All Stories
Travel
As I accidentally booked a 6am hostel pickup, darkness seeped into my room through the narrow slats of shutters, a faint reminder my body was still on Pacific standard time – somewhere in my head, or at least the part that remembered I wasn't a vampire.
First Times
Mornings spent shoveling snow from my grandma's driveway began after my mom fell ill – my grandma, too stubborn to admit she needed help, made these early winter duties mine. The biting air felt less sharp as I huffed against the wind, eyes on the task ahead, trying to find symmetry in uneven flakes.
First Times
My friend Emma insisted we try the weird falafel cart downtown, and I agreed, thinking it'd be a nice gesture. As I bit into the crispy exterior, the flavors danced, but my stomach protested at the loudness, reminding me of my aunt's dinner parties where everyone talked at once.
Holidays & Events
My aunt's New Year's Eve countdowns used to last exactly two hours and forty-seven minutes, give or take a few minutes for obligatory family selfies and her sister to whisper excuses in the bathroom while pretending to fix her hair. The room would grow thick with stale air from the endless supply of lukewarm canapés and lukewarm cheer.
Pets
My cat's obsession with the refrigerator is inexplicable, she sits for hours staring at the humming compressor, I've tried rearranging the kitchen layout to conceal it but she always finds her way back, one time I opened the door thinking she'd been stuck inside, but no, just basking in the cool air, completely unphased
Texting & Social Media
I've been 'unfriending' my way through life, deleting each social media account a new failed relationship's equivalent of ripping a Band-Aid off, except my hands aren't shaking because I have a history of poor coping mechanisms.
Dating & Relationships
My aunt accidentally sent a selfie of me in a bright pink wig to her book club, and three weeks later my blind date for that night texted me about a potential group outing – we hit it off over an uneventful hour of discussing vegan baking.
Friends
Sometimes I find myself rummaging through my grandmother's attic, searching for anything remotely useful to distract me from the sound of Emily's voice. She's got one of those 'let's-just-talk-it-out' personalities, but honestly, it's just been too much for me to handle.
Oversharing
My therapist keeps telling me to focus on my 'inner child,' but honestly, sometimes my inner child acts more like a clingy roommate who won't stop eating cereal out of the carton. I've started scribbing weird reminders on Post-its to 'remind' it to be more adult sometimes – stuff like 'stop sobbing at the thought of a minor disagreement' and 'relearn personal space'.
First Times
The day you're supposed to lose your virginity never quite looks the way you expect. In my case, it happens on a Tuesday afternoon while trying out a trampoline behind a friend's house, with his annoying little sister shrieking about 'getting tangled up like laundry' in my ear.
Texting & Social Media
Fumbling for my phone in class, I almost spilled coffee on notes scribbled in red pen. Amidst the chaos of algebra, my thumbs hovered over screen, trying not to look at my crush's DM with three words: "Hey, I'm done."
Kids
In a burst of unrequited enthusiasm, I spent the entire Saturday trying to train my stuffed rabbit, Fuzzy, to fetch. I fashioned a makeshift obstacle course using couch cushions, coffee tables, and strategically placed socks.
Dating & Relationships
As I fumbled with the coffee shop's awkward ordering system, my date's smile faltered for a split second before rebounding into an overly enthusiastic "Oh, wow, we have such great coffee, don't we?" Now, sipping on a burnt-syrup-infused disaster, I had no idea which version of her was more authentic: the quirky coffee connoisseur or the cheerful social lubricant.
Misunderstandings
My grandma always warned me to 'never trust the first line', whatever that meant, and now I'm the prime example. Last Friday, I attended this corporate mixer where every soul wore the same name tag and smiled like they were trying to convince their accountant to invest in tulip futures.
Dating & Relationships
The day after, I found myself standing near an elevator in my apartment building wearing the same clothes from the night before and a hairnet that was definitely not from the grocery store down the street. It all made sense when I thought about how Alex was a pastry chef, or at least claimed to be, and the way she kept mentioning butter as an aphrodisiac.
Strangers
My shoelaces keep getting tangled in the bus seat's crevice, an embarrassing ritual that I've come to dread. In a world that values spontaneity, I'm stuck fumbling for order in the knots of my worn out laces.
Dating & Relationships
My grandmother's antique teapot has more character than you, and on our third date, I mentioned that in passing, just to see what would happen. It took a full minute for you to laugh and realize it wasn't a pickup line, and when you did, your eyes sparkled and your teeth glinted, a weirdly reassuring combination.
Food & Dining
The day my aunt's culinary legacy almost ended in a sauce-covered disaster I was at her house, attempting to recreate her famous homemade ravioli for the family reunion, but it seemed even I couldn't save it from herself - a splash of too much lemon juice had turned the ricotta an unholy shade of chartreuse and was now oozing across the table like a slow-moving virus.
Awkward
I was washing my hands when I accidentally triggered the sink next to me. Then another.
Awkward
A guy across the street lifted his arm and waved. I enthusiastically waved back.
Work
I was on a Zoom call trying to look professional. Right as I started speaking, my air fryer beeped loudly like a failing medical device.
Awkward
I bought new jeans online and walked into a quiet bookstore—only to discover they made a loud rubbery squeak every time I moved. Someone looked up expecting to see a balloon animal.