Rebel In Venus (eBook)

Marissa Alma Nick (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2023 | 1. Auflage
208 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
978-1-6678-9264-1 (ISBN)

Infos

'Rebel in Venus' is a gripping and heartfelt portrayal of two women picking up life's wreckage after trauma and learning about solidarity, honesty and hope. Through its inspirational tale of two survivors, Rebel In Venus allows its reader to discover the strength in letting go of what haunts you, in order to be free. Taking place in a post covid world, and inspired by cultural shifts, such as metoo, girlhood in America, and the power of sisterhood - this quick paced novel takes place over one night spent between best friends Maria and Layla. Over the course of their evening, Layla's memory is jolted, and her once carefully repressed past begins to return to her. Sexual revelations, high-school humiliations, unwanted pregnancies, unwavering friendships, sex work, divorce, and loss unfold across the pages. As the confessions unfold, Layla's anguished past starts to crystallize and challenges the strength of her friendship with Maria, as well as her own life. Will Layla learn to save herself in time, or will her past win over her ability to see the future?

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REBEL IN VENUS takes place over one 'girl's night in' spent between best friends, Maria and Layla. Over the course of the witty and unexpected evening, Layla's memory is jolted, and her once carefully repressed past begins to return to her, triggering a sequence of events that ultimately jeopardizes Layla's unconventional life. In REBEL IN VENUS, the bold, and sometimes brutally honest stories that unfold, are filled with sexual revelations, high-school humiliations, unwanted pregnancies, unwavering friendships, sex work, divorce, and loss. As the confessions unfold, Layla's anguished past starts to crystallize and challenges the strength of her friendship with Maria, as well as Layla's own life. Will Layla learn to save herself in time? Or will her past win over her ability to see a future? Marissa playfully blends literary genres, to bring to life the dynamic world that is Layla's past, and present. And through Layla's story, she points out how easy it is to wrap ourselves up in a cloak of shame, especially when we don't yet understand what we're so ashamed of, or rather... that there isn't anything to be ashamed of. Marissa expresses the power we hold in our vulnerability and the strength we can find in expressing it. REBEL IN VENUS is a powerful, and honest story of redemption, an intimate portrait of friendship, the impact of trauma, the power of our first love, and the unforgettable experience of our first love lost.

Textauszug

Non-Consensual Love-Bomb

18

The second time I fell in love, I was sixteen.

Loving and escaping can be the same thing. Right?

**

I first met him in high-school, during fall semester, on my way back from lunch. We bumped into each other while in the same stairwell (I was running up, and he was walking down). I remember I thought he was nice, because he stopped to help me pick up my books. I remember I liked the way he dressed (like Brad Pitt in “Fight Club”), and I remember I thought he smelled good. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew I liked it a lot more than the AX the other boys were wearing.

He smells like he knows things.

I had never seen him before, yet based on what I heard from Chloe (a friend in the visual arts department), I thought I knew exactly who he was; especially once he smiled, and told me his name.

Him: Mr. Mills… but you can call me Drew.

It is him!

**

Everyone in school had been talking about the new guest teacher, Mr.Mills. He was some big painter from New York, who was teaching the visual artists for the semester.

The rumor was, he was really hot.

He really is.

**

The next time I saw Mr. Mills…

I mean Drew.

…was while on the train, heading home from school.

Oh my god.

I was immediately anxious, and nervous.

It’s him again!

I watched him, as he softly looked over his left shoulder, and stood up for his stop.

Shit!

He saw me staring at him!

But then he smiled back at me.

Oh my god he smiled.

Smile back Layla!

So I forced a fake smile, and he waved at me with pity.

I can’t believe he waved at me!

Preying on puppy love is pitiful.

**

After that I didn’t see Drew at school.

I wish I could see him right now.

He was a guest teacher for a different department than mine, so it put us in two separate wings of the building. Therefore, there wasn’t a reason for us to be in the same place, at the same time…not really.

