Over the past month, The Daily Universe sponsored a Stephenie Meyer-style writing contest, which was surprisingly well entered. We received more than 150 entries and many of the writers captured Meyer’s unique writing style. We even questioned if she entered under a pseudonym.

A recurring theme in the entries was unrequited love on campus, making us wonder who students really pay attention to in their classes – the professor, or the cute girl down the row.

Presented here are our three tops picks plus a few honorable mentions, for your reading enjoyment.
 

First Place

By Meridith Reed, 24

He had eyes like murky duck pond water: mysterious, forbidden things lurked beneath an impenetrable surface. Instantly, I felt a deep otherworldly connection between us. It was as if hot lightning had struck both of us and forever bound us together.
My eyes were sudden slaves to his; looking away would have been fighting gravity. And then, I saw, in the bottomless recesses of his black pupils, a vision of our long, happy life together.  I parted my lips to speak, but I was breathless and voiceless. He spoke first: “And you’ll get a bubble sheet at the printer. Next!”
 

Second Place

By Sarah Montgomery, 19

The crisp autumn air quivered with hidden promise, waiting to be found, like a bed of fluffy cream shrouded within a Twinkie. It had been three months now: she knew the sensuous intensity in her home teacher’s hauntingly butterscotch eyes wasn’t imagined. She saw how his fingers fumbled distractedly for the right page of the Ensign; she noticed how he lingered eagerly in the doorway once the closing prayer was done; she heard the meaningful inflection of his voice as he breathed, “Is there anything we can do for you, sisters?” She knew: they were destined to be together.
 

Third Place

By Summer Myers, 23

She often fantasized about their domestic life together: cooking meals, folding laundry, brushing their teeth. Oh, to share that intimate nocturnal rite! His rugged fingers would confidently grip the brush; he would roll the toothpaste tube, firmly and evenly, from the bottom. With every stroke his breath would become fresher, his gum line healthier, his enamel whiter.

Would he rinse with a cup, or would he sip the water from his own deft hand? She longed to know. And when he finished he would turn to her, and the resplendent gleam of his smile would be audible.

Honorable Mention

By Brittney Price

I couldn’t resist tracing the strong outline of his smooth, powerful jaw. Clear yellow eyes engaged me in a deliberate gaze. His was the sculpted body of a survivor. Practiced muscles rippled under sleek, painted skin etched perfectly by nature.

He slid towards me confidently while shedding a long weathered coat to reveal brightly alluring insignias stamped along his chiseled back. The cool wet of his iridescent face and the soothing shhh of his sweet serenade, froze me. He wrapped me in a final heart stopping embrace before snaking away. 

Almost anything can seem enticing when exaggerated and distorted — even a snake.
 

Favorite Lines

By Julie Graham

“Jacob was strong, with abs like a muffin pan, arms as thick and muscled as a python and pectorals that looked like soft, fluffy pillows.”

By Myles Watson

“But when, at last, I heard him whisper my name, his effervescent charm melted my trepidation like the spring thaw after a cruel winter.”

By Nathan Lowe

“And as they carefully reeled in both ends of that fateful noodle with their tongues, their black, furry lips met for one breathtaking and terrifying moment … ”