Story of the month- August 2020

[Reverb 273 / 4,902]

Hey there! Thanks for checking out GFL's next Story of the Month for August of 2020.

 

The rules are pretty simple, so you are not limited too much. They are as follows:

• No NSFW or explicit imagery of any kind. Keep it off-screen!
• Minimum of 4 paragraphs, each paragraph should have a minimum 5 sentences.
• No troll/meme stories.
• Do not plagiarize other people's works. If caught, you're disqualified from the challenge!

 

And that's it! 

 

This month's theme is Summer of Love. 

 

The deadline for this month is August 29th, 12 PM EST. A public vote will be held from the 29th at 12 PM EST to the 31st at 12 PM EST and the community's most-voted candidate will be announced as winner after the conclusion of the voting period.

 

This month's prize:

A Story of the Month badge that appears under your signature/any future post you may make (seen here: ).

 

Submissions

In order to submit, please comment your story on this thread.

 

Good luck, and let your imagination run wild! 

[Foop 5 / 0]

I was on the playground and i was making a pretty good sandcastle and i was trashtalking every other kids sandcastle and joking on the kids.

I then proceed to call this one girl my gf cause for funny but one guy got jealous and decided to get the other kids that administrated the playground to group up and attack me cause they were all friends and didnt like my personality.

They destroy my sandcastle and then put tape on my mouth so i couldnt talk then they invited me to their sandcastle but then banned me from the playground for entering the sand castle.

thats my story when i was 8 

[doomkin1029 7 / 839]

Yeah I play on the same playground. I was actually apart of the administrators but then one day some grown ass man wanted to come play with us. He was going for the "Head Administrator" position and wanted me to help him achieve it. Once he achieved his dream position he actually got me kicked out of the Administrator team and he started giving "special benefits" to one of my female friends. Then  I started trying to expose the old man of his cruel action alongside with foop. We succeeded in getting him out of the playground but we were both banished by the owners for a month. Then after my month banish these new kids from a different playground started shit talking our play ground say THEIRS was better. Me and foop decided to defend our playground by hurting the other playground kid's feelings but our playground found that as an action of aggression towards them and I got tape over my mouth for a whole FOUR MONTHS before they let me talk to them again.

 

That was my story when I was 9

Edited August 9, 2020 by doomkin1029

[Cassie 1,226 / 23,060]

I'll give a brief preface to this: this is a side story to a novel I'm beginning to write. It takes place after the novel. Thus, there are some references to the novel, sort of as a teaser. Enjoy!

 

Dreams of a Side Character

Leaning back in my chair, I stared at the spreadsheet on my computer screen.

 

“He won’t go for this one, will he?” I asked, to no one in particular.

 

“Nope, you’ll probably have to make another one.” Someone’s voice called. I turned. It was a coworker of mine, Ria Amira. She leaned against the doorway, coffee mug in hand.

 

“Don’t you have something to work on?” I asked.

 

“That’s rich coming from you.” Ria said, sipping her drink. 

 

I scratched my head sheepishly. I had a reputation around the office for being lazy and missing work. “Well, I got this done well enough.” I finally said, pointing to my computer screen.

 

“Mhm.” Ria said. The spreadsheet was a planned budget for state spending on a few school computer upgrades the federal government had ordered them to make. Florida was quite far behind most other states when it came to updating technology, mostly because they hated to spend money.

 

“I guess I better send it to Eric.” I muttered to myself. Eric was our boss, and he was even lazier than I was. He just passed my stuff on to people above him, who decided if it was good or not. Then he came back to me with complaints.

 

“Try not to feel too bad when you have to start over.” Ria said to me, then she walked away.

 

I scratched my chin, staring idly at the computer screen. She’s not a bad looking girl… I thought to myself. I’d shared a drink with her a few times, but she was a pretty subdued person. Not really my type.

 

Sitting up in my chair, I cast thoughts of that away and sent the spreadsheet to Eric. I looked at the time on my computer and realized I had a meeting in ten minutes. I gathered a few things for the meeting and then stared at Reddit on my phone for a bit before getting up to walk to the meeting room.

 

“Zac.” Someone greeted me. Marshal Trim, a budget worker like me. We’d competed a few times to produce a better budget, and I’d learned he was quite a bit more ambitious than I was. At least in his job.

 

“Hey.” I said. “Did anyone bring snacks?”

 

Marshall laughed. His laugh was deep and rich, as if he was a titan. “You always have food on your mind, Zac.”

 

“It’s the most important thing for our bodies.” I said. “I just want to survive.”

 

“Then don’t fill your body with junk.” Someone said. It was the leader of the meeting, Eric.

 

“Are you a doctor now?” I asked Eric.

 

“If I was, I’d get more respect.” He muttered.

