EXCERPTWhen Benny came back downstairs, Dena was gone. He peered out toward the pool area to see if she was talking to her parents, but saw nobody at the table where they had been. He walked out to the pool area, cupping his sketchbook under his wrist as if hiding it. Most the people in the party were crowded around the pool, cheering loudly. As Benny worked his way through the crowd, he bumped his head on more than one of the "cornhead" foam hats partygoers were w...

Benny’s nice enough, he just wants something else. What, he doesn’t seem to know. With each encounter, he feels more lonely and alienated. His night with Maggie is no exception.Set in 1996, Omaha, Nebraska, this 90s midwest nostalgia coming-of-age short story (~2,500 words) is about yearning for a destiny that, try as you might, you can’t even picture.EXCERPTThey continued like this for some time. Not saying anything, Maggie looking out the window, a...

Benny Proctor is eager to make a good impression this last week of junior high. His sleek new Oakley’s should do the trick.This short story (~2,800 words) is about the terrors of growing up, and the bittersweet taste of love requited a little too late.EXCERPTBenny had never asked a girl out. He got by on his good looks. Throughout much of his junior high career, his classmates had called him "Vinnie," based upon the best friend from the TV show, ...