much.I peeked into the lightened stairwell and blew out a breath when I only found a cat at the bottom, drinking from its bowl. So I clambered down the steps, which scared the shit out of poor Mr. Whiskers, and he darted back into the basement through his swinging cat door.By the time I reached the door myself and pulled it open, the cat was long gone. But I felt a little better, stepping inside the basement and knowing the animal was in there with me. Somewhere. Sometimes, just having another soul around—whether they interacted with you or not—made all the difference in the world.As luck would have it, the spin cycle on my sheets was just slowing to an end when I entered the lau
My schedule was all out of whack.Instead of waking up at five for my daily run, I woke up at five, pressed into my couch with a warm weight on top of me, a ton of someone else’s hair scattered in my face, and quite possibly the worst case of morning wood I had ever experienced in my life.My body reacted before my brain did, and I arched up my hips, seeking that heavy warmth, needing to press my ache against it. Turning my face in toward the hair, I found the nook of a feminine neck, and I wrapped my arms around her until I had a handful of ass and could grind her down on me as I rose up, connecting us just where I needed friction.A groan rumbled from my throat. Rocket blasts of pleasure sparked behind my eyelids. I breathed in her heavenly scent and began to kiss the warm stretch of flesh along her neck when it struck me what was actually happening and who was sleeping on top of me.“Holy shit!” I jumped so hard, I knocked her off me.She toppled, spilling over the side of the
I missed my first two classes of the day. But I made it to the third.The world looked different now. As soon as I stepped on campus and glanced around me, I saw strangers in a strange land, walking past, looking as if they had purpose. As if they had worth. I kept expecting them to glance at me peculiarly and ask what I was doing there. It all seemed so new and foreign all of a sudden.Hiking my book bag more securely onto my back, I lowered my gaze and started toward the Family and Consumer Science building. As an Early Childhood Education major, I spent half my school day at the university’s preschool lab, where I fulfilled my practicum experience. Next semester, I’d move up to student teaching and actually get to assist in some of the teaching instead of what I did now, which was basically take kids to the bathroom, help pass out snacks, set up activities, and clean messes.But that took place in the afternoon. So as I hurried toward my Early Literacy and Language Development cl
Issue 3 of “Hopeless Henry”By Alice BennetTaken from the University Gazette“Free drinks for Henry! All night long,” Rush shouted, slinging an arm over my shoulders and fisting his other hand into the air victoriously as a crowd of fellow band players cheered us on.My face heated in bashful delight as I glanced at everyone who’d showed up at the bar to celebrate because of me. Then I glanced down at the fake ID Rush had set me up with. He’d planned for everything.As soon as the director had announced me as the new trumpet section leader, set to take Baxter’s spot, Rush had been a flurry of excitement, making sure tonight was epic.“We’re going to get you so damn drunk and happy,” he told me, shaking my shoulder enthusiastically. “You’ll be hitting on every woman in this place before the night’s over.”“Oh, ho!” I cried, laughing and trying yet failing to picture such an outcome. “I’d like to see that.”“You will, buddy. That’s a promise. Because, check it out, the first rou