Happy Wednesday! It’s officially Performance Season in our household. The concert on Saturday was fantastic. We performed a few familiar pieces, such as two of Brahms’ Hungarian Dances and Ravel’s Bolero. But by far this is my favorite piece we played, though I’d never heard it before we started rehearsing (it’s long but worth it):
As for the WIPpet, I’m sticking with Cat for now because even though I’ve started working on Nightsong, the sequel to Anthem, I don’t have enough yet to start posting. Cat will be in edits for the foreseeable future, though, so no worries.
Last time, we left Cat having entered the bar, a little overwhelmed by it all. This snippet jumps ahead a little. Warning for the f-bomb, if that’s the sort of thing that makes you uncomfortable.
WIPmath: 4/20 = 4 + 20 = 24 sentences.
Ezra had disappeared, and Cat looked around for him. After a short while, he popped back up with two others in tow and multiple drinks between them which he set on the table. He pushed a glass toward Cat.
“Happy birthday!” he yelled in Cat’s ear.
Cat flinched then looked down at his drink. It didn’t look like a soda. He sniffed. Definitely alcoholic. He turned to Ezra and glared at him. “I can’t have this.”
“Sure you can! It’s your day, and you’re covered for it.”
“No,” Cat said, trying to hold back his annoyance at both Ezra and himself. “I can’t have any alcohol. It fucks with my body.”
Bryce rolled his eyes. “Just for once, play along. You don’t have to get drunk.”
Cat didn’t want to explain all his stomach problems or his need to be clear-headed at all times. He knew the beer in and of itself wasn’t a big deal. Unlike sex, his doctor had been very clear on a number of other things, and Cat hadn’t been too embarrassed to ask about the ones he wasn’t. His refusal to drink had more to do with some of his other chronic problems than his hemophilia, and he had no interest in reminding them he’d be spending the rest of his night in the bathroom.
“I said no,” Cat told Bryce firmly. “But you guys go ahead and enjoy.”
Like what you read? Be sure to check out the other entries and add your own. Just post a bit of your WIP, connect it to the date, and link up with us. Many thanks to Emily Witt for giving us this space. Happy reading and writing!
Yeah, still not having very nice feelings for Bryce. But, I’m glad Cat stood firm.
Yeah, Bryce has a whole host of his own issues, and because he can’t deal with them, he’s taking it out on Cat.
Good for Cat! And phooey on Bryce and Ezra for pressuring him. They should know better. Even if Cat had no medical issues whatsoever, it’s simply not alright to pressure someone into drinking.
Yup. I have had friends like this. Their assumption has been that I’m too uptight. Well, maybe I just don’t enjoy certain recreational things or the way they make me feel. Why should I have to justify it? I’m entirely with Cat on this one.
Ah-yup! I didn’t get too much of it in regards to alcohol (I did get some), but when it cam to making out… Yeah. I heard it a lot. (Beloved was my first and thus only kiss, and that’s how I wanted it to be. I only had one guy ever ask me why and then appreciate my explanation.)
I think it’s why I hid behind my religion as a teenager—I didn’t want to do some of the things my classmates were doing, but I felt weird about that, so I pretended it was because I was being super pious. Which is really not a healthy way to express one’s faith. In college, the pressures were exactly the opposite—“don’t do any of this list of things because they are THE WORST EVER.” And now that I’m older, in some of the circles I’m in I feel weird about my lack of experience again. So I’m a big fan of bodily autonomy and being allowed to make the best choices for ourselves without being harassed over it.
I am finally into this story. When I read this snippet, I immediately made a connection to what you presented last time. It is a compelling story.
Shalom Aleichem,
Patricia
Link: http://www.patgarciaschaack.com/thinking_it_over/2016/04/wippet-wednesday-april-20-2016.html
Oh, good! I’m glad it’s starting to come together. It can be hard to get into a story when we only see tiny bits of it once a week.
Ahhhh, Cat. I love you, you know. You can come over here and not drink with me anytime. No pressure at all.
If only I had been half as strong of will at his age…I might not have the life I do. OK, I really like this life, so I’ll just admire Cat instead!
Boldly Going Through the Alphabet!
@shanjeniah
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In fairness to Cat, he doesn’t have much choice but to stand firm unless he wants to end up feeling really sick. But at least he knows that and is able to push back!