A tall woman with a small head pokes her ugly blond wig into the room. “Are you ready?” She asks, her eyes pointed at the ground so that our eyes don't meet.
“I'm never going to be ready to see my ex again,” - I seethe, inwardly laughing at her stupid wig - "but you don't really care, so go ahead."
The woman nods, whispering into her headset. She motions for me to come towards her. The woman nods again, and opens the door of my room, glaring at me as I pass. “You better behave out there, or ELSE.” She says, covering her headset with her freshly-manicured hands.
“What am I, a kid?! You're not my mom, so be quiet.” I retort. "Plus, I don't remember you having rights to threaten me."
The woman rolls her light brown eyes and as I pass, she walks away and mutters, “what a brat.”
I see my ex-girlfriend leaving the room across from mine. She avoids eye contact with me, chewing on her bottom lip.
The host of the show is looking eagerly at my ex and me as he enters from the left side of the stage - where my room was. He smiles at both of us as he makes his way over to where we’re sitting. Then he turns to the audience, clapping his hands and throwing himself onto the red couch behind him.
“Thank you for joining us today, people. I'm Wilfried Wiegand, the host of the new hit show, 'Second Chances,' a show where exes come here and try to get back together!” Wilfried says, smiling his usual Cheshire Cat smile.
Wilfried turns towards me, a strained smile replacing the big, fake one that he had before. “What's your name?” He asks, his arm leaning against the armrest and taking up the space I have.
“Doran Abbott,” I mumble.
Wilfried then turns to my stupid ex and asks her the same question. “And what's your name, sweetheart?”
My ex rolls her eyes, then turns to Wilfried, pursing her lips. “Name's Anzai Kiyoko,” she says, snapping her watermelon-flavored gum in Wilfried's face. The smell of the gum is overpowering, and I try not to laugh as Wilfried glares at her, making sure the audience doesn't see his narrowed eyes.
“Anyways,” He says, rolling his eyes. “State your reasons, Miss Kiyoko.”
“Reasons for what?”
Wiegand sighs and massages his temples with his thumbs. “For wanting to get back together with Doran?”
“Oh, okay!”
“Yeah, that’s what this show is for…” Wiegand murmurs, his fingers stroking his fake beard. He’s probably contemplating his decision of being on this show, I don’t blame him. If I had to deal with people like Anzai or myself almost every day, I would go insane.
Anzai glances at me and smiles warmly. “Well, I still love you.” She says to me, biting her lip.
“But- you broke up with me, idiot!” I say, shaking my head and resting it against the uncomfortable red couch. “I'm not getting back together with someone who doesn't love me!”
Wilfried stands up and stares at the crowd. “Ooh, relationship drama,” - he grins at the crowd, his voice a low whisper - “what a treat!”
Anzai stares at Wilfried like he has a pig poking out of his nose. “What a creep,” she grumbles, her arms and legs crossed.
I stand up, facing Wilfried. “Listen, buddy.”
Wilfried glances at me, and his eyes are flickering in the spotlight.
“I never asked to be on this show, so why-” I begin to ask, then make eye contact with Anzai. Her eyes are wide and her top lip is twitching in her smile. “Anzai!” I exclaim, glaring at her.
“Uhm... yes?” Anzai said, sweat sliding down her cheeks like tears. I almost chuckle as I remember that Anzai used to sweat so easily.
“I'm not getting back together with you! Why can't you just understand that?!” I tell Anzai, throwing my hands up in the air in irritation.
Anzai's eyes start to water and her cheeks turn a blotchy red. “Doran…”
“No, I'm not going to listen to your stupid words! Stop crying, goddammit!”
“Doran, please!”
I roll my eyes at Anzai. “What do you want?”
“Please, just give me another chance!” Anzai pleads, her medium brown eyes desperate. “I only broke up with you because your mother told me to!”
~
I remember that day like it was yesterday.
It's a term people do use a lot, but I do remember this day very clearly, as it was one of the worst days of my life.
