Tycharink and I wrote this together--No title yet!

[usgeisha]

TYCHARINK & I WROTE THIS TOGETHER--I WROTE, THEN SHE WROTE--THE SPACES ARE CHANGE IN PERSON--GENERALLY... WE KNOW IT'S RANDOM

“There once was a pink elephant named Ellie. She was the prettiest elephant in Elephant land—“
“NO! I AM THE PRETTIEST ELEPHANT IN ELEPHANT LAND!”<br> Clara sighed. She was sick of reading bedtime stories to her sister Hannah. She was always interrupted and constantly contradicted. “But Hannah, you’re a human.” Hannah sighed, “Oh yeah. I forgot.”
Clara rolled her eyes. There were things much more complicated than pretty pink elephants on her mind. For one thing there was the whole Jake situation…<br>
She glanced at Hannah and sighed again. She was just a puny little girl with an empty head--- and her life was less complicated. Clara was different. She had an intelligent brain, which made life seem so difficult. And what made her so hopeless.
Jake.
One famous guy. And one famous airhead.
She wished she was Hannah; stupid, foolish, silly and wound up in her weird world. But she wasn’t. She was Clara, intelligent and clever, and always, always alert, living in the real world.

Well, the real world meaning a world filled of technology, boy problems, girl fights and of course celebrity crushes. Jake Stefo—only the hottest celebrity since… ever! Jake would definitely be the hottest elephant in Elephant land… Recently she had written Jake a letter:

Dear Jake,
I’m a fan—a big fan! I mean your acting in “Moving Forward” was superb… Your latest album, “Universe” just struck me as utterly genius. I know you get this all the time, but your eyes remind me of the brightest, bluest sky. Thank you for being such an amazing influence on the world. I would love to meet you someday.
Love, love, love,
Clara Roberts

Now, he was air headed on TV… But his reply proved that he wasn’t as ditzy as Clara had thought. His letter in reply had read:

Dear Miss Clara Roberts,
Let me tell you first that your letter struck me as utterly genius!
I can’t find a good enough word for what I thought when I finished reading it. But one thing I know; you must be an extremely kind, understanding, clever girl. You must be good at writing, too. That metaphor was fantastic. It brightened my day, really.
Your letter was a unique one--- I hope I proved my honesty but replying to you. I really hate the other letters that get dumped into my mailbox everyday. All they talk about it how I look, never about my career… They just never write what you wrote for me.
Thank you so much, and I hope that this letter brightens your day as yours did to me!
Yours Truly,
Jake Stefo

Not only did the letter brighten her day--- it made her crazy. He replied, he replied, he replied! She read it so many times she practically memorized the entire letter. She couldn’t forget the Yours Truly part. She loved his handwriting, what he said, his signature--- and the fact that he bothered to reply to her, one clever, alert, unpopular girl.

The kids at school didn’t believe her. Not even when she photocopied the letter (she of course wouldn’t bring the original copy—kids would try to tear it!) “Yeah, right,” sneered Gina Clarise—the most popular girl in school. “And why on earth would Jake Stefo write a letter to you?”
Clara rolled her eyes. “Let’s think… Because I wrote one to him!” Duh she added silently. Gina looked almost thoughtful for a moment. “Oh. Right. Really?”
“Uh. Yeah.” Clara couldn’t believe how dense some people could be. Gina pursed her lips, “Fine. We’ll see about this. I’ll write him a letter and if he replies to me, maybe I’ll believe you.” She trotted away, her parade of followers trailing behind her like puppies.
The next day at school, Gina thrust a letter into Clara’s face.
Dear Jake,
You’re like the hottest guy like ever. Your hotness is like totally like similar to like the sun. It is like making heat. You have blue eyes and blondish-brown hair. It’s really hot. I think you’re hot. Do you think so? If you reply, you’ll be even hotter.
Bye hottie,
Gina Clarise

P.S. You are like so hot that I barely hear you speak.

“What do you think?” Gina asked, practically eagerly. “Uh… Well Jake said something about not liking people only focusing on his looks—”
Gina glared, “Yeah, right, whatever Claire. You’re just jealous my letter’s better than yours!”
“First of all my name is not Claire—”
“Whatever. Bye—and he’ll love my letter!… By the way, what’s his address?”
Inwardly, Clara groaned.

