2nd Group writing contest submissions- Hate and love.

[Sarah]

We put the story here, right?

[Eve]

Yep, as a spoiler using <*spoiler*>...*spoiler*> without asterisks.

[Sarah]

Great! Here's my story!
It's both hate and love.
All the Lonely People



(view spoiler)[Selene stood in the pitch-blackness of the common room, shivering. She had been told to come here by an anonymous note left for her in the dormitory. She was pretty sure it was from her group of girl friends, in an attempt to surprise her. She hoped they would hurry up, as it was chilly, and she wanted to get back into bed. Suddenly the door leading to the boy’s dorms creaked open. She turned her eyes towards that direction, though it was somewhat pointless, as the room had no light whatsoever. Footsteps echoed through the empty common room.
“Who’s there?” she called out. No one answered. The footsteps continued until they stopped right in front of her. A low cold voice spoke. “I’d hoped you’d come.”
Selene took a step back. “Who’s there?” she said again. The voice chuckled. “Don’t you know me, Selene?” It said. “Has it been that long since you glanced my way? Has it been that long since you held your hand in mine, since you were in head over heels in love with me?”
Selene inhaled sharply. “Tom?” The voice laughed again. “The genius gets it. Do you want to know why I’m here? Don’t worry, darling. You’ll know soon enough.” Here he stopped and stepped closer, filling in the gap between them. “I loved you once, you know. And you loved me. What changed, Selene? Tell me, why don’t you continue this little story?”
“You know what changed, Tom. You were selfish and cruel, and I didn’t see that because I thought I loved you. But then I saw the truth. That’s why I left you.”
He stepped closer still. “And that’s not all, is it? There was someone else; someone who you’d decided was far superior to me, and that I just wasn’t up to snuff. But don’t worry. I’ll take care of your special someone right after I take care of you.”
He stepped forward suddenly and put his hands on her shoulders, shoving her to the ground. He pinned her wrists down with his knees, then pulled a knife from a sheath at his hip, and rested the tip at her heart. Then he paused. “But wait,” he said. “There’s one more thing to be done.”
He took her hand and turned over, palm up. He lifted his knife and started carving into her hand. Selene felt the burning pain, but she did not scream. Her mind had gone sort of numb, and she had only hazy pictures of what was going on.
Tom spoke again, this time in a whisper. “You could have had me, Selene. You could have avoided this. But you forced me. I had no choice. But I want you to remember this one little thing.” He leaned forward and put his mouth next to her ear. “I love you.”
The knife plunged into her heart, rose-red blood spreading and staining Tom’s hands, as he kissed her one last time. Leaving the knife in her body, he rose and walked away, tears spilling from his eyes. The heart that he had cut into her palm wept with him. (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah]

Thanks!

[E.J.]

Mine starts out with love... then it kind of turns to hate. :D
The Shattered Coffee Cup
(view spoiler)[
"Dear, would you mind grabbing the creamer?" Margaret asked, not taking her eyes off the paper in front of her. Headlines shouting out names at her.
Murderer finally caught...
Mother gives birth to twins...
Coffee grounds, half off...

A large plastic container of a hazelnut-flavored creamer set itself down on the newspaper. A light peck on the cheek.
"There you go, sweetie," he said sleepily.
"Thank you, Bill," she smiled into the black hole in the alabaster mug.

Bill walked past the coffee percolator causing Margaret's lips to frown. "Aren't you having coffee this morning?"
That's strange...

"Nope, trying to lower my blood pressure," he laughed as he grabbed a hard-boiled egg and shook a little salt on it.

"Then I would suggest you use less salt," she said a tad bitterly, taking a sip of her own bitter brew. She puckered slightly.
I forgot the creamer...

He finally noticed what he was doing, "Force of habit."

"And a cup of coffee isn't..." she muttered quietly. He had a cup of java every morning... EVERY morning. She always made it the way he liked it too: strong, but not completely black.

Another light peck on the cheek. "Bye, Honey."

"Yeah..." she said off-handedly, her blue bathrobe flapping with her arm.
What's with all the pet names... she thought to herself. He never said them much before...

The door closed behind him and she returned to her newspaper.

Almost seven hours later, Bill returned. Margaret had changed into a glittery blue dress and was sitting at the table with a few things: two white candles, already lit; a bottle of opened red wine, ready to be poured; and two white dishes, sparkling in the candlelight.
"Welcome home..." she smiled at him and walked over to him.

