|
Fangirl
Mar 17, 2014 0:52:09 GMT -5
Post by HburgEagle44 on Mar 17, 2014 0:52:09 GMT -5
This could be a weird one. Hang in there with me, folks.
Love you all! -----------
"She sighed in happiness as she leaned in, closer, waiting for him to kiss her. And when he did, it was better than she had ever imagined it would be. Diane sighed and said, 'Oh Keith, I just love you so much.'
"He smiled back at her, his long hair flying about his face and his eyes crinkling at the corners. 'I love you too, my darling.'"
Anita stopped writing and thought for a moment. "No, that's too sappy. I can't do that." She sighed in frustration and erased Keith's line. "Why is it so hard to write for him? I should have done an easier one, like Damian." Pushing her hair out of her face in an aggravated manner, she continued typing for a while, coming up with a fan fiction she was at least sort of proud of.
"Nita! Time for dinner, hon."
Anita glanced at the clock in the corner of her screen. "Crap!" she gasped. "Coming, Mom!" She rushed downstairs and slid ungracefully into her spot at the table.
"How's the story coming along, dear?" her mom sighed, glancing her over. "Your characters behaving?"
"Nah. Keith is kind of hard to write. I don't really feel that I know him like I know the others, you know what I mean?" Anita sighed, pulling her glasses off and rubbing the bridge of her nose.
Her mom frowned and took a bite of her enchiladas. "Dear, I think perhaps you might want to consider stopping writing fan fiction and, maybe, it's just a suggestion, well... start writing real stories?"
"Mom," she whined. "They're real to me."
"But honey, how can you say you 'know hem' when you haven't met any of the 'lads'?" Mrs. Jackson made air quotes to supplement her questions. "It's not practical or...well. Maybe you really should try writing about something you really know about."
Anita bit her lip and slid her glasses back on. "I think I lost my appetite. I'm going to go to my room."
"Okay." Her mom ran a hand through her hair, frustrated. "See you in a while, then. Enjoy your writing."
|
|
|
Fangirl
Mar 17, 2014 7:41:58 GMT -5
Post by barbt on Mar 17, 2014 7:41:58 GMT -5
I get where she's coming from. And I think a lot of us get this kind of response. I barely tell anybody I read CT fanfiction, much less write it.
|
|
|
Post by celticbear on Mar 17, 2014 19:41:38 GMT -5
I agree with Barbt. Now writing for Keith comes naturally for me. Writing about the others is not so easy. Looking forward to seeing where this story ends up!
|
|
|
Fangirl
Mar 18, 2014 2:13:32 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by HburgEagle44 on Mar 18, 2014 2:13:32 GMT -5
Anita yawned and pulled the covers up over herself as she leaned back on her bed. Opening her laptop, she squinted against the bright screen before logging into her Facebook.
One of her many Thunderhead friends had just reposted the video titled "RIP George Donaldson". Anita's eyes welled with the semblance of tears before she liked it. She didn't have to watch it. She'd seen it multiple times that week.
She had a message from her friend Carolyn. "Hey, just wanted to say sorry for popping out like that last night. Had a family thing come up. Since it's almost 11 your time, I'll say NNGB now. Update your story soon, girl. It's epic."
Anita smiled slightly and replied, "It's fine, no big deal. I will try to update soon, but I'm kind of stuck. Any ideas? NNGB."
She turned on Microsoft word and lost herself in her story quickly enough. Trying to really feel the characters, she got frustrated every once in a while with the lads. "Ugh," she muttered. "Why can't I get close enough to their actual speech?"
"Nita?" Her mom popped her head in. "Your light was still on. What are you doing up?"
"Writing, Mom," she explained quickly, shutting her laptop. "But I think I'll go to bed now. I'm not really getting anywhere."
"Hmm. I made plans for you to go out with Danielle tomorrow. I think you need to see your friends more." Her mom waited for the anger that was sure to follow the announcement.
Anita shut her eyes and counted. "Mom. I don't want to see anyone. I want to stay inside and write, and daydream, and be who I am without anyone putting expectations on me."
"Would it help," her mom said slowly, "if I told you I got you tickets?"
Blinking a couple of times, Anita held her breath. "Tickets to what?"
"Celtic Thunder. Of course."
A slow smile spread over Anita's face. "Mom. Are you serious?"
"Very."
"How could you afford that?" Anita breathed. Getting out of bed, she hugged her mom, grinning. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"I have conditions," her mom warned her.
"Anything!" Anita promised.
