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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Illustrate the meaning of "A Man is Known by the Company He Keeps" (without using the actual phrase). (01/31/08)
NEW BEGINNING


Mike leaned over to his friend, “Hey Sammy, what do you think of that girl, Sara?” Sammy scanned the room and saw Sara sitting all alone in the crowded cafeteria.
He shrugged, “She’s cute enough. Weird though, quiet. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her say a word. She’s the artist right?”
Mike shook his head, not taking his eyes off Sara.
“Well, that explains it. You finished?”
“No not yet. You can go. I’ll catch you later.”
“Okay.” He got up to leave. “You coming to the quarry tonight? Everyone’s gonna be there.”
“Yeah, sure.” Great, another night of mindless drinking.
Sara got up and threw her garbage away. She looked around the room until she found Mike. When she found him, he smiled at her, but she quickly looked away.
She reminded him of Kit. His heart broke all over again, thinking of Kit. It had been four years since he lost her. Would it ever get easier?
When Nancy walked in, Mike got up and left. He didn’t want to face her after what happened the other night. What had he been thinking? Oh, well, chalk it up to another night of mindless drinking. It was her fault. She started things. Girls always did that, and then they wondered why he lost interest so quickly.
His mom had to work late that night, so he ate dinner alone. He drove around for a while, putting off the inevitable, another exhausting party; with kids drinking, and pretending to be great friends. He used to love these get- togethers. But lately, they left him feeling empty. And fake. He knew that if it weren’t for his talent for throwing, either a football or baseball, his ‘friends’ wouldn’t have much to do with him. Besides, if these people were so happy with their lives, why the desperate need to drown in alcohol?
Well, well. What have we here? Sara was walking with her dog, her pretty little mouth turned up in a peaceful smile. This was probably the only chance he’d ever had to talk to her alone. He pulled into the nearest parking space. His heart was racing. What if she won’t talk to me? Oh, she will. I’m Mike Mulligan, the biggest thing going at Steinbeck High.
He walked towards her as quickly as he could without it looking obvious. She didn’t even notice him when he caught up to her. She was deep in thought and still wearing that sweet smile. Okay, you have to do something, say something to get her attention. “So, what’re you so happy about?”
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Lyn Churchyard
02/08/08
Good dialogue between the two boys. I like the way you had the MC's thought processes going on in the background.

Make sure you put a space between the paragraphs - it makes it easier to read.

I'd like to see this story expanded :)

Laury Hubrich 
02/09/08
Good little story but very sad. This is so many teen's lives you've written about. Make sure you proof your work before submitting. Good job. Keep on writing!
Laury
Marlene Austin
02/09/08
Good characterization of Max, but gave us very little about Sara to be able to anticipate how she may respond; therefore, ending seemed a little abrupt to me. Nice writing. :)
Shelley Ledfors
03/02/08
Losing the formatting for spacing etc. is frustrating, but, having just found this after reading some of your later entries I know you got that problem solved after this first entry! Great dialogue, and a timely subject.