Tag: fiction
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A Promise’s Price: Pt. 7
Chapter 31. JASON The morning is quiet, soft sunlight leaking through my blinds, dust motes gently drifting as I roll over. The sharp ping of my phone pulls me out of my first good night’s sleep in ages. Cate’s number, a message that stuns me before I open it: Cate: Check your email. I’m glad…
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A Promise’s Price: Pt. 6
Chapter 26. JASON The gala’s afterparty is a summer thunderstorm. Stifling heat and overwhelming with noise: donors pouring champagne, laughing too loud, their eyes glazed and voracious. It’s supposed to be a “VIP thank-you,” but it’s really nothing but a velvet-rope zoo. I’m at a folding table in the service tent, checking dashboard analytics, watching…
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A Promise’s Price: Pt. 5
Chapter 21. JASON Parker’s door is unlocked, as if she knew I’d come. I close it behind me, heart pounding, the taste of last night’s humiliation still sour in my mouth. The air smells faintly of vanilla but tastes metallic, like old shame. Or maybe that’s me. She sits on her bed wordlessly, legs tucked…
BadLulu
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A Promise’s Price: Pt. 4
Chapter 17. JASON The email comes moments after midnight: Riley’s out – failing grades. The subject line from Cate, all bold and urgency, reads: “VERENA AUDITIONS: TOMORROW. Special session – confidential.” By morning, Parker’s barely able to keep her hands still over breakfast, the edge of her phone tapping nervously against her knee. “It’s just…
BadLulu
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A Promise’s Price: Pt. 3
Chapter 11. JASON The Theta Lambda lounge smells like cloyingly sweet caramel popcorn over coconut‑scented tanning oil, a sugar rush of nervous energy bouncing between mirrored trophy cases that reflect distorted images of the pledges. Cate stands at the front, dressed in severe black-on-black, tablet held like a commandment, her ponytail slicing the air with…
BadLulu
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A Promise’s Price: Pt. 2
Chapter 7. JASON The sun over Theta Lambda’s courtyard is brutal, a white‑hot spotlight that turns the turquoise pool into liquid neon. Sweat beads under the collar of my t-shirt as I lug the awkward weight of the lighting reflector past a gauntlet of inflatable flamingos and half‑filled Solo cups. Great. First campus Saturday and…
BadLulu
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A Promise’s Price: Pt. 1
Chapter 1. JASON The August sun beat down, shimmering off the cracked sidewalk as I hoisted the last box from the backseat, balancing its stubbornly digging weight on my hip and nudging the car door closed with my foot. Parker was already halfway up the worn stone steps of Theta Lambda, her shoulders back, her…
BadLulu
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Openness – Pt. 9
38. ASCENSION The news spread like wildfire. The team’s social media manager posted a photo first: Amanda, in a crisp, tailored team jacket, smiling brightly alongside three of the starting players, one of whom rested a casual, affectionate hand at the small of her back. Her posture was radiant. Confident. Unapologetic. The caption read: “Trust.…
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Openness – Pt. 8
33. BALLER PRACTICE The suite smelled like sweat, champagne, and Amanda. She was deep into her third trimester – just over six months along – her belly full and firm, clearly visible no matter how she dressed. Her jersey-style crop top, stretched tight and knotted just beneath her breasts, barely met the upper swell of…
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Openness – Pt. 7
29. CAPITULATION The hotel room door clicked softly behind Amanda as she stepped inside, her heart pounding against her ribs. The message had been simple – a time, a room number, and the command to wear something easy to remove. Sophie’s voice had been reassuring in her ear: “It’s okay, honey. You know you want…
The Bad Idea Guy 