Welcome to the Fifteen Minute Novel. Each morning I spend fifteen minutes writing on a singular story line. Each morning starts with the last line of the previous day. The goal is to get a (very) rough draft out of the simple story idea and to avoid letting the story idea languish in limbo forever, actually writing it out. This is the third year I have done this writing experiment and each year I learn just a little bit about myself and the way I write as well as creating a framework for the story. But without further ado…
Day 175: Gwen realized she hadn’t touched any styling products all summer.
Gwen realized she hadn’t touched any styling products all summer. It was fun to fix her hair and put on a little makeup. While she dressed up a little when going out with Michael or the group she added a little makeup but still left her hair tied up. When going to one of her grandmother’s functions, they visited a salon where her hair was done for her for the event. It was fun to once again ply with the curling iron and to arrange her hair.
She took longer than she planned and by the time she was done, Gwen was running later than she planned. ‘Not that I have far to go,’ she thought. She stepped outside and the lights in the neighborhood came on. The Whitman was only a few streets over and the path was well lit. As parking was always limited, Gwen walked. She knew that when she walked home later there would be police patrols ensuring everyone’s safety and there would be no problem.
‘Plus, one of the others might give me a ride if I need it,’ she thought. Gwen’s steps faltered. Usually, it was Toby giving her a ride home. She shook the thought away and continued walking.
The Whitman was an all-night diner located at the edge of the residential neighborhood and the commercial district. During the day it was where many of the office workers ate their lunch and at night it was where people gravitated on their way to or from somewhere else. She and her friends met there most weekends either before going to a movie or on their way home from a concert. Sometimes if they had no plans they would just meet there for the bulk of the evening.
Tonight, Gwen walked in and walked over to wear her friends waited. There was a chorus of greetings as she arrived, and she was quickly pulled into one of the booths. She found herself sitting between Amy and Becca. In one of the other booths, she spotted Michael. He waved.
“How goes the packing?” he called.
“Not bad,” she called back. “Found a lot of junk I don’t need.” He gave her a thumbs up and went back to his conversation with Eddie.
“So tell us everything,” Amy said. “You’ve been mostly MIA all summer.” Gwen smiled.
“I went to visit my grandparents and decided to go back and stay with them while in school,” Gwen told them condensing her summer. “I cam down to get the rest of my stuff because my dad is selling the house.”
“Oh my god, I heard,” Becca said. “My aunt said that your step mother was cheating on your father with her personal trainer.”
“Isn’t that a cliché?” Amy asked.
“It might be but that’s what my aunt said,” Becca replied. The waitress came around and Gwen ordered fries and a chocolate malted milkshake.
“Well, they are getting a divorce because she cheated on him,” Gwen said. “And with me gone he thought the house was too big.”
“So what about you guys? How has your summer been?” Gwen asked.
“Pretty good,” Amy said. “I’ll be going to State in the fall so I’ve been mostly working. Did you hear about Toby?”
“I know he and Lisa split,” Gwen said.
Ten til Midnight 