When I was in middle school, my friends and I were on the football team and raced from class at the other end of the hall to the locker room. We had to get into our football equipment and out onto the field. Our coaches wanted us on time. They didn't want us to be... Continue Reading →
An embarrassing day at the lake
(A version of this short story first ran in July 2016.) I had a friend in college who had something like this happen to him in junior high school. I guess it didn't work out too badly for him: He ended up marrying the girl. My short story has its share of sentimental fluff, but... Continue Reading →
Putting a bully in his place
The baseball came out of the pitcher's hand like a rocket. A blur of white looked like it was headed straight toward my helmet, but then curved down and away at the last minute. I swung forcefully, but I was comically late. The pitcher, a teammate of mine named Jay (name changed), broke out into... Continue Reading →
Don’t mess with my hometown
The Mississippi native was talking about all the things wrong with his home state. He listed the problems and the state’s ranking in various nationwide surveys rapid fire. He knew them well and mocked the state's poor showing: Ranked 50th in poverty. Ranked 49th in the mortality rate, suicide rate, smoking rate, mental health, infant mortality... Continue Reading →
Sticking up for myself
I stormed up to my bigger and stronger teammate and told him that he may have had an out-of-this-world batting swing and ranked as one of the best players on our baseball team, but he should stop bullying everyone. The rest of us didn’t appreciate his behavior. My teammates, seeing my bravery and courage, of... Continue Reading →
Fighting my stutter
The teacher stood over me like an angry giant. Looking back now I’m guessing that he couldn’t have been more 5’8 or 5’9 tall and probably had just graduated from college, but to me the substitute teacher held a position of authority, looked pleased to catch his prey out of the classroom, and like he... Continue Reading →

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