This Is the Countdown by Sara Elizabeth

Description:

Readers were first introduced to Sara Elizabeth's engaging storytelling voice in the international bestselling short 4 Stories Down, 4 Stories Up.

Now, she returns with a completely new vision and tone in relating the complexities that arise when girl-meets-girl and a boy comes in between them. Original, poignant, painful and romantic, this is a story of lesbian relationships told in a completely new style.

This unique story launches a brand-new short story line named The Lab, a home for the best in experimental and abstract short fiction.

Excerpt:

Start with a self-fulfilling prophecy. When you are young, your therapist tells you that you go through fifty heartbreaks in your lifetime. She is merely trying to make you feel better about your parents’ bitter divorce that you secretly could care less about, but that line is one that is drilled into your brain. However, this isn’t a story about love, or the heartbreak; it’s a story of the appendages. The “I love you, but...” “But” is the appendage and is as unnecessary as an extra leg. It kicks you when you’re down.

It’s the story of your first crush. He’s the fifth grade hunk—perfect blond spikes, bright blue eyes. But you’re “one of the guys,” so you never get a chance. You secretly wish you weren’t so great at kickball. It’s a story that follows the same exact pattern for every guy you fall for. See also: sixth through ninth grade. See also: a momentary stint during your second year of college.

It’s the story of your best friend in middle school. You’re just children; you don’t realize what’s going on. Your friendship progresses, you think you fall in love, she moves away. She turns into a dirty tramp because what else would Las Vegas do to a girl? She loved you, but she also loved to love others, like, all the boys in her neighborhood. You never speak to her again after that conversation.

It’s the story of a sort of stranger. This one digs a little deeper. She’s the new girl at school. She’s younger than you are, which would normally mean more innocent. This is something you may think for a while until you get to know her on a more intimate level. After it happens, she tells you she loves you. You find this rather convenient and perfect because, well, you sort of really love her, too. Find out later through a third party that she does love you, but she also says she loves many others in the same way. Kick yourself with her extra leg and move on. Don’t date for the remainder of high school.

It’s the story of several arbitrary obsessions that are more or less, dead ends with no promise. They all have an odd pattern of having stripper names. Candi. Stormie. Libby. Jordan.