My Cardboard Balcony

by Belinda Roddie "No, but really, those pork rinds are for everyone. Ivan? Ivan!" Of course, Ivan simply pulled the bag closer to his chest, munching away at the contents, and all his brother Ben could do was sigh and return to the rest of the party. In the corner, Lacey and Erik were kissing with lukewarm beer bottles in their free hands, while Sandy played guitar on the dilapidated couch with the strange hunting landscape pattern. At this point, all Ben wanted to do was curl up with a beer and the TV remote control and shoo everyone out. Then again, he was throwing this shindig for his sister Shana, who had just turned twenty-one. So he may as well suck it up and deal with the set-up for the next six or so hours. It was eight o'clock by the time the first guest actually left, a disgruntled Alan after a call from his girlfriend. No one wanted to leave, though. Some of the younger people were huddled on the carpet, Ivan included, who of course was still not...

Compared to Simon, Olivia was a towering behemoth of curls, muscle, and freckles. And it certainly helped on the football field. Simon was a speedy quarterback, but Olivia could take down enemy players two at a time without even flinching. She essentially was the symbol of the team's defense, and despite any father's loud, anti-female complaints, the coach loved having Olivia play.