He looked uncomfortably down. "Hey, Sweetie."

Again with the girlfriend names...
She almost rolled her eyes at him. "I've been waiting for you."

"I can see that," he smiled slightly, "but I've got a really bad headache and just want to get to bed."

"Really?" she asked. "You know what. Fine. It was stupid of me anyways."
She went back to the table, licked her fingers and extinguished the candles. "Like you would ever think me as beautiful as our wedding night..." she muttered to herself as she corked up the wine.

"You are beautiful," he stood behind her, his hand lightly touching her shoulder. "Now, it's a lovely meal," he looked over at the stove, "but it wouldn't sit right afterwards."

She sighed frustratedly. "Fine. Whatever. Just go upstairs and I'll see you there."

He sighed after her and left.

"Stupid idea," she murmured again.

In the morning, she followed the same routine and sat in the same chair holding a cup of coffee, newspaper in tow. Bill walked in.
"Could you grab the creamer, dear?" she repeated as usual.

He ignored her and grabbed a bagel.

"Honey, did you hear me?" she asked again.

"What?" he asked. His eyes were red.

"Could you get me the creamer?" she repeated slower.

"Sure... sure."

She made a noise of disgust at his inattentiveness, returning to her paper. Hazelnut creamer placed down again. He passed the coffee machine again.
What is wrong with him this morning? she thought again, more seriously than yesterday.
"Honey, are you feeling all right?" Margaret looked at him caringly.

"Fine, just fine," he attempted a poor smile. "Gotta go though."
Light peck on cheek and he was gone.

She frowned into her cup of brown tears.
What is up with him...
She got up then with a sigh and went to the laundry room. She emptied the dryer, put the wash into the dryer, and began sorting the colors from the whites. She noticed his shirt from before...
there was a curious brown stain on his left shoulder.
Must've been his coffee... she almost threw it on the whites pile. Wait a minute...
"He didn't have coffee," she said out loud.

She looked closer. It was definitely coffee.
"Where did he get that from?"

She went out, got in her car, and began to drive to her husband's work. Along the way, she saw his car with dented door in the parking lot of a coffeehouse.
"Why didn't he just get coffee at home?" she asked aloud.
Then she saw him through a window. He was sitting at a table in the far back corner of the coffee shop, sipping something from a white mug.
Someone was with him.

Margaret got out of the car and went up to the window to look.
It was a woman. A very beautiful woman, by the look of it. She was beaming widely and laughing at whatever he was saying, which made him do his silly little giggle-thing that Margaret thought was so adorable, but not this time.
She watched for a moment more, then turned around. She couldn't watch her husband get yanked away by some tramp. It wasn't real. It was probably just some business associate of his, she reasoned.

Turning around, she hoped to find him gone. Instead she saw him kissing this woman. That broke the camel's back for her. A tear left her eye and hit the pavement, landing on a piece of used gum.

She ran from the scene and flew into her car, speeding back to her house, where she waited with patience and tears for his return.

A few hours later, Bill walked through the door calmly. Margaret was sitting at the table, sitting coffee. The acidic, acrid taste, bitter in her mouth--just like her heart.

"What's her name?" she grumbled.

"What?" his eyebrows shot up.

"I said,'What's the tramp's name?'" she repeated, rolling her eyes. "I saw you shoving your tongue down the throat of that young vixen. Now, what's her name?"

"She is not a sl**," he said evenly, "and her name's Annabelle."

"Figures," Margaret mumbled. "What did you talk about that made her laugh so god d*** hard? Must've made her real easy," she spat.

"You've obviously had too much to drink tonight," he said, walking over to her. "Come on. Let's go to bed."

"NO!" she smashed her coffee cup on the ground. "We've been married for thirteen years! And you threw it all away for that b****!" she shouted in his face.

"You're over-reacting," he said. "She was a one-time thing."

"Over-reacting?" she hissed slowly, as if she hadn't heard. "OVER-REACTING!?! I'll show YOU over-reacting!"

She bent down, picked up a shard of her coffee cup and chucked it at him, hitting him squarely in the face. A large gash opened up on his cheek. She instantly regretted it. "I'm sorry."

His eyes were fury. "What the h*** did you do that for!" he shouted at her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--"

"You didn't mean to slash open my face!" he interrupted her. He began to advance on her. "You need to be taught a little thing called respect."