 

A few more people shuffled into the room, and the meeting begun. It was mostly about cutting down costs in school needs for software, which made me want to laugh out loud. They want to spend even less money than they already do? I thought in amazement. The high schools in Florida bought subscriptions to digital design services for their classes, and a few schools used state money to do it. I sighed softly.

 

“Something wrong, Zac?” Eric asked.

 

I looked up. “I think it’s a little rude to tell the schools what they can and can’t teach their kids.” I said. “The kids sign up for classes expecting to learn stuff.”

 

“It’s our money.” Eric said. “We tell them what to spend it on.”

 

“We’re just brainstorming ideas right now.” Marshall added. “The final decision isn’t up to us.”

 

I nodded. “Well, as long as we’re brainstorming, what if we told the schools to pirate it?”

 

Marshall laughed. Eric glared at me.

 

“This is a serious meeting.” Eric said.

 

I nodded. “And I’m serious. Well, half serious.”

 

“Zac, if we need to watch a movie illegally, we’ll go to you, but for right now, this is an important decision.” Eric told me.

 

I shrugged. “Alright. Real ideas only, then.”

 

After work, I headed to my apartment and got something to eat for dinner. My phone buzzed as I bit into my sandwich.

 

Zac, want to come do a tournament with us? My friend Ray had asked. He was one of the people I’d gone on flight 230 with. We’d been going to Japan as a spring trip, the five of us ready for a week of good times. It turned out to be anything but that…

 

I shook the thought away so I wouldn’t have any flashbacks. Eh, I think I want to head to the bar tonight. I told Riggs.

 

You’re no fun He complained.

 

I grinned. You could go to a bar and facetime me. I told him.

 

How lonely do you think I am? Riggs asked.

 

Pretty lonely I told him.

 

When I go to a bar, I go with people Riggs argued.

 

The people I’m friends with here are under the drinking age I reminded him.

 

There’s your first problem, dumbass

 

Whatever. I’ll play with you guys tomorrow. I’m gonna try and meet someone tonight.

 

Good luck with that

 

I rolled my eyes and pulled up YouTube to watch something. I had a few hours before the bars opened, so I technically could’ve played with my friends, but I didn’t feel like it. After all, the only videogames we could really play now were fantasy games and strategy games; games without guns. Shooters just didn’t feel the same as they used to, or they gave us flashbacks.

 

A few hours later, I sat up from my kitchen bar, put my phone away, and headed out. The sky had grown dark while I’d been on YouTube. I walked down the sidewalk towards a popular bar. After I got in, I sat in my usual spot at the bar and got a drink, lamenting the fact that I couldn’t drink as much as I wanted, as I had to work the next day.

 

Gazing around the room, I sighed heavily.

 

“It wouldn’t be too much to ask for a hot girl to sit next to me, would it?” I asked aloud.

 

I heard a laugh from behind me and turned. Standing there was a girl about medium height with long, wavy blonde hair. Her chest was also medium-sized, something I always took immediate notice of. She looked like the type to be a sorority girl in college, except she was clearly not, as she wore a gray hoodie and jeans. Her face had little makeup on it as well. Not the typical sorority look.

 

“I was just about to sit here, too.” The girl said.

 

“Well, don’t be frightened by my rudeness.” I said. “Feel free to sit down and say something about a drink.”

 

The girl sat on the stool. “Right, and you say something about what I’m doing in a place like this.”

 

“What are you doing here, actually?” I asked. The girl seemed too hot not to have a boyfriend or better places to be than a bar.

 

“Well, I had a breakup recently.” The girl said meaningfully, and then tilted her head towards the bartender.

 

“Ted.” I called. “Get the crying girl a drink and put it on my tab.”

 

The bartender poured something and gave it to the girl.

 

“So, you’re pretty desperate then.” The girl said, taking a sip.

 

I rolled my eyes. “You practically begged me to get you a drink.”

 

“Mhm.” She said.

 

“Is this your method of getting free drinks?” I asked. “Because if so, I might have to try it.”

 

“Please.” She said. “You’re not cute enough to get a girl to buy you a drink just because you say you had a breakup.”

 

“Ah, you’re right.” I said. “I’m more the handsome type.”

 

The girl shrugged. “Whatever you say.”

 

I grinned. “How long were you with the guy, anyways?”

 

“Three months.” The girl said. “But I didn’t come here to complain about my ex.”

 

“Really? I thought that’s what bars were for.” I said sarcastically.

 

“I’ve already done enough complaining.” The girl said.

 

“Was he a jackass?” I asked.

 

“Nope. He was perfect.” The girl told me. “Really hot, big muscles, big dick, the works.”

 

“I didn’t hear one word about his personality.” I said.

 

“He was as dumb as a rock.” The girl said. “But occasionally sweet.”

