Contest Entries 2017

Entry 1. WordBandit - The Fake Locket

This is my contest entry for a contest held by wordbandit, ending on the 28th of February 2017. 

"I can't believe Blake's the one I get to spend my life with!" Vanessa was staring at the picture in her hands, with a big grin plastered across her face. All of her was brightened up, from the way her eyes glowed, till the way she could hardly sit still. She held one hand of the photo, staring adoringly at it, while her other hand was closed around the half-locket around her neck. 

She was happy, and I wanted nothing more for her. 

For me, on the other hand, things weren't as simple.  My life wasn't built around being the perfect wife by learning to cook and sew, and I definitely hadn't spent my whole life searching for the boy with the other half of a locket - the part that would supposedly make me whole. 

Our whole school system was based on this theory, an idea I found horrible and disgusting. From first grade and until I turned sixteen I had been in an all-girl-school where the focus had mainly been on learning our wifely duties, and when we started higher education everyone else had been starstruck by the boys in our class. They were handsome, some of them were directly rude and some of them were sweet and loving. No one had captured my attention, except for one guy. 

Of course, he was the boy now weeks away from being my best friends fiancee. 

"Kori, are you okay?" Vanessa looked at me with a small, encouraging smile that made my heart ache. She would be a perfect wife, and yet it only made all of this that much worse. 

"He's kind of a bad boy, are you sure he's the right one?" I tried to sound as careless as possible as I said it, while also sounding sincere and worried. 

"I know, I know. But our lockets matched, you heard the click yourself! Of course, mum wasn't too excited, but he's got great grades so I'm sure he'll get a good job! And I'll just have to make him a little less wild." 

I nodded slowly, giving her a small smile. The last three years of our lives had been filled with parties, and getting to know as many people as possible. To Vanessa, finding her match had been the most important thing in the world. In fact, it was to most of the girls I knew. 

"Kori, you'll find your match as well." Her voice sounded so sincere I looked at her in surprise. I had always been the strange girl, the girl who never tried to match with anyone or find her special someone. I had never hooked up with anyone to get ready for my future husband, and for some reason learning to cook had never been interesting to me. 

I had a lot bigger problems in my life, problems not even Vanessa knew about. 

"I know, I'm not worried about that. I'm just worried about you, and him. He's got... well, experience." I made a grimace as I said it, and Vanessa started laughing. 

"So do most of the people we know, except for you." She wasn't being rude, and it didn't bother me. It was a choice I had made long ago, and I was happy about it. I knew people who went home with a new guy every night, in hope of finding someone who matched their locket. And when it didn't, they'd get lost in the feel of alcohol and naked bodies to forget for one night.

I knew that definitely wouldn't solve my problems, so why even bother? 

"You're right, I'm just being silly," I lied and forced a smile onto my face. 

Vanessa was my best friend, I'd just have to forget about my feelings. It was a silly crush, something that would only add to my already growing list of problems. She deserved the very best, and I'd just have to make sure he was the best.