In my time away, I've been working on about eight big projects. Here's an excerpt from one I plan to work on a lot over the next few months that has to do with fairies. (I'll make a bigger announcement about it after Valentine's.)

PLEASE be brutal and tell me what works and what doesn't. I'm still working on getting a good tone for this story, and I'm desperate for some hardcore critiquing to set me in the right direction.

~
"Oh, come on!"

I couldn't help shouting that out, and given the glares I got right after, it probably wasn't my best moment. But seriously. I just wanted a coffee to get through an awful sociology lecture, and the campus coffee shop was packed to bursting.

I should have expected it, honestly. Two weeks before spring break meant that midterms were underway. Big projects were being doled out left and right, so the whole campus was practically buzzing with panic. All over campus I overhead freshmen calling home in a panic and threats to walk out during exams in protest. So, y'know, typical midterms season.

As a very experienced sophomore, I had already run the gauntlet of mid-semester madness three times, so I wasn't all that phased. Just angry that I had to choose between getting to class on time and getting caffeinated.

Caffeine won, of course.

I huffed as I got into line, then checked my watch. I still had twenty minutes to get to class, which would be doable if the guy at the front of the line wasn't paying in dimes.

When I finally did get my order in, it was then time to play the waiting game as the two baristas frantically tried to make three orders at a time. I leaned back against a nearby wall, plotting out how to get from here to my class in roughly negative two minutes.

That was when someone screamed.

I looked up, and my thoughts abruptly stopped as I saw the screamer in question. Oh.

Oh.

She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. Long black curls, bright blue eyes, the cutest blue A-line dress that, along with the counter, was covered in half-and-half. Before my brain had quite processed all that had happened, I was immediately at her side, napkins in hand to help her mop up the spill.

"Oh, god, what a mess." Oh, Christ, she was English. "This is a disaster."

"Iznuhso..." I shook my head. Focus, Meg, I scolded myself. "It's not so bad."

She looked up, apparently only now aware of my presence. "Oh! Oh, you don't have to!"

"It's cool," I said, giving her my best impersonation of a winning smile. She returned it with a small one of her own. By this point, a barista had come over and shooed us away. I offered the girl the few napkins I had left over, and she started dabbing at her dress with a sigh.

"Suppose this sort of thing always happens when you want to look cute," she said with a wry smile. I laughed much louder than I meant to, then covered it with a cough.

"Did your drink make it, at least?" I asked. She sighed, leaning over to pick up the now-soaked cup before the barista could scoop it into the trash.

"Doesn't look like it," she sighed. "God, and that was my last bit of cash."

I'm not really one to believe in luck (since, you know, fairies) but this was clearly my moment to sweep her off her feet and fulfill all my YA novel fantasies. I opened my mouth, about to offer to buy her a new drink, when the remaining batista called out, "I have a cinnamon latte for Meg!"

The moment was ruined. I blinked, then gave the girl an awkward smile.

"Uh, that's me. I'm Meg."

She giggled a bit, then pointed to the smeared name on her own cup: Alicia. "That's me."

Oh, god.

That was adorable.

She was So. Damn. Cute.

She gave me a wide smile, then shook her head. "Thanks for your help, Meg. Sorry to keep you." She gave her dress a few more dabs. "I actually need to head to the library before it gets too crowded."

"That's where I'm headed, too!"

It was not. I lied. I lied really hard, and it was probably really obvious. But...god, the library was neutral ground and I could not let this gorgeous girl flit out of my life so soon.

Was that creepy? It sounds kind of creepy in hindsight.

She didn't seem creeped out, at least. Instead, she smiled at me, blue eyes twinkling. "Do you want to go together?"

I waited a solid second before I said "Sure," and I just barely remembered to grab my coffee before following her out.