 

“What happened to not talking about it?” I asked.

 

“You kept egging me on.” The girl said, pointing her finger at me. Her fingernail was well kept, with a solid color of nail polish. Nothing too flashy, but noticeable.

 

“Sorry, this is just my thing.” I said. “I buy girls a drink and get them to tell me their worries.”

 

The girl laughed. “In that case, I’ll go to you instead of my therapist.”

 

I raised an eyebrow. “You have a therapist?”

 

The girl rolled her eyes. “Please. It’s 2021. Every white girl who’s out of college has a therapist. No one else will listen to us complain.”

 

I nodded. “Glad to hear you aren’t unstable.”

 

“Of course I’m unstable.” The girl said. “We hadn’t gotten to why I broke up with the guy.”

 

“Oh, don’t spare me the details.” I said sarcastically.

 

“I caught him cheating and threw a heavy object at the woman.” The girl told me.

 

I raised an eyebrow. “Should I have seen this on the news?”

 

“She wasn’t hurt, dumbass.” The girl told me. “I just thought I should tell you I’m the type to throw shit when I’m angry.”

 

“I think that most girls are like that.” I said.

 

“Mhm.” The girl said. She finished her drink. “I’ll be right back.” She told me, putting her cup down and walking to the bathroom. I stared after her. Should I ask her out? I wondered. We’d certainly been talking for a bit. For once, Chris wasn’t around to steal the show. I always wondered how he was able to capture everyone’s attention. On Isla de Armas, he’d been the best fighter. He was the one who our group looked at like a leader. Almost as if we were a fucking harem. If my life was an anime, then Chris was the main character, and I was a side character. I remembered watching him fight the Experiment, the massive Muta that had attacked the Citadel during one raid. Chris had pulled out his sword and a pistol and rushed at the creature with reckless abandon…

 

Suddenly, I was back in that fight. My ribs hurt from where the creature’s tentacles had slammed into me. Two of my friends were unconscious. One of them was bleeding heavily. The creature shot one of its tentacles at us. I managed to stab it with a knife before it could get me. Another tentacle came in from a different angle, stabbing into one of my friends. Alex suddenly appeared next to me and shouted that we had to get away. I clumsily climbed to my feet, pulling my friends away, when I saw Chris slashing at the creature by himself, emptying his magazine into its eyes and slashing tentacles off left and right. I thought to myself, I’ll never be like him…

 

I felt a tap on my arm and looked up, pulling myself back into the present day. The girl was back.

 

“Are you alright?” She asked.

 

I shrugged, casting the memories out of my mind. I couldn’t deal with PTSD when I had a girl to talk to. “More or less.”

 

“What, remembering a bad ex you had?” She asked. “Sorry to bring up all this shit.”

 

I laughed at the suggestion. “Believe it or not, as handsome as I am, I haven’t had very many exes recently.”

 

“Oh, so you’re lonely?” The girl asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

I shrugged. “I play videogames most of the time I’m not at work. What does that tell you?”

 

“That you like videogames.” The girl said.

 

“Do you?” I asked.

 

She shook her head. “I could never get into them.”

 

 “It’s alright.” I told her. “The best girls don’t usually play videogames.”

 

The girl laughed. “True.” She agreed.

 

“What do you do for a living, then?” I asked.

 

“I’m an associate at a law firm.” The girl told me. “You?”

 

“I work for the Florida Department of Education.” I said.

 

The girl raised an eyebrow. “How much does that pay?”

 

“Slightly better than actually teaching.” I said. Florida had horrible pay for teachers.

 

“I’m glad to hear it.” The girl said. “Because I might need you to buy me more drinks next time I’m here.” The girl grabbed her purse and got up to leave, a rather abrupt move that made me wonder if I’d upset her somehow.

 

“Anytime.” I told her for the time being.

 

The girl turned around to head to the door, and I realized something.

 

“I never got your name.” I called out. 

 

She turned around smoothly and walked back to me. She pulled a pen out of her purse and a small card. She quickly wrote something on it, then tossed the card to me.

 

I caught it in my hands and looked at it. “This is a business card.” I said.

 

The girl laughed. “It’s on the back. See you around, Zac.” She walked out of the bar.

 

I turned the card over. On the back was the name “Mia Jackson”, and a phone number scribbled below it.

 

“How did she know my name?” I suddenly asked aloud.

 

“She asked me about you.” A voice said behind me. I turned. It was the bartender.

 

“Really?” I asked, excited.

 

The bartender laughed. “Yeah. Not that she seemed that interested, just curious as to why you were always sitting at the bar lonely.”

 

I rolled my eyes. “Great. She took pity on me.”

 

“Hey, don’t feel no shame for taking a pity hookup.” The bartender said, and he turned to go give someone else a drink.

