Short Story
Here's a short preview of a short story that I've started working on. I'm trying to get back in the writing groove
:)(Sorry if it's a little too morbid for your taste.)
Count Me In
By: Jennifer K. Messer
“You better be careful,” Isabella’s father said as he watched the evening news in the living room. An almost-empty bag of potato chips was sitting on his lap.
“Yeah, yeah,” Isabella said from the kitchen.
“I’m serious!” her father yelled, turning around as he spoke. “This killer means business, and he’s after girls just like you!”
Everyone knew about the California killer by that point, whether they wanted to or not. After all, there were people talking about him on the news every night. The killer had already chosen three victims: Casey Alexander, a sophomore at Brenton Tanner University, Jessica Peters, a Junior at Smithton State, and Ashley Marson, a freshman at Donaview Women’s College.
The authorities believed that the killer was going after college girls with “success stories.” All three of the lost girls were on their way toward making a difference in the world. Of course, what does “lost” really mean anyway? These girls weren’t lost. They were brutally murdered. The killer would shoot the girls in the arm or the leg – some area that would only leave them wounded – not dead. Then he would perform horrible tasks on their bodies after raping them.
Casey was going to be a doctor, Jessica wanted to go into politics, and Ashley was hoping to be a marine biologist. Now they’re all gone.
Isabella was a twenty-year-old college student living in the same area that Casey, the first victim was killed in. The hopeful teacher/novelist watched as her friends avoided going out because they feared that they would be the next victim. Unlike them, Isabella didn’t think she had anything to worry about.
Isabella was sitting in her college algebra class the next night, listening to her teacher ramble on and on.
When will this be over, she thought.
I don’t even need math. I’m going to be an English teacher.
Despite the fact that Isabella was released from class a few minutes late, the class did finally (and thankfully) end. Isabella looked at her watch, which said 9:45 p.m. She walked outside and crossed the street to get to her blue Toyota Yaris.
But something wasn’t right.
Isabella walked up to the side of her car and sighed in frustration.
Great, she thought.
A flat tire.
As Isabella leaned down to look at her tire more closely, someone quickly came up from behind her stuck a cloth over her face. Isabella tried to scream but nothing came out.
Isabella woke up a few hours later with a man in his mid-twenties peering over her.
She immediately jumped.
“It’s okay,” the man said. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m Agent Bojarski. I’m with the FBI.”
Isabella’s head was throbbing and at that point, she swore that she was dreaming.
“Sorry about your head,” Agent Bojarski said. “We accidently bumped it when we were trying to move you.”
“What … what … move me? What the hell is going on?” Isabella said, placing her right hand on her throbbing head.
“We were sent to protect you. We’re taking you to a secure location in Hawaii where we can look after you.”
“Hawaii? What? Why are you taking me to Hawaii? Who are you? Why am I here?”
“You should rest.”
“But …”
Agent Bojarski got up and walked away. It was then that Isabella realized she was on an airplane.
What the hell? she thought, and a few minutes later, she was asleep.
Rusty Idea
So I thought my idea for this fall would be a good one. I was going to change my work schedule to Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and agree to write as many articles as they can toss at me on top of the obits and kitchen
inspections, so that I would end up having decent hours. But I'm realizing that this may not be the best idea.
You see, people don't realize what comes with obituaries. Phone calls come with obituaries. Sure, there are days when I have maybe only three or four calls, but a large percentage of my time is filled with talking to funeral homes, some that I know and some that I
don't know about the obits. Then I get calls from family members who are either upset or filled with questions, and sometimes they continue to ask the same question over and over because they don't like my answer. All of this takes time. Writing the obits takes time. People don't realize this because yes, there are days when I sit around with hardly anything to do, but then there are days that I feel like I'm about to go crazy.
I just don't know if I can handle dealing with writing the obits, all of the phone calls that come with them, AND writing stories all in the same day. And oh yeah, I also have to answer Linda's phone when she's not around. Once again ... that takes up time. I really wish that there was a job out there that would be perfect and great, but I know, especially with the economy, that there is not ... at least not right now. Which leads me to another point ... this isn't what I want to do with my life. I realized that a long time ago, and I wish that I didn't have to stay here, but what are my other choices? I don't want to go back to retail and only get 5 hours a week.
Either way, I'm not looking forward to August. I have a feeling I'm going to be locked up at work every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Good-bye weekend life.
Plus/Minus ... Haven't Done This In A While
+ It's almost Friday.
- I have a final on Friday.
+ The evil editor isn't here today.
- I'm still stuck at work.
+ I have a Dr. Pepper Cherry.
- It has 260 calories in it. :(
+ The weekend will be here soon.
- I'll be studying for more finals ...
+ Next Wednesday will be my last day of finals.
- ...It's next Wednesday.
+ I get to hang out with Juan next week.
- It's supposed to rain almost every day next week.
+ I may actually have all A's this semester.
- I probably just jinxed myself.
