By Nicole Brodsky

The first day, Benjamin’s ponytail embarrassed her. Two days later, she put it in her mouth. She cried the first time they had sex. He said, “I can’t wait to tell you I love you.”

By Michael J. Coene

Ireached up to touch my face. I had just finished peeing. It occurred to me that I hadn’t washed my hands. Now my pee was in my beard. I checked my reflection. I couldn’t see my pee in the beard of my reflection.

By Kara Vernor

Sometimes life gives you a sign that you are ready for your next adventure. For me that sign was my period, which I got for the first time during Mrs. Keever’s eighth grade biology.

By Jennifer Lee

The woman had flown in many planes before and knew that most people conflated travel with adventure, movement with insight. The flutter in her chest was just the engine’s vibration, she told herself.

By Venegas James

Muralists begin by drawing on the body. She drew muscles on her arms. She drew birds across the blue sky of bruises appearing on her skin. Her bones became the balance beams her blood learned to dance on.

By Stephanie Mataya

Heidi was growing increasingly selfish and Gary was running out of energy. It seemed to start innocently enough; she made a logical argument when she said that grocery stores were less busy in the evenings.

By Joel Tomfohr

Jeremy and Tony materialized out of the darkness of night with someone new named Jim. In the strange half-light the man reminded the boy of Grandpa Lenz.

By Nick Roth

The first comment Geoffrey received was, “You misspelled alot of words and your spellchecker didn’t pick them up because they are the correct spellings of other words.”

By Ascher/Straus

Tammy’s sharing Junior’s broiled scrod and mashed potatoes and eating most of it because he’s having trouble swallowing. They’re watching tv together and she’s chattering happily, asking him questions that he can’t answer.