The Story of Awkward

by R.K. Ryals

My glasses were magic, beautiful windows into a clear world.

My gaze returned to Foster. “I don’t know how we ended up here, and I don’t know why, but you won’t destroy this. You won’t be another reason to hate myself. This is my world! These people are my family.”

“This world is built on awkwardness, on the idea that there is someplace where it’s okay to be different. Where it’s okay not to be perfect,” the troll said. “This world lives in more than one imagination. It was simply your hand that finally gave it a face.”

There’s nothing worse than having someone you’ve villainized admit he was wrong. There’s nothing worse than admitting someone’s words had done more than tear you down, they’d made you angry enough to fight back. There’s nothing worse than having to forgive someone whose words gave you strength.

“That awkward moment when you realize you’ve kind of fallen for a guy who’d make a better huntsman than a prince.”

Foster eyed me. “Please tell me you didn’t learn about romance from trashy romance novels.” I grinned. “No, I learned about romance from fairytales. I learned about sex from trashy romance novels.”

“That awkward moment when you realize running away from life doesn’t mean life won’t pack its bags and follow.”

The only thing I heard was Foster’s breath in my ear when he said, “Treat. Never trick. Always treat.”