Work In Progress #2

Hope you all had a happy holiday. I did. New Years Eve in Las Vegas was definitely an experience. Especially when you spend it on CBD edible gummies.

My back was giving me hell. But I didn't want to be a buzzkill for everyone else. So I popped a gummy every 8 hours and kept it pushing. Tell you what though. I saved a lot of money by not drinking a lot on the Vegas strip. The prices for everything have gotten out of hand.

When I got back home, the doctor told me it was case of back muscle inflammation. They gave me some medicine and put me on bed rest for a week. That seemed to work. The other day I was able to get back in the gym.

But more importantly I was able to get back to the writing. I've been able to get at least one page of writing done an evening. I'm pleased with the progress I've been able to make between short sessions of playing games I bought during the Steam Winter Sale. So here's some of said progress:

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With the first part of a plan locked in, it was time for the group to head home. Natsuki had to be back on Perryton’s campus before the prefects did their nightly rounds. Nathan didn’t want to miss a second of Nitro. Ashley wanted to get started on her part in the plan. Will wanted to practice drawing and make some more progress in Final Fantasy VIII.

At the Northside Transfer Center, they waited on the top platform for the next train. Nathan and Natsuki stood beside each other near the tracks while holding hands. Will and Ashley sat at a bench with a gap between them. To kill time, Will pulled out his CD player from his coat pocket and turned it on. It shuffled to play track 7. He put on his left earbud; when he was about to put on the right, he was interrupted.

“What’re you listening to?” Ashley asked curiously. She knew he always had his CD player on him but never inquired about his taste in music until now.

Will didn’t know so he couldn’t answer right away. He dug into his other coat pocket for the jewel case the CD came in. He read the track list Jessica wrote until he found the answer to Ashley’s question.

“Song’s called ‘Optimistic’ by Radiohead. Ever heard anything by them?”

“No.”

“Me neither. Jess has been putting me on to all kinds of new stuff. Said this CD’s custom made for a dork like me.” Will smirked and continued, “Joke’s on her, I kinda like this song.”

Ashley inched closer to Will and requested, “Let me listen.”

Will handed Ashley the right earbud. She had to move closer to Will to get the earbud to reach her right ear. The arms of their jackets touched each other. Because of how thick the jackets were, Will didn’t feel Ashley rubbing against him. Still, he felt her presence, and hers alone. He didn’t see or think of anyone else when she was that close to him.

Even with only one earbud, all Will heard was the music. The melody drowned out the announcements coming from the intercom, the chatter of people waiting for the next train, and the litter on the ground as the wind swept it around. He observed Nathan and Natsuki holding hands, visualizing them and their surroundings. He didn’t see the dull white and gray train platform. He saw a psychedelic oil painting with vibrant colors. The urge to draw that scene was taking over. He wanted to pull out his sketchbook from his backpack and get something down on paper, even if it was a rushed mess.

On the other hand, he didn’t want to move a muscle. He glanced over to his right and saw Ashley enjoying the music as much as he was. From her smile and calm posture, it appeared as if she didn’t have a worry in the world and he didn’t want to disrupt that.

Five minutes later, as the song was fading out, the next train to Perryton Prep pulled up to the station. Natsuki separated hands with Nathan. She bent down slightly and the two said goodbye to each other with a kiss. The kiss went on for so long, Natsuki had mere seconds to board before the doors closed and the train left without her. With a grin that went from ear to ear, Nathan waved goodbye to Natsuki as the train left the station.

Nathan turned toward Will and Ashley sitting together on the bench. He saw Will was off in another world and Ashley was in a state of tranquility. He was more intrigued by them sitting close together, joined by a pair of earbuds. That made his already big grin even bigger.

Nathan pointed at them and said, “Aww dudes, look at you two sitting together like that.”

Will’s Vision severed and he saw things as they actually were again. He frantically put his earbud back in his pocket while looking away from Ashley. At the same time, Ashley tossed her earbud back at Will and stood up in a hurry. She looked away from Will and created some distance between them. They didn’t have to say a word; the flustered look on their faces spoke volumes.

Not wanting to make them even more embarrassed, Nathan changed the subject, “C’mon, dudes. Let’s get on our bus.”

Ashley quickly walked ahead to the stairwell. Afterward, Will walked down to the ground floor with Nathan. The 610 bus to Presley Place was already at the station with its doors open and passengers boarding. There weren’t many open seats when the trio got on the bus. Nathan plopped down on an empty seat in the middle and Ashley sat beside him. That left Will to sit by himself in the seat behind them.

The bus pulled off from the station. Ashley didn’t speak; the thoughts that faded away when she listened to Will’s music returned and they weighed heavier than before. Nathan, however, was his usual talkative self. He turned around on the seat and faced Will.

“Dude, you gotta watch Nitro tonight!” He said to Will excitedly. “Bret Hart ran over Sid Vicious in a monster truck last week! It was totally nuts, dude!” When Will didn’t respond, Nathan continued his pitch. “At least check out the first hour, then you can turn it to Raw. That’s what I’m gonna do.”

Will looked up at Nathan and said, “But you always watch Nitro the whole way through. You’re not giving up on them are you?”

With a gloomy look on his face Nathan replied, “I don’t wanna give up on WCW, dude. But the big rumor going around all the wrestling fan sites is that they’re gonna fire Russo as booker soon. I kinda hope that’s true. He hasn’t really helped the ratings.”

Will had no intention of watching Nitro tonight. He was dead set on drawing and playing Final Fantasy VIII. But seeing the sad look on Nathan’s face compelled him to adjust his schedule.

“I might tune in,” Will said reluctantly. “I just got on to disc two in FF8 and I want to see how far I can get before the teachers drop all that homework on us.” The way in which he spoke made him sound only 10 percent committed to watching Nitro. But that was enough to convince Nathan.

“Sweet, dude!”

They’d continue discussing pro wrestling even after getting off of the bus, and up until they reached the corner of Pinefield Way and Penley Avenue.

Will said, “Catch you guys tomorrow,” before walking across his yard.

“Later, dude,” Nathan said back.

“Bye, Will. See you tomorrow,” Ashley said while waving him goodbye.

Oak Springs Drive, the street where Nathan lived, was two more streets down. That’s where he and Ashley would go their separate ways. But before they got there, Nathan apologized to Ashley… in his own way.

“Dude, you know I was just joking back at the train station right? I know you and Will are just friends.”

Ashley smiled and responded, “I know you know.”

Nathan said, “It’s all the other 9th graders you gotta convince.”

Ashley shrugged her shoulders and said, “Let them say what they want. Let them think what they want. Sooner or later, they’ll get bored with us and move on to something else. As long as you, me, and Will know the truth, that’s all I care about.”

“Yeah screw them, dude!” Nathan boldly shouted. Yet, he wasn’t entirely convinced that what Ashley believed to be the truth about her relationship with Will was indeed the truth. And he wanted to question her more on the matter. But by then, they made it to the corner of Pinefield and Oak Springs, and they’d have to go their separate ways.

It would have to be a conversation for another day.

And this is where I got stuck. I'm going to go to some other part of the manuscript and work on that for a while.

#writing #excerpts #workinprogress