Chapter 3
Nick read the letter and, although the comment about him being an asshole gave him a chuckle, the end of it terrified him. He wasn’t sure he’d even get a reply, let alone that she would actually want to read his stuff. Staring long and hard at the letter, he weighed the pros and cons. The more he’d thought about sending the story, the more he’d debated. This was his life that he’d written. It wasn’t some made-up fantasy from the lovesick mind of a 15 year-old. What if she made a connection? What if she had heard rumors? What if she thought it was crap and completely unbelievable?
He chewed on his thumb some more. One of the biggest plusses to sending the story would be that he could get totally unbiased advice. Everyone who knew him and his situation tried to help out and tell them what they thought. But they all knew him and they all knew Alaina and everyone had their own feelings on each person, so it made it hard to decipher what he should really do from what people wanted him to do. He really had no one to talk to about his problems. Everyone was tired of hearing him whine, but no one would really tell him what to do.
Closing his eyes he leaned back in his chair and flicked on his CD player. Quickly clicking through tracks, he settled on the one he was looking for.
I just wanna talk to you…Where are my friends tonight? I’m feeling so blue. Tonight…Tonight…Tonight…Tonight…
If anyone caught him listening to this, he’d have a lot of explaining to do. But he couldn’t help himself. True his sister and this guy had a brief, yet tumultuous relationship, but damn if he couldn’t write a song. There were two songs that Nick felt described how he was feeling perfectly. One, entitled Sometimes I, seemed to perfectly portray nearly every relationship, romantic or otherwise, that Nick had ever been in. Where were you when I needed you, when I felt so bad? Where have you been in my darkest hours, when I felt so sad? Yup, that was Nick in a nutshell. Talk to You had become his personal anthem of late, basically summing up his frustrations in the first few lines.
After listening to the song several times through, he finally came to a decision. Even if she completely ripped his writing apart, he was sure she be able to help “Jeannie” work through some creative difficulties involving “Nick” and “Elaine.” Shutting off his radio, he sat back up and stared at the computer again.
Jill,
The effort you put into your stories obviously shows. They’re incredible. That’s why I want to know your opinion. Please be as brutal as you possibly can. I don’t want any type of sympathy whatsoever. I’ve also hit a bit of a block concerning the story, so any advice you may have as to what my characters should do would also be greatly appreciated. I’m sending you the first three chapters (I hope that’s not too much) and whenever you get a chance to look at them is fine. I’m a little busy with work so I won’t have time to check my email often for a couple of weeks. I can’t wait to hear from you.
Jeannie Thomas
