WIP meme
Post a sentence (or two or a paragraph) from as many of your WIPs as you want, with no explanation attached.
Stolen from lilplaiddress
Here's a few random scenes from...(working title) Just Breathe (aka the Gus story I'm always bitching about.)
PS - Number 5 is my favorite.
001.I had never been the type of person to believe in signs. You’d never see me reading the horoscope section or paying three bucks an hour to listen to some lady with a turban wrapped around her head to tell me my future. But judging by how this morning went, maybe somehow the universe was trying to tell me something. Prepare me for this very moment when my whole world started to come crashing down on me.
I should have never picked up that damn phone.
002. “I appreciate you all coming out here,” I said, “and taking time out of your busy schedule to trample across my lawn. I know my mother will be so happy when she comes home to see her flower garden completely demolished.” I glared at the small group that were now slowly starting to back away. “I understand the diner means a lot to not only the community, but for many of you standing out here today. Do not think me leaving is out of spite, but after a long and thorough thought, I have realized there is no possible way I will be able to stay here. So the diner will be closed until my parents return.”
For two seconds, I thought maybe some logical thinking had been sprinkled into everyone’s minds. Then out of the middle of the crowd, something red soared through the air, and smacked me in the middle of the chest.
“Incoming!” Kaden yelled, throwing his body towards me. He knocked into the whicker chair, sending me flying onto the porch with him tumbling on top of me.
“Will you two knock it off?” I heard Broderick yell then shriek. I shoved Kaden off me, prepared to stand up and choke someone when I saw Broderick running towards the front door. Tomatoes were flying, splattering up against the house. Kaden and I both scrambled behind the wicker chair, using it as a shield.
“Good thinking with that whole announcement,” Kaden said, glancing at me. “I think it went over well.”
“Do you have any better suggestions?” I asked.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t have said I was leaving,” he hissed.
003. “What are you doing?” Kaden asked.
I was sitting on the floor, picking through the twenty or so pamphlets that were sprawled out on the coffee table. I looked up at him and smiled. “Trying to find mom and dad a new place to live for whenever they decide it’s time to resurface.”
He reached down, steadying himself on his crutches and grabbed one. “Oak River Valley Retirement Home - where we drop the old off to die.”
I slapped his knee. “It does not say that.”
“It might as well.” He flipped the pamphlet over. “Look at this dude. He looks like he’s one second away from having a stroke.” I let out a laugh and flipped the next one open. Garden Village was spelled out in wavy purple letters. I never understood why these places stuck with nature names.
“This one looks nice. It has a pool and group activities. Oh look, there’s a DVD, too! You want to watch it?”
Kaden raised an eyebrow. “How serious are you about this?”
“Serious as a heart attack,” I replied, with a smile.
“You disturb me.”
004. My heart was starting to beat so hard, I thought it would fly out of my chest. At least…that’s what should have been happening. Instead the butterflies seemed to be dropping one by one. And I felt like at any second I could-
Conner jerked back. “Did you just gag?”
I covered my mouth. “No,” I said way too quickly. “I mean, I don’t…I don’t think I did.”
A mix of horror and disgust traced over his face. “I kissed you and you gagged. You almost threw up. Do you have any idea how shot my ego is now?”
“I’m sorry.” I dropped my hand from my mouth. “It’s just that…that was so awkward.”
“Very awkward,” he agreed.
“Wait,” I said, sitting up more. “The kiss was awkward or right now is awkward?”
“I would say a little bit of both, but yes, the kiss was very awkward.” He slumped down into the booth. “I didn’t think it would be awkward.”
“I know,” I said, slumping back with him. “Half way through it, I kept waiting for the fireworks to start.”
“Fireworks?” he asked with a smirk. “You saw fireworks when we dated?” Glad to see he was quickly recovering from his broken ego.
I reached over and smacked his chest. “Shut up. It was my first kiss, okay? Don’t even look surprised because you knew it was. It’s just back then it was all great and wonderful and…” I shook my head seeing his smirk turn into a wide smile. Yeah, his ego was completely recovered. “…and this time well, halfway through it, I suddenly felt like I was kissing my brother. Then when I thought that, suddenly Kaden and Broderick came to-”
“Don’t,” he said quickly, his hand flying up, “even finish that sentence.”
005. The three of them stood before me, all of them looking at me curiously. I inhaled a deep breath and reached down into the small beach bag and pulled out the Ziploc bag.
“Uh…what is that?” Lizzy asked.
Memphis unscrewed the cap to his soda and took a gulp. “RaeAnne,” I stated. The soda spewed from his mouth as Conner jumped back.
Conner threw his hands up as if the ashes were going to fly right out of the bag and attack him. He jumped back a few feet and pointed towards it. “RaeAnne…What do you mean that’s RaeAnne?”
“I mean,” I said, opening the bag and staring inside, “these are RaeAnne’s ashes.”
“She’s lost it,” Memphis said with a cough. “The Brooks gene has finally kicked in and she has gone bat shit crazy.”
I ignored him. “I stole them from her mother’s house.”
Lizzy stared at me blankly. "You stole them? You stole RaeAnne’s ashes from her mother?”
“Well,” I said, hesitating on the last part, “not all of her. I only grabbed a scoop.”
006. Just like that night at prom in my drunken haze, I couldn’t tell who leaned in first. Or whose lips really crossed that line onto the others. All I knew was that this, the moment that I was feeling, the way his soft lips pressed onto mine that I wanted him. My hands cupped around his face, his body pressing against mine. My breath started to shorten, the sudden loss of oxygen filling my head. I couldn’t breathe or maybe I was holding my breath not knowing what would happen next.
