Keeley has had issues talking to people since the sixth grade. Now a high school senior, Keeley will have to continue her life never speaking again, or she'll have to overcome her anxiety and face meeting people and writing her College acceptance es...
Keeley and Ann sat quietly in Keeley's still room. "What should we do?" Ann asked, breaking the silence. Keeley sat, continuing her silence as she thought, looking around her room for an activity. "How about a board game? Do you have any?" Ann questioned as she shuffled on her knees and began to open one of the drawers under Keeley's bed. Keeley panicked; Ann was opening the drawer with Keeley's poems in it. She spoke without thinking and yelled, "Stop!" as she slammed the drawer closed. Ann looked at her with scared eyes, and Keeley slumped back down, wrapping her arms around herself. "Sorry- that drawer...."
Keeley began apologizing, but Ann cut her off. "It's all good. I shouldn't have tried to dig through your stuff," Ann said casually as she leaned back. "I know where there's a board game...." Keeley mumbled, standing up and walking out of her room. She walked into her living room and opened the cabinet under the TV. After digging through the options, Keeley decided on Candy Land, and she carried it into her room, then placed it in front of Ann, who was sitting on her phone. "Perfect!" Ann clapped excitedly, "I love this game!" she continued as she slipped the lid off the top of the box.
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They set up the board on the floor and picked their player pieces, Ann was a cupcake witch, and Keeley was a licorice cat. Ann sat hugging a pillow as Keeley threw the dice for her first move. "Three," Ann read the dice, and Keeley moved her licorice cat three places, "I think that ladder means you can move up a row," Ann pointed to a rope ladder man of licorice that connected the spot where Keeley's piece sat with a space in the row above. "That seems cruel," Keeley giggled as she moved her piece again. "Im practically making the poor cat climb a ladder made of itself," Keeley continued, and she looked up at Ann to see her reaction. Because Ann had her face stuffed in the pillow she was holding, Keeley could not see if she was smiling, and she began worrying that Ann found her joke weird. As Keeley averted her eyes from Ann, she began snorting. "Oh god! You're right! That's messed up," Ann started laughing. Keeley smiled and continued with her joke. "Like, imagine being the dude who pitched that design idea!" she smiled brightly as Ann began joking about it, too. She started speaking in a sophisticated deeper voice and put her hands on her hips. "I have an idea! Let's give the cat emotional damage!" she mocked the image of a man pitching the idea, and both girls started cackling.