“Sorry, but I don’t remember,” she replied in a haste and ran down the hallway to the staircase. She had survived another day of school--- and she was feeling proud of herself after school for the first time.
She could hear Gina talking with her friends, saying, “I’m so gonna get a reply. You watch it, okay? That Claire or whatever is like, so gonna faint and cry and admit she was defeated--- I mean, I can’t believe she’s challenging me like this! Uh!”<br> Clara rolled her eyes and ran down the stairs. She wouldn’t be defeated. Jake would hate that letter. Really. All Gina said in her letter was You’re hot, your hotness, you’re hot. Jake said he hated those letters. Clara knew that he would instantly notice the littleness of Gina’s brain. She was going to win---
Clara shook the thought out of her head. She wasn’t going to focus on victory. She was going to be happy and proud at the thought that Jake Stefo--- yes, the Jake Stefo--- bothered to reply.

Clara stared at Hannah again. Tomorrow, she was practically unwilling to go to school. I mean, it had been almost a week since Gina had sent that letter and maybe—just maybe Jake replied to all the letters. He probably did and just wrote to everyone saying the exact same thing. Jerk. She thought. Gosh… “READ ME A STORY!” Hannah screamed. Clara made an aggravated noise. “Hee, hee, hee. That was funny. Do that again. It sounded like a pink elephant!”
“Shut up!” Clara yelled.
“You said a bad word! MOMMY!” Hannah ran out of the room, crying. Great. Just great. Look what you’ve done Jake the Jerk. How could I ever think he was hot? She wondered going to her room, before Mom could yell at her infront of Hannah. Jake’s poster covered Clara’s door. Well, maybe he was still hot… But there was only one way to find out if he actually cared about her letter… Write him another one. She began slowly,
Jake,
I think I’m in love. You are incredibly hot. It’s like your heat is almost as hot as the sun! My friend and I are having a fight. Her name is Clara and she says she like you for who you are—inside. What’s with that—I mean hotness is the only way you’re cool, right? Well, anyway, this Clara girl says that if only she could meet you and prove her point—if only she could show the world that there was more to Jake Stefo than looks—she could die happy. I mean, she does have a deadly case of unpopularity after all.
XOXOXO,
Claire Webster
P.S. I know my handwriting is similar to Clara’s—I mean we are best friends after all, right?


MR. JAKE STEFO
He was seriously beginning to hate the sound of that name. Who was he?--- nothing but a stupid, foolish, popular airhead. He knew that. He wished he could stop being that person; that person acting cool on TV, that “hottie” who all the girls screamed for.
But it was too late, of course. He was Jake Stefo more than he was himself, Forrest Johnson. He looked at the pink envelope again. It was signed Gina Clarise. He didn’t even want to read it--- but maybe it was from a decent girl… Like that Clara.
He was betrayed. The first words on the letter said, “You’re like the hottest guy ever.” He wasn’t interested. Why must they all be like this? He threw the letter in the DON’T REPLY pile. He glanced at it and compared it to the REPLY pile. About 300 letters to 0 letters.
At first, he had replied to almost all of them. He loved the attention, the comments. But after a month he got sick of it. Hot, hot, hot. That was all they wrote. The letter from Clara was the only letter he had replied to in the last three years of fame.
Clara’s letter. He did like to read it--- especially when he was annoyed or disappointed. It was different, and had been worth replying to. He hoped she knew he was being honest.
But then again, all celebrities lied.
He hated the Jake Stefo he was. And he hated the celebrity world so much.

He sifted through the latest letters. His heart almost stopped—there it was, Clara’s handwriting. The one letter he had ever liked—the only one he had memorized. The only one that mattered to him. Maybe now there could be more than one. He read the letter quickly—his heart thumped quickly. It wasn’t from Clara after all, it was from her best friend, Claire. It sounded like Clara was in trouble. But what could he do about it? After all, he was only a celebrity—wait! Jake Stefo was a celebrity! But Forrest Johnson wasn’t!
Dear Clara,
This is Forrest Johnson--I'm a friend of Jake's. He is absolutely enamored with your letter. It was the only letter he has ever come to enjoy. He hopes that you truly know this. Recently, he was heartbroken upon recieveing a letter from your friend--Claire Webster. He found that you are unpopular and here's words of advice:
Clara:
Be who you truly are. A wonderful, unique and smart girl. And never forget, if Jake Stefo likes you, everyone does! Just kidding. Hey, do you have a boyfriend?
Jake
By the way, I'm going to be near Wilmsville (where you live, right?) soon. Maybe I can meet you. Please reply.
Forrest Johnson--a personal friend of Jake Stefo