Her face turned stone hard. "Respect? Is that what you call sleeping around like some cheap s****?"

He grabbed her wrist. "It's things like that which made me stop loving you..."

She didn't struggle against his grip before, but this was too much now. She yanked her arm out. "That's all I needed to hear..." she whispered.

She bent down, picked up a piece of the shattered handle of the coffee cup and thrust it into his heart. It sank in like a knife in a coffee cake.
"You just had to get your hot coffee somewhere else, didn't you?" she hissed.

He collapsed on the floor, more pieces of the ceramic cup stabbing into him.

She walked away from his still twitching body, blood beginning to pool away from him.

The next morning when the police arrived, Margaret was sitting at the table in her usual spot. The newspaper laid out in front of her. Her husband's body still on the floor behind her.

"Would you folks like to sit here and enjoy a cup of coffee with me..." she asked them and then took a sip of hew own. (hide spoiler)]

[El]

Those are both awesome...

[E.J.]

*looks back at story*
OH MY GOD!
I got pretty darn vulgar all up in there, lol. One moment...

[El]

Here's mine. It's love...kinda...

Decisions
(view spoiler)[She sat down next to him, alternating watching the controller in his hand and the screen in front of him. “Hey, Kendra.” He said calmly, finishing the 'level' or 'mission' or whatever he was doing and shoving the controller onto the shelf.
“Hey,” she replied, looking over to him and smiling. He smiled back, staring right into her eyes in that way she loves. “What were you playing?” She asked, referring to the game he'd just turned off.
“A stupid game I don't even like...”
“Why exactly were you playing it, then?”
“Something to do; rain isn't the best thing to go to the park in, the boys are using the computer downstairs, and I can't play my instrument because Mom's asleep.” He shrugged. “Why'd you come up here?”
“Something to do.” She mimicked with a smile, a grin that was returned by him.
Slowly his hand moved to her waist; barely touching the cloth on her shirt, but it still gave her chills. He smiled, a bit shyly, and brushed a curly strand of hair from her cheek. She smiled back, looking down and feeling her cheeks go red again.
He cocked his head, as if to say 'What?' Her smile widened in response; she looked up and her gaze flitted from one eye to the other. He still had that semi-confused look, as though he wanted to know what she was thinking. She shook her head, and touched his arm, strong from years of playing his instrument.
He leaned in, kissing her gently while his hand rose from her waist to her back, pulling her closer to him. When they broke, she rested one hand in the curve of his neck and shoulder.
They kissed again, this time a little more full; closer, stronger. They kissed and broke and kissed again; within minutes they were lying side-by-side on the unfolded futon.
She leaned back, resting her head on his arm, stroking his hair and cheek. He stared at her, into her blue eyes, as if he could see every thought she was thinking. “I love you,” he said softly, running his finger along her cheek and down her neck.
She smiled, shutting her eyes and breathing slowly. “I love you too.” She said, kissing the tip of his nose softly. He found her hand and brought it up, kissing her fingers lightly. “You're perfect.” He told her, kissing her nose. “Would you... uhm... do you want to go to a movie with me sometime?”
His voice was shy, worried; her thoughts were surprised, delighted, and worried, too. “Uhm... Yes! Yes, I'd love to!” She finally answered, laughing a little. He smiled, pleased with himself, and hugged her.
After a moment or two, they sat up. She hugged him once more, inhaling the scent of his shampoo, feeling so safe in his embrace...
“Kendra! Three minute warning!”
Her mother's sharp voice made them both jump, then laugh. It wasn't like they were going to hide anymore. He kissed her cheek, patting her blond hair down so it lay a little smoother.
She brushed his cheek with her finger, smiling at him brightly. Then, with one last small kiss, she stood and turned, leaving him sitting there.
Now, if only Kendra could finally decide who this boy was, she might actually meet him. (hide spoiler)]

[E.J.]

I liked that one a lot. :D
Although the whole time I was thinking it was going to be a bittersweet ending.
"Why did you kiss me?"
"Something to do..."

[El]

That would've been a great idea...

[E.J.]

I like your ending too though. :D
Yours is a happy ending.
Mine is b****y ending. :P

[El]

Yes indeed. I love your ending.

Min wasn't supposed to be too happy. Sort of a daydream.

Thanks, Loudfire!