My theme for 2021 is a Young Adult short story. A double-date in the 1990s. An established teen couple sets up their best friends with each other, but it doesn't go well.
Today's word count is approximately: 365 words
M is for Mountain of Books
The Mountain of Books bookshop smells of old books, which is nice, but also stinks faintly of urine and stale crackers.
"Hello, Madelyn. Hello, Riley. Hello, friends of Riley and Madelyn." Nathan's glorious smile brightens the world. Madelyn and I both say hello back and ask how he is. Nathan is one of the people from Wonder House, a place that helps those with Down syndrome and stuff get jobs. They bought this shop after the big national chain left.
"Nathan, this is my boyfriend, Lance. And this is his best friend, Yohann." The guys both casually wave. So Nathan, being Nathan, enthusiastically waves back. I can't help but smile.
Lance finds a poofy chair in the back corner. I grab a book and plop down on his lap.
"You're really going to read instead of making out with me?" He nibbles my neck.
"Maybe," I laugh and kiss him. We're content for a few minutes. Then someone is standing beside us, which makes me look up.
"Where's Madelyn?" I ask as I realize it's Yohann, both his hands stuffed into his pockets again.
He rolls his eyes. "Cheesy romance section."
I shake my head. "Hold my book," I say to Lance as I get up. I mutter to myself that boys shouldn't be so intimidated by books as I march over to the romance section.
"You know you're not really here to shop, right?" I pick up Madelyn's flower and tap the top of her head. She looks up from the book she's reading.
"It's the next in the series."
"Uh-huh. Okay, so buy it and read it later. For now, try to have an actual romance."
"Yohann didn't want to talk about books."
I swear, sometimes, pow, bang, straight to the moon… I grab Madelyn's wrist and pull her to the sports section. A moment later, I shove a book about her favorite baseball team into her hands.
"Hey, Yohann! Come over here." Like a puppy, he comes running.
"What's up?"
"Madelyn found this book. It's about her favorite team. She was wondering if you've read it?"
"You're into them? That's awesome. They're my favorite, too."
Note: Violence, especially domestic violence, is no laughing matter. But if we don't remember a time when television treated it as such, and the decades that followed where the line about it continued to be considered funny, how can we grow and change? That shift had not happened in the nineties, which is when this story is set. There is a hyperlink to show where the line originated, in case anyone feels the desire to contact the creators to discuss 1955-1956 television.
Thank you for reading!
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Please let me know who you are on the Master List if you're doing a to z-- I'd like to visit you too!
Have a puuuurfect day. 🐈
I would get distracted in a bookshop too - can't ignore all those great stories to read, no matter what else is on my mind!!
ReplyDeletehttps://iainkellywriting.com/2021/04/15/the-state-trilogy-a-z-guide-m/
Love book shop dates!
ReplyDeleteStopping by from A to Z!
- Jayden Vincente
Erotic fiction author
https://jrvincente.com/a-to-z-2021/