Jake/Forrest sighed. He hoped it would work. The letter was pretty corny though, wasn’t it? Hm… He said as he put the letter in an envelope…<br>

[usgeisha]

THE REST

Clara breathed deeply as she entered the classroom. Math class--- the last period. She would see Gina. She would discover whether she had gotten a reply or not (she would have gotten a reply by now); the true side of Jake Stefo. Jerk or Nice?
She took her seat at the back of the room and took a quick glance at Gina. She didn’t look very happy--- but not depressed or angry, either. Just… not talking much with her friends… Maybe…? Clara wanted to know the result. Had she won?
She could hardly focus in class, but was alert enough to answer all the questions correctly. At the end of class, she decided to go over to Gina and find out. Or else she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight!
She walked over to Gina before she stood up. Gina and her friends stared at her like she was crazy.
“What’s up with this world? Miss Nobody comes over to us?” Gina said.
Ignoring her, Clara asked, “Hey, um… Did you… Did he reply?”<br> “What? Who?”<br> “Jake.” A silent duh.
Jerk or nice? Jerk or nice? Jerk or nice?
Clara looked into Gina’s eyes for the answer—the truth. Gina opened her mouth…<br>
“Uh, yeah. Of course I did. I mean, you’re talking to me!” Gina’s friends stared at Gina curiously, “You got a letter, really?” Asked one particularly ditzy friend, Elina. Gina glared at her, “Of course I—”
Clara sighed happily, “Didn’t.” Gina swiveled around. “Excuse me?” Clara looked her square in the eye, “You’re a bad liar, duh, you didn’t get a letter!”<br>~*~*~
Even though Gina had verbally beat her up, Clara had never been happier. “Clara, you’ve got mail,” Clara’s mom told her. “It must be important too, it was sent express.” Clara’s heart skipped a beat, the envelope was labeled from Jake Stefo’s address…<br>
But it wasn’t Jake. It was… Forrest Johnson. Whoever that was, it was still from Jake’s address. Clara went to her room and locked the door. Hannah would ruin it all if she came in.
This Forrest Johnson was a personal friend of Jake. And what’s more, Jake wrote to her again! A personal advice! She could faint. Be who you are. And look at all those nice adjectives mentioned! And… Do you have a boyfriend? She felt her face going all red. Why would he want to know?—Clara Roberts, stop being an airhead and think straight! Of course, Jake wanted to know because if she did have a boyfriend (which of course she didn’t), it could be part of her “Popularity Plan”.
She read on. Forrest wanted to see her? Half of her worried that she would look a total loser, and the other half doubted this Forrest Johnson. He could be lying… He didn’t sound like a liar…<br> She wished she knew about him and Jake more.

Forrest Johnson. I mean the name was kind of… Well, dorky. And meeting a stranger, never, ever a good idea. She didn’t want to seem like a ditz. This whole thing was a bad idea. Maybe, if he visited her at school or… No! She could become popular without the help of a celebrity—that was using him!
Dear Forrest and Jake,
Forrest:
Meeting? Well, I don’t really know you—at all. Not a good idea. But thanks anyway. Maybe I’ll see you around here, whenever you’re visiting.
Jake:
Thanks for the advice. I think I’ll live. But you too, do I really know you or do I know Jason, Lucas, Pete—the characters you played. Your acting makes me feel as if I know you—but do I? No, not really. Please forgive me for being so frank. Thanks for writing and everything, but honestly. Thanks for everything.
Clara Roberts—still a fan!


He sat near the fireplace, tapping his feet. He wanted Clara’s reply, fast. He wanted her to be happy—and to believe that he was telling the truth—that Forrest was telling the truth. He wanted her to know Forrest Johnson, his real self. But maybe… She only liked Jake Stefo. Maybe she thought she knew him.
He decided to stop thinking about it all. He didn’t want to think about anything—his job, the miserable self he was… He wished his life was better.

