Title-less! Chapter One!

For Jocelyn Taylor, men have always seemed to fail her, until...

The Present: Chapter One.


     "Jocelyn, sweetheart, you don't have to go if you don't want to. I just think it would be good to show some support for Dustin's family. They would be very glad to see you there, I think." My mom, Veronica, said.
    "Mom, I just don't know. I just found out... two days ago. I'm not ready." I said back.
    "Okay honey," my mom said, "I know you need some time. I love you." And she walked out of my room. 
    My mom had left my dad thirteen years ago. He was an alcoholic. I'll never forget how he just didn't come home sometimes. I always thought that whenever someone left, they would come back to you eventually. This proved wrong to me in two cases: when my mom and I had left my dad (I haven't seen him since, nor do I want to) and now, my boyfriend of two and a half years, Dustin, was dead. Never coming back.
    I picked up my phone and dialed Eppie.
    "Hello?" She answered.
    "Hey." I said.
    "Hey yourself." She said back. I could hear her smile over the phone. Eppie, really named Ophelia (I had no idea how "Ophelia" translated into "Eppie" but her parents had been calling her that since birth) was my best friend, the one that always got me through the hard times.
    "Did you want to do something today?" Eppie asked. I knew she was trying to keep me distracted so I wouldn't think too much about Dustin. I appreciated her effort but how could I not think about him? His radiant smile melted my heart; his big, innocent, brown eyes kept you coming back for more, and his tousled sand-colored hair made you want to run your fingers through it over and over. And now, tomorrow, he would be lying in a coffin in a suit and tie- something he rarely ever wore.
   "Eppie, I'm..." I tried to say. Words were getting caught in my throat the wrong way now that I'd stop and thought about Dustin. "I'm sorry," I finished," I just feel like doing nothing today. I really am sorry."
   "Okay. I love you. Bye." Eppie said, and disconnected before I had the chance to tell her that I loved her too. I always felt anxious now whenever I got off the phone with someone because I now know it could very possibly be the last time I hear their voice. 
   My mom came back upstairs. "Joce, hon, please go and get me some ice cream. Neapolitan, dear." I think my mom was sulking more than I was. When we found out two days ago, she made me go and bring home two cartons of ice cream for her pure misery. She didn't even offer to share.
  "Okay, I will." I said, "I love you, Mom." "I love you too sweetheart."
   I walked down the stairs quietly, for why I did not know. I grabbed a set of keys, not even looking to see which car I would be taking. We had two, one for me and one for my mom, but we drove each other's all the time. It turned out to be my car, my new Toyota Prius. I hadn't really wanted the car all that bad, especially a hybrid; I could've settled for an older Accord or so, but my mom insisted on buying me a new car. After I got used to driving it, I didn't feel so guilty.
   I fiddled with the satellite radio for a while before hitting the "Power" button on the radio to cut it off. All the songs were depressing and I'd never really been into that poppy, happy stuff the fourteen year-olds these days listened too. I'd rather listen to nothing and think.

Author's Note

Help me give it a title!

Reviews

[James Watts]

This is pretty nice work. As for a title, sometimes those will not come to you until you are finished or about half way through.

[Lyndie Bolt aka JustRac..]

The paragraph about buying a Prius doesn't really fit here. You could also remove a couple of the dialogue identifiers to make it read more smoothly. Just remember to always start a new paragraph when the speakers voice is changed.

an exaple of re-working a dialogue paragraph ""Eppie, I'm..." I tried to say. Words were getting caught in my throat the wrong way now that I'd stop and thought about Dustin. "I'm sorry," I finished," I just feel like doing nothing today. I really am sorry."

Change it to:"Eppie, I'm..." the words were caught in my throat the wrong way now thought that I would never feel Dustin's beautiful well chiseled muscels under my hands again. "I'm sorry, I just feel like doing nothing today. I really am sorry."

If you re-write some of the dialogue with identifiers that help move the story along or give a richer mental imagery, it would help the story.

As to title, what is this story going to be about? The title can come from the main theme or a very potent line in the story.