Short Story: A Day in April

Today you're getting a story that I made myself finished today but started in Match and tried to finished during Camp NaNoWriMo but didn't managed to get to the end of it. I'm going to do my best to actually post new stories on here before uni starts. Also get back to posting on time. You know make a real creative effect.

 

  A Day in April

One day in April, Mitchelle decided to drop down dead. So she did in the kitchen. Though she had did a good job of dropping to the lamented floor like a stone, hitting the square pattern rather hard, knocking the air from her lungs. She was of course not dead because despite the way popular media made out one could not decide to die by will alone. Otherwise, most would not make it through their teenage years.

Mitchelle currently had lungs empty of oxygen, making her gasp and her eyes to pop. The sound went funny as in gone and the world was a blur as in she no longer she saw detain. "Wow, this what death must feel like" she thought clichély.

Mitchelle no longer wish to die and realise what idiotic idea it had been. She was glad that last night she had not managed to the guts to jump from the roof, to swallow those pills or to lift that blade. Though, those things would have permanently damage her, she would have landed softly, paracetamol only kills your liver and she would luckily have did it wrong. In short in all those scenarios, Ms. Mitchelle would have found her daughter and panicked. 

She had heard the bang from the livingroom, though assuming it was the cat she almost ignore the sound but it was a commercial anyway. 

Mitchelle was still lying on the floor as her body attempted to recover from gravity’s blow, when her mother made it to the kitchen doorway to see her body there. Like most mothers, Ms. Mitchelle swelled with panic. She grabbed her daughter by the shoulders to pull her around, careless of proper first aid protocol. Ms. Mitchelle pulled Mitchelle up and into the living room.

Mitchelle wasn’t fully aware of this until she was sat down on the couch. Later she would she would swear to have no memory of getting to that couch from the kitchen floor. Just as the ads were ending, Mitchelle’s lungs began to function properly, the air had returned, with its sweet, sweet oxygen.

“Are you okay?” Ms. Mitchelle asked panic still swelling inside her.

Mitchelle was not okay, she was not fine, she was not alright, and she was not okay in any of those forms. She had wanted to die just 2 minutes and 3 seconds ago.  She nodded anyway; her mother had meant physically, mental health was not on her mind, and who would have shook their heads, one does not admit that they’re not okay until they literally cannot hide the fact that they are not okay to anyone. Mitchelle was not about to admit that she was not okay, mentally or physically. Her lungs and throat felt strained, her body bruised, yet none of that matched the pain her shattered heart still felt.

Mitchelle had had her heart broken by April and her namesake tormented her with daily reminder. She doubt that April would feel this way in May. Especially as no one called her May except for misinformed teachers and a family that said it was stupid to refer to each other by last name because they all currently had the same one and it was not up to discussion to change it or anyone’s first name. Two, April was a heartless, soulless beast who was no more a person than she was a month in spring. She should have been named November which was worst of all the winter months. It was cold, included no holidays that didn't tormatise cats and dogs and was late enough in the year to make you aware what a failure you were and still sober enough to care.

But damn she was April with exam prep, lambs and the promise of summer in the wind. In short she was painfully only to teens and lamb haters. May was the month of exams and had been demoted from a summer month to late spring.  

April had came into her life at the start of the year, when they were put into the same Geography class. The kissing had came during group homework. The Heartbreak had came after April group homework with Sasha. Pretty, annoying Sasha who made out with other girls at parties for attention. It wasn’t Sasha fault, but her history with Sasha did make her want to lay the blame on her, though she had no idea that April had girlfriend or made out with regularly with a girl who thought she was her girlfriend.

That was what stings the most. Walking into back room find April kissing someone else had been heart breaking, but April acting like she had no right to be angry was the shattering. There weren’t going out. There were just getting off with each other, for over six months. They had brought each other Christmas presents.

Sure, they hadn’t told anyone they were dating but people in school were idiots and didn’t want her parents knowing anything about her sex life.

Mitchelle got up from the couch. Telling her mother she was fine, she went upstairs to sulk on her bed. The pain in her chest had turned physical so it hurt to walk up the stairs. She did slowly and groaned when she threw herself on the bed. She lay there for about a whole minute when her mother shouted her backstairs. She fought the urge to scream into her pillow and instead threw in across the room remembering who else head had been on it.

