"No she hasn't, I was actually about to call you about the same thing." I rested my back against the basement wall. My hair dark from the rain. "It's getting dark out and I'm a bit worried."

"Do you think we should call the police? I'm not overthinking things?" I knew that was the first thing her small brain would suggest.

"Her phone probably died and she got caught in the rain,"

She sighed. "You're probably right."

"Let's wait for the rain to stop and then if she's not back, we'll call."

"Alright." She paused probably fretting her wrinkled fingers off the bone. "But call me right away if she contacts you."

"Yes mam."

"Thank you John."

Challenge

Tell me what went wrong

what the title says! can be poetry, free-verse, anything! Take a crack at it!

ColdRamen

what went wrong

she liked freedom

a little too much

her anxiety was

a little too loud

her heart

a lot to fix

and he didn't

have the tools

Challenge

Submission

Is submission an act of weakness or strength?

ColdRamen

submission

the strongest people

are willing to sacrifice

themselves

to save others

to submit

their entire being

for the possibility

of a better outcome

Challenge

Traces of Songs that stayed

The song that evokes you to go through your memory lane over and over again. A deep memory that was engraved somewhere you couldn't ignore. Either a positive or a negative one. Write about how that song became something so deep to you years later.

ColdRamen in Nonfiction

When I Was Your Man by Bruno Mars

Freshly broken people,

standing one whole person apart

seeing each other out of peripheral

someone on stage sings

hearts iron-guarded

minds left to wander

freshly broken people,

they can only think of each other

what could have been

what can never be

freshly broken people,

a song stirring their souls

a line drawing between them

the lyrics poking old wounds

freshly broken people,

hated how fate could be so cruel

Challenge

Your best moment this summer

Before summer ends, think about a moment or day you really enjoyed.

ColdRamen

after party

I sucked at bowling. I didn't care. I liked the way you smiled when my ball went straight in the gutter. The way you gave me a high five anyways.

By the time we finished our two games, the sky was dark and rain flooded the lot. We ran back to the car, our shirts soaked. We laughed ugly in the front seats watching the last episode of Stranger Things. I leaned over the center console to rest on your shoulder, when you suggested moving to the back.

The phone rested against one of the plushies you stole from a claw machine. I laid sideways while you sat upright with my head on your chest. Your arms were warm. We talked throughout most of it and when it finished we watched Kenobi but if I was being honest, I have no memory of that episode.

You tickled my face with pecks until I turned and pecked you on the lips right back. We had kissed maybe twice before but not like this. Not this many. Not this slow. Our nervous hands remained at each other's necks. Smiles in between hot breaths. You were gentle. Like I might break if you kissed me too hard.