"No more wearing black. You have to make friends in college, not just online. And you have to see your old friends, at least one a week." Her mom ticked the conditions off her fingers. "And never mind how we afforded it. You just have to keep your end of the bargain, and we will go see Celtic Thunder in a month and a half."
Anita grinned and climbed back into her bed. "I have to tell my friends. This is so exciting."
Her mom smiled tightly. "Go out with Danielle tomorrow. Please. She misses you. I know you think that having real friends will only hurt people in the end, but you don't have to worry about that. Really. They all love you."
Opening her laptop again, Anita nodded quickly. "Sure. Whatever you want, as long as I can finally see Celtic Thunder. Maybe it'll help my writing."
"Don't lose yourself in a false reality, Nita." At Anita's look, her mom said quickly, "Good night. Sleep well. Love you."
"Love you, Mom," Anita said, logging into Facebook again. Going to her messages with Carolyn, she typed in all capitols, "GUESS WHO'S SEEING THEIR FAV GROUP IN LESS THAN TWO MONTHS?! Ahhhhhh"
She just had to make it through the end of fall term and life would be looking up.
|
|
|
Fangirl
Mar 18, 2014 2:15:29 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by HburgEagle44 on Mar 18, 2014 2:15:29 GMT -5
PS I know the timing is off in this story. Simply enough, I don't care. My reality is jumbled and confused and has several different ideas just coming out of different time periods and I mix them as they come. So, uh, sorry not sorry? Love you all. Happy Saint Patrick's day, and happy birthday to my brother haha.
|
|
|
Post by celticbear on Mar 18, 2014 18:19:55 GMT -5
No biggie! That's the fun part of writing! I love your quirky way of writing! I'm not saying that, just because I'm your Auntie CB! The conditions to see the show are not that hard to keep up with! Looking forward to the next update!
|
|
|
Fangirl
Mar 20, 2014 13:52:51 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by HburgEagle44 on Mar 20, 2014 13:52:51 GMT -5
Anita frowned and tugged on her sweater. "This feels awfully weird," she dubiously said. "What do you think, Mom?"
Her mom stopped and stared. "It's....pink."
"Yeah. Kill me now." Anita rolled her eyes before smiling. "I'm keeping my end of the bargain. I'm going to go see Danielle now. Okay?"
Nodding slowly, her mom watched her walk out the front door. "Have fun!" she called, her eyes still large and amazed.
Anita drove to the mall slowly, trying to focus on having fun. She hadn't seen Danielle for a long time, not since she'd gotten her GED and gone off to college to be a writer.
She shook her head and concentrated on driving. She didn't want to think about why she went to college.
She didn't want to think.
"Nita!" Danielle yelled across the food court. She rushed over, her curled (?) ponytail swishing past her shoulders, and gave Anita an enthusiastic hug. "How are you?!"
Anita smiled and hugged her back. "I'm good."
Danielle let her go and seemed to wait before her grin faded slightly. "Okay. Uh...how's college?"
"It's good..." Anita paused. "I mean, hard. But I love my lit classes more than anything I ever could have done in high school."
Danielle nodded. "Yeah, high school sucks. You're so lucky you escaped. I mean..." She hesitated, her eyes widening. "I mean, you aren't lucky, but you know."
Anita rolled her eyes. "You can stop tiptoeing around me."
"You...sure?" Danielle frowned. "I mean, it sucks. Really. I can't even imagine."
Biting her bottom lip, Anita thought for a moment. "We are all dying, Danielle."
An eyebrow shot up. "What? I don't think so."
"We are." Anita drew a shaky breath. "We are all dying. I am dying. You are dying. I just happen to be dying in a different, more painful, more lonely way."
Danielle deliberated for a moment before grabbing Anita's sleeve. "Come on. You need to have some fun. Want to go shopping, or see a movie, or what?"
Anita shrugged. "Whatever you want to do is fine with me. I haven't even really been outside of the house, except for school, in months. You tell me what's the most fun."
Danielle's eyes lit up. "Want to go see Mockingjay? It's in the cheap theater right now."
"Sure." Anita smiled, half-heartedly. "Sounds like fun."
Crawling on top of her bed, Anita opened her laptop. Logging into her fan fiction site, she smiled at all the comments she had.
"Hey guys," she wrote. "Thanks for all the kind words. I can't update tonight, unfortunately.... I'm a little stuck. Tomorrow, I promise. Love you all!"
Shutting the lid, she rolled onto her side and stared at the wall. Before she drifted off to sleep, she thought, "This is for real. I'm going to meet Celtic Thunder. I wonder if they'll be anything like my portrayal."