She dragged herself back down the stairs; she was half way down the stairs when she saw that the front door was open. For a brief second she thought her mother was talking to April. Then she realised that the edges of blonde she could see was wrong and April wasn’t that short.

She stomped down the remaining steps. She didn’t want to talk to anyone, not even her worried friends who wouldn’t stop messaging her. It wasn’t one of her friends. She walked to the door slowly around her mother. It was Sasha, which was just great. Who wanted to stand next perfect petite Sasha when they hadn’t brushed their hair or teeth in two days?

“What are you doing here?”

“I…” Sasha smiled at helplessly. “I want to talk to you.” She glanced at Mrs Mitchelle.

“Come on,” Mitchelle said walking back up the stairs. She didn’t look back to see if Sasha was following her. She was awkwardly.

Mrs Mitchelle went back to the living room to figure out what was going on with her daughter and to catch up on her show.

Mitchelle dumped herself on the bed. This time backwards, so she could face the door and watch Sasha come in. She shut the door behind her slowly.

“Well…” Mitchelle said in hostical deadpan.

“I just want to apologize about April and to say that I honestly had no idea you were a thing.” She said waving her hand.

That didn’t help. She already knew that Sasha hadn’t known.

“I would never make-out with someone who’s dating someone else.” Mitchelle continued to not to respond.

“I won’t tell anyone, I know not everyone is ready to be out like me.” Mitchelle looked up.

“You’re a lesbian,” Mitchelle exclaimed. “You went out with…that football guy.”

“I am Bi,” she shrugged.

“Attention whore then.”

“No,” Sasha said angry now. “Not everyone is monosexual. You’d think you would be more open-minded considering.”

“You make out with girls so boys will play attention to you.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yeah, then I must have taken something at those parties.”

“I’m not allowed to kiss my girlfriend in public.”

That shut Mitchelle up for second.

“I don’t get why you’re here, April cheated on, not you and I would rather be left alone now.”

“You’ve skipped school the past two days and that project is due Monday, which is hard as none of us are speaking to each other. Can’t we both be angry at April together?”

Mitchelle didn’t care at about school at the moment, but she did know at the back of her mind that she was being overdramatic and shouldn’t be giving April so much power.

“Okay, but tomorrow,”

Sasha nodded.

“I’ll walk you to the door.”

They walked to the door in silence. Mitchelle did her best not to flinch in front of Sasha.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Sasha said exiting the house.

“You two are fucking now?”

Mitchelle looked out the door to see April. Sasha went bright red.

“No…” Sasha began before Mitchelle cut her off.

“Sasha you should get home, me and April have to talk.”

Sasha wandered away and April stormed to the door.

“Serious, you go on about being girlfriends and you already on to someone else,” April demanded.

“Well, April it liked you said, we weren’t girlfriends so you have no right to show up here angry.”

“I thought we could sort things out.”

“What? No one else to make out with?”

“Mitchelle, I came to give this whole girlfriend a short. I thought that you wanted.”

Mitchelle thought for moment and realised that she should have been more angry than sad. But she couldn’t be. She couldn’t be happy with April again.

“No, not anymore. I’ll see you around.” Mitchelle shut the door before April could responded and ignored the banging from the otherside whilst April shouted threats. She didn’t care.

“Who’s that at the door?” Mrs Mitchelle asked.

“No one, you should ignore it”

Mitchelle went to shower April out of her hair. 

 ***

I liked the opening of this and have no memory of how I was planing to finish this when I started. It has ending even the opening was a lot better. Ending things is the hard part for me. If any one has a writing prompt they want me to trackle then please comment it down below or what ever method you prefer to contract me by. Write you next time.

I'm only writing in my head.

It is once again Saturday, How? I feel like I have done nothing this week, I wrote very little and I haven't took proper account so once again I have failed Camp NaNoWriMo and myself. I always have such great plans but the more I push myself to do I fail. I've hardly been reading as well, for me, it would appear that I finished reading two books but one of those was audiobook.

I have been trying audiobooks again in attempt to get more stuff done and exercise. That hasn't been that successfully. On the first attempt at walking and that, I scraped the skin off the back of both my ankle and I haven't walked again. Yes, I'm just refusing to leave my bed. Of course, I have walked around the house and left for the supermaket. The skin has started to grow back so I should try walking in just a form of exercise soon, next week or month.

