This week, many of my fellow YA Indie Carnis are hosting a special Round Robin of short stories that has been going in and out of their inboxes for the past few weeks. Sadly, due to prior work commitments, I was unable to take part so instead I am going to post an excerpt of my WIP. It's not YA Urban Fantasy but Chick Lit. This is by no means finished, it has yet to be completed and yet to be edited and proofread so do bear with me if you spot any awful errors!!
The novel is entitled
Forever Fredless. Deep breath... so here goes...
Forever Fredless: an (as yet unedited) excerpt
Standing perfectly still, I watched how they danced all around me, arms and legs flinging around like puppets dressed in high top trainers, faded jeans and over sized brightly coloured T-shirts. Their parents stood some distance from the dance floor., chatting, drinking and taking photos of their beloved children.
But I couldn't stand still for long. The moment the next song began, a giggle burst from my lips and I jumped upwards, fists banging an imaginary ceiling above my head. As the music began to speed up, I began to join in the fun.
Singing along and dancing to the tones of Right Said Fred's I'm Too Sexy, I felt something gently brush up against my back. When I turned around, I lost my breath as butterflies exploded from deep within my stomach. The most beautiful boy stared back at me. His eyes were deep blue and his jet black hair brushed just above his slim shoulders, while his high cheekbones were flushed a deep pink.
It was as though all the other kids disappeared in that very second. It was just the two of us, standing still, silently staring into each other’s eyes. I felt ever so slightly giddy and light headed that my face flushed every shade of pink, but I just couldn’t look away. My body felt as if it would to melt into the floor at any moment. Even now, twenty years later, that moment continues to be the most overwhelming experience of my life.
Suddenly life fast forwarded again as my dad appeared out of nowhere. Grabbing my hand, he gently pulled me away from the dance floor, “come on sweetheart, it’s time to go. Your mum’s waiting for us outside”.
As we reached the exit, I pulled my hand from his and turned to look back but the boy had vanished. The song had changed and kids were now dancing around to the sounds of Snap's Rhythm Is A Dancer. It had been one of my favourite songs at the time but it was soon replaced by another. One I would never forget: I'm Too Sexy.
I scanned the crowd, but the boy was no longer there. I stood still, looking to see if he'd found someone else to dance with but I couldn't see him anywhere. My dad grasped hold of my hand again and tugged me gently. "Come on," he said above the thud of the music.
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Mum stood outside in the drizzle, puffing away on a cigarette, “darling you were fantastic. My lovely little dancing Kate”, she whispered as she bent down and hugged me and kissed my cheek. I could smell tobacco and alcohol on her breath. She must have had another fight with dad. Arguments were pretty much the norm in those days but I tried to block them from memory. I’d rather remember all the fun times we’d had together. Although looking back now; they were pretty few and far between. I should have known at the time what was about to happen. Mind you, I was only eight. A mature eight but still, I shouldn’t have had to worry about things like that.
“You two wait here, I’ll just pop round and fetch the car. Just hold on a minute. I’ll be right back”, dad said in a poor attempt to sound cheerful.
Moments later, the car drove up beside us and I climbed into the back seat. Just as mum slammed her door, I looked out of the window and there he was, standing by the side of our faded red Peugeot as the engine chugged into motion. He was staring at me with such a sad expression on his face with a flower in his hand. He must have disappeared outdoors to go and pick one for me. Glancing from his eyes down to his hands, I saw that it was a bright yellow daffodil.
The car began to lurch forward, so I climbed onto my knees, turned around and looked out of the rear window. I could feel my eyes welling up with tears. I pushed my hand against the glass and a single tear slid slowly down my face. He held up his hand and casually rubbed his eye, as if he was rubbing away a tear, too. Our eyes locked on each other’s just for a moment, until the car turned the corner, and he was gone. Out of my life.
For the Round Robin and possibly other excerpts of WIPs, check out my awesome fellow carnis...
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Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series