She sighed. "I just have to keep my end of the bargain."
|
|
|
Post by celticbear on Mar 20, 2014 19:04:49 GMT -5
It's not easy for people who have drifted apart to reconnect! But at least Nita is keeping her end of the deal.
|
|
|
Fangirl
Mar 25, 2014 3:38:56 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by HburgEagle44 on Mar 25, 2014 3:38:56 GMT -5
The weeks dragged by, and the term was finally coming to an end. Anita wore colors. She met up with Danielle a couple of times. She even went to a support group twice. Anything for her mom and dad, who were pulling some serious strings to get her Celtic Thunder tickets. She knew how expensive they could be and her parents got her third row seats. They still refused to tell her how.
But Anita couldn't wait for the concert to come and go, and then she could stop upholding her end of the bargain.
Anita chewed on her pencil in frustration, listening to her professor drone on and on. All she wanted to do was go home and sit in her room and be quiet. But no, she was stuck in a gen ed class. Biology. Gross.
It made her sad just thinking about it. She opened up her phone and checked the comments on her story. She smiled at all the positive feedback she had gotten. Every comment made her smile, few as they were.
"Nita," her teacher warned. "Phone."
Anita put her phone away, feeling a bit embarrassed, but not too badly. Tugging the sleeves of her purple sweater down, she turned back to the lecture. The never-ending, always boring, lecture.
When class let out, she bounded out to her car and got in quickly. She only had a week left until the Celtic Thunder concert, and the end of this biology class was proof. She had the final next Wednesday, but this was her last real class of the term. Anita couldn't stop the smile from spreading over her face. Finally, she was free.
"How was school?" Her mom was chopping onions in the kitchen.
"Great," Anita lied. She was only in college to be an author, and sometimes it was hard to be a sophomore taking general classes.
"Awesome." Her mom looked relieved. "Look, your father is going to be home soon, so wash up and we will sit down to eat in a few minutes."
Anita frowned. "Why is Dad coming home so early?"
Her mom shrugged. "He didn't say."
Anita bit her lip. "Hmm." She went upstairs and opened her laptop. She had a message from Carolyn.
"Hey, just wanted to check in with you. Having a good week? Hope your last day of real school was awesome!"
She grinned and messaged back. "It was okay, but it feels so good for school to be over!"
Carolyn was online and they talked for quite a while, Anita forgetting the time until she heard her mom calling her.
"Oh, gotta go. Dinner time!" She signed off before rushing downstairs.
"Sorry, Mom. Dad. I was talking to Carolyn and forgot the time." Anita grinned hopefully.
"Nita," her mom said softly. "Why you can speak to an online friend for hours and real people for only two minutes, at best, is beyond me."
"Mom," Anita started, worried.
"You should be worried about the people you know, here, now."
"Honey." Anita's dad frowned. "Let's eat."
"Alan, she can't keep--"
"She can."
Anita sat timidly at the table as her parents had a silent conversation. "So, um, Dad, why are you home so early?"
"Your mother didn't tell you?" He looked surprised.
Anita's mom rolled her eyes. "Of course i didn't."
He smiled. "Tonight we are going to a pub."
"A pub?" Anita asked skeptically. "Don't you have to be eighteen to get into one of those? Or twenty-one?"
"Eighteen." Her dad smiled at her. "But I called in a favor. And they'll only let you in if I'm there. So I took the time." He beamed proudly.
"A favor?" Anita frowned even harder. "What kind of favor?"
"Well..." Her dad mimicked her frown. "A perk."
"I've only ever read about those," Anita said in astonishment. "A serious medical perk?" She paused, " aren't they called cancer perks? I don't have cancer."
"Nope. But you do have a medical problem," her mom pointed out. "You don't have to go to the pub, you know."
"Why do you want to go to the pub, Dad?" Anita asked.
"Well, I don't really care. But you will." He winked, large and exaggerated. "It just so happens that Keith Harkin is performing at a pub not forty miles from here tonight."
Anita blinked twice before a smile flashed across her face. "What. Seriously. You're going to take me to see Keith, and a week before I even expected?"
Her dad nodded proudly.
"Are you coming?" Anita asked her mom.
She shook her head. "I can't. I promised Janine I would watch her children a couple of weeks ago. Your father planned this two days ago."
Anita frowned but smiled quickly. "Well... That's too bad. But I'm so excited, I can't stand it!" She hadn't felt excited, actually truly excited, in months, and she felt that she might burst from the unfamiliar feeling.
Her dad laughed. "Eat, and then we'll leave. It'll be fun."
Anita nodded, scarfing down her food. As soon as she could, she rushed upstairs to get ready.
