Earnest by letmesign
Word Count: 6,040

Official Description: Every chapter is different. Every character is up for grabs. The prompts are set, the word limits in place, and we’re off. My entries for round two of the Twilight Twenty-Five challenge.

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MF’er says: I’m always a little shocked (and awed) when an author offers their work to me and asks for my opinion, and last week, when letmesign asked me if I’d mind reading this, of course I said okay. I love everything she writes, so I definitely wasn’t worried about whether or not I would enjoy this as well.

I had no idea when I opened it that this would slide itself right into the top spot for my favorite oneshots ever. It’s so personal because it’s something that most – if not all – of us can relate to.

letmesign gets down into the heart of every woman who has ever fallen in love (or thought she did) and been screwed six ways to Sunday by said love.

Sometimes more than once.

We’ve all been there, and we’ve all (hopefully) learned from the mistakes we’ve made with boys.

Earnest follows the main character, Bella, through these life lessons with a series of diary entries that show us exactly how naive we are as young girls.

9/24/04

Dear diary:

Oh my gosh, he touched me today! I know what you’re thinking, but it wasn’t inappropriate or anything. He walked by where I was standing at the sink, washing dishes, and he put his hand on my lower back as he went. I thought I was going to pass out. His hand was so warm, I could feel it through my shirt. I wonder what it would feel like on my skin.

By the way, he smells like that cologne that those guys use in commercials that makes all the women attack them. I can see why, now. Yum.

The diary entries lead us forward into Bella’s high school years and eventually college.

Ultimately, they lead to her decision that she shouldn’t have to work for a man to love her. That she’s going to stay alone until that one comes along and will fight for her attention.

And boy does he fight…

The bottom line is this, Isabella. If I’d had the guts to, on day one, I would have stopped you from leaving the class and asked for your phone number. If I had any talent with music, I would compose you a song. If I was a poet, I would put down rhyming lines to tell you how I feel. If I knew how to joust and this was the 16th century, I would fight a tournament to win your heart.

Trust me when I say that’s only a small piece of the wonderful man who comes into Bella’s life to show her that all the men that came before were fools.

Go read, fall in absolute love with this just like I did, and then leave her a review. Also, don’t forget to check out her other chapters for A Scattered Menagerie as well!

In case you’re not familiar with the concept of the Twilight Twenty-Five, it’s a series of drabbles and/or one-shots based on twenty-five different prompts. The latest round (Round 3) opens tomorrow for sign-ups, 4/1/10 at 11:00am EST. Special thanks to nightofstars for her help!