PW #370: Young Adult Contemporary: SWEET PEE

Manuscript Status: Finished

Mentor Name: Lianne Oelke

Mentee Name: Emily Paxman

Title: SWEET PEE

Category: Young Adult

Genre: Contemporary

Word Count: 73,000 words

Pitch:

Comics enthusiast/ Type 1 Diabetic Lizzie Logan has always played wingwoman to her popular best friend, Viv. When both girls fall for the new boy, Lizzie must choose between friendship and finally getting the guy, or risk losing both.

Excerpt:

How many times is an ex-boyfriend allowed to knock on your door before it crosses the line between “hopeful” and “stalkerish?” Seven? Eight, if you’re feeling generous? It’s not a question I’ve considered before, but as Roger’s fist echoes through the house, I can see I’ve neglected some part of my education. There must be a Cosmo article on acceptable break-up behavior somewhere, but alas, I haven’t read it. Serves me right for ignoring the stack of magazines Viv keeps in her bathroom.

Roger knocks yet again, and I notch the count up to six. He’s not my ex, of course– no one is– but he is my problem. Viv has reached system shut down, curled up on the couch and silently flicking through texts. There’s only one sign that she’s worried, but to me it’s an important one. She’s chewing her lip, and Vivian Grange never ruins her lipstick like that.

“Viv?” I nudge my best friend’s foot with my own.

“This is beyond drama. The neighbors are going to start calling,” she mutters.

Outside, Roger swears as he attempts to open the locked door. Viv winces, but her eyes stay glued to the smartphone screen.

“Awww, Ginny got a kitten!” She holds up her phone to show me.

“Cat photos? Really?” I struggle not to shout, but my anger is redirected when Roger knocks for the seventh time. I hop off my chair and believe me, I’m not feeling generous. “I’m calling the cops.”

“No!” Viv launches up from the couch, her usually sleek hair squished against her face.