LATEST

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

Five Days Later…   We’re all gathered backstage. I fumble with the large buttons at the collar of my blouse, flicking them between my thumb and forefinger in an effort to relieve some of the tension I feel. I’m super fidgety and I hate how much it shows. I do a few breathing and posture exercises as I mentally prepare myself for tonight. For all of tonight. The week has breezed by and it’s already Saturday. The day of the big performance is finally here. There are only twenty minutes… Read More

I slip into the office space quietly, and suddenly, I’m even more anxious than I was before. My heart is pounding hard in my chest, and I’m finding it hard to breathe all of a sudden. I’m immediately greeted by complete silence that is punctuated only by the soft rustling of paper. I notice the wispy sounds are coming from a woman seated at a desk just a few feet away, her face slightly obscured by the desktop monitor in front of her. Her head is slightly bowed, her eyes… Read More