If you’re unfamiliar with WIPpet Wednesday, it’s a great weekly meme hosted by Emily Witt where authors can share excerpts from Works in Progress. I have greatly enjoyed reading others’ WIPs and getting to know other authors’ stories.
Want to know how hot it’s been the last several days? 105, 103, 105…UGH. At least our AC works, unlike last summer when we spent a month trying to get the apartment management to believe us when we told them it wasn’t working right.
How hot is it where you live??
Though you may not live somewhere where it’s hot, in the spirit of staying cool, I’d thought I’d share a scene from New Year’s Eve in my 2nd WIP.
Math: 6-29 = 29 lines for today
Context: It’s New Year’s Eve. Serena has come back from her trip to visit her family.
On New Year’s Eve, Joel found himself sitting on his bed with his stomach in knots. He’d already checked himself three times in the mirror that hung on his wall—something he never did. What is wrong with me?
Was it all because of the fact that Serena was coming with them to go ice-skating?
Maybe Lacey is right in her suspicions…but it doesn’t matter, because I can’t do anything about it, he reminded himself for the tenth time that day. Nothing can happen between us.
Lacey and Serena rode in the backseat together chatting about the events of their week apart. Every so often, the radio station slipped in a Christmas song, as if reluctant to let go of the seasonal spirit. Joel smiled, listening to Serena’s laughter, tempted to catch a glimpse of her through the mirror again—until he remembered what had happened last time.
As they parked in a public parking garage and walked a block to the rink, they met up with several other college students from the church, including Jay, Matt, Anna, and Jenna.
Lively chatter and joyful laughter among the crowd blended with Christmas songs that blasted from speakers located around the ice rink. After standing in line to pay for skates, everyone filtered back to the other side in search of an unoccupied table. With the crowd, a completely unoccupied table was impossible to find. They split up and sought out empty seats along the wall.
Joel found himself sitting in between Lacey and Serena. While he finished tying off his skates, Jenna and Lacey offered to take shoes and belongings to the lockers.
“Thanks,” He smiled, handing off his shoes. Jenna smiled in reply and followed Lacey at a wobble across the rubber floor.
“Ready?” Serena asked. How she stood so gracefully on a pair of shoes with blades he would never understand. He studied her, admiring her from her dark navy blue jeans to the warm, mocha brown padded jacket that matched the color of her eyes. Her bright pink beanie stood out of place and made him grin. That’s the girl I remember.
With a nod, he rose too, and together they wobbled toward the entrance to the ice rink.
“Hey, ‘rena, I’ll race you,” Lacey called.
That’s all for now.
Comments
7 responses to “WIPpet Wednesday”
Aw, why can’t anything happen between them? I’ve missed a few weeks, so that part might already be clear.
In a nutshell. he doesn’t want to date her after she’d just gotten out of a terrible relationship.
Nice how you dribbled the tension here–just bits and pieces, just enough to whet our interest but don’t tell all. I already like them, and I have missed a bunch of your posts.
Thank you!!
Love reading these excerpts now that I know the characters from the first book! Makes me very excited to get the rest of the novel
Thanks for sharing <3
aw thank you!
This reminds me of a guy I met after a terrible relationship. I knew he was into me, but I told him I didn’t want a relationship, only friends.
His response?
“Well, then, I’ll be the best damned friend you ever had.”
Nineteen years ago next month I married that guy. And he’s kept his word. Through the happy, the angry, and the kind of terrible that flattened us both, but made us stronger.
In my experience, thinking that nothing can happen, even having a conviction about it, doesn’t stand up to the force of love.
My advice to Joel? Be her friend. Be there for her. I have this feeling the rest will work itself out, in due time.