I had called Anzai, who had been my girlfriend at the time. We sat on a bench, holding hands and talking about random topics. Anzai was fidgeting a lot, but I didn't really pay attention because I thought it was nothing.
"The sky really does look beautiful today, it's so clear." I said as I tried to break the thick wall of ice that was separating us. I didn't know why it was there, but I wanted to break it desperately. That cold, silent girl, that wasn't the Anzai I knew and loved. It was as if Anzai had made a clone with the same looks, but a different personality too.
Anzai nodded quickly, her brown eyes wide, and the faraway look that she'd had was gone - a dejected look had replaced it. Her big lips were pouted and her arms were crossed and her little eyes avoided mine. "Yeah," she said in a quiet voice.
I reached for Anzai's shoulder, but she ducked out of my grasp. "Anzai, what's wrong?" I asked, my brows furrowed.
"Doran... we need to break up. I'm sorry..."
Those words broke my heart as soon as they left her mouth. I watched silently, my eyes wide, as Anzai stood up and walked away, and her rose perfume still lingered in the air.
~
I cross my arms and lean against the table next to the couch since Mr. Wiegand here won't give me the armrest. “Likely story.”
Wilfried glances at Anzai and me with his plain brown eyes narrowed, then he turns to the audience. “Let's bring Doran's mother in and see what she says!” He exclaims, flashing the audience his 'charming' smile. Anzai leans back on the couch, rolling her eyes.
As my mother enters, Anzai looks uncomfortable. She turns towards the audience and glares at them.
My mom sits down next to me, glaring daggers at Anzai.
“So, Mrs. Abbott is it true that you told Miss Kiyoko to break up with your son?” Wilfried asks.
My mom scoffs at Wilfried and turns her head, saying, “what a rude man! Doesn't even greet me like a proper gentleman!”
Wilfried rolls his eyes. “Hello, ma'am.”
“Well, I’m afraid it’s a bit too late for that now…” My mother says, crossing her legs. “What do you want? You called me at ten in the morning! I was sleeping!”
“Is it true?”
“Huh?”
“That you ordered Miss Kiyoko to break up with your son?” Wilfried asks, his mouth pulled into a thin line.
“Yes, I did. What’s it to you?” My mom asks, her eyes narrowing as her eyes drift from Wilfried to me. “I’ve missed you, Doran! You don’t come to visit anymore!”
“Mom, you told Anzai to break up with me?!”
“What’s wrong?” My mom asks, her eyes staring at me in a concerned manner. “Doran?”
I stare at my mother, my eyes wide. Anzai reaches for my hand, laying hers on top of mine. I stare at her, at my hand. “W-what?”
“Can we get back together?” Anzai says to me.
I shake my head slowly, glaring at Anzai. “I don’t want us to get back together.”
Anzai’s eyes widen and her eyes get glossy. They narrow at me, full of resentment. “Why?” She spits out, her mouth twisted into a frown.
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80 comments
It's a wonderful story! Please read my latest story The Secret Organisation { Part 2 }
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Thank you, Amogh! No problem!
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your welcome
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I don’t know why but I couldn’t stop laughing. If this was a show I’d definitely watch it 😂. The descriptions were everything. Amazing job, Raquel!
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Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed it! :)
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I honestly did. If you have time, would you mind checking out my recent story?
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Okay, I will check it out when I can! It's night time for me, lol
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Thanks 😁.
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Amazing story! Anxiously waiting for part 2! Your dialogue was perfect, and I loved the tone of each character. Wonderfully written.
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Thank you so much, Amany! I'm glad you enjoyed! :D
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No problem!
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;)
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I would definitely watch this show. :)
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Lol, I am waiting for a show like this too!
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Awesome story! The words you used for description were so apt, it was wonderful!
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Thank you, Pragya! :D
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I love this so much!
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Thank you so much, Sarah! Have a nice day/night!
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Hilarious topic for the story. Amazing story. Nice job. Well written one. Keep writing. Would you mind reading my story "secrets dont remain buried?"
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Hey Keerththan! Thank you! I'll read your story in a few minutes or so.
