August was never a realistic timeline for the completion of my current WIP, especially with that pesky day job of mine sucking away all my time and sanity, but you know what? I quit that job. I did. I quit a decent-paying job that let me work from home to take care of my kids during a pandemic and I had the support of HR to do it. THAT, my friends, is how badly I was being treated.
So… let’s see, now. It’s mid-July and I’m not quite 3/4 through writing my first draft. I ditched the job, but not the children so it’s not like I gained a lot of time for writing. I did get my brain back–which was so stressed out that I had perma-fog and consistent headache–and perhaps that’ll help me figure out… what the climax of this story should be. Because right now… I do. not. know.
There’s only so much inner turmoil that can count as plot, right?
Anyway, here’s another excerpt from Like Two of the Same, the sequel to Like Two Opposite Things which just recently became a physical book to hug and love. It’s the reunion of summer besties after some selfish behavior and forced time apart.
Too many “best friends” photos with cell phones in them. What’s that about? This is a 90s story, ya’ll. Photo by Bran Sodre on Pexels.com
He grabs my hand and pulls me forward, down a side path I didn’t even know existed before now that acts as a much too quick shortcut to Heather’s road. I can see her through the trees running around in her bathing suit with a towel around her neck.
“No, see? She’s busy. I should just leave her alone.”
“Helia, this is ridiculous. I bet you anything in the world that the second she sees you, Heather will bust out of the screen house, jump over the bushes and bear hug the snot out of you.”
“Doubtful,” I mumble but I guess I’m about to find out.
“Heather!” Jason yells from just down the lane from her driveway and waves enthusiastically like this isn’t the worst thing possible for me. I shift a little behind him so she can’t see me right away when she looks up.
“What up, Jace?!” she yells back. “Who’s that behind you?” she says right before it becomes pretty clear that she knows exactly who it is.
“OH HEELLLLLLLL–” she says and starts running, dropping the towels and sunscreen on her way. She jumps through the bushes–not over, so Jason was wrong about that part–and slams her entire body into mine with the force of a thousand football players. “YEAHHHHHHH!” she screams in my ear and the only reason I haven’t been thrown backwards into a tree by the collision is because she wraps her arms around me so tightly, there’s no way to escape.
We do fall down, though.
Heather’s on top of me, squeezing and snuggling, and “Oh My GOD”ing, and all I can see is Jason standing over us, smiling.
“See?” he says
Eda J Vor 