I'm generally a fail at 21. Let's all remember that when I'll probably say it about being 22, unless I get really productive or discovered. The chances are slim on both.

I'm annoyed by the fact I let writing slip, I'm annoyed I've done so little, I'm annoyed that I suck at driving and I think I might be getting worse. I am terrible.

I'm filled with stories that I want to get out. I am filled with ambitions that I wanted to get out and as of last week I have failed to have my posts up on time for the first time this year and this will be the second. Words do come to me in time. Probably because I don't force them on to the paper/scene even when they are terrible.

I'm going to go now and pretend to tidy my room, or knit a complicated mess whilst attempting to read at the same time. See you next week, hopefully on time.

Hiding in the Camp Woods

I am a failure as a writer and I have fallen behind in Camp NaNoWriMo. I am so much a failure that I almost completely forgot about this post and this will probably the most I write today. I'm in behind in my book commits to myself. My reading has fallen behind and I actually forgot about Wednesday till it was 2pm and I was in a public garden. I only have one written waiting in the wings incase I degert to read review book that week. I have three other Netgalley books that I read and for some reason never got around to reviewing that I could write a small review about. However, the pass three weeks have had pre-written reviews go up and I don't like that, even if one of those was from forgetting to change the scheduled date.

I was planning to finish one of the two short stories I started but that was totally not happening. The latest one is turning into a novelle and a series. The first one has lost it spark but I'm determine to finish a least one thing in this month and I will share it with you or maybe I'll just give you chapter two to Video store or chapter six for some reason. I have apparently wrote nothing today which just great.

I have finished reading "A Court of Thorns and Roses" by Sarah J. Maas, that's going to get a review but not sure I can put that up next week or not as some people like two weeks and others three before a review goes up but then again I also now have the physical copy of it that I brought from Waterstones so it's probably going up next week. I spent way too much time this morning trying to take a good selfie with it.

 I have nothing else to say so I'm off to waste time staring at random things on the internet instead of doing anything even close to productive.

Talkie Talkie Time with Noname

Hello guys, no story this week because I just wanted to talk to you about life and stuff. Stuff can be interesting.

I'm still taking part in Camp NaNoWriMo with a novel instead of short stories. Though, I have calmed down a lot. The words poured out of me but I have just been dipping slowly from me. I might take a break from Video Tapes and I'm also just keeping referring to that novel with different names. I think the big problem that it has no real plot and the characters ain't distinctive enough from each other. I keep telling myself that it can be fix with editing if I'm still enamoured with this book by the end of the month. As of today, I'm still ahead of 50,000 word goal, with 19,221 words written in total. 18,562 words being from the novel.

The thing is that yes, today isn't over, but I've only wrote 750 words today, which is bad because for most days I have not been writing at least 2000 words, not even 1,667 words that meant to be my average. This is a worry as I'm spending three days filming something with the YFMC for six hours a day and I wrote okay when I was doing the three hour day but I know me and if I'm not writing now, I won't be on those days. If guys are interested in how I'm doing then you can find my novel stats on my Camp NaNoWriMo profile. I might do another short story to break up my funk or I'm just going to start throwing vampires into my novel.

By the Bye, I made the twitter that the main character runs in the novel where she mocks the company she works for: @24HourVideo

I have also been negating my Journal as I almost never finished writing an entry into it in one sitting. There was like a month where I wrote nothing even though I had thoughts I wanted to noted down and to express to the void. Lot of odd dreams not recorded.

Friday's video on my BookTube channel didn't go up, purely on the fact I couldn't be arsed to edit till Friday morning where I had a driving lesson. Also Monday's video is currently 30 minutes long because I don't feel like editing it into one video which it should be as I switch between two topics. It should maybe be three.

In terms of procrastination and what I've been watching. I've recently watched all of Brickleberry,  Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, started rewatching Courage the Cowardly Dog that it turns out I have seen the whole first series which unusual for shows you watched as a kid as there causally always one you've missed. I also started back on my quest to watch all the Are You Afraid of the Dark? I'm on to like the 5th episode of the seventh and last season so I be finished soon. May I just say that the last season starts weird with this three part story that revolves around the Midnight Society that seems more like it should have been the series finale, but someone messed up the run order. It also would have been better if there had got more of the actual original Midnight Society involved rather than just Gary and his brother's friends. Though, they probably weren't thinking in terms of the whole series and just the mini-reboot.

