WOE: Laughter is the Great Healer

Prompt: This week, focus on dialogue and body language to set a scene or move a story forward, limiting your use of narration.  You have 450 words, beginning with the line: His crossed arms answered her question before he spoke.   I tried to avoid narration completely, believing that cold turkey might be best, and I am not sure how this went.  Unlike Christian Grey, I'm not all that into spanking, so be gentle!


His crossed arms answered her question before he spoke; David wouldn't look at her. 


"Yes."


Miriam hugged herself tightly, chin on her chest, unprepared. 


"Why?" her voice sounded muffled, suffocated.  He imagined that she was biting her lip to keep from crying, when tears might have saved them.  David bluntly wielded the death blow. 


"Because she is not you."  He stood rigid and stared straight ahead.

Miriam collapsed to her knees, her hands thrown out to land on all fours.  Her body seemed to be seized by the force of his words, shaking silently.   David sighed in irritation, but remained where he was. 


"What did you expect, Miriam? You're such a cold bitch, and I have needs," his voice was loud in the room as he stared down at her. "Half the time it felt like I was making love to a dead fish!"  

The sudden whoop startled him.  Miriam fell to her side, clutching her stomach, laughing and gulping air.  She looked up at David and collapsed into laughter once more. Several minutes passed, then Miriam, giggling, pulled herself up to stand in front of David, out of breath.  She leaned on the back of the couch for support.


"Not me--? Hahahaha---" She could not stop giggling. "--But David--hahaha-- dear--you are still YOU!"  Another fit of laughter overtook her.  


She was still laughing as he walked out. 

Red Writing Hood: The Breakup

Prompt: I challenge you to write a conversation. This is fiction, and it was a bit out of my comfort zone!

He approached my locker when the hallway was congested with students struggling to get to class on time. I turned around, and he was there. Over his shoulder, I could see a group of his friends stationed at a discreet distance. For once.

"Hey," he said. He couldn't quite look me in the eye, but he was trying. He finally turned his head toward the exit at the end of the hall, and gave me peripheral eye contact. He seemed to be rocking side to side as he shuffled his feet.

"What's up?" The door to my locker slammed as I turned around, and I stood there stiffly hugging my books to my chest. We both stared at the exit sign for a couple of seconds, then I lifted my chin and faced his profile. I waited.

"Yeah, well..." he trailed off, head moving toward his shoulder in an eloquent shrug as he stared at the ground.

"Just tell me, David." I rolled my eyes. I shuffled my feet impatiently.

"I don't think we should go out anymore." David clamped his lips together. His jaw worked as though he were chewing the bones of his words. He looked over his shoulder at his friends.

I looked up at the ceiling, chewing my lower lip. I breathed in the stale, funky, hallway air. Then I let it all go in a rush, and shrugged.

"Okay. See you around." I walked quickly away from my locker, listening for the sound of the tardy bell.