 

I stood up and walked out of the bar and back towards my apartment. When I got in the door, I realized I was bothered by it. I didn’t want pity. Sure, I felt that I was sort of cast to the side by Chris’s glory, but I didn’t want people to feel for me. I wanted to earn glory for myself. So, I dialed the number Mia had given me.

 

“Zac.” She said in greeting. “You’re pretty swift.”

 

“Well, I had a burning question.” I said.

 

“Oh? Shoot.” She said.

 

“Did you talk to me just because I looked sad?” I asked.

 

There was a pause, during which I could feel my heart racing. “Not exactly.” Mia finally said.

 

I walked over to my couch and sat down. “What does that mean?”

 

She laughed. “Listen. The night after my breakup, I headed to that bar. I walked in the door angrily and looked around the room, trying to find a guy I could use for a quick fuck. Instead, I saw you, sitting at the bar, glancing around the room. You looked like a sad puppy.”

 

“So you wanted to comfort the sad puppy?” I asked, my voice part sarcasm and part acid.

 

“Actually, at the time, I was bewildered. I didn’t know why you were so sad. You could’ve gone and talked to a girl if you were that lonely.”

 

“If I had to guess, most of the girls were already talking to guys. Plus, I didn’t have that much confidence in my abilities with girls, at the time.”

 

“Really?” Mia asked. “You seemed plenty confident with me.”

 

I sighed. “I had to work my way up there. There’s a guy I know who happens to always take centerstage, and so after meeting him, it took me a bit to get back to normal.”

 

“Huh.” Mia said. “Could you point me in this guy’s direction?”

 

“You’re joking, right?”

 

Mia laughed. “Maybe.”

 

“He’s not that hot.” I told her. “He just manages to grab everyone’s attention anyways.”

 

“So you feel like you can’t do it?”

 

“Jeez, are you a therapist now?” I asked.

 

“Apparently. You sure sound like the sad puppy I saw.”

 

“Well, I do have some sadness inside…” I said, thinking about the flashback I’d had earlier.

 

“Oh? And you need a woman to fix it?” Mia asked.

 

I smiled to myself. “Nah, I deal with it on my own.”

 

“A strong man.” Mia said sarcastically. “How nice.”

 

“Well, maybe if you spend more time with me, I’ll let my vulnerable side show.” I said sarcastically.

 

“This wasn’t your vulnerable side?” Mia asked.

 

“Nope.” I said.

 

“Great.” Mia said. “I always wanted a guy who was more unstable than I was.”

 

“I don’t have a therapist.” I told her, ignoring the thump my heart made when she said that.

 

“Maybe you should have one if it’s this bad.” Mia advised.

 

“Eh, I’ll be fine.” I said. “On to a more interesting subject, how about dinner tomorrow?”

 

“You’re really great at these topic shifts.” Mia said.

 

“You’re dodging the question.” I noticed.

 

She sighed. “Dinner it is then.”

 

“Where to?” I asked.

 

“The steakhouse on Capital Circle.” Mia told me.

 

“That’s an expensive first date.” I noticed.

 

“You want to make a good impression, don’t you?” Mia asked. I could tell she was smirking without seeing her face.

 

“Good point.” I said.

 

“Well, dinner with the sad puppy it is. I can’t wait to see even more of your vulnerable side, Zac.”

 

I stared at the phone after she hung up, and a smile crept onto my face.

 

“Damn.” I said. “I got a date!” I hadn’t had one in a few months, as I was playing games all the time. I’d been going to the bar but had talked to few girls, what with the fact that girls rarely went to bars and the ones that did usually got talked up by burly men.

 

I stood up from my couch to go take a shower. I felt a little lightheaded, either from the drink I’d had or the conversation.

 

I’d finally made a step in the right direction. Chris always stole the show in our group. He had his life figured out. I didn’t. I had a job, sure, but it was boring. I had games I played, sure, but they didn’t help with that lack of intimacy that seemed to hit me sometimes.

 

It might have been a little too early to tell, but I was pretty sure things with Mia would go well. It felt easy to talk to her. A hot girl who liked to talk to me and who I liked to talk to? It seemed almost too good to be true. I would have to be careful, to make sure I didn’t screw it up. But I was pretty sure this was what I’d wanted all this time. My time on Isla de Armas had been a brief pause in my life, but I was now ready to get back on track. Although that track had definitely shifted as a result of the island, I knew that I still wanted a lasting relationship, a close bond. And now, I was on the first steps towards that exact thing.

 

Getting ahead of ourselves, aren’t we? I asked myself, then tossed the thought away. So what if I was? I was allowed dreams, wasn’t I? Just because I was a side character didn’t mean I couldn’t have one or two arcs dedicated to me, right?

Edited August 10, 2020 by Duc2000