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Really nicely written story! Still waiting for the show to come out :)
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Lol, me too!
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The descriptions were wonderfully written! I'd watch this show! P.S: would you mind checking my recent story out, "Grey Clouds"? Thank you :D
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Thank you, Deborah! I'll check out your story :)
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Nice story! I really enjoyed the dialogue and character development. It's hard to give each character distinct motivation in such a short amount of time, but you did it really well! Please check out my stories if you get the chance, thank you!
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Okay, no problem! Thank you too! :)
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Your story was great. You are able to quickly explain things in a way where the reader can actually see and imagine what you mean. Good job!
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Thank you so much and thanks for reading too! Hope you enjoyed my story! :)
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I very much did!
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An interesting story. I liked that you chose to write about the ‘behind the screen’ drama. Loved the dialogues. The way you ended— is there a part 2?
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Yes, there will be... a bit later I think. I am trying to write a story now, so it might take a while for me to get inspiration for the next part, but thank you for reading! :)
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You are welcome! If you have time, please have a look at mine too. Thanks! 😊
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Cliffhanger! I enjoyed this, Raquel. Is this the end of the story or will you do another part? Because I am dying to know why the narrator doesn't want to get back together with Anzai. I admire anyone who took on this prompt about the TV show - it seemed like a difficult one to me. You developed such an interesting story from it!
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Thank you so much, Kristen! I will try to do another part. Glad you enjoyed it!
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I just realized I commented, but forgot to Like it....which I did, very much. So sorry...I am Liking it now!
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No, it's fine... no need to apologize! Thank you for liking and commenting though! :D
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Nice going Raquel! loved the twist with the mom, and the back and forth with the weird host was hilarious. Great story, I can't wait to see what happens next!
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Thank you for reading, Stephan! I wanted to make Wiegand (and his name) as weird as possible, so thanks! (I got the name from the Reedsy name generator, lol)
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You really nailed this prompt. The Springer style gameshow with the reluctant host was great and the conflict between the three players was palpable. The overbearing mother tied it all together beautifully. I liked the suspenseful ending and would be interested in seeing how it all gets resolved.
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Thank you, Matthew! :) I watched many show intros to find the one that I wanted to alter a bit, so I'm glad you liked it!
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This was great! Totally captures the true essence of a reality tv show in all of its awkward beauty. I got really invested in the story and was shocked with the ending, but it just works so well. Keep the good work up!
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Thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoyed it! ;)
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Hey! You asked me to read, so here I am:D First off, great take on the prompt! I actually chose not to submit for this one because I didn't have a good idea for it, but I love yours! There were a few grammatical errors (e.g. not capitalizing in a few spots, a couple of places needed punctuation, you referred to Wilfried as 'her' at one point). Not a big deal, but they were there. I love that you used more unique names! It does get a bit boring when everyone is named John and Amy, haha. It added a point of interest in the story. I did ...
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Thank you, Romneya! Can you show me which sentence I call Wilfried a 'she' in? :)
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Of course! :) 'Wilfried rolls her eyes. “Hello, ma'am.”'
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Oh, okay! Thank you so much, Romneya! :)
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Absolutely! 💖
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Great descriptions, and the details that showed how annoyed they were getting added a lot to the story. And not ending the story was both brilliant and annoying. Brilliant because it was interesting and annoying because I wanted to read more. So, great job, Raquel!! Keep writing!!
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Thank you so much! Lol, should I make a part 2...?
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If you get inspired I would definitely read it!!!!
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Okay, glad you liked it! :D
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Well done! glad I came across this one!! Your descriptions were great, and the show sounds like something you'd see on late night tv. Kinda cruddy (the show), but so addictive. The end was a great twist and all in all, a wonderful read. I would love it if you could check out my stories too!!! XElsa
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Thank you so much and I'm glad you commented! Sure, I'll check out your stories.
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Great job, Raquel! I'm waiting for this show to come out! ;)
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I know right! They should totally make a show like this! I would love it! :D
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Yeah, totally! Lol, I would definitely watch a show like this.
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:)
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