Stolen from lilplaiddress
Here's a few random scenes from...(working title) Just Breathe (aka the Gus story I'm always bitching about.)
PS - Number 5 is my favorite.
001.I had never been the type of person to believe in signs. You’d never see me reading the horoscope section or paying three bucks an hour to listen to some lady with a turban wrapped around her head to tell me my future. But judging by how this morning went, maybe somehow the universe was trying to tell me something. Prepare me for this very moment when my whole world started to come crashing down on me.
I should have never picked up that damn phone.
002. “I appreciate you all coming out here,” I said, “and taking time out of your busy schedule to trample across my lawn. I know my mother will be so happy when she comes home to see her flower garden completely demolished.” I glared at the small group that were now slowly starting to back away. “I understand the diner means a lot to not only the community, but for many of you standing out here today. Do not think me leaving is out of spite, but after a long and thorough thought, I have realized there is no possible way I will be able to stay here. So the diner will be closed until my parents return.”
For two seconds, I thought maybe some logical thinking had been sprinkled into everyone’s minds. Then out of the middle of the crowd, something red soared through the air, and smacked me in the middle of the chest.
“Incoming!” Kaden yelled, throwing his body towards me. He knocked into the whicker chair, sending me flying onto the porch with him tumbling on top of me.
“Will you two knock it off?” I heard Broderick yell then shriek. I shoved Kaden off me, prepared to stand up and choke someone when I saw Broderick running towards the front door. Tomatoes were flying, splattering up against the house. Kaden and I both scrambled behind the wicker chair, using it as a shield.
“Good thinking with that whole announcement,” Kaden said, glancing at me. “I think it went over well.”
“Do you have any better suggestions?” I asked.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t have said I was leaving,” he hissed.
003. “What are you doing?” Kaden asked.
I was sitting on the floor, picking through the twenty or so pamphlets that were sprawled out on the coffee table. I looked up at him and smiled. “Trying to find mom and dad a new place to live for whenever they decide it’s time to resurface.”
He reached down, steadying himself on his crutches and grabbed one. “Oak River Valley Retirement Home - where we drop the old off to die.”
I slapped his knee. “It does not say that.”
“It might as well.” He flipped the pamphlet over. “Look at this dude. He looks like he’s one second away from having a stroke.” I let out a laugh and flipped the next one open. Garden Village was spelled out in wavy purple letters. I never understood why these places stuck with nature names.
“This one looks nice. It has a pool and group activities. Oh look, there’s a DVD, too! You want to watch it?”
Kaden raised an eyebrow. “How serious are you about this?”
“Serious as a heart attack,” I replied, with a smile.
“You disturb me.”
004. My heart was starting to beat so hard, I thought it would fly out of my chest. At least…that’s what should have been happening. Instead the butterflies seemed to be dropping one by one. And I felt like at any second I could-
Conner jerked back. “Did you just gag?”
I covered my mouth. “No,” I said way too quickly. “I mean, I don’t…I don’t think I did.”
A mix of horror and disgust traced over his face. “I kissed you and you gagged. You almost threw up. Do you have any idea how shot my ego is now?”
“I’m sorry.” I dropped my hand from my mouth. “It’s just that…that was so awkward.”
“Very awkward,” he agreed.
“Wait,” I said, sitting up more. “The kiss was awkward or right now is awkward?”
“I would say a little bit of both, but yes, the kiss was very awkward.” He slumped down into the booth. “I didn’t think it would be awkward.”
“I know,” I said, slumping back with him. “Half way through it, I kept waiting for the fireworks to start.”
“Fireworks?” he asked with a smirk. “You saw fireworks when we dated?” Glad to see he was quickly recovering from his broken ego.
I reached over and smacked his chest. “Shut up. It was my first kiss, okay? Don’t even look surprised because you knew it was. It’s just back then it was all great and wonderful and…” I shook my head seeing his smirk turn into a wide smile. Yeah, his ego was completely recovered. “…and this time well, halfway through it, I suddenly felt like I was kissing my brother. Then when I thought that, suddenly Kaden and Broderick came to-”
“Don’t,” he said quickly, his hand flying up, “even finish that sentence.”
005. The three of them stood before me, all of them looking at me curiously. I inhaled a deep breath and reached down into the small beach bag and pulled out the Ziploc bag.
“Uh…what is that?” Lizzy asked.
Memphis unscrewed the cap to his soda and took a gulp. “RaeAnne,” I stated. The soda spewed from his mouth as Conner jumped back.
Conner threw his hands up as if the ashes were going to fly right out of the bag and attack him. He jumped back a few feet and pointed towards it. “RaeAnne…What do you mean that’s RaeAnne?”
“I mean,” I said, opening the bag and staring inside, “these are RaeAnne’s ashes.”
“She’s lost it,” Memphis said with a cough. “The Brooks gene has finally kicked in and she has gone bat shit crazy.”
I ignored him. “I stole them from her mother’s house.”
Lizzy stared at me blankly. "You stole them? You stole RaeAnne’s ashes from her mother?”
“Well,” I said, hesitating on the last part, “not all of her. I only grabbed a scoop.”
006. Just like that night at prom in my drunken haze, I couldn’t tell who leaned in first. Or whose lips really crossed that line onto the others. All I knew was that this, the moment that I was feeling, the way his soft lips pressed onto mine that I wanted him. My hands cupped around his face, his body pressing against mine. My breath started to shorten, the sudden loss of oxygen filling my head. I couldn’t breathe or maybe I was holding my breath not knowing what would happen next.