Leave by Belinda Roddie This was just hunky-fucking-dory, I thought to myself as I stared at my living room. My obnoxious coworker wouldn't leave, and my crush wouldn't stay. She claimed she had work the next day, which I thought was bullshit because I was sure she was still on staycation. Larry, meanwhile, was already demanding more pocket change from me to buy some of the worst beer imaginable. I was never going to throw a house party ever again, at this rate: it cost too much of my sanity.

Half by Belinda Roddie The two brothers agreed to split their kill in half, with one of them taking the dark meat and the other taking the white meat. It was quite a delicate process, dissecting and separating that monstrous chicken - it had been quite the urban legend in their town, and now they could bring home the spoils to their families. A legend such as this poultry could be quite delicious, after all, especially when served with rice.

Emerged by Belinda Roddie Well, Steve, it looks like two top contenders have emerged from the fray! First, we have Taylor Hamilton, a veteran martial artist who still remains a hero in her hometown. And then, here comes Lucy Dale, who has one of the best haymakers I've seen in all my twenty years of commentating on this battle royale. We'll just have to see who will come out victorious in the ring - and with all the rumors flying around about their past relationship, who's gonna stoke other kinds of flames!

Avoid by Belinda Roddie I had been trying to avoid my ex for over six months, and now, here we were, splitting a drink tab at Old Nelson's on Fifth and Locke. She had gotten grayer since I last saw her: A silver fox, I liked to joke whenever she got self-conscious. It did look good on her. Like precious metal working its way out of an otherwise straggly mass of mud. I downed another shot of tequila and groaned as I licked a swatch of salt off my wrist. I was too old for this shit.

Stable by Belinda Roddie Can a horse ever be stable in a stable? Or can it be hoarse in a hearse? Can a pig manage a stye in a sty, or will it just have a bothersome growth on its eye? Can a bird grow a beard and then get bored of it? It's be something for the board to behold. A gilded goal could be to hunt for gold. Or is this getting old?

Tape by Belinda Roddie "What's that?" Ely chuckled. "That?" they asked, pointing on the stereo. "That has a cassette player. You know, for tapes. I'm guessing you're not used to seeing that." "I know what tapes are," grumbled Timmy, shaking his head and making his red curls bounce. "I mean, what music's on them?" "Would you like me to play something?"

Inhale by Belinda Roddie We remembered to breathe. We remembered to inhale through our noses and out through our mouths. We remembered to relax our shoulders and rub out the tension in our necks. We remembered to close our eyes and adjust to the red and gray silhouettes behind those fleshy curtains. We remembered to be quiet. We remembered to be calm. But we did not remember to relax.