The rules are simple! On Friday, January 9th, 2015, give me a post that celebrates something sarcastic, snarky, or just satisfyingly sassy. You can give me an example from real life, a favorite film or book, or you can give me an original piece of fiction. The sarcasm can either by well understood, or hilariously misunderstood. Some people are in desperate need of a sarcasm sign, after all.
I'm going to be sharing a scene from my novel, "Silent Beauty". Two of my main characters, Alanna and Jared are very sassy and sarcastic people. This takes place toward the beginning of the novel.
I wiped the counter and plopped
down on the stool. Saturday nights at the coffee shop were always slow, and
tonight was even worse than usual. Jared moved around the room, picking up an
empty cup from one of the three customers. He carried it to the bin and set it
inside. I returned my attention to the open math book, groaning as the numbers
blurred. Staring at the numbers and letters was giving me a headache. But I had
to figure it out. I’d only scored 54 out of 100 on the exam Friday. I rested my
chin on my hands.
“You need to move the first digit
to the second column to be able to find the answer for X.”
I glanced up at Jared. “And then
if I just fold on the middle line, I’ll be able to make an origami swan.”
Jared’s smile reached his eyes as
he picked up the tub of dishes. “That takes quite a few more folds,” he said
over his shoulder as he carried it into the washroom.
“Okay. If I did that, how would I
finish the problem?” I called after him.
Jared’s head popped around the
corner and his blue eyes caught the light. I dropped my eyes back to the paper.
He came to stand next to me, grabbing the glasses hanging from the front of his
apron. I hadn’t even noticed he wore glasses. Jared pushed the black frames up
his nose and leaned over, putting his elbows on the sticky surface.
“You move the X over, divide for
Y and take it times the multiplier to get the answer.” Jared picked up the
piece of notebook paper. “Or you could do this.”
A smile crossed my face as I watched
him fold the paper until it resembled a flying bird. He handed it to me. It was
really sweet. No one had even given me a paper bird before and though it was
silly, I liked it.
“See, it’s a swan.”
“It looks like a duck with beak
issues.” I deadpanned.
“Okay, I guess I’m better at math
than I am at making origami animals. My paper airplanes win awards, though.”
Jared let his glasses slide to the end of his nose as he looked at me over the
lenses. “Is it safe to assume you’re the one Mr. Reed said needed a tutor?”
“Umm… only if it is safe to
assume that you are the one who already took the AP calculus exam?”
He nodded. “Yep.”
My heart beat a little faster at
the thought of getting to spend more time with Jared, but I forced the thought
away. It was just tutoring. “Yes. Well, I guess this makes it a little easier
for Mr. Reed. You really understand this stuff? I just can’t get it.”
“Yeah, I guess I do. I’m actually
going to be majoring in mathematics, with a teaching minor next year. I’d like
to teach math.”
I pushed my book in his
direction. “You can start now.”
“We have so many customers
through.”
The old man drinking decaf at the
closest table coughed loudly and then continued reading the newspaper. I raised
an eyebrow at Jared. His laughter filled my ears and I let out a girly sigh
before blushing. The woman reading a book in the back booth came up and put her
mug in the dirty bin before leaving. There were only two people left.
“Fine, but I want to make a
deal.”
* I'm currently querying this novel, so you can't read all of it yet. :)
Congratulations Laura on three years of blogging! :) Be sure to visit others on the list and celebrate sarcasm!
I love the banter here, and the sarcasm was awesome! Thanks for participating in my blogfest. I can't wait to read more of this story!
ReplyDeleteSome great lines there! I think they might be a match for each other. I liked the duck with beak issues.
ReplyDeleteI really like this piece! Great job :)
ReplyDeleteFlirting over math problems? I'm hooked! (Ok, maybe because that also happens in my WIP...) Loved the excerpt!
ReplyDeleteSuch a sweet yet sassy piece. Both characters vie for my attention with their wit. I pick Jared. Your character not the jewelry. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat banter! Good luck with the querying! :)
ReplyDeleteMmm, some nerd lovin. I like it!
ReplyDeleteoh that LG! love this fest and great excerpt! yay for nerds!
ReplyDelete