Over the weekend, I found an old short story that I thought could be buffed, polished, and released into the short story market.
JUST THE TWO OF US – A coming-of-age story that begins like a nostalgic slice of teen romance but pivots into a tense domestic thriller, ultimately unraveling into a modern tragedy about abuse, identity, and survival.
Tag line – “Innocence shattered in an instant.”
Synopsis
For Andy Owens, today feels like the start of everything.
The sun is shining after months of rain, he’s shattered the school swimming record, and—best of all—Vanessa Moore has kissed him on the lips. At fifteen, it feels like the kind of day that might last forever.
But forever ends the moment he steps into his kitchen.
Waiting there is his stepfather, Jeremy—a man whose bitterness poisons every room and whose presence has already stolen too much from Andy and his mom. What begins as another night of shouting spirals into something far darker, leaving Andy bloodied, broken, and unsure of what really happened when the mist of rage finally lifted.
Now the police are at the door, his mother is drowning in apologies, and Jeremy lies dead on the kitchen floor.
Did Andy cross the line? Or has violence always been the inevitable outcome in a house built on silence and fear?
Raw, gripping, and devastating, JUST THE TWO OF US is a coming-of-age thriller that begins with first love and ends with a single moment that will change Andy’s life forever.
Now the hunt for a home begins.