Here is installment number three of the Wild Card Drabbles! Work has obviously been slow - it usually kind of is during the week anyhow... People just don't want to buy ice cream when the temperature is in the 60s (or lower) and it's raining lol On the plus side ... the weather has been picking up since Tuesday, January 25th. On the bad side? Even with good weather, there's still some times of no customers lol
Unfortunately, the management is instituting new rules at work. Not that I can't write when everything's quiet/stocked/clean... but affecting the customers.. which will mean more people in the restaurant ordering Coppas and food... Hopefully. On the plus side: more people means more tips and, if it picks up, more hours - both of which mean more money, which is always a good thing when you have bills to pay and laptops to save for.. On the minus side: it'll mean less writing time. Somehow I don't think that's something I can complain about to my boss LOL
I have decided that these drabbles are getting kind of out of control... Yes, I will still write them, probably... But I'm branching out sooner than expected into ficlets. My first up? A Hannah-centric ficlet, which will be started tonight (Thursday, January 27th.)
Also... IMPORTANT NOTE FOR ANY OF THE READERS: If one (or more) of these drabbles tickles your fancy and you would like to write a ficlet or a longer story either based on it... I give you my full permission to do so. The only things I would like from you are: A) if you use the words from one of my drabbles, please give me credit for them and B) I'd like to be able to read it at some point, whether on or WildCardFanFiction. Other than that... have fun with whatever you do.
Chances are that I will be expanding a few of these into ficlets or scenes for larger stories. These are really just something to pass the time at work ... and to get little quick scenes out of my head so I can concentrate on other things. The posting kind of often is a nice bonus for everyone lol
Drabble 38
His blue eyes paled to almost gray and ice shuttered over the normally visible warmth; the soft smile that had graced his mouth fading, lips thinning; shoulders tensing under the soft fabric of his shirt. Without another word, he turned on his heel and strode away.
She followed, her heels clicking on the floor as she hurried to catch up to him. She reached out, placing a hand on his arm.
He shrugged it off without breaking his stride, expressive face frozen in an implacable mask.
He soon disappeared, the door shutting behind him.
Oh, God, what had she done?
Drabble 39
Candlelight flickered around them, the linen tablecloth brushing against her legs as the plush cushion of her seat supported her body in comfort. It was an extremely romantic setting in an out-of-a-storybook way.
Gold gleamed and a diamond's fire glittered against the skin of her palm.
The silence stretched, anticipation changing into quiet wariness, and she bit her lip as she closed her hand around the ring and looked across the table into the dark eyes of her companion.
"Marcos, I..." She was interrupted by the waiter, grateful for the chance to gather her racing thoughts.
Drabble 40
Peter Sallas walked slowly along the pier, alternating between allowing his mind to wander and, when that became too painful, concentrating on his footsteps as he aimlessly journeyed.
He had finally gotten up the nerve to ask Sophia to move to Atlanta with him. She'd said no. Even though he'd known what her answer would be, it had still hurt. The fact that it didn't seem to bother her -
No. That was unfair. It did - he could see it, hear it.
It didn't change things.
Yes, they loved each other...
And he still had to move.
Drabble 41
"Where do you want to go?" Taylor asked the girls sitting in the car with her. She was flushed with excitement and triumph as they sat at a stop sign. Aunt Zoe didn't think she was ready to drive? Well, she'd show her!
"There's supposed to be a rave," one of the other girls pointed out.
"A rave? No way! With my luck, the cops'll crash and I'll get busted for taking Aunt Zoe's car!"
"But we can always go most other places," a second girl pointed out.
"We're going shopping," Taylor decided.
Drabble 42
His chest tightened as the shot rang out over the assembled group of people and he was scanning for two people before he even got up. One was safe, he saw with a quick glance, still over by the food stand. The other...
"Taylor!"
Instinct propelled him forward, towards the stage. He had to make sure she was all right. Not just because she was Zoe's niece, but because he himself cared - a small part of him wondered when the caring had begun.
He reached her quickly and pulled her up, visually checking her for injuries.
"You're okay."
Drabble 43
A faint column of colors rose from the ground, the staring point hidden beyond the houses and the tail end disappearing into the clouds.
It was a sight that always made Hannah smile. Her mother had spent hours with her, watching rainbows and telling the little girl takes of dancing faeries and magic, leprechauns and pots of gold. Old Celtic legends came to life for Hannah to wonder at and enjoy.
Days had been spent dreaming of racing up the trail of colors and discovering treasures.
Now ... she just knew it was her mother waiting, watching, and showing her love.
Drabble 44
Dan fought a groan as he looked over at his partner. Chicago was in the middle of a heatwave and all of its' inhabitants were trying to adapt.
It was torture, he had decided.
His extremely attractive partner had taken the attempt to be comfortable seriously. The jacket required by the office was slung over one arm, her shoulders bared to the kiss of the sun, her upper body wrapped in a skimpy camisole. It was paired with a flirty skirt and the normal heels.
He didn't know whether to hope the heatwave dissipated ... or stayed a bit longer.
Drabble 45
Zoe giggled as she madly licked at the ice cream cone she was holding in one hand. It was rapidly melting in the heat of the sun and she paused in her attack of the cone every few moments to do a spot clean on her fingers. She glanced over at her partner and shook her head.
