The Boyfriend

The difference between wanting a new life and fleeing an old one.

I was looking for something new. I was. Because I was running from something old.

The Wife Upstairs · Rachel Hawkins

Perfect manners can be the most frightening thing about a person.

We go downstairs and in the hall, he takes my coat from the cupboard and holds it open while I slip my arms into it. In the drive outside, he holds the car door for me and waits until I’m in. As he closes it behind me, I can’t help thinking it’s a shame he’s such a sadistic bastard, because he has wonderful manners.

Behind Closed Doors · B.A. Paris

What a parent’s ambition feels like from inside the child.

My hand hurts within minutes. It’s pathetic, I guess, but I can’t remember the last time I wrote anything longhand. Plus I’m using my right hand, which never feels natural no matter how many years I’ve done it. My father insisted I learn to write right-handed in second grade after he first saw me pitch. Your left arm’s gold, he told me. Don’t waste it on crap that don’t matter. Which is anything but pitching as far as he’s concerned.

One of Us Is Lying · Karen M. McManus