I'm still learning to drive and I'm still doing dumb stuff when doing it. I put too much gas on before changing gear but I have almost conjured roundabouts and heisting at junctions. Almost. Though, I could be doing them better in my own car.

The only thing left to discuss is the creative thing I did with others, which was claymation video. We all made our own characters and then came up with a story to match these characters. It ended up being a video game motif which is funny as there is a video game that was made using claymation. Having us make our characters without guidance was problematic as the characters were all different sizes and the main one was bigger than everyone else being getting her to fit in shot was hard. The characters were diverse. Some were humans, unicorn elephants, vegetable Star Wars parody, dragons from a volcano world and Mrs Vegetable Man. This is my favourite as it's is in love with female mermaid and the Mrs indicates he's a woman and there is a lot of last names with man in them. Kids didn't make the connect that we have a queer character in there by accident. He's at least intersex. He also started life as just a carrot creature. I filmed bits and bobs to document what we were up to and it's was edited and is on YouTube and I might do more of that this summer. Nope, you don't get to see it.

I kinda want to take over their YouTube channel as it needs work on a basic level and I want to make it more pleasing on a basic level.

As for my character, I went for the horror look and out of laziness. I got far too much for praise for the level of effect I put in. I did put some effect in but her design was from ease and influence by other people's styles. Also I'm doing work next to school kids when I'm old and have a art Higher. I actually just started adding to my set out of boredom and trying to make the perfect tree. In terms of my character info and stuff: she doesn't speak, has no name, she timeless, she is a tree creature and lives in forest.

 That's all for this week, enjoy the horror of my set till we meet again next week.

Farewell.

Novel thing: Nail Polish in a Video Store

Hello guys, I promised you a new bit of fiction and here it is. I'm doing Camp NaNoWriMo again, hopefully I'll be able to complete it properly and wrote this from a prompt from Awesome Writing Prompts on Tumblr. If you look through them then you could probably guess what prompt this is and what element is currently missing from the story. It's a work in process so I'm not sure how long it will be by time its finished, but let's label it a short for now as it what I intend to write for this Camp NaNoWriMo. 

Nail Polish in a Video Store

I sat in what had to be one of the last video stores in the world, painting my nails black to match the mood the store gave me. I couldn’t complain, it was a job until this place finally closed down or I left for uni, which was in three months time. I couldn’t decide which was most likely to happen first. Every day (except Tuesdays) I expected to show up for work, only to be told that store was finally closed, my manager Tulisa in tears despite the years of warning.

Tulisa cries over everything: me getting a job here, me applying for uni, me getting into uni, Ted managing to get a job at the local supermarket. Now, that was reliable work. I had tried and failed to get a summer job there.

I’m certain I only got a job here because I was the only one who applied. My main evidence was from the fact that we had yet to replace Ted and a “Help wanted” sign had been in the window for a months. We didn’t really need that much help, but legally I wasn’t meant to work noon to 2 almost every day.

I had suggested to Tulisa that we just cut down the hours, but she said the regional manager said no. I was surprised out to find out that our general manager still cared. I mean we were meant to be 24-hour-Videos but we had let that slip with people not owning video-type players anymore. I hadn’t saw one in at least five years till I started working here. We’re the only ones watching the tapes. The dvds went out now and again, and there was one guy who came in every weekend and rented Resident Evil on PlayStation 1. Why we had the video game was mysterious as why we still functioned as business.

It was a Friday night so I was expecting him any minute and almost done with my third coat of polish. I was planning to put a full bottle on my nails to see if that would stop it from chipping as soon as I finished. The bell ranged, alerting me to potential shoplifters. I didn’t lift my head and smile like Tulisa had trained me to do. I should probably turn off the slasher film that was playing, but it was 10pm at night and if it was a kid they’ve probably seen worse if they out this late. It was from the 80s and the gore was bad and fuzzy anyway.

“I saw the job wanted sign,” a deep voice says next to me. I jumped; I hadn’t heard them walk up next to me. Fuck I messed up my nail; I switched off the pathetic gore fest before looking up.

