3. Pitch Slam: THE HEARTBEAT HYPOTHESIS, NA Romance

Title: THE HEARTBEAT HYPOTHESIS


Genre: NA Contemporary Romance


Word Count: 64,000 words

Movie Genre: Does Disney count as a movie genre? Depends on who you ask – and if you ask Audra, it absolutely does. (Or at least, it should.) Sure, maybe those fairy-tales are riddled with horror, lies, and deceit, but how can you not love all those catchy songs?
Pitch: To complete her heart donor’s bucket list, Audra convinces the donor’s brother to help. Becoming (at least) his friend requires understanding his guilt and learning what he won’t tell her: how did his sister die?
First 250: 
Everyone liked to call me a miracle. I guess they didn’t understand the concept. If I made it to my destination without suffering a major breakdown first, that would be a miracle.
Pete’s Coffee Shop was ten blocks from campus. I opted for walking, hoping it would clear my head. Big mistake. Halfway there and my lungs burned like I’d inhaled fire, every breath a conscious task. Damn, I needed to exercise more. By the time I reached the coffee shop, I’d be covered in sweat, huffing and puffing, ready to pass out on the floor for a nap.
That wasn’t the kind of impression I wanted to give Jake.
I frantically ran through the words I would say when we met, like an actor before opening night. Needing a distraction from my racing thoughts, I tried singing in my head, reciting poetry—even sung through the alphabet.
A light breeze tickled my skin, blew the scent of freshly-cut grass past my nose, which reminded me of summer camp, watermelons, and watching my dad ride the lawn mower. The I love the sunshine, the birds, and the smells phase evaporated the moment I saw the baby-blue and yellow sign for Pete’s Coffee Shop. My quick pace became a measured shuffle, the soles of my shoes clinging to the pavement.
Holy fucking shit. I couldn’t do this.
Calm down. Jake’s a person, the same as any other person, the same way you’re a person.
But he wasn’t just a person—he was my heart donor’s brother.
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