Nano Prep October 2019

Day 12 - Contest Round - Antagonist Background Story

I sat with my friends listening to the buzz and excitement of their chatter. My eyes strayed to a table several rows over and back. Standing up, leaning over a group of guys at his own lunch table was Ryan. Ryan Fraser. A God among men. Just looking at him started my pulse to quaking. I stared, knowing he would not bother looking over at me. To him, I did not exist. There was nothing to make me stand out or be noticed.

Especially not when his girlfriend, a lanky blond with glorious curves, sidled up beside him and wrapped her arms around his think muscular arm.

I watched him straighten up and give her one of those dazzling smiles I dreamed of getting. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. She trilled a little laugh. Girls like that could pull off such a thing. If I tried that, I knew it would sound contrived and flat, like some kind of dodo bird making a last minute landing. Awkward as hell.

Still I dreamed.

I tried to imagine it was me he was looking down at, smiling at, adoring.

My own name prodded at me. Dully at first, then it sounded more annoyed and was followed with a thump to my arm. I looked back at my friend Sarah who rolled her eyes. Clearly on edge, because I had not heard her latest news. A boy she liked had talked to her.

Ah, the joys of high school.

I apologized and taking one last dreamy look in Ryan's direction as I watched him exit the cafeteria with his girlfriend almost surgically attached, I glanced back at Sarah and tried to tune in.

Later that night, I made sure to grab the sports section of the paper and hurry up to my room. Ryan had been made football captain and his picture was front and center. I used my scissors to trim away the rest of his teammates and glued the image into my scrapbook. With this new image, I pressed my fingers over his smiling face and well formed physique. A sigh escaped as I looked down at his image, then I flipped back through the pages of my book taking a moment to look at each of the images I had of him. Some, like this one, were from the newspaper, others were photographs I had taken on the sly. Those were my favourite. Especially the one looking in my direction. I liked to think that smile was for me and forget that his girlfriend was behind me, making her way over to him. He'd only had eyes for her. But in my dreams, it was all for me.

I had made another copy of this one and put it in a frame. It sat on my bedside table. Each night before bed, I could say good night to him. His smiling face looking at me adoringly.

He would be mine one day. It was just a matter of time. Geana may have him now, but it would not last. She was not good enough for him. I was his soul mate and sooner or later he would realize that. I just had to bide my time. I could wait.

And wait I did.

It was the spring I had just finished my secretarial training at Graphton College. I returned home and over coffee with my girlfriends I talked about how exciting the Big City was and all the things I had been able to do. At the next table, Geana sat.

Unable to ignore us, she leaned over and began to ask questions. Something in me flared and I made the City sound impossibly irresistible. I could see her eyes gleam with excitement. She was hooked. And I was only too happy to feed her the details, whet her appetite and get her dreaming of things beyond this tiny, cottage country town.

It took time, but eventually she bolted. Leaving Ryan alone and spinning. They had been engaged and now... she was gone. Leaving him behind because he refused to leave this place.

Now was my chance.

I'd gotten a makeover in the City. I knew I looked good. I'd also managed to shed some of the excess pounds and get some wardrobe pieces that made me look divine.

Now that Ryan was working at the police station, I was able to drop in any time. I took over treats and sweets. Dressed them up as if I had made them and offered them to all the officers. I was getting to be quite a popular girl.

Ryan had definitely noticed and I felt a heady buzz.

I actually thought I was making some good headway, when some frumpy little twit arrived from the City. She was running from something or someone. Came here to hide out or lick her wounds. Ryan took pity on her. Bitch.

I've seen her before. She's one of those summer tailgaters. I think her family has some cottage up here somewhere. Though I haven't seen her for awhile. Probably hob-nobbing in the Big City. She's a friend of that goodie, goodie Emily Parker. The one dating one of Ryan's friends.

I need to figure out a way to get rid of her. There's no way that Bitch is taking my man.


Notes - Oct. 12: - CONTEST ROUND: Antagonist Background Story ▼

Write a story about your antagonist that takes place outside of your novel. The object of the contest is to make your judges understand and empathize with the antagonist's motivations.

If your antagonist is a situation rather than a person, write a background story about that. The Tom Hanks movie "Cast Away" famously features only one character (unless you count Wilson), and his antagonist is loneliness. Could you personify loneliness? Why does loneliness exist? What motivates it? How would a lack of loneliness affect survival of the human race? How did it drive main character Nolan to survive for years alone on a deserted island? Loneliness has a job to do. Make us believe it's a valid one.

*Contest Round entries may be any rating. Submit your ITEM or ENTRY number by 1200 noon WDC time on Sunday to compete. WDC time is New York City time and can be found at the top of the IM Console. If you miss this deadline or choose not to compete, you must still log the assignment complete (without linking your work) for the grand prize, per the standard Prep guidelines.