“Your mail Forrest,” Chuck—his bodyguard—said dumping a load of envelopes on the coffee table. Jake/Forrest again eagerly sifted the mail. Clara, Clara, Clara! He spotted it, at last. Keenly he read the letter, his face dropping gradually. She was right though. She didn’t know him. At all.
Clara:
You're right. I was wrong to ask you to meet--I'm really sorry. I write to you as one person--the only person I am--the only person I will ever be. Forrest Johnson. The world knows me as Jake Stefo, a person I will never be. Only you know who I really am. And as Forrest Johnson. Thanks for everything. Thank you for being an honest, wonderful person.
Sincerely,
Forrest Johnson
internationally known as Jake Stefo
~*~*~
P.S. Can you not tell other people? I trust you!


There it was again! A letter from Forrest Johnson. Clara locked herself into her room again and ripped the envelope open. Her eyes ecame wider and wider in surprise as she read through the letter.
Forrest Johnson = Jake Stefo.
No. Wrong—wasn’t it? If Forrest was Jake, that would mean he—Jake Stefo—asked to meet her! And she refused!
But that was the right thing to do, because it was true; she did not know Jake or Forrest. It would be fun to know him (them?) but… It would be awkward.
I trust you.
Clara wouldn’t betray him, of course. She wouldn’t tell—just in case this Forrest being Jake was a lie.

It probably was a lie. I mean almost everyone in school knew about Clara’s letter to Jake. Gina probably made this up—or Gina and the smarter of her friends. I mean, really it sounded very unrealistic. Whatever. She vowed never ever to write another letter to a celebrity. Ever.
~*~*~
The next day was Tuesday, assembly day. As the kids slowly entered the auditorium, the principal’s voice came over the intercom. “Attention, everyone. Please find your seats quickly, as today we have a special assembly. A guest has joined us today—a very special guest. Please be seated!” The rush, quickened, slightly. Five minutes later everyone was seated, preparing for a boring speech by a droning professor. Some special guest. “Everyone, I am honored to welcome Mr. Forrest Johnson to the stage.” Whispers and rustling filled the auditorium. “Forrest Johnson—Professor, yeah?—I dunno…--Weird name—Yeah.—Dumb assemblies—yeah…”
“ATTENTION! Here he is, child actor, Forrest Johnson!” Forrest/Jake walked on stage. The student body gasped as a whole. “That isn’t Forrest whatever—that’s Jake! Jake Stefo! Omigosh! Do you think he’s signing autographs?”
“QUIET! Forrest has prepared a special speech for you all.”

It took more than three minutes for all the girls to hush down. Many of them tried to climb upstage, but Forrest didn’t even look at them. He was looking straight ahead towards the very back of the auditorium, past everyone’s gaze.
Clara heard the boys whispering, “He’s gonna make a speech? I thought he was dumb!”<br> Forrest took a breath and began. “Hi—I’m here today…”
“JAAAAAKKKKEEEEEE!!!!!”<br> Forrest sighed a devastated sigh. “Hi… Well actually, I’m here today, as I was saying, as Forrest Johnson, not the Jake Stefo I am known to be.

(this lead to several “huhs” from the audience) I learned a lesson, from a very special girl who actually attends this school—Ms. Clara Roberts—now, I would like the world to know me as who I really am. I used a different name because, well, Jake Stefo sounds cooler than Forrest Johnson. Now, I want everyone to see that I am truly Forrest Johnson—someone more than ‘hot Jake Stefo’—someone really respected as an actor. So, thank you Clara. Thank you for helping me discover that I could truly be something more. Where is Clara?” Every single girl in the audience raised her hand. Forrest noticed that the only girl that didn’t was sitting way in the back, slumped down in her seat. Several girls were staring straight at her, their eyes full of envy. “Please, everyone, put your hands down. I know now where she is.” All the girls in the auditorium sighed (including Ms. Hall, the gym teacher). Forrest stepped down from the stage. Several girls leaped at him, but he just kept walking, ignoring Gina who was clinging to his leg. He shook her off half way up the stairs. Finally, he reached the top of the auditorium and smiled at Clara. He shoved by the people who were sitting in the aisles took Clara by the hand and gently kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks, Clara,” he whispered. Then he waved gallantly to the audience and away he went.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

One paragraph left to write...

[tchyarink]

Gomen!!! I'm still tryin t' think o' an ending... If I end up giving up, I'll tell you to write the ending, okay??

Evryone else--- Yes, yes, yes this is a random story. Comments please.