Music blared through the dimly lit basement. The florescent glow of fading LED lights was my only source of light as I trampled through the massive crowd of people toward the stair well. The empty cup in my hand I tossed down underneath my feet as I trekked up the sweaty stairwell. We had been at this party for way too long and my feet had already started to hurt. Once I came over the top of the stairs to the main level of the house, I was met with more music and the familiar stench of sweat. Stumbling over to the couch, I pulled the Converse off my feet. Standing back up I look for any face I knew in the crowd, but it was useless. Slowly I crept toward the front door, pushing my sweaty blonde hair out of my face with my free hand. Swinging the door open I stalked off down the street, with my shoes in my hand.
The evening was a cool contrast to the small space I been cooped up in all night. Letting the evening breeze hit my face I looked up longingly at the stars, trying to find my favorite constellation in the night but the hazy state my mind was in didn’t make that easy. I wasn’t too sure if I was headed in the right direction, but I knew I’d eventually find my apartment, it shouldn’t be too far. A car slowly pulled up next to me, looking over I saw the passenger side window started rolling down. A familiar face appeared from the driver’s seat, short dark hair sat messily upon his head and his dark eyes were lit up by his car lights
“Get in the car Florence, you’re heading in the wrong direction.” Lincoln said, his dark eyes glistening in the light. I nodded at him slowly and walked on my unsteady legs to his white car. Opening the passenger door, I set my shoes on the floor and hopped in the seat. Lincoln rolled the window up and quickly locked the door. The lights in the car slowly shut off as I turned to look at him. He smiled at me, slowly putting the car into drive.
“I’m not supposed to be talking to you.” I said quietly to him, turning my body so I’m sitting straight forward without looking at him. He snickered from the drivers seat, his blinker going off as we pulled back onto our campus.
“You were wandering around the street with your shoes in your hand, in the wrong direction of school. I thought this would be the most appropriate time to be talking to you.” He said back to me, taking his eyes off the road to look over at me. He was wearing an oversized black hoodie and light grey shorts, looking way more comfy than I do. My jeans were digging into my stomach uncomfortably as I looked back over at him. Our eyes meeting in the darkness, but I could still see the emotions in his eyes. He looked happy to be with me, but at the same time he seemed saddened by the circumstances we have been put in.
“She said to leave you alone. So I had been leaving you alone.” I said slowly, I knew the still hazy state my brain would make me spill my heart to him. I tried hard to be deliberate with my choice of words, this interaction we are having could back fire in both of our faces.
“And you are choosing to listen to her? There hasn’t been a moment since I’ve met you Flo where you’ve listened to any of that.” Lincoln said back to be, pulling the car in front of my apartment. I didn’t even realize we had already made it back, I looked at his dashboard and saw the time lighting up the screen. It was past two in the morning, I knew my roommates would be on their way back from the party hopefully soon.
“Well that was the old me Link, I’m just trying to do the right thing right now. I did awful things to her, and even to you. I care about our friendship too much to not listen to what she says.” I said, breaking our eye contact to look down at my hands. They fidgeted with each other, trying to keep the nerves and drinks I had tonight down.
“You know I care about you. I’ve told you that, you know where I lie too. I just need more time to figure this out. I promise you it’s happening.” Lincoln said, completely turning his body to face me completely. He grabbed my left hand out of my lap, holding it with his right. He was doing the right things, saying the right things but I couldn’t shake the warning I had been given.
“No I can’t keep waiting. I can’t keep this up, have you ever thought about how I feel? Every single time I see you, its been up to you and your feelings. The ball is always in your court Lincoln, and I can’t keep doing this. You know how I feel, you know what I want, and you better know how you feel.” I said to him, I could not stop myself from spilling how I was feeling. The rush in my veins from my earlier drinks felt as if it had stopped, I knew what I wanted to say to him because I knew he needed to know how I feel. It’s been too long since I’ve stood up for myself. “I would be all in, I can be all in, but you have to be all in. This doesn’t work if you don’t out yourself in this. She has been important to you for years, and I respect that. But if you’re as unhappy as you say, then do something about it.” I said to him, unbuckling my seat and grabbing my shoes off the floor. Opening the car door, I stepped out onto the pavement.
“You know how I feel! I’ve told you a hundred times but of course it isn’t enough. I am trying to end things with her, I am trying to end it as kind as possible. I’ve spent the last three years growing with her and now I’m trying to move on. I need to do this in person with her, she at least deserves that much.” He yelled to me, stepping out of the car and slammed his door. I shut mine as well, watching him walk over to me and stand in front of me. The height difference between us made him tower over me. I stared up at him, trying my hardest not to break.
“This was all I wanted, since I’ve met you. I just need you to talk to me, I need you to tell me what your doing with her. She’s hurt you and I’m on your team no matter what, but I still need you to talk to me.” I replied with a blush creeping over my cheeks. He looked down at me, meeting my eyes with a smile on his face.
“I promise I’m trying, but you need to work with me okay.” He stated with a smile. I nodded at him with a smile. The haze from my evening had completely faded away and I knew that things were going in the right direction for us. I backed away from him and started walking up the stairs of our apartment. I unlocked the door and turned to look at him. He was leaning against his white car, fluffy hair blowing in the light breeze of the night. He looked at me from across the stairs, a smile on his face, as I waved to him. He waved back, as I turned and walked into the lobby of our building.
Why I decided to keep going with my story: I really liked the way my story is headed and I think I have a lot of room to grow within this story. There are many different ways I can take it while still feeling like I’m being true to what I want to say. This was the only story starter that really stuck with me when we created those first drafts and I love the way I have had the story grow. I think that if I continue on with this story I can have it go whichever way I feel is necessary to what the characters are doing, while still tweaking the beginning parts to make sure everything lines up correctly. There is room for editing and growth within the beginning of the story and that seems very promising to me when looking toward the future of writing this story. I also got lots of good feedback from my peers when we reviewed them in class on Thursday and if I keep their advice they gave me in mind I know that I will be able to create a story that I feel a deep passion for when writing it.
