October 3, 2013

FICTION | CHAPTER TWO.

Note: Today's post is a continuation of Jenni's prompt from her Blogtember challenge. Catch up and read chapter one here.
image via Unsplash.

After work, I found myself hopping my way through the parking lot so as not to get my shoes wet from the murky puddles calling the uneven concrete home. I sat down in the car and stuck my keys in the ignition. The car's clock read 5:09. With today's stormy weather and typical weekday commute, I figured I could make my way home in less than an hour, if I pushed it. Traffic was never on my side though, so who was I kidding?

I couldn't decide if the drive home was going to be more calming or stress-inducing. I know that anticipation would never be on my side, but I still had no idea what to expect from tonight's dinner. I knew the answers to the small talk; how school was, how my parents were, if I had heard back from my countless internship applications, etc. But how was I going to respond to the question about him?

I tried rehearsing possible answers. Tried making excuses, tried thinking up ways of quickly changing the topic but it was proving to be much harder than I ever expected.

The raindrops on my windshield raced down to the car's hood with each swoosh of the wipers. I pulled into the parking lot, swung my backpack on one shoulder, my work uniform and purse on the other. The skies were darkening and so was my hope of surviving the night.

As soon as the door opened and I switched on the light, I dumped my stuff on the ground, let sweet Georgia rub her feline body against my calf, and bent down for a quick scratch beneath her chin.

I made my way to my room, washed my face, pulled my hair back into a sleek low ponytail, hair brushing the nape of my neck. 6:37. If I was going to make it on time--as per my mother's request--I wasn't going to have time to redo my makeup. Tardiness is not an option, she said in her first voicemail of the day. Of course, I don't think she ever thought I would end up sacrificing my appearance for tardiness. 

I slipped the black dress and heels on as quickly as I could. I nearly forgot the pearls but ran back in and grabbed a banana on my way out the door.

I was going to smell like bananas, rain, and cats. This was going to go swell.

Before heading out, I checked my phone one last time, hoping for some reason as to have the dinner cancelled or some valid excuse to be a last-minute dropout. No such luck.

The rain had let up but the butterflies in the pit of my stomach had not.

I slowed down as I pulled onto Tulane Drive. My heart was beating. I was clearly not thinking straight. How could I let myself pull into the driveway of his parents' home?

I'm not sure if him being there would be more of a comfort or a nuisance right now...

I grabbed my clutch, stuck my keys and phone inside and popped a tictac in my mouth before walking up the steps. The fall air was cool, the stars were twinkling, and my heart was pounding.

I rang the doorbell, said a silent prayer, and listened to the sound of heels clicking down the hall towards me. I know I hardly talk to you, but please, God, help me get through this. I need you now more than ever before.


17 comments

  1. eeeeekkkkk! you, my friend, have a gift! i hope you continue this story because i gotta know more about who "he" is and what happened. you have a knack for storytelling. my favorite line: "i was going to smell like bananas, rain, and cats. this was going to go swell." HA!

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    1. Aw, thank you Amber! Fiction writing was my thing as a kid but I sort of let it dwindle and I put it aside when I started college because of lack of time and inspiration. Since starting this story and blog, however, I've fallen in love with it again. Long story short, hearing this from you was so sweet.

      p.s. That was my favorite sentence, too! :)

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  2. I'm seriously on the edge of my seat! Between you and Kristen I can't handle life and these short stories! The suspense is killing me!!

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    1. Haha, thanks girl! Kristyn is a great writer, too so it's a compliment to hear you put my writing and her writing in the same sentence! :)

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  3. Please keep the story going!! I'm so anxious to hear the rest!

    www.thecrackedlensblog.wordpress.com

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    1. I think I will! I'm still working out who "he" is so we'll both be seeing the stories unfold at the same time! :)

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  4. love this! I can't wait to hear the rest! :)

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    1. Aw, thank you! I'm excited to see the story unfold as well! :)

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    2. Your welcome sister!
      I can't wait to read it! :)

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  5. I am loving this story! You have a gift, I would totally read your novel. :)

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    1. Thank you, girl! I actually had dreams of being a writer growing up but sort of lost that interest as college came around. I like to think of my blog as a novel of sorts, though, so in a way you are reading it! :)

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  6. So, I've had this bookmarked forever and just now got to read it...and I'm hooked!
    Great job, Kiki!

    If there is more to come, I'm definitely on board and ready to read. :)

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    1. Aw, thanks! That is seriously the sweetest thing ever. And I pretty much say that about everything you say which just exemplifies the fact that you've got a gift for encouragement! :)

      And there will definitely be more to come! I'm still working on the storyline (I still don't even know who "he" is yet) but there will definitely be more chapters to come! I honestly don't think I could live with myself if I left it off here.

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  7. what the SNAP!
    I NEED MORE.
    So good - so good. the imagery - chilling, haunting, and just brilliant.
    I can't wait to hear more!

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    1. Haha, I so love your comments! The words you use, the emotions that I get from them? LOVE THEM. I honestly look forward to whatever you have to say on my posts. :)

      And thanks! Seriously, hearing these from you (one of my writing inspirations!) means a lot. I'm actually working on the third chapter this week and hope to get it done later this weekend, too.

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