Jane Smiley Trent's Attractions: A Narrative Fiction

“Yes, you there, that man er—young man I spoke to earlier,” she shrilled, clumsily trotting across the street. “Yes, you,” she panted, grasping hold of her centered, skirt slit and swiftly darting across the grass. “Oh it’s wet, the grass is moist,” she wailed. “Yes, you there,” she said again, pointing at me, nearing closer and clamoring up the porch steps. “Oh look, those are some beautiful, Ah—deadly roses!” she squawked, “I think they just made a ladder in my favorite tights.” Her face looked like it was going to sob again, but briskly, she straightened her stance and blew out a sharp breath. “I know,” she said breathlessly, “you're probably wondering what this horrendous woman is is doing in front of you and—oh my god, is this street full of supermodels!” her eyes shifted distractedly, gawking at Gemma. “You look like an angel. Your light, champagne blond hair is so gorgeous, and you're so lean and perfect—how tall are you? She quizzed Gemma.

“Yeah,” I said, grabbing a notebook from his locker; maybe he wasn’t the only one experiencing weird paranoid episodes, maybe other people were too. My mind continued in thought as he made his way through the crowded halls when he stopped. Standing, staring straight up at me was three pairs of eager eyes smiling back at me. It’s the pink and purple girls, he

Making her way toward the sidewalk, she turned right on Doveland Drive. Without a car, Anita must walk two and a half miles to reach Forest Creek Lane, the predominantly upper-class part of town. As she walked, her stomach turned as if she had ridden a fast carnival ride and no matter what she tried to calm her nerves, her attempts were futile. When she reached the street, she couldn't help but stare in awe at the beautiful houses that lined it. Some had the latest car park in front, others had empty spaces while the owner was at work. Anita imagined handsome doctors carrying briefcases and housewives wearing wearing the latest fashions. Anita, at 22, still lived with her parents in the not-so-nice part of town, where houses where becoming dalapitated and the roads and sidewalks were cracked and never fixed. Always feeling as if she didn't belong where she lived, she often imagianed what it would be like to live as other

“Oh,” Grant muttered, mostly to himself, “well that’s good, I guess. Thanks, Auntie.” Grant shuffled over to the dining room to help finish setting the table with the other women. He didn’t look back.

Jessica’s eyes found the ground and she gulped. Phil stared at her waiting for an answer until she looked up and grinned brightly. "I'm doing great! College is fun, but there’s a lot of work.”

Gwen walked outside only to get a face full of the cool, cold breeze gliding across her face. She had on a lightweight, zipped up maroon jacket that still kept her warm despite its thickness. She also was wearing a dark gray - almost black - beanie her dad had got her the Christmas before he joined the army to go fight in Afghanistan. She’d had it since she was 14. Her somewhat medium-length bright, blonde hair went down just a little past the hood of her jacket. Being 17, Gwen hopped into her bright white 2014 Volkswagen Jetta - not the most spacious car in the world, but it got her where she needed to go. She set off to go pick up her best friend, Lauren, to set off on another adventure. The city of Cleveland was pretty busy this morning, yet it was nothing compared to New York City or Tokyo.

“Who could that possibly be? No one cares to ever visit me,” Edward thought as he jumped up from his chair in which he was just previously reading a magazine. He smiled at the idea of having company for the first time in what felt like an eternity. He straightened up and shouted, “Just a minute!” over his shoulder towards the front door. He ran over to his mirror, fixed his hair, and buttoned his collar before heading towards the door. He arrived at the door and peered through the peephole at a nice-looking lady standing on his front porch. She wore a lovely lavender pantsuit with a matching hat, pearl earrings, and glasses that nearly took up her entire face. Edward trusted her already. So he unlatched the seventeen locks on the inside of the door and opened the door wide as he put on a welcoming smile. “May I help you?” Edward asked while still holding that award-winning

"You don't say?", I tilted my head, and raised an eyebrow, trying to understand the girl sitting on the dirty hallway floor, that I literally just met today, but somehow acts as if we've known each other for a decade.

“Did you meet him?” her voice sounded like it had an echo, then again it always sounded like that. But this time there was a hint of excitement, wonder and interest swimming along with her usual ethereal nonchalance.

Morning came before she knew it. Just as she and Sam were heading to the car, they were met by an older lady with curlers in her hair, and wearing a fluffy pink robe. She was wearing a beaming smile and was holding a foil-covered plate. Before Lauren could utter a word, the lady extended her hand in friendship. “Hi, I'm Miss D Richards, and I live in the corner house. I brought y'all some biscuits in welcome to the neighborhood!” Lauren bobbed her dark head and smiled. “Hello, Miss D, I'm Lauren Hastings. This is my daughter, Sam,”

It must have been around eight o’clock in the evening when Johnny saw the flickering lights from the tiki torches that were bordering the outdoor terrace. The two had been facing each other for a while now in the hotel’s lounge, and Johnny’s sight of the outdoor terrace gave him the out he needed to get Clarissa to a more secluded and romantic spot. “Pick up your drink…we’re going onto the terrace,” he quickly and bluntly told her with a grin. As soon as she could grab her lemontini with one hand and her purse hanging from her arm, her beau gracefully clasped her other hand and led them both through the crowd of hotel guests to the terrace entryway. She couldn’t help but be turned on by his spontaneous ways and smiled the whole way to the terrace

“Oh this is Piper, she’s new,” She said. I have to give it to her she was acting calm and collected if i was talking to someone i liked i would probably be a hot mess.

Valerie Parker stood at the window of her condo in an exclusive area called Edenvale. The lights of Meridian’s dome dimmed to simulate twilight. Her condo occupied the entire third floor, included a southern exposure with a large bay window overlooking a park. Valerie’s taste in furnishings ran to minimalist neutrals with an abundance of chrome and glass. Before her company arrived for dinner, she changed into her favorite metallic orange kaftan, the last birthday gift from her mother.

As they had friends whom lived in Manchester her mother, Catherine had thought it best they moved here taking Rachael away from her friends, as they were “bad influences”. Sighing Rachael quickly applied a little mascara and some black eyeliner to her waterline. Before finishing her look with a dark red lipstick. Looking at the clock she noticed it was now 8.00am. Just enough time to have breakfast and see her mum. Walking into the kitchen she saw her mum sat at the table eating a bowl of cereal, she poured herself a bowl and sat down next to her. “Hey mum,” she smiled eating her cereal. “Oh hey Rach” her mum smiled back. Rachael noticed her mum had the paper and was looking for new jobs. “Don’t worry mum you’ll find something,” she told her before finishing her cereal. “Abby come on I want to get to this school,” she yelled on her younger sister. “No need to yell I’m ready,” Abigail came into the room just as she had called on her. Abigail looked nothing like Rachael she had blonde hair which went right down her back, it wasn’t straight but it wasn’t curly more sort of wavy. Her eyes were a dark brown colour and she was very girly, this was something Rachael definitely wasn’t. She was wearing a light pink jumper paired with a black skirt her choice of shoes were a small pair of pink pumps whereas Rachael wore a pair of wrecked white reeboks.

“Natalie, where do you want to go for dinner?” Becca waited for me as I stood up and gathered things into my bag. “What about White Spot?” Their fries are the best in the town, I’d say. “Brilliant idea.” She had this trendy, flowery perfume on and dressed in lilac crop top and crème shorts and wearing kitten heels as always. Her beauty and stylishness always stun me, even though I have known her for a few years by now. She always has boys adoring her with their attentive eyes.