Dan was working on his own ice cream - in a sensible cup, albeit one with a waffle bowl - and had strawberries.
She stole a strawberry and shrugged at the mock-glare she received.
A girl's gotta have the best of both worlds.
Drabble 46
Zoe sat looking at her boss with wide-eyed wonder. Not at the plan for the video submission to Backstabbed! - it was definitely something Zoe could do - but the woman who'd come up with it... Even in daring - for her - casual clothes, there was nothing risque about Sophia Mason. In a business environment, the woman put capitals U and C in Ultra-Conservative. "I'm shocked!"
"Too much, right?" She hid her face slightly by taking a sip of wine.
"Too much? It's perfect!"
"Really?"
"Really, really."
They set about brainstorming the character and figuring out camera angles.
Drabble 47
She shook her head as she stared dispiritedly at various college pamphlets that littered her bed. She'd only brought three home - the rest were from family members. Especially her well-intentioned but not-very-helpful older sister, who had gotten married and had a child instead of going to college full-time. She wanted Zoe to have the education she was fighting for a class at a time.
It wasn't that Zoe didn't want to go to college... Just not right away. She wanted to love away from home, work, have fun...
She could always go later.
Drabble 48
Marcos Morales stepped into the tiled hall and was transported back in time. A few banks of lockers down, his best friend was waiting with Marcos' girlfriend, who was wearing a too-big Letter jacket.
With white leather sleeves cracked and worn, the jacket was still a prized possession to him.
He blinked and the image faded, the deserted hallway coming into focus.
He walked slowly and took in old landmarks with new eyes. He was no longer the big man on campus. He was now a teacher...
And he was going to be the best one he could be.
Drabble 49
Sue paused in what she was doing and smiled as Lee Ann Womack's voice filled the room. Never particularly fond of either country or religious music, she still loved this song.
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
It was what she wanted for her kids.
She wanted them to dance for life.
Drabble 50
Candy walked through the Dells resort that her latest job had brought her to. It really was gorgeous. Fresh snow on the slopes for skiers and snowboarders alike and the air was crisp on her skin - a perfect excuse to indulge in hot toddies. It was peaceful, definitely a different scene than home: a desert oasis ablaze both night and day with neon lights and alive with the sound of slot machines.
Different ... but still nice.
She felt alive - her chief goal in life. Not to merely survive, but to live.
All in all ... she was accomplishing that goal nicely.
Drabble 51
Cliff saved and clicked 'print,' sitting back with a small sigh. One more school assignment was complete and ready to be turned in. One down, a hundred more to go.
Of course, he'd have less if he didn't go out of his way to do extra credit assignments. He knew his teammates joked about him being a closet geek, but he couldn't help it.
He wanted to go to college - which meant he needed a scholarship. And that meant he needed good grades and to keep his GPA up.
Besides - all of this stuff is pretty interesting.
Drabble 52
Dan settled into his nice, hot bath - one that men did take - with a groan, thankful for the slightly larger-than-standard bathtub in his apartment. It was still a bit of a squeeze for his six-foot-plus frame, but not as bad as it could have been. The hot water was just what his tired, sore muscles had been screaming for.
Days spent on an unplanned overnight trip... Nights spent in unfamiliar motel rooms... Sharing some rather close quarters with Zoe...
He definitely needed relaxation of some sort.
It had been a trip from either heaven ... or hell.
Drabble 54
Taylor slumped at the table. "My teachers are insane! There's no way you can do these impossible assignments!"
"Why not?"
"Because it's impossible?" She elaborated at a look from her aunt: "'Write a paper at least 3,000 words long comparing and contrasting a fictional character and a historic person that share a similarity.' How can you do that?"
Hannah answered before Zoe could. "Pinocchio and George Washington."
"Huh?"
Hannah shrugged. "Neither one can tell a lie."
Cliff began snickering and Taylor shook her head.
"Shown up by my little sister... Thank God my friends aren't here."
Drabble 55
Jeannie held the little girl close to her, luxuriating in the tactile touch of another human being. It was something that had always grounded her. She'd been one of those embarrassing moms that always hugged and kissed and touched her children - and put serious dents in their 'cool factor.' She was still like that with her grandchildren.
None of them lived close, though... And most adult friends weren't tactile with each other.
But her neighbors... They craved physical contact, especially hugs, as much as she did. At least most of the time.
They were life - and sanity - savers.
Drabble 56
Hannah bit her lip in concentration, eyes carefully watching where the stones fell.
She and her friends had spent most of an hour drawing out the grid for hopscotch. Now it was time to play. Now it as time to compete.
They called it the Kids Olympics and held it two or three times a year, with all sorts of different games. Swinging, sledding, hopscotch, building snowmen... Anything at all.
She started, making sure to land in the middle of each square. She easily skipped the ones marked by stones, and reached the end with only one shaky area.
Yes!
-
-
The song lyrics to 'I Hope You Dance' do not belong to me. The lyrics are not in exact order - a few more belong where the '...' is, but I omitted them for word count reasons. The full lyrics can be found here- This song has been sung by other artists, including Ronan Keating (love his voice lol), but it's Lee Ann's version that is played most often on the radio in my area, so that's the one I used.
-
-
As always... Reviews are welcome!
More to come as time and other writing permits!