I think I make it inside
without being seen
but before I even get
to the top of the stairs
Gabby is behind me
asking if I’m okay
and what happened.
I turn, weary,
not wanting to talk
to anyone
to her
“I just got lost. I fell. I’m fine.”
She lets me go into the bathroom
but after I have
showered and changed
I hear a small […]

I wait too long to go home,
and the moonlight that pours
over the pond
disappears as I walk
into the woods
I know my way back,
yet everything looks different at night
and I remember that night
so long ago
and fear sets in
tightening my muscles
and making my heart pound.
I trip
and reach out
landing with a thud in the dirt
and branches that cover the
ground, […]

it’s not anything important
like ending hunger
or world peace
but I do not know what
to do about the
Homecoming problem
Mel left a voice mail
threatening to arrange my date herself
and since I know that will default me to TJ
I must make a decision.
I walk through our woods to a small park
where there is a pond and some benches
and a […]

in all my distraction with school
and Ben
I have been
off
at the gym
my coach has noticed
and demands for me to focus
telling me to get my head on straight
for the invitational
just two weeks away
he tells me to either
land the Arabian
or do the flight series
but that I
absolutely
must have a
higher start value on beam
he tells me that beam is what […]

Mel will not leave me alone
until I have a date and she
can finalize her crazy
but sweet
plans for the night.
it’s still a month away but
she is determined
to get a signed-in-blood
commitment from me.
the easy choice would be TJ.
He’s nice enough, and cute enough
and his breath doesn’t smell
and he is already part of the group.
But it’s only easy […]

as I drag my feet through
week 2 of school my friends
race ahead
talking about how exciting
it is that we
are seniors
it is the “last time” for so
many things
and our little gang
of which I am only a
a part-time member
has so many plans
that you need
a PDA to keep up.
They have always known
to not depend on me
and maybe that’s why
I […]

Ben’s name pops up on my caller ID
at almost ten
“Thanks for dinner.” he says.
“Oh yeah, like I had anything to do with that.
You were ambushed.”
“That’s okay. It was fun. Your
little sister is cute.”
“I think the feeling was reciprocal.”
He laughs. “It was fun, and dinner
definitely beat a drive-thru.”
He pauses, then says,
“So it will […]

Dad is waiting for me
he closes his book when I come in
and points at a chair in the
living room.
Gabby flicks off the TV
but stays
“He seems like a nice boy,” Dad says.
“He’s nice enough,” I say.
“He’s older than you,” Dad points out.
“Just two years. It’s no different than dating
a senior when you’re a sophomore.” […]

“I don’t even really like horses,” I blurt out,
disturbing the quiet of the evening
even the horses lift up their heads to
stare at me as if they heard the words
and were offended.
“I mean. I thought you should know.
All this,” I wave my hand at the farm around us,
“Has nothing to do with me.”
Ben listens and […]

he still has an hour drive back
so he doesn’t stay long and
I have to bribe Anna with
a trip to the mall
to convince her to leave
him alone long enough
so that I can say good-bye
we sit on top of the split rail fence that
runs along the driveway
Balancing my body atop the
fence is much easier than
balancing my heart.
I’m […]