Flash Fiction Friday!

One of the additions to my new schedule is Flash Fiction Friday, since I hardly put writing up on here anymore. I'll find a prompt from a website, and use it to write a short flash fiction. This week's prompt is from this website, and is the first line; They were never happier than when they were arguing.
I wrote it fairly quickly and it's not brilliant, but here it is:


They were never happier than when they were arguing. Whether a tiny dispute over what channel to watch on TV, or a full blown fight, they were in their element. They rarely agreed on anything, and if they did they would lie, just to have something to argue about.

It didn’t make any sense to me; why would anyone in their right mind rather argue than have a civil conversation? But then, I’m not the confrontational type; I’d much rather hide away in a corner somewhere than have to exchange harsh words with someone. I’d spent my whole life watching my parents rip each other to shreds during arguments, and it had turned me into a timid little girl who couldn’t fight her own battles.

You’d have thought argumentative parents would have meant good practise for me, people to practise my confrontational skills against, but I never argued back, I just stood there and took it. I try to avoid confrontation as much as possible, so I tend to agree with the other person to make life easier.

So I think it shocked everyone that day when the school bully (who frequently targeted me because of my aforementioned timidity) was pushing me around in the playground, and I finally snapped. I was sick of it, sick of being pushed around and taunted by everyone. My parents, the bullies at school, even my friends walked all over me, and I’d had enough.

I stood up straight and tall, and smacked him around the face. And then I started shouting; it’s almost as if I had been pushing all of these thoughts and emotions down for years, and finally they were coming tumbling out, like a volcano erupting. I shouted not just at him, but at everyone who had made my life miserable just because they could.

By the time I stopped, everyone in the playground was staring in shock. The bully’s face had turned bright tomato red; my friends (whom quite a lot of the shouting had been aimed at) were glaring mutinously at me, and several teachers dotted around were staring in disbelief.

My heart lifted; I’d never felt so free in my life. Relief flooded through me as I contemplated the prospect of a new me; one who wasn’t afraid of confrontation, or what other people thought. From now on, people were going to see a completely different side of me.


I also wrote a flash fiction piece with the prompt 'Rain' which I've put up over on Unwritten, if you wanted to check that out :)

Comments

  1. I love the finish to it Laura, I really wish I had that change in perspective too and for people to see a different side of me so this is a beautiful realisation. I love your flash fiction too, it's so good!

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    1. Thanks! Maybe that's why I wrote it, because subconsciously I wish I could do that too!

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  2. Woohoo go character whose name I don't know. I've got the jiggles reading this, I love the jiggles! :)

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    1. Haha I'm glad my writing gave you the jiggles!

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  3. Flash fiction is a great exercise, and I always enjoy a story about someone defending themselves. Thanks for sharing!

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  4. All you need to do is push back and oftentimes once is enough to get people to leave you alone.

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    1. I completely agree, you have to stand up to people sometimes :)

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  5. Yay! Brilliant that the teachers didn't intervene. I'd love to know more of this character's story. :-)

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    1. I'll let you know if I write anything more about her, she just popped into my head! :)

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  6. Greetings, earthling!! Shouldn’t be long, gottawanna run back to Heaven; however, in the meantime, take anything and everything you wanna from our wonderfull, plethora-of-thot to write the next, great masterpeace _IF!_ I can but kiss your gorgeous, adorable feets and/or cuddle withe greatest, ex-mortal-girly-ever to arrive in Seventh Heaven (God made only you, k? the BEST-in-the-WEST? God threw-away-the-rest, miss gorgeous). Think about it. Do it! Get back to me Upstairs. God bless you …thewarningsecondcoming.com

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