Short Story Proposal

EXPOSITION: A high school math classroom with roughly 25 students. One girl named Emily who is shy, awkward and doesn’t talk. She comes across unfriendly because of her shyness. The McAdams family is the rich, beautiful, put-together family of Milton. Milton is the small town where the story takes place. Their children, Abbey and Cole play 2 or more sports and are staring on varsity, straight A students and always good-looking and dressed well. The parents attended Milton high school and now choose to raise their kids in Milton. A lot of their money comes from the fact they are trust fund babies, but they also work. The mom, Susan works at the school pool running water aerobic classes and in the school office helping plan events. The father, Kyle was a NBA basketball player back in the day and now runs and owns Milton sporting goods. He also works for his fathers company. They walk around like they are perfect and they do a good job of it. Both parents smart, good-looking and participate in school run events, donate money to the school and community and as a family are well liked by everyone. Overall this family has what appears to be the perfect life.

INCITING INCIDENT: I sat down in my new seat in math class, assigned a seat next to a girl I didn’t know well, Emily Ferris. I never really noticed her but once I sat down next to her it all changed. She looked like a scared person in general. Her long sleeve shirt all stained and raggedy, her shoes mud stained and at least 5 years old; her whole outfit hand me downs. I looked her over judging her immediately on her knotty hair, and unfashionable apparel. She looked up at me petrified, I scowled at her not wanting to be seen with her and she slumped in her chair.

Later that day I go to the basketball game with my friends. People pile into the gym excited for the game. Abbey, Susan and Kyle strolled in looking like a royal family as usual. They wave and smile at all their friends. They all look up together, all wearing fancy, designer clothing. The announcer announced all their names, Cole being first as usual. The game goes by fast with Cole playing the whole time and dunking in the last seconds of the game to win it.

RISING ACTION: At the assembly the next day which was in front of the whole town, The McAdams present an award to all the disabled children for completing their garden on the east end of the school. Within the award they donate 5,000 dollars to the care of it. They walk up on stage and everyone applauds louder then anything else applauded for at the assembly. My friend Courtney looks over at me telling me she wishes she had Abbeys life and that she wants to be just like Susan McAdams when she grows up. They’re perfect, their life seems like the best thing ever and everyone wanted to have it.

CLIMAX: Later that day after pe class in the locker room we were all changing. It was a hot day and all the girls were in dresses. Abbey McAdams changed next to me. I looked over as took her pe shirt off. To add to her perfectness, according to a 17 year old junior girl, her breasts were big and perfect. Nothing like anyone else had in the Junior grade. She saw me looking in jealousy and turned away so her left arm was facing me. She immediately pulled her right arm over the side of the left to hid something. I caught what she was hiding before her hand covered it. There on her upper arm was the fattest bruise I had ever seen and it was in the shape of a hand. The thumb part stuck up parallel on her arm while the rest of it perpendicular on her arm a big blob with fingers distinct in light colors of the bruise. She quickly grabbed her shirt and ran to a bathroom stall in her bra. I watched her walk out of the stall in a long sleeve shirt and shorts with her head down.

FALLING ACTION: 1^st period math class the next morning I sat right next to Emily and gave her a huge smile. She looked up at me still looking scared but I could tell she liked that I smiled at her. She stretched out her arm to grab her pencil she had dropped. When she brought it back up her same gross long sleeve shirt she was wearing the day we switched seats, the arm of the shirt slid down her arm reveling her wrist, which had scars on it.

RESOLUTION: Not a day passed after that that I didn’t think about what I had seen. Not a day passed where I didn’t smile at Abbey and I didn’t make an effort to be nice to Emily. I looked at all the faces in the crowded hallways of Milton High and wondered about everyone, about what goes on behind closed doors. Moral of the story: you can be any kind of person, popular, smart, outgoing, shy, unfashionable and can still be hurt, abused or abuse yourself. You never know what goes on behind closed doors and everyone acts a certain way for a reason.