I look up to see some pale guy, in a long leather jack. He almost looks like he’s from the 80s.

“The manger isn’t here,” I burst out. God, he was attractive, I mean my type. I cough into my hand to calm myself. I didn’t know who he was so that probably meant he was too old for me and I was leaving in three months. I’m just startle because he made me jump. That’s it.

“I mean, you’ll have to come back when the manager’s here”.

“When will he be here?”

“SHE’ll be here tomorrow,” I say now annoyed, I hate that everyone always goes with male pronouns.

“See you then,” he says and walks straight out the store. Being annoyed left me with him walking out the door. If he shows up tomorrow then I guess we’re working together.

I put him out of my mind and get back to work. I still have half a bottle left.

***

 The next morning I’m welcomed to Tulisa behind the counter, smiling at me even though I was late fifteen minutes.

“How is my Assistant Manager today?” Assistant Manager without anyone to manage was hollow. Though, Ted had gotten a job at the supermarket with that title. I miss Ted; he was fun to talk to. He was a pothead who had been working here from when this place made a profit and he made me do nothing.

Tulisa on the other hand, still takes this job seriously and we do the sad version of working here: Trying. Tulisa is middle age so doesn’t quite get how impossible it be to keep this place going. It must be losing a fortune or our best customers only came on a Tuesday.

“Fine, how is my Manager today?” Looking for another job, I hope.

“Well, I think we’re finally going to be able to fill that job,” She says happily. I guess Tall, Dark and handsome has some competition. “And he wants to work nights as well so maybe we’re be able to go back to actually being 24-hours.” She nervously laughs.

“I thought for the store to be open, you need at least Assistant Manager to be in,” I ask cautiously.

“Company policy says so, but it also says we’re to be open 24-hours. If being so short staffed and you’re having school…”

“I don’t have school any more, I can work all the nights you want me to.”

“Honey, I meant university, you’re going in September, it be good to have a someone trained up to replace you.”

I stared at her blankly, we weren’t replacing Ted. She was replacing me. My chair wasn’t even cold.

I slammed my bag down behind the counter.

“I’m going to change the specials,” I say walking to the front of the store and began tearing down the displays in the window. I was meant have done it Thursday, but my clipped nails were more important. I don’t why I was angry; this was just a dumb job to run the summer out. I had it since I was sixteen and it was my first job but that wasn’t problem. I never saw this place lasting longer than I did. It had been here since I born and I expected it to leave when I did.

I had claimed down by the time I had put the sign up saying we were doing 3 for 2 on Tapes/DVDS/Games with a free bag of popcorn with every tape that goes out. Meaning I get to eat a lot of popcorn before it goes out of date. I continued to avoid Tulisa by genrising and alphabetising the shelves. It’s a good thing I did, considering I found “Space Sluts II” in the kids section. Or maybe Disney will really do anything for money.

“Alex we have interview for 5pm, help me come up some questions?” Tuilsa asks me as I finished with the “Adult” section. I just found “Home Alone” in here; I do not want to think about that.

“Sure, we do have to figure out how to ask if she willing to prostitute herself to our league of loyal customers without directly saying it.”

“Alex,” she sounds exasperated, but that might be from the fact one out of ten customers hit on us. It had been one in five, but old Mrs Cumbles only had eyes for Ted. She gives us weekly updates of his “young muscles”. That might be worse than being hit on by an old man who couldn’t decide on my gender. Whether he called me “Girlie” or “Son”, it was always followed by some weird come on.

“He’s coming in at six tonight.” I raised my eyebrows at that.

“A bit late” I stated. Tulisa usually left me at it at five.

“Yes, but he said he couldn’t come in any early.” And we really need someone else to list as working at Midnight. I was going to miss the money, not that I had spent any of it.

“What about your kids?”

“An extra hour alone won’t hurt them and my Rupert is almost thirteen now.”

Yes, trust the S1 with the P1.

“Maybe you should go home at three and come back for the interview”

“What if the Regional manager comes in for surprise inspection?” It would be about time. In the two years, I had been working here, I hadn’t met him.

“I’ll say you had to pick up your kids early.”

“Okay, I’ll go and check them on now.” I checked my watch, it was already three.

“See you then,” I said awkwardly as she walked out the door. I sat down and got my nail polish out.

