Tori was able to stay focused enough to complete her pieces, and that pleased her. It also pleased Professor Holmes, who now had a knack...

Fully expecting to get off the bus, grab his luggage, and head out to the cab line in front of the train station, he adjusted his bag...

With every bump in the road, he winced. In his mind he was cussin out the Burger King he devoured before he got on the bus to head home....

“Are you sitting down?” “No.” “Baby I am going to need you to sit down.” “I don’t understand why I need to sit down.” “How come you don’t...

Michael looked down at the top of Tori’s head. “If I didn’t know any better, I would think you were avoiding me.” Tori was doing a lot of...

Tori hid in the library gathering books for her research paper. She began writing and highlighting on notecards. It was a productive and...

Tori was exhausted She was working on several pieces at the same time. She was so consumed with her work she didn’t hear Michael enter...

Dell’s cell was vibrating in his hoodie pocket on his way home from class, “Hey Ms. Trudy, this is a surprise.” “Rondell,” she said in a...

At three am, Tori woke up screaming. Ladee scrambled out of the bed and crawled under it grabbing a baseball bat. She looked around, but...

“You did what?” Malik said grimacing at Dell while they waited at the lunch truck “I dunno if you have a death wish or what, but Sticks...

They woke in the morning with their bodies entwined and the sheets woven within any bit of negative space. Michael was the first to wake....

After they all said their goodbyes to Ladee, who remarkably managed to stay out of earshot, the quartet decided on a less fancy...

When Dennis opened the back door of the kitchen, a cold gust of wind surprised Malik and chilled him to the bone. What was chilling him...

Malik rushed to put his gun away as he heard someone come down the steps. He could tell by the heavy creaking it was Dennis. Malik wasn’t...

Tori would have been lying if she said she wasn’t disappointed when she arrived at the studio and Michael wasn’t there. All the same, she...

The rest of the evening was so comfortable. Tori and Michael told stories, laughed, listened to music all while she braided his hair....

The concrete seemed to glimmer in the sun, Tori was reminded of home. The way the streets were beaten by the elements cracking under...

The first day of any school year was always nerve racking. The first day of class at college was doubly so. The first day of class at a...

When Dell pulled into the driveway with the van, Tori rolled her eyes and wondered if he was going to rent a new vehicle every time they...

“Hey you. Where did you go?” Dell asked. Tori swallowed hard and took a deep breath. It was then she realized she was angry and not...