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What happens when the ghosts of your past
follow you onto a national reality show? The
Standout, a psychological thriller by Laurel Osterkamp, offers a tense and
timely take on sabotage, secrets, and self-discovery.
Laurel Osterkamp is an award-winning author whose fiction spans romance, women’s literature, and psychological suspense. With novels like The Next Breath, The Side Project, and Favorite Daughters, she crafts stories that examine the complexities of modern womanhood, ambition, and resilience. Her writing is grounded in her experience as a theater major, educator, and MFA graduate, and she infuses each story with emotional intelligence and psychological depth. Laurel lives in Minneapolis, where she writes full-time and teaches ESL. Follow her on Instagram or explore her work at her website.
See below for an excerpt from The Standout
The last time I saw my old sex-buddy Robert was years ago, when he ran from Clara’s tree house, but this morning he texts me with a picture attached. He’s sprawled on his bed, wearing nothing but a suggestive pose and a cowboy hat. What’s even more horrifying is the message: I’ve been thinking about you too.
Never mind how uncanny the timing of his text is. No. My first reaction is repulsion; how could I ever have slept with a guy who’d send a picture like this? The hat is so tacky! But after I get over his poor taste in accessories, I realize there are multiple reasons to be disturbed. The feathered cowboy hat is just the tip of the pornographic iceberg.
What if Nick had been around when I’d gotten that text? How could I possibly explain it away? And why did Robert decide to text me now, with everything else that’s been going on? It has to be more than a coincidence.
So I text him back. Can we talk? Today?
Sure, he responds, and sends me his work address.
His single-story office building is on the edge of downtown and I wait outside during lunch hour. At 11:52 I spot Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome walking out and heading straight for the Jimmy Johns. I step into his path.
“Hi, Robert.”
His face has aged little in the last few years. Unlike Clara’s mother, Robert seems virtually unchanged by tragedy.
“Robin.” He smiles like he can picture me in nothing but a lacy thong. “Hey, how are you?”
“I’m fine, good actually. I’m getting married.” I dig my heels into the sidewalk and hug my arms to my chest. The wind whips through me but I’ll make it clear: I do not want him warming me up. “I’ve never been happier and I can’t imagine EVER doing ANYTHING to jeopardize that.”
“Congratulations.” He tugs at his tie and the realization that I’m not going to sleep with him skips across his face. “Look, it’s great seeing you but I’m pressed for time—”
“This won’t take long. I’m sorry to hear about Clara.”
Robert’s finely chiseled jaw goes rigid. “Thanks. But we separated years ago, pretty much right after she found out about you and me. I mean, it’s terrible that she’s missing, but—”
“Missing? Her mother said she’d died.”
“She’s presumed dead.” Robert’s nostrils flare but his shoulders sag. “Clara was traveling in Greece and there was a bus accident. Lots of bodies were burned. It was pretty gruesome. But they looked at dental records and her body was never found.”
“Oh.” Images flood my mind: a bus tumbling down a cliff and erupting into flames, Clara’s beautiful face melting in the ashes, or perhaps, Clara getting up and walking away?
Robert raises his hand as if to pat my shoulder but then he changes his mind. “Sorry, Robin. I really do need to go. Good luck with your marriage; I’m sure you’ll need it.”
He’s almost become a blur on the sidewalk before his comment sinks in.
What a jackass.
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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27281023-the-standout
Robin Bricker joins The Standout, hoping to find purpose and creative direction in a televised competition blending ballet and fashion. But when anonymous threats begin to surface—first an email warning her to end her engagement, then a slanderous website targeting her past—Robin finds herself in a spiral of doubt and fear. With each episode, trust among the contestants unravels, and the show's glamorous veneer begins to crack. Her only allies are her fiercely protective brother Ted and Zelda, a guarded model-dancer whose presence brings more questions than answers. As the stakes rise, Robin must reckon with old wounds, personal truths, and the possibility that she’s been manipulated from the start.
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