Her mom frowned at her dad. "It'll be fun...you hope."
Anita logged into her fan fiction account quickly. "I'm sorry I can't post at seven tonight. I'm going to see Keith Harkin!!!!!!"
Within moments, she had three comments. Grinning as she clicked through them, she got ready with haste, ready to meet one of the lads that had kept her alive during the darkest point of her life.
And without thinking, she even put on a light pink shirt.
|
|
|
Post by celticbear on Mar 25, 2014 17:48:09 GMT -5
Loved this update! I would be just like Anita if I got the chance to see one of Keith's solo shows!
|
|
|
Fangirl
Mar 25, 2014 20:19:48 GMT -5
Post by TheDoctorDonna on Mar 25, 2014 20:19:48 GMT -5
This is great! Please continue!
|
|
|
Fangirl
Mar 29, 2014 2:58:04 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by HburgEagle44 on Mar 29, 2014 2:58:04 GMT -5
Anita figited with her hands while her dad drove. The silence in the car was starting to affect her excited mood, so she began writing her story in her head.
"So, Keith just needs to win her back," she thought with a frown. "But she's stubborn.... And won't want to let him. So he needs something special to win her back. Maybe... A song." Anita shook her head. "Too cliche. Maybe, uh...a date? Yes! Emmet could trick her into going on a date with Keith and he could dedicate something to her...?"
Anita sighed and stared out the window. "Dad, have you ever had to win Mom back?"
Her dad chuckled. "Your mother is stubborn," he said. "I have had to woo her many times throughout our dating and even our marriage."
"How would you do it?" Anita turned to face her dad and was surprised to see him frowning.
"Well, take tonight for instance," he said. "She's mad at me right now for taking you to see Keith."
"What?" Anita asked, surprised. "Why?"
"She didn't want you to know that it was possible for you to get perks." He shrugged. "She thought you would be better off just thinking that your..."
"Dad, it's okay. You can say problem." Anita bit her lip discreetly.
Her dad wouldn't look at her and shook his head. "Anyway, because of what happened, you have the opportunity to get a wish, so to say. So this is part of your wish."
Anita raised her eyebrows and turned to look out the window again. "And the other part?"
"I think I'll let your mother tell you about that," he said slowly.
Anita nodded. "Okay. I can wait. Although, technically, it is my wish, so I should be choosing, right?"
He smiled. "We figured we knew what you wanted more than anything. Don't worry."
She nodded and was quiet for a while. "So how are you going to win Mom back?"
He groaned, but laughed. "Probably I will just have to give her a nice back massage and watch a ridiculous movie with her, and maybe make her dinner or something. I try to make it something different every time. Surprise her, so to speak. Why?"
"Writing." Anita smiled. "I need a way for Keith to win his girl back."
"Mhmm." Her dad nodded and smiled at her. "Well, I guess you should just do whatever would make you happy."
"Okay." Anita was so grateful for her dad. He went along with anything.
She wrote in her head for quite a while longer, letting the silence in the car stretch on and on. Her dad didn't like music in the car, so that was a no. She contented herself with writing.
"We are here!" her dad announced jubilantly, causing Anita to jump. "Are you ready?"
"To go listen to Keith Harkin in person?" Anita asked. "Definitely!"
"You don't want much, huh?"
"What do you mean?" She turned to look at her dad as she got ready to get out of the car.
His eyes crinkled in amusement. "Perks. You get to meet him."
Anita's mouth dropped open before she slowly smiled. "Well, then, I'm glad I brought my camera."
He just laughed before getting out and opening her door. "After you, m'lady."
"Thank you, Father. Let's go listen to some great music."
|
|
|
Post by celticbear on Mar 29, 2014 22:37:37 GMT -5
Love the fact that Anita's dad supports her in her writing and in her being a Thunderhead! I would love to be Anita right now! Can't what for the next update!
|
|
|
Fangirl
Apr 20, 2014 1:05:09 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by HburgEagle44 on Apr 20, 2014 1:05:09 GMT -5
Anita bit her lip. "Why is this so hard?!" She slammed her hand on her desk and stared at her laptop. Pulling up Facebook, she messenged Carolyn. "Why is it I met Keith and I still can't write him?"
Carolyn typed back immediately. "You have to tell me about that!!!!"
"He was nice."
There was a long silence as Carolyn didn't type back for a few minutes. "That is the most blah thing I think you have ever said. And you've said a lot of blah things."
"He shook my hand and asked me if I was excited for the concert next week." Anita stopped and smiled to herself. "And I said yes."
