Chapter 2
Jill plodded into her apartment, throwing her heavy backpack down with a sigh. After snagging a soda from her tiny refrigerator, she sat down at her computer. It had been a few days since she had checked her email and she knew it would be a big task. It would also help her get her mind off the lousy day she’d had. After checking her personal address she moved on to her fan fiction address. She had all sorts of mail and Jill scanned the subjects, already seeing she’d be getting some hate mail, and decided to start with a message entitled “Just Wondering...” She clicked and read, mentally commentating as she did.
Dear Jill,
Hi, I was surfing around the internet last night when I stumbled across you site. I have to say that I was very impressed with your writing talent and your stories are very lifelike. You write the Backstreet Boys the same way I imagine them to be in real life.
‘Complimenting, good...You imagine them to be assholes at times? You can’t be half bad then...’
Have you ever met them before? Just wondering.
‘Why do they always ask that?...’
Anyway, the real reason I’m writing is because I’ve written a fan fic of sorts and was wondering if I could get your opinion on it. I don’t want you to host it or anything like that, just take a look at it and tell me what you think.
‘Good, I don’t host...I’m kinda scared...’
It’s the first time I’ve ever written a story and I’m just curious what someone else thinks of it. If it’s okay to send it to you, write me back.
‘First time? Now I’m very scared...’
Sincerely,
Jean Thomas
Jill had to laugh at the name. Either that was very coincidental, or a big joke. She thought about it for a minute. She wasn’t especially keen on reading and commenting on other people’s writing, mostly because she had trained herself to be such a harsh critic, but Jean seemed pretty literate and so she opted to agree to it.
Jean,
Hi! First off, thank you so much for your kind words! I waste- oops, spend a lot of time on my fan fiction and I’m so happy when others enjoy it. I’m glad you agree with my take on the Boys. I’ve never actually met them, just had an isolated incident in my younger days. Three years ago - being much more immature and obsessive - I followed them to their hotel and managed to see Nick and Brian getting in an elevator. I let out an ear-splitting “I love you!”, to which Brian smiled and waved and Nick ignored (that asshole! :) ). So as of yet, that is a dream yet to be realized. Big dramatic sigh. Either way, they’re just guys. It’s a big statement, but it gets forgotten a lot.
On to your question: yes, I’d be glad to read your story. I have to warn you that I’m a pretty harsh critic, so let me know how much you can take and I’ll dish out accordingly. ;) Take care!
~Jill~
After sending off her reply Jill decided the rest of the mail could wait til later and so disconnected. Almost immediately afterward the phone rang, so Jill grabbed it on the way to the couch.
“Hello?”
“You’re actually offline now? Damn,” her boyfriend Steve marvelled. She rolled her eyes.
“Hello to you too, sweetheart.”
“How long were you on, like eight hours?”
Jill glanced at the clock. “Ten minutes?”
“It had to have been longer.”
“You’re right, I actually left the computer connected for twelve hours, just so you couldn’t get through and would get pissed off.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me.” She was about to change the subject and tell the story of her day when Steve let out a loud sigh.
“What?”
“Nothing, there was just some crazy shit going on today.” Without waiting for her reply he launched into the story of the “crazy shit” that had gone on that day. Jill popped in “mm-hmm”’s and “uh-huh”’s when she could, but she wasn’t even sure they were heard. Finally his story was done and Jill got ready to tell him the story of her day, glad that she’d finally be able to discuss it with someone.
“OK, babe, I’ve gotta get going,” he said after finishing.
“Oh...um, OK,” she answered, disappointed. “Do you want to get together later?”
“It’s poker night,” he reminded her.
“Oh, right.”
“Why, you need something?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“OK, talk to you later.”
“Bye,” she said softly, hanging up and laying back on the sofa. It was a few minutes before Jill realized Steve hadn’t even asked how she was. ‘Then again,’ she mused with a sad smile, ‘why should I start noticing now?’
Chapter 3
