In Written Across the Genres, the last Mainstream Fiction short story, is “Duration Matters” by Arleen Eagling. It’s written in first person. The protagonist, Jennifer, is a high school student and she’s in trouble. Here are the first couple paragraphs:
“Three months after I transferred from prep school to Ramsey High, I waited outside the counselor’s office for the second time, my hands folded in my lap to keep them still. Portly, grey-haired Mr. Tanner opened his door and motioned for me to sit in the penalty chair.
At Ramsey High I qualified for accelerated classes. Being in the Advanced Placement program, however, went beyond learning more worthless facts faster. Dr. Math, aka Mr. Schwartz, had declared, ‘a certain decorum was expected in his classroom.’ After I’d mimicked him saying those same words, I was asked to absent myself from the room. Maybe because of how I pursed my lips and worked my eyebrows.”
Eagling deepened the story with Jennifer meeting another student whose complicated life touches her own and helps her to grow.
My anthology with both of Eagling’s stories in it is available on Amazon and Kindle or it can be ordered at your local bookstores.
