Voiceless

When I was in the sixth grade, my middle school welcomed a new student. He had moved from mainland China to our small town in New Jersey. His English was so broken that he preferred to remain silent rather than speak to anyone. Fear and awkwardness kept him from approaching us. It hurt to watch. One day, I noticed him walking home from school towards a house down the road. I had passed it almost...

Driving and Other Games

Oh, shit. The ramp to Interstate 287 heading southbound flew by in the corner of my peripheral vision. My throat constricted as I gripped the steering wheel, causing my knuckles to whiten. I had missed my exit while trying to decipher a spaghetti-like mess on my phone's GPS. Deciphering isn't easy at forty-five miles an hour. It's an all-around unpleasant experience, getting lost on the road....