The Secret Society_Post-pandemic_Excuses_Springboard
Catalog Guide:
The Secret Society
My name is Jane and I belong to a secret society. I was inducted after a friend found out that my ex-boyfriend, Ben, was spreading disgusting rumours about me around school. My first inclination was to confront him – have it out in the middle of the quad where everyone could hear him confessing that it was all a lie. But life doesn't work that way. Even if a boy admits something publicly, in private they say that they just did it to keep the crazy bitch from going nuclear, and the rumours get even worse. Boys always win.My name is Emily and I belong to a secret society. I'm really good at math...
Post-pandemic
“Are you coming out tonight?” Alex's voice rang through FaceTime as she rummaged through her closet looking for an outfit.Alex burst out laughing at her best friend’s horrified face. Even though Mila was an extrovert, the pandemic drastically increased her social anxiety and now she was terrified to go anywhere. Australia had finally opened, and they were finally able to go out to a party. Last year of high school was meant to be full of activities and fun before they headed off to university and Alex promised herself during the pandemic that as soon as everything opened, she was going to take...
Excuses
“Are you coming tonight?”Words I thought I’d never hear again. Especially after all the endless lockdowns. And still, why did it send a shiver of panic down my spine? It’s been years since I’d heard it — you would think I would forget all my impulse reactions to any sentences or words that implied socializing, and yet there it was: the milli-second of scrambling the back of my brain for the usual excuses, wondering which one I’d used more recently, just so I could avoid it, just as a courtesy to the asker. And yet I realized, the last time I’d had a need to excuse myself from coming to any soc...
Springboard
“Are you coming out tonight?” I stared blankly at my phone, as if the words were foreign to me. Celeste rarely takes “no” for an answer. It’s the one thing I equally love and hate about her. Some of my best memories exist purelwww.onedoor.ccy because Celeste forced me to peek my head outside of my clamshell and actually experience the social realm. Business opportunities, relationships, inside jokes, cherished photos... so many wonderful things have sprouted from our outings. So why do I still get a knot in my stomach as I read these words on my phone? “Not tonight” I responded, hoping she would let me...