I wish there was.

Though I did think of him, every single day.

Drew.

And pretty obsessively.

I wonder what he’s doing.

I wonder if I’ll see him again.

I wonder how I can see him again.

Your job to distract me, from me, won’t work if you’re not here.

**

That year, on the Saturday before Halloween, I went to the mall for some new lip gloss, and a CD. And as fate would have it, I would get to see Drew for a third time.

Oh my god, it’s him!

There was Drew, standing in line at the pretzel stand.

He’s so cute.

Then, just like on the train, he waved at me.

Oh my god.

He waved at me again!

I watched Drew get out of line, and walk over toward me, before even getting his pretzel.

He didn’t get his pretzel!

Holy shit! He’s coming over to me!

Oh my god!

Drew: Hey Layla.

Me: Hey…hi… hey… hey… Mr.Mills.

Drew: Drew. I told you, you can call me Drew.

Me: Cool, cool. Yeah, okay… yeah Drew.

Then Drew smiled at me.

He smiled at me again!

I had also noticed that he glanced down my body, before he spotted the bag I was holding from the CD store.

Holy fucking shit!

I think he just checked me out.

Drew: What CD did you get?

Me: Hole.

Drew went on to tell me about how he loved Hole, because his older sister had made him listen to them.

He’s so cool.

He even asked what my favorite song was.

Me: Me? Oh uh, “Violet”. I love that song.

Drew: Yeah, me too.

He totally gets me.

He was thirty-one.

Teens are too much for some to handle, and for others, teens are just right.

**

The moment by the pretzel stand had me feeling so giddy, and I didn’t think I could get any happier.

Oh shit… is he….

But then Drew wrote down his phone number, on a folded-up piece of yellow legal paper he had in is pocket.

Shit! He did!

And before walking away, he slipped it to me (just like my friend Heather had slipped me notes in Geometry).

Just like Heather.

Drew: Now don’t tell anyone, especially your friends. They’d be so jealous of you, and probably never speak to you…especially Chloe.

He’s probably right.

Chloe did say she thought he was cute.

Everyone did.

I called him that very night, as soon as I got home.

I can’t believe he likes me… like… he likes me!

**

In the following weeks, once my parents went to sleep, we talked nearly every night. He’d tell me about all the music he loved (Hole… just like me), his favorite movies (Aronofsoky’s “Requiem For A Dream”…just like me), and the book he had just finished reading (“Choke” by Palahniuk)… also, just like me.

We have so much in common!

Then, for the rest of the semester, if I ever saw him in school (or on the train), I just pretended like I didn’t know him. And just like he’d told me to, I never told anyone what was going on between us.

He really likes me… to go through all of this for me.

**

Then the ultimate happened.

Oh my god.

It was during Christmas break.

I can’t believe it.

On that day, I met Drew at the beach plaza, for a movie.

I wonder if we’ll kiss!

He told me to meet him inside the theater.

I can’t wait to see him.

So I did.

I can’t believe he wants to see a movie with me!

For the entire movie, our knees touched.

God I hope he kisses me!

I was entirely consumed with anticipation.

Oh my god!

Then he finally did it.

He’s kissing me!

And just a few seconds later he stopped to ask me:

“Wanna go to my car now?”

I think he wants to have sex with me.

Me: Okay.

So I followed him back to his rented compact, which was parked on the third floor of the garage.

I just want him to keep liking me.

Then while we walked, he stopped.

Drew: I’m going to walk ahead of you, like we’re brother and sister, okay?

I’m an only child.

I don’t know what that means.

So he walked three feet ahead of me.

Is that what that means?

He opened the car, and once we were in, I noticed the doors automatically locked us in.

I don’t like that.

Drew turned the car on, drove up to the emptier part of the garage, and put his...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 7.4.2023
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• ISBN-10: 1-6678-9264-9 / 1667892649
• ISBN-13: 978-1-6678-9264-1 / 9781667892641