"Sometimes happiness feels like a chore." A short story chronicling the relationships (and lack thereof) of Drew; in which nights and days are spent curled up in the tear-and-food-stained sheets, with and without the warmth of another living soul, because he has lived like this and he'll probably die like this -- whether he likes it or not. (As if life ever bothered to ask). Otherwise known as: Sleep is for the weak, and love is for those asleep. So Andrew shouldn't wonder why he's virtually a self-induced insomniac who might just very well die of loneliness one day.

Sometimes all you really need is a place to call home. *** Claire is lost and scared and utterly alone. Her family is in shambles after the death of her older sister Ina, and she's left to pick up the broken pieces of herself as her life heads into a downwards spiral of loneliness. Her heart leads her to 5:48, a little cafe by 33rd street, where she finds her new home. With a broken heart and a speech disability, Jasper has his heart and mouth sewn shut by the winding threads of hurt and fear. Painting and serving coffee in cafe 5:48 are one of his last few saving graces, but the smile he's been painting on himself will soon fade away as everything he's ever held dear slips away from his grasp. Ezra is out-of-sync and oddly cold by the way life has treated his young self. Abandoned by his single mother at an early age, he has grown up thinking that he is a mistake. His constant shaking hands are a reflection of what he often thinks of himself, but the delightful pastries he bakes for 5:48's customers are a reflection of what others see of him. Drew is a quirky rarity. He is a dash of loud, a pinch of exuberant, and a cup of eccentric - just like the meals he serves in the cafe as the only chef there. Behind his playful grins and outlandish clothes, however, are his jutting ribs, hollowed cheeks, and too-thin arms. Sometimes he cannot stomach being in his own skin as much as he cannot stomach food. This family has gone a long way from finding each other, and they'll be going a long way together too as reality comes catching up to them, threatening the newfound happiness they've found with each other. Secrets are revealed, pasts become presents, and lives are changed. Slowly but surely, they find their way back home. *** NOTE AS OF 08/2026: This is the old version of the story from 2012, posted in FULL. Another story that will be considered a reprise of this old version is in the works, and will be posted under the name "Hiraya House."

A dialogue short story about the things we wake up to that remind us there are still things in this life worth waking up for. ante meridiem - [adv. & adj.] "before noon;" Abbr: A.M. Or a.m. [credit to owner of image (not me)]

"Life was just too unbearable for him." A series of poems about a guy Poetry #169 6/18/14 Short Story #339

Seventeen-year-old Denali can lift trucks with her mind and see remote locations on a whim, but these skills won't save her if the American Psi Council discovers she is trying to prevent a bombing in Washington, DC. She shouldn't ask her strong, strict trainer to risk his life to help her...but she will.

We find ourselves on the pages of a road trip movie and we’re the young couple falling in love.

Watty Awards 2012 Fantasy Undiscovered Gem Winner The world takes on a new meaning when Blaise Anthony wakes up, alone and forgotten to a world that she can't remember. Not knowing who she is or who to trust is only the beginning. With only a bag of generic items and a note written by an unknown person, she's opted to try and create a new life for herself. Of course, ignorance and pretending can only get you so far. With her only true friend, a German shepherd named Bear, Blaise has to try to find herself. Either way, she's in deeper water than she could ever imagine.

Codi James is a chronic underachiever. A straight C student, her life is going nowhere. Causing havoc at yet another school it looks like she's heading for another expulsion, until one teacher decides to call in a favour from an old friend. Codi is sent to the one place where her aggression might do her some good. Joining the underdeveloped Brax-Delta training academy, Codi is set on the long, bruising path to compete as a champion in the Gauntlet Tournament. Thrown together with a team of other misfits and under the tutorage of a frustrated veteran, she has one chance left to prove that she's more than just a struggling orphan. Never underestimate a desperate person. WINNER OF 2014 WATTPAD PRIZE FOR BEST EPIC