Ben's Short Stories & Hot Takes

A divorce was out of the question — they couldn’t even come close to affording it — but Tristan and Mallory went their separate ways on the streets of Detroit. After bumming a cheap pregnancy test off a woman in a Walmart parking lot, Mallory confirmed it was a positive and vowed to protect the unborn baby with her life. She started her homeless journey by sleeping in her car, but eventually the repo man came to take it away after she failed to make the payments for a few mo

As Tristan and Mallory continued making their way down Isla Verde Avenue and trying their luck with the many hotels that lined the street, it was impossible for them to enjoy the rich culture they had come to Puerto Rico for. The festive reggaeton and salsa music seemed to be mocking them with its happiness, and they couldn’t even enjoy the food properly. Desperate to fill their stomachs with something, they grabbed some pastelillos de carne from a food truck, the cheapest th

“Ohmygod, this is niiiice!” That was what everyone said when they opened the door to a new hotel room for the first time, and that was what Mallory Devlin said when she first set foot in her room on the thirteenth floor of the Malsuerte Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This time, Mallory was correct.  The Malsuerte had clearly been an upscale resort from the time they first laid eyes on it online, but the room in which Mallory and her new husband Tristan would be staying for

"It just takes some time Little girl, you're in the middle of the ride Everything, everything'll be just fine Everything,...

WARNING: This story contains strong and at times offensive language. I tried my best to capture how kids at my middle school actually...

I stood outside the long, gray welfare office building, in partial disbelief that I was really about to go through with this, but I had...

As Phil’s quarter tumbled through the air, seemingly in slow motion, Emma prayed for the sake of everyone’s safety that it would land on...

As Phil’s quarter tumbled through the air, seemingly in slow motion, Emma prayed for the sake of everyone’s safety that it would land on...

When the first ‘80s Wall Street-style obnoxious old-school telephone ring came through Emma Lee’s cheap plastic headset, she thought she...

The 2007 Toyota Corolla, pulled over to the side of Mulholland Drive on a balmy Saturday night, reeked of stale Hot Pockets, old rotted...

“Alright, my Gs, here’s the motherfuckin’ deal,” said Benjamin “Benny D” Hill as he strutted arrogantly down Summit Street on a Saturday...