***

It was five forty-five and Tulisa wasn’t back yet. Should I be worried?

God, I hope this guy wasn’t the early type. I paced around the store, was I going to have conducted an interview myself? This was when Tulisa came through the door, her kids in tow.

“Sorry, Rupert was being difficult,” she frustrated. “Pick a video from the kids section, under 12 Rupert.” It was good thing; I had depornalise the kids section.

“It’s okay, she hasn’t showed up yet,” the bell ranged as I said this to a hooded guy wearing sunglasses and leather gloves. What is he a spy?

If this was a normal day, he would just be a weirdo customer. But all bets on him being my potential co-worker. I felt a tugging on shirt.

“Alex, do my nails like last time?” Tulisa’s five year old wined.

“Not now Rupert,” I said knowing it was Louisa who had attracted herself to me.

“I’m not Rupert,” she giggled before letting go to look at the animated films. I walked behind the counter and sat down. The guy followed me and stood in front of the counter.

“Yours,” he asked slyly.

“Yes, it’s especially hard time during their 40s,” I say sarcastically. He took off his glasses.

“So is the manager here now?” he smirked at me. God, it was the guy from the last night. I nodded.

“Hello, you must be Mister Graves?” Tulisa asked as she ignored her children running through the alleys. I guess I have to re-organised the tapes tomorrow, or maybe I get the new employee to do it.

“Yes, that’s me,” he said.

“I am Tulisa Black and this is Alex Grimm,” Tulisa said making me realise that our team would be gothicly cliché if we hired this guy. I was the only gothish person we needed.  To think this used to be ran by a Black and Smith. Arr…maybe we should get Ted Smith back to balance this place out.

“I am the manager and Alex is the assistant manager.” Why ain’t I getting addressed by my surname?

“Alex will take you into my office while I deal with em, our current customers.”

“Follow me Graves to our lair,” I said I lift the counter thing to let him through the back with me. I direct him to the cramped office that I haven’t been properly in since I was interviewed. I pointed him to the chair I had sat in and dumped myself in Tulisa’s chair, picking up the clipboard with the questions I had made up, once I finished my newest nail polish coat.

“So Mr Graves I have some important questions to ask you to decide whether or you’re suited for this job. First, I would like to start with if you would be willing to change your name to something less ‘Goth’?”

“No, I’m quite fond of my name.”

“That will definitely count against you,” I say kidding on to write notes on the clipboard. Instead, I’m drawing what I think his skull looks like. “We’ve been told that we have too much of Goth theme going on with our names, it why we had to let Alysa Darkness go.”

“But the eyeliner and blue hair is okay,” he smirked at me.

“I fulfill the gothic stereotype working in a video store, which bring us to my next question, would be willing to dye your blonde and wear fake tan; it would be just for three months?”

“What happens after three…”

“Sorry, my…the customers took longer than I thought, let’s start the interview,” Tulisa interrupted.

I smile and stand up from the chair for her. She sits now as I stand against the shelves of broken tapes, where Ted had stood during my interview. He hadn’t started the interview with pointless questions while Tulisa rounded up her kids.

“I hope you and Alex were getting along.” He smiles while I do my best to keep my face blank.

“Your c.v. and references were very impressive,” Tulisa said in her professional voice.

The interview went for a similar vein, till Tulisa’s seven year old Leannah came through the door saying the DVD had went staticly like that horror film.

“If you have any questions, I’m sure Alex will be able to handle them,” Tulisa said as she left the office. I sat the sit back down.

“When do I start?” he asked as soon as Tulisa left.

“Between a day and six thousand years,” I say tonelessly. “We call you tomorrow to let you know.”

“I can’t wait to hear from you,” he winks at me. I draw a blank on how to respond to that.

He stands up and grabs my limp hand to shake it. He walks out of the office. Tulisa comes in soon after and I’m still sitting in her chair.

“Isn’t he great?” Tulisa says happily. “We’re lucky to get him, no idea why he would want to work here.” Wow, that was unusually negative for her. “He’ll be starting tomorrow at five, I’m sure you do a good a job of training him.”

Great, I got to deal with him on one to one bases for three months. This was either going to be great or terrible. 

 ***

Hopefully Continues Next Week...

 I'm off to write or something, comment what you think.