Posts in Contemporary

I feel my eyebrow arch of its own accord, and I can’t stifle the incredulous huff that leaves my chest. “Excuse me?” What the fuck? Did this guy just tell me that what I do is his business? Frost gives me a hard look, his features becoming a bit more tense than usual—and that somehow makes him appear even more handsome, if you can believe that. “I don’t like repeating myself,” he begins, “but since you probably didn’t know that about me prior to now, I’ll make an exception for… Read More

He leads me through the long hallway, stopping a few times to greet a few people and acknowledge waves from several with a nod of his head. I can’t help but notice several women stare at him as we walk by, their eyes roaming over him seductively in an obvious show of lust and wanting. Their looks are admiring and appraising…until their attention shifts to me. Their eyes grace me with scowls and glares, as if they’d like nothing more than for me to shrivel up and disappear into thin… Read More

You know the phrase, “out-of-body experience”? I’ve had quite a few people tell me they’ve had out-of-body experiences over the years, and each time I’d wondered what situation they had found—or put—themselves in that resulted in such a profound impact on them. Or I thought they were just being overly dramatic or exaggerating, like lots of people do, even when they don’t mean to. I can’t remember when exactly I’d first heard the expression itself, but the first time I’d learned about its origin was six years ago in my… Read More

As Gina and I continue to look at each other in an extremely awkward bout of silence, the only thing I expect her to do right now is threaten to tell on me if I don’t agree with her, but surprisingly, she doesn’t. Instead of trying to blackmail me, she says, “I know how this looks, but I have my reasons for being here, as I’m sure you do as well.” When I continue to remain silent, she lets out a deep sigh and continues. “Look, neither you nor Trixie… Read More

I exhale deeply, breathing out a long sigh of relief as I close the door behind me. My eyes drift close for a moment, and I try to breathe normally, coaxing my frantic heart to slow down. The restroom is quiet, and I realize that except for me and my rapidly thumping heart, it’s completely vacant. I find solace in the recluse space, thanking my stars that I’m the only one here so I don’t have to deal with an audience witnessing me have a mini panic attack. The area… Read More

The moment we step in, we’re engulfed in a stream of House music and an even brighter confetti of colorful lights. All at once, images of the most glamorous things I’ve ever laid eyes on hit me; large crystal chandeliers, tall antique mirrors, ridiculously high ceilings, even more statues, expensive oil paintings, and the most unique pieces of furniture I’ve ever seen. The interior infrastructure and décor is absolutely sick. Jeez, how the hell in the world can one person have so much damn money?! We continue to make our… Read More

As we get closer and closer to the entrance, my eyes remain glued to my window as I admire the surrounding forestry. Tall, obscuring trees line up on either side of us, evenly spaced from one another, breaking up the monotony of the tar road with their rich, earthy colors. I keep wondering how the hell these trees are so damn green with all the snowstorms we’ve been having. A moment later, we finally arrive at the mansion, and boy, they weren’t kidding when they said mansion! The car slows… Read More

We’re in Nicole’s car again, driving toward our destination. The ‘good’ news is we’re making good time. The bad news is I can barely breathe in this thing she calls a dress. It’s way too short, and way too tight, but according to her, that’s a ‘killer’ combination. I think I might agree with her, only the person who might end up dying here is me and not the men she thinks will be ogling me because of it. I shift in my seat again, adjusting the dress I’m wearing… Read More

About twenty-fives minutes later, we’re on the other side of the city and a ways away from campus, pulling into a bound parking lot. I take a quick scan of the apartment complex through my slightly foggy window. It looks really nice; clean and fairly quiet, with great lighting from tall street lamps generously scattered all over the sidewalks. The engine dies and its motoring sound is replaced by those of screaming crickets, croaking frogs, and other typical nightlife as we reluctantly embrace the cold air once again. “This way,”… Read More

The curtains rise slowly, revealing our ensemble of violinists and vocalists to an incredibly large, seated audience. The enormous stage lights are bright and feel hot against my face and neck, perfectly illuminating our musical assembly from high above our heads. The auditorium is packed, just as I expected it to be—as we all expected it to be. The annual Weitzman performance is one of the events that always gets sold out quickly. Last year, I was seated in the audience, far behind on the other side of the renowned… Read More