Son of a Pitch Entry: The Stained Glass Sun and Moon

Title: THE STAINED GLASS SUN AND MOON

Age/Genre: YA Contemporary

Word Count: 80,000

QUERY:

Sixteen-year-old Jules Geary is taking a pregnancy test. If it’s positive, her life is over. If it’s negative, she gets a second chance, but it won’t be with Jesse. Not after what they did to each other.

At the beginning, things were good. Surprise dates, impromptu road trips and falling in love. Nothing else mattered. Not even Jesse’s brother’s crush on her or Jesse’s ex-girlfriend circling like a vulture.

Then things started to matter.

Jesse got resentful over the time Jules spent at softball practice and she was annoyed by his lack of support. They got into a fight and Jesse made a huge mistake. So did Jules.

Now she’s standing in a bathroom, waiting three minutes for a sign. What happens next will be worse than anything she can imagine.

250 WORDS:

            I lock myself in the bathroom stall and sit down, clutching the test. To my right, someone flushes, and a group of women by the sinks discuss their jobs. This is not the place I want to learn my fate, but I have no choice. If I go home, I risk being caught by my parents and I can't handle a confrontation after what happened with Jesse tonight. It's better to be surrounded by strangers, even though I suddenly feel both exposed and alone.

“Lauren?” I ask.

“I’m right here,” my best friend answers quickly from the other side of the door and I relax enough to tear open the box. The instructions are a confusing blur of diagrams and words, so I toss them on the floor. I don't need a step-by-step on how to pee.

“Jules?” Lauren reaches under the door to pick the paper up. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” My hands are shaking so hard I almost drop the stick in the toilet. “I just forgot how long this is supposed to take.”

She moves her face to the crack in the door and whispers, “Three minutes. I’ll time it with my phone.”

“Hold on.”

“Oh, sorry.” She turns around and I almost laugh at her embarrassment. The only one who should feel that way is me. I’d rushed to Jesse’s side earlier that evening because his voicemail said he needed me. We were supposed to work things out.