High School Stories
Short Takes from the Writers' Club
by
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Sarah awoke in a cold sweat. She had no covers over her, and her teeth were chattering. Her feet dangled over the bed, her arm was asleep, and her neck hurt from being turned to the side on her bolster pillow. She was completely exhausted. All she wanted to do was sleep and forget. Weakly, she slipped off her shoes, pulled down the covers and got into bed, clothes and all. She pulled the blankets over her head and turned out the light. I have to learn to face the dark, she thought. And these nightmares. I've got to do something to make them go away. She lay awake thinking long into the night. Next morning Sarah woke up to a blue sky and her day off. It was Sunday and she knew what she would have to do. There was no longer any question about it. She climbed out of bed and out of yesterday’s clothes. She dressed carefully, reflecting upon the decision that she had just made and the feeling of well-being it brought. She went downstairs and found her mother, alone in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. “Mom,” she said, “I have something I need to talk to you about.”
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About the Book
A picture of the accident flashed across the screen. It made Tim feel sick. The car was what remained of a red Porsche ... He felt overwhelmed by guilt. I wished for this, he thought. I must really hate that kid and that’s not fair. I would never have wished this on him.
HIGH SCHOOL STORIES deals with a number of issues that young people face. Situations like early pregnancy, drug abuse, loss of family, isolation, identity issues, and lack of self-confidence result in new understanding and growth that these experiences bring. As a parent and teacher, the author is concerned about how young people cope with problems and resolve them, in addition to how they grow emotionally and intellectually. Their welfare has always been a priority for her.
Although a work of fiction, HIGH SCHOOL STORIES concerns issues the author encountered while teaching teens for twenty-one years. Her first book, When the Leaves Fall, involves a drug situation and how a high school junior overcomes his abuse. In HIGH SCHOOL STORIES, two of these characters reappear.
"Mary Nyman has produced a collection of poetic tales that kept me reading late into the night. I highly recommend her latest work." —Steven Manchester, author of The Unexpected Storm
About the Author
Mom's Choice Award winner for When the Leaves Fall, Mary M. Nyman grew up in Clarksville, Tennessee, and graduated from Wheaton College and Boston University Graduate School. In 1959 she moved to Wareham, Massachusetts, to teach and raise five children in a house overlooking Buzzards Bay, where she resides today.