“But his mom insisted he couldn’t be rude to such an old friend. ‘Don’t be so sure it will go badly,’ his mom said. ‘You don’t know what Celeste is like these days. You don’t have to be so negative.’ So here he was, waiting. This was going to be incredibly awkward. Plus, all his friends had gone to this awesome film festival downtown, and he had to skip it. He checked the time on the big station clock. His friends were in the midst of watching his favorite classic animated film. It was hardly ever shown in theaters anymore. Instead, he was waiting for someone he hadn’t seen in years. What a waste of time.” (paragraph 1)
“Celeste and Lonnie had been next-door neighbors since the two had come home from the same hospital as infants. They played together as toddlers, went to the same preschool, and even played in Little League together. Then Celeste moved to California.” (paragraph 2)
In these excerpts, the author chooses to show the recent past and then the present, before going back to the beginning of the relationship, and sharing details of the distant past. What is the effect of that choice?
A. It effectively builds to a climax, showing readers that the truth of the present situation must be found in the past.
B. It effectively builds suspense, hinting to readers that Lonnie will make an important decision about his friendship with Celeste.
C. It creates effective pacing, allowing the author to surprise the reader as the reader travels further and further back into the story’s past.
D. It allows the author to get the reader interested in Lonnie’s present predicament before the author has fully filled in all the background information.