"Trust is only a five letter word, but it can be misused in so many different ways." ~Ayjee Grogan Rylan is starting her first year of high school when she finds out life isn't happy like in the movies. She's young, naive, and as a result, she makes enemies as well as friends. Even with the added support of Cas, Tuck, and Dani, Rylan's biggest problems won't be solved so easily. Her English teacher is a monster hiding behind the guise of a well-mannered, handsome fella and her worst nightmare, Blake, is a guy who will stop at nothing to break her. When both single her out among the crowds, Rylan is afraid to tell the truth. But sometimes revealing the truth can set you free. There's more at stake here than just her life. Can she stand up to the people who scare her most, or will she become just another statistic? --------- © 2013 Miranda JK This story has been rewritten in a (hopefully) error free and more well written version that can be found here: https://www.wattpad.com/story/40386719-~my-teacher-hits-me~-rewritten

~~~~~ "C'mon, cupcake. Why are you always trying to avoid me? All you're doing is delaying the inevitable." "And what's that?" Rylan spits, annoyed. He brushes her hair gently behind her ear. Rylan flinches when Blake's hand makes contact with her skin. "I enjoy taking what I can't have, especially when it's a challenge. I want what I want. And you...are something I desperately want." ~~~~~ "Do you think you're special, Rylan? Are you really so stupid that you think you're better than me--that you have a say in what goes on in my classroom?" Mr. Quinn asks in a deep, menacing voice. He glares at Rylan and digs his fingers into the skin on her forearms. "You don't. You. are. nothing. So you better get that through your thick, little skull." Mr. Quinn presses his face closer to Rylan's so she has to turn her head to escape his hot breath. He lets go of her left arm and grabs her chin roughly, forcing her to look at him. "I. abhor. you. And all students like you. I'm in the position of power here. You'd do well to remember that." ~~~~~ If Rylan had it her way, she'd be going to school, hanging out with her friends in her free time, and returning home every day to two loving parents and the safety of her home. But if life has taught her anything, it's that you rarely ever get to have things your way. Her school life is quickly becoming a nightmare. Her English teacher is emotionally unstable under the professional front he puts up and Rylan has managed to catch the eye of the resident "bad boy" and his cronies, which doesn't seem to be boding well for her. Rylan can't even count on her house to be a safe haven anymore--not while her nightmares can penetrate walls. It's not just her happiness that's at stake here. It's her life. But can she stand up to the people who scare her most, or will she end up just another statistic? --------- © 2015 Miranda JK

[ORIGINAL DRAFT SAMPLE] She is twenty-nine when the FBI comes for her, but Catherine Themis was only seventeen, grieving and naive and angry, the first time she wiped someone else's blood from her fingers and felt the snake rise in her chest. She was seventeen when she stepped into the dark and never looked back. ***** By day, Catherine Themis is an unassuming civilian administrator for the Dedwich Police Department, but by night, she is a notorious vigilante known as The Hangman. Struggling with her violent urges and the psychological cost of her actions, Catherine becomes the target of an obsessive serial killer and a relentless FBI agent, and as the hunt for the Hangman intensifies, Catherine must decide which life she wishes to live and what she values more: vengeance or her fading humanity? A psychological thriller in the vein of MINDHUNTER and HANNIBAL, SERPENT HEART is a deep-dive into the life and history of a conflicted vigilante forced to confront her inner demons and evade a national manhunt. Catherine questions the efficacy of her own convictions as the FBI closes in and a vindictive murderer puts her family, love, and identity in jeopardy. With everything on the line and time running out, who will Catherine Themis become? --- [[AVAILABLE ON AMAZON]] [[REMOVED 24 DEC 2021]] [[2019 Watty Winner - Mystery & Thriller]]

short story centered around the Roy Lichtenstein painting, "Drowning Girl."

My aunt died in 1998 and this thought came to mind to write this and she was such an influential character in my family's life and I didn't know she was majoring in journalism. I could not even contain myself while writing this and I really don't know why I'm sharing this with you.