"Duh."
"And then he moved on to his next fans, but before he did so, he looked really sad."
"Why would he look sad?"
"Maybe my dad somehow told him about my, uh, 'problem' or something." Anita took a bite of her muffin before she started typing again. "Whatever. It was a weird look though. Could I write a look like that into my story?"
"Maybe. Maybe you could put it where Keith glances at his girl and she won't go back to him, so he gives her a weird look but lets it go."
"This is why I love you."
Carolyn messenged back a few minutes later. "I know."
Anita leaned back and thought about Keith's show again. Her dad had been very quiet, only nodding as Keith came to their table first.
"Alan?" Keith had asked. Her dad nodded and Keith shook his hand. "And you must be Anita."
"Nita, please."
Anita opened her eyes. Yeah. That had been one of the good moments. Something to add to her list.
She jumped up from her chair and pulled a wrinkled piece of paper out from under a book. Grabbing a pen, she scribbled "met Keith Harkin and he was kind" on it. She leaned back and nodded.
He had been kind.
"It's very nice to meet you." His eyes wrinkled slightly at the corners when he smiled. "Are you excited for the show? And for the concert next week?"
She had nodded slowly, not sure what to say. She was just taking in his mannerisms and method of speech, mentally taking notes for her story.
He waited before smiling again. "Great. I have to go talk to some other fans, but I will see you next week, okay?"
She shook his hand and he looked sad.
Anita, coming back to the present, frowned before going downstairs. "Dad?" she called.
"Hmm?" Her dad was sitting in his easy chair, reading.
"Why did Keith look so sad when he left us?" Anita asked, leaning up against the door frame.
Her dad looked up in surprise. "I don't know, kiddo."
"Don't call me that," she scoffed. "I'm not a child anymore. Did you tell him?"
He frowned and took his reading glasses off. "When did you get so old?" he murmured.
"When I stopped believing in magic, and good in the world, and all the cliches that I wish were real," she murmured just as quietly.
He frowned. "Yeah, Keith knew."
"Why?" Anita burst. "For what purpose?"
"He needed to know in order to let you in the pub."
Anita shrewdly glanced at her father. He was aging and tired, and seemed to be struggling to keep himself together. "Dad," she said slowly. "I don't want people to know."
He tensed. "Well, you know what, maybe that's the problem."
"What?" she asked, taken aback. Her dad had always been so supportive...
"Maybe you just need to have a support group. Or maybe you need to come out of your shell, stop writing your stories, and enjoy life here." He motioned around. "The world is beautiful, Nita, and you spend your time with your head half in the clouds and half in the grave."
Anita bit her lip and nodded. "I see." Turning on her heel, she walked away. And her dad let her.
"' I still believe that this world is beautiful,' Diana said softly, turning to Keith. 'And I think that sometimes you add to the beauty of this earth. But sometimes you detract from it, leaving me confused and dizzy. How can I be with someone like that?'
"Keith looked confused and hurt. 'Dont you believe in our love?' he asked gruffly, trying to take her hand.
"Diana backed away from him, tears burning in her eyes. 'Yes,' she whispered. 'And that's why I need some time.'
"She slipped away, leaving Keith staring after her with a quizzical look in his eyes"--
Anita frowned and stopped typing. "It wasn't quizzical." She shook her head. "Maybe I need a break."
"You could do your homework."
Anita jumped and turned to stare at her mom. "Oh," she said, leaning back against her chair. "You scared me."
Her mom smiled slightly. "I talked to your dad."
Anita swallowed and avoided her mom's eyes.
"He is right."
"You don't understand," Anita whispered harshly.
"I understand perfectly, Anita." Her mom pursed her lips. "And that's why I think it's dangerous for you to be so isolated all the time. You should at least go outside. Be alone, but in nature."
There was a long silence before Anita stood. "Fine." She grabbed her guitar. "But I'm taking this with me."
"Go ahead." Her mom stood back from the door, letting Anita pass. "Have fun."
Tugging on a yellow sweatshirt, Anita walked outside and took the bike path down to the river. She found an old stump to sit on before slowly starting to strum her guitar.
"You can have my heart," she sang softly, so softly it was almost impossible to hear. "But it isn't new..."
-----
I don't actually know where this is going. I used to but the story slipped away from me somehow... Let me know what you think.
|
|
|
Fangirl
Apr 20, 2014 18:23:47 GMT -5
Post by barbt on Apr 20, 2014 18:23:47 GMT -5
Stories keep doing that...If you try to force them where you want them, they aren't any good. They have to tell you where to go.
|
|