YA Indie Carnival – Chemistry In Every Context

The post theme this week is, Back to School Special: Share a classroom scene from one of your stories! Fun, right?? Alright, I chose the scene where Julia and Elliott flirt with each other something fierce. Love tension. Go.

Oh, before I forget. I’m announcing my winner to last week’s carnival contest at the end of the blog. I’ll forgive you if you skip my post. I don’t blame you. It’s exciting!

Classroom Excerpt from The Understorey

I threw my book bag onto my shoulder, stuck my sticks in the back pockets of my jeans and hauled over to Mr. Belkin’s Chemistry class. I sat at the lab table in the back with my little friend Sawyer Tuttle. I say little, but the guy was at least six foot two with a broad chest that could probably take a few punches, darn it.

Jules wasn’t there yet so I took my sticks out of the back of my jeans to play with on the lab table while I waited for her to walk in. I must have really gotten into whatever it was I was playing because when she strolled in, Tut had to shove at one of my elbows, causing me to drop one of my sticks in order to get my attention that she was there and not because he thought Jules and I were talking. I’m pretty sure he didn’t have a clue that Jules and I were talking. It was because she was drop dead and that didn’t escape even one of the guys’ attention in that room.

No one wanted anything to do with her but none could disagree that she was the most beautiful girl in that school. I knew. They all knew. Hell, she was the most beautiful girl in the entire world. It kind of infuriated me that Sawyer Tuttle noticed her; that all or any of the guys noticed her, really. It infuriated me even more that Tut thought I’d want to be one to delve into whatever private  thoughts he was having about her.

I don’t know what got into me but I stood up, leaving the stick on the floor, eyed Tut like a dog eyes a piece of meat and walked right up to Jules. Placing my hand at the small of her back, I leaned into her ear, breathing in the scent of her hair.
“You haven’t changed your mind have you?” I whispered.
“No, Elliott. When Mr. Belkin asks me who my lab partner will be, I’ll be sure to say your name. Now sit down and stop being mean to Sawyer, despite our history he’s still one of the few here who treats me nicely.”
She smiled and lightly tapped me twice on the face sending a short burst of sparks cascading from my cheek. I just stared into her eyes with a huge grin on my face. She was original, my Jules. Original and too smart for my own good.
“Sit down, Mr. Gray,” Mr. Belkin said beneath his reading glasses.
I walked back to my seat and Tut’s mouth matched his eyes, wide and in disbelief.
“Are you going out with Julia Jacobs?” He asked bluntly.
“No,” I admitted. He relaxed in his stool. “Not yet, anyway,” I threw out, so his body language could grow back its earlier tension.

The bell rang and Mr. Belkin began taking roll. When he was done, he went down the line of lab tables and asked each student who they’d like their lab partner to be. When he got to Jules, I straightened up in my stool, crossed my arms and winked at Tut. He smiled the most insincere smile I’d ever seen and I could almost hear the curses in his head.
“Julia Jacobs?”
“Yes, Mr. Belkin?”
“Who is to be your lab partner?”
“Elliott Gray, Mr. Belkin.”
“See ya’ around, Tut,” I gloated.
I joined Jules at her table and she shot a look of disapproval my way. I just stared ahead, knowing well what I’d done but not caring.

When he finished pairing everyone up, Tut got stuck with Robby Banden, sucker. Mr. Belkin explained the lab we were doing that day and gave us a few minutes to prep.
“What’s up with you?” I asked.
“You forget, Elliott Gray. I can feel everything that you feel without touching you, if the feeling’s strong enough.”
“Oh,” I said, embarrassed, “the anger I felt for Tut you must have been feeling toward me and I couldn’t tell the difference.”
Have to figure out how to differentiate the sensations.
She touched my arm, “I can tell you’re sorry, so I’ll drop it.”
Wow, this is going to work out really well.
“Though I don’t deserve it,” I said, “I’m glad you chose me today.”
“I’d have chosen you even if you had clobbered him into the ground. It’s just jealousy, Elliott. You don’t think I feel it when any one of these girls here looks at you? It’s only natural. Just don’t let it bother you. I’m interested in you and you alone.”
“Julia Jacobs!” I shouted in a whisper. “I believe you’ve just stolen my heart. God! Why do you have to be such a firework?”
“That’s an incredibly astute question,” she said, eyeing me slyfully.
I peered back over my shoulder at Tut.
“Tut seems to be kind of mad himself. Why do you think that is, Jules?”
“Elliott,” she admonished.
“What if I brushed your hair from your shoulder? Do you think that would anger him more?”
I brushed a long strand of hair off her shoulder and stared deeply into her eyes, trying really hard not to look back at Tut.
“I don’t like cruelty,” she whispered, breathless from my touch.
“It doesn’t feel like you don’t like my brand of cruelty.”
She let a smile slip through.
“I don’t deny that I like it when you touch me,” she said. Butterflies rustled in my stomach. “But,” she continued, “not at the expense of others.”
“But Jules, had you not thought that my touching you might help Tut get over you?” Not even I believed that.
I let the back of my index finger trail tiny zaps down her jaw line. She grabbed my hand and put it onto the lab table.
“In this class, you will not encourage Sawyer’s hurt.”
“I understand,” I said, suddenly ashamed of my cruel behavior. “You know, Jules? You do strange things to me. I’ve had little to no control of some of the smallest emotions. For instance, this jealousy I feel over Tut?” I leaned into her ear. “It makes me want to kiss you in front of everyone in here. Just so they’ll know that I belong to you and you belong to me.”
“Well, as much fun as that would be,” she said, grabbing my face and turning it toward our solution filled flask. “We have work to do.”

Okay, so the winner!!! My winner is, ‘Cassandra’!

That really doesn’t narrow it down, does it? But it’s your username, so, yeah. Don’t worry Cassandra you’ll receive an e-mail from me soon and then you’ll know for sure if you’re the right Cassandra. Sorry, all other Cassandras.

Also, we plan on doing a bigger ‘reveal’ of this but I couldn’t tame my excitement! I just had to show/tell you!  Several authors and I are headed to Savannah in late October for a little book tour, signing, and meet & greet. We built a little website to keep everyone in the loop and to create some excitement!

So, visit The Paranormal Plumes Society‘s website and join in on the fun! Leave a comment if you’re coming. Heck, leave a comment if you aren’t but want to.

We’ve added a few more Carnies! Check them out, dude! Remember when it was just the handful of us? This is so epic!

The Amazing Dani Snell
The Incredible Patti Larsen
The Talented Courtney Cole
The Witty Wren Emerson
The Accomplished Nicole Williams
The Clever Laura Elliott
The Skillful Amy Jones
The Staggering P.J. Hoover
The Brilliant Alicia McCalla
The Resplendent Heather Cashman
The Lustrous Abbi Glines
The Polished Cheri Schmidt
The Inventive Cidney Swanson
The Radiant Rachel Coles
The Gifted T.R. Graves
The Phenomenal Cyndi Tefft
The Lovely Lexus Luke
The Sassy Suzy Turner
The Exceptional Gwenn Wright
The Stupendous Kimberly Kinrade
The Quick J.L. Bryan

 

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