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Wildflowers Short Story

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“Ok, Ashley, it’s your turn.”
I halted for a brief moment at my desk before numbly walking to the podium at the front of the class. I silently prayed for my zipper to be up and for my teeth to be food-free. My palms were sweating and there was a softball wedged in my chest; I had been dreading this. I could sense all of the eyes on me, everyone was waiting for me to begin reading. However, when I opened my mouth. the words wouldn’t come out. I was so terrified that I would get a bad grade, that no one would like my story, or worst of all, that I would get laughed at. I had never read any of my writing to anyone before, especially not a class jam-packed with people. I was in my eleventh grade English class. There were books everywhere, …show more content…
“Wildflowers written by Ashley Wheeler,”
My voice cracked and I stammered, but at least I’d started. I read all fourteen pages of my story; a very Twilight-esque story of a girl who met and fell in love with a boy who was actually a ghost. As I read, my voice calmed, and I forgot that anyone was even listening. I was so pleased with this fictional world and scenario that I had crafted that I became lost in my own words.
As I spoke the last line, I peeked up to see all of my classmates enthralled with my story. Ms. Denton was beaming at me. My friend told me that as I was reading, one student had even cried. Everyone clapped as I walked, only slightly more confidently this time, back to my seat and I could feel my cheeks burning red.
I’ve loved writing for as long as I can remember, but that was the first time I had ever shared any of it. The idea of being made fun of, or realizing I didn’t actually have talent was unbearable to me. That day in class, I came to the conclusion that if I spent time developing my skill, I could become a remarkable author one day. I even submitted some of my poems to online magazines. I prefer to believe that my writing has matured quite a bit since then, but I still have a copy of Wildflowers and I cherish

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