+ I'm hoping to get to hang out with everyone after finals are over :)
Big Black Question Mark
Lately, I've been having bad dreams at night and pleasant daydreams when the sun is actually out. All of these dreams continue to consist of things that haven’t happened and people I don’t know.
So why is this happening? What is fielding the scary and unpleasant dreams that I have at night?
I know the answer. It’s what has been in the back of my mind for a while and what will continue to lurk there until I get the answers that I need this summer. This fall currently yields a big, black question mark. Sure, I know which college I will be at, but I have no idea what my schedule is going to be like, and I’m pretty sure that by that time, I will have a new job.
Change has always scared me. Of course, this is not only change ... it’s a BIG change. I’
ve been in the comforting arms of
Gainesville State College for almost three years now (yes, that makes me feel a little pathetic that I’
ve been there THAT long, but oh well), and now I’m going to be moving on to a school that is very different.
I’
ve talked to people who have left
Gainesville and gone to different schools and so many of them talk about how they hate their new university, and they wish they were back at
GSC.
I already know that this will be me next fall. Although some people talk about
GSC being “Just
Gainesville,” I have had a very rewarding and wonderful experience there. Yes, it has been difficult. Yes, I have had professors that I’
ve disliked with a passion. But I’
ve also made a few very good friends, learned interesting things not only in class but also about myself, and I’
ve had some very cool professors that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
I know that it’s time for me to move on. I want to be successful next fall, and I don’t want the idea of change to get to me. I also would like a good job, and that scares me because I have NO idea what I’m going to do, and I REALLY don’t want to go back to retail.
I guess what I’m struggling with is the fact that all I can really do is wait. I have to wait until next fall to actually experience what it’s like at a new school. I have to wait until this summer to be able to sign up for classes, which will then tell me if I need to quit the job that I’m currently at and look for a new one with a different schedule.
I don’t like waiting … or question marks … or the bad dreams that have been haunting me.
So even if I can’t have the answers that I need right now, hopefully I can find some peace of mind … soon.
***
"Hold on, baby, you're losing it
The water's high, you're jumping into it
And letting go ... and no one knows
You cry, but you don't tell anyone
That you might not be the golden one
And you're tied together with a smile
But you're coming undone"
~Taylor Swift
Right Here
Sometimes it's very difficult to get up in the morning. Your alarm goes off, you turn it off, and then you wish that you could just stay in bed for a few more minutes. Of course, you know you can't do this because there is a 99% chance that you will fall back to sleep, but still, it's a nice wish.
Then, as the day goes on, little annoyances happen ... you're running late ... you couldn't get your hair to behave ... you forgot your umbrella, and it's raining like crazy.
Then the BIGGER annoyances may occur ... you're late to class ... you fail a quiz you studied your butt off for ... your boss asks you to do extra things at work.
But then you finally get home, and you can sit in your room and just relax. Yes, you
actually RELAX. And suddenly, all of the bad parts of your day dissolve, and you remember what's good in your life.
Okay, so most people don't actually take the time to think about everything that's good in their life, but lately, I've been doing this. We waste our time way too often. We have to remember that we only have one life, and it could end too quickly. I don't want to watch today or tomorrow or even three years from now go by with just thoughts of what went wrong. I don't want to be frustrated all the time, and I don't want to sweat the little things that will be forgotten in three days. And to be honest, I know that I am very blessed. I'm in college, and I ain't stupid. I have a job that yeah, doesn't pay much, but it works for me right now. And I have friends and the most amazing boyfriend who I know is always there for me. Now that's something to smile about at the end of the day
:)"Here"Rascal
FlattsThere's a place I've been
lookin' for / That took me in and out of buildings / Behind windows, walls, and doors / And I thought I found it / Couple times, even settled down / And I'd hang around just long enough / To find my way back out / I know now the place that I was trying to reach / Was you, right here in front of me / And I wouldn't change a thing / I'd walk right back through the rain / Back to every broken heart / On the day that it was
breakin' / And I'd relive all the years / And be thankful for the tears / I've cried with every stumbled step / That led to you and got me here, right here / It's amazing what I let my heart go through / To get me where it got me / In this moment here with you / And it passed me by God knows how many times / I was so caught up in holding / What I never thought I'd find I know now, there's a million roads / I had to take / To get me in your arms this way / And I wouldn't change a thing / I'd walk right back through the rain / Back to every broken heart / On the day that it was
breakin' / And I'd relive all the years / And be thankful for the tears / I've cried with every stumbled step / That led to you and got me here / In a love I never thought I'd get to, get to - here / And if that's the road God made me take to be with you / And I wouldn't change a thing / I'd walk right back through the rain / Back to every broken heart / On the day that it was
breakin' / And I'd relive all the years / And be thankful for the tears / I've cried with every stumbled step / That led to you and got me here / And I'd relive all the years / And be thankful for the tears / I've cried with every stumbled step / That led to you and got me here, right here / Oh, got me here
