Writer Submitted Fic: 7/23-7/29

Take a Little Trip by KristenLynn

 http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5548561/1/Take_A_Little_Trip
Reviewed by KymClark

Rating: M

Genre: Romance/Drama

Characters: Bella/Edward

 

You remember how rough high school was? Take a Little Trip by KristenLynn, brings it all back for you.

Summary: In high school, geeky Edward tutored popular Bella. It ended badly. Four years later, Edward reappears in one of grad student Bella's classes. Both have changed. A lot. Will it be enough?

I must say, I fell in love with this Bella because I could relate to her on so many levels. She's spunky, moody and thinks she knows everything (a lot like yours truly). But unlike me, this Bella is also Miss Popularity, a cheerleader and unofficial Queen of Forks High.

She is dating Mike, captain of the football team and Bella has skated through school, terrorizing teachers with her foul expressions because of her bad attitude and her sense of entitlement.

The poor grades catch up with her and her math teacher demands she receive tutoring to help her pass the class. The tutor? None of than the Edward Cullen, shy guy at Forks High. He is the total geek-ward package with ill-fitting clothes, floppy reddish hair, glasses, and most importantly- Edward is a band geek. You think he's swoon-worthy yet ladies?

After a few tutoring sessions with the elusive Geekward, sparks fly, but they keep their respective crushes on each other on the DL (when I was in high school, that stood for “on the down-low-” top secret). When the secret affair becomes front page news at school, Bella makes a big mistake and it costs her.

Flash-forward years later, Bella is a grad student at UW, she is completely different now. She is focused on her studies and the completely down-to-earth Bella we all know and love. Although, the bad ‘tude seeps out every now and then. On a normal day, a very special note from a very special dork is left on Bella’s car saying that he is transferring to UW and he wants to “get together”.

This turns Bella’s world upside down. Does she want to see Edward again and bring all those feelings back up, when she has spent years trying to move on?

This fic is relatively short and complete. The author submitted the first chapter in a contest, and proceeded to expand it for a full-length story. KristenLynn paints a realistic view of high school, showing that is full of cliches and stereotypes. But, every now and then, if you look beyond the dorky clothes and the herd-mentality, even high schoolers can find true connections amidst all the pettiness of teen angst and drama.

And if you are lucky to ever have lightning strike twice for you, maybe it is a sign.