The Hot Zone

hang out after games and go bike riding after school, we did a lot together. A few weeks later we were doing drills. Coach Jose would hit the ball to us, lets us catch it, then throw it back to him within five seconds. the ball came in a little too hot and smacked into Blake’s lower stomach. He was knocked to the ground and could not get up. He was so hurt he did not show up to the next practice. When Blake came back there was a change in the ambiance. He was no longer fun,he would talk back to…

Throughout my life I’ve known plenty of people, and quite a few of them ended up being rather toxic. This particular debacle began over vacation on the cusp of autumn. My sister and two of our friends were together on a trip to Newport, Rhode Island, and on the two hour car ride there, one friend, I’ll call her A (I don’t want to use any names), threatened to reveal a long-time secret kept between her and another of my friends who was also my boyfriend, J, which had the codename of “Muskrat.”…

Gilma Burdge and the Disease Gilma stared in disbelief as her mother coughed up blood. She ran to the kitchen and grabbed a cold washcloth. When she got back to her mother’s room, she had collapsed on the floor. Gilma picked her up gently and laid her on the bed, placing the damp washcloth on her forehead. She looked at her mom’s fragile figure and whispered, “Don’t worry momma, I’ll keep you healthy.” She got up off the bed and walked to the phone, quickly dialing the clinic’s number. It rung…

Out of all age groups, teenagers are most commonly labeled as going through phases.Its true, at the end of the day, I am just a young 18 year-old girl. I think that I know everything, but the truth is I have an entire life ahead of me. I am still learning the ways of life each and every day. That doesn't mean, however; that I don’t know what it is that I want for myself in this time and moment. Don’t tell me that I want tattoos and piercings just because my friends have them, only because it is…

“I’m not good at stories, Pidge. Why do you need one?” “Because I’m having the anxiety of a lifetime for the testing we have tomorrow.” “You’re smart, you’ll do fine. Go to sleep.” “Ah, come on Hunk, bore me with one of your stories!” Hunk signed, plugging in his lava lamp for extra light, “Alright, fine. Uh, the story takes place in New Orleans, 1930.” “No, no, no! Do the flapper days of the 1920’s!” “Okay, okay! New Orleans, in the 1920’s. With a man named Keith, who is in his early twenties,…

From the coast of Caliifornia, the safaries of Africa, the Big apple New York. to Abingdon, Virginia...Never heard of it? Me neither! Oh by the way im Payton. I guess I could tell you a bit about myself. I was born October 31- yes halloween- gives me another reason to love October. My parendts are Nathaniel adn Brandy O'Connor. By the last name sure you can tell its Irish. My dad's from there but my mom is nowhere close, she's from new York. The way they met is like in the movies. It's so…

Freedom, and rights for that matter, is a giant teeter-totter. You never have quite the right balance to keep it even and up in the air without your feet touching the ground. I think that I’ve had times where I’ve had my rights infringed on,that my rights and my freedom had brought up debate, but I think at some point we all do. I guess a time where I saw that freedom is more defined by the person is when I chose not to stand for the pledge of allegiance last year. It was a personal choice,…

During the first few weeks of class I was unsure of what to do for my behavior change, there are so many things in my life that I could do without and that would help me live a happier healthier life such as eating fast food, drinking soda, Facebook and social media usage, as well as the habit of judgment. At first I thought the easiest thing that I could change would be to stop eating fast food. While fast food is a horrible habit that I have enquired due to my busy schedule, after the first…

The piercing fear in her eyes struck me hard. She was in a complete and utter state of panic, trembling uncontrollably and gasping for air. A tear fell softly from her eye and onto her hand which was throbbing and purple from the tight grip on her wheelchair. I knew I had an obligation to help her as a volunteer in the nursing home, but I wasn’t sure how I could connect to her or understand the cause of her distress -- she didn’t speak any English. Almost instinctively, I grabbed Bergita's…

The Challenge of Dealing With My Mother 's Behavior Since I was a child, I have received considerable affection from my parents. I am not an ungrateful daughter, but actually it makes me feel nervous. Sometimes, it was embarrassing me because my mother, Izabel, did not know the correct time to treat me like her baby, and I dislike when she talks about our intimacy out loud, talking with a different tone of voice, and with a peculiar semblance of proud mother in her face. Another thing that…