Monday, July 30, 2007

America's Sweetheart

Inspired by the True Hollywood Story of Jennifer Aniston - America’s Sweetheart.

Malibu, California July 4, 2007 4:12 Pm.

It’s a very beautiful day in Malibu and she was especially happy. She’d just finished watching her true Hollywood Story. She pushed open the sliding the door and walked to the deck, which over looked the beach. She spotted Vince right away…it wasn’t too hard. Only Vince would think it was cool and funny to wear a spandex instead of regular trunks.

“Ughhh!’ She groaned as she reached for her cigarette and lighter, she continued to watch him run around the beach

“Good God, if only he’ll take the fucking zone diet seriously…stupid fat soul” She muttered between puffs.

The words from the show she’s just seen a few minutes ago echoed in her head “Does not have a mean bone in her” she groaned. Jeez, who woulda thought those words would actually ring true? She chuckled, recalling the day she and her friends had prepped for that particular interview. It was a fun day…any day she spent with her girlfriends was always fun. She put out her cigarette and laid on the lounge. Her friends…her girlfriends, she didn’t understand why people always made a big deal about her having many friends. Why shouldn’t she….it was after all her duty as America’s Sweetheart to have friends.

She was the embodiment of hope for the loser girls out there….they all saw her as the all American girl, the approachable girl next door….the one they all thought could one day be their friend. She was the poster child for apple pie and lemonade….summer at the lake, popcorn and root beer at the local drive in….darn it she was America’s Sweetheart! She half expected fireworks but all she got was the sound of labored breathing. She opened her eyes to see Vince standing directly in front of her…grinning that is stupid grin of his.

“wahtchu thinking?” He asked.

She frowned and swung her leg to the floor, Reached for her cigarette and lighter again.

“C’mon…whatchu thinking?”

God, she hated that whining voice he put on when he’s trying to be cute. Some time she felt like his mother instead of his girlf…instead of his….well she felt like his mother and the last thing she wanted was to feel like anybody’s mother…let alone a grown ass man.

“Fine, you’re not gonna tell me.” And there he goes from whining to pouting. God, she could kill Brad right now. Look what he had reduced her to. She schooled her face

“I was watching E’ she stated simply.

“Oh that’s right, your whatchumacallit was on today” he said rubbing flabby stomach

“If you mean my THS….Yes it was on.” Jen answered, infusing an uppity tone into her voice

“Aw, babe why didn’t you call me? You know I like to see old footages of you….when you were…” he made a fat sign with his hands,

“And you wonder why I didn’t call you?”

She was angry…those fatty pictures of her was the only part of the show she hated, luckily she had been able to talk the producers into cutting those footages short, she urged them to use more recent footages to show her new sculpted body.

Ahhh, the power of pity, those who don’t believe in using pity to get what they wanted were fools. It was a few months after her divorce, when the Producers had approached her. She had talked…while not talking about the body insecurities, she had even suggested that it might have been the cause of her divorce and since the producer was a middle-aged divorcee with very obvious body issues, she had fallen for it…hook, line and sinker. It was all she could do not to burst out laughing…everyone thought she was stupid and weak, what they didn’t understand was it took someone with very high intelligence to play stupid and weak very well.

She looked at Vince and realized she had done it again…she had tuned him out. Tuning him out was the only way she’d survived all this months with him…it was either that or kill him and she couldn’t do the latter, she was America’s Sweetheart.

“What were you saying…baby?”


She tried to put some warmth in her voice. Baby? The only person she’d ever call baby was Brad and Vince knew that which is why she used it sometimes to boost his ego. Right on cue he smiled, his chest puffing up. Dumb ass, she thought. Men are so stupid, that four-letter endearment had put his mind at ease.

“I was just sayin’ that the neighbors….the family on the other side of the fence are having a barbecue and later on, they’ll have fireworks and They’ve invited us. I think it would be a good idea if we went” he prattled on.

She could not believe what she was hearing…neighbors? Barbecue? Invitation? Fireworks? Where the hell did he think they were…Normal, Illinois?

“Huh,,,I don’t think so.”

“Why not?’” He whine again. Okay, he was seriously beginning to get on her nerves
"
Well, let’s see …I don’t eat meat, I hate fireworks and I don’t know them” she answered impatiently.

“You don’t have to eat and we’ll leave before the fireworks and this is your chance to get to know them.”

“Vince, I don’t want to.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t fucking want to” She snapped.

“Well I already accepted their invite”

“Then you fucking unaccept it” They both had a staring face off…which he won because she had to look away. Looking at him in his spandex was like looking at the sun…you don’t want to look too long for fear of hurting your eyes.

“You’re not gonna come?”

“Nope” Jen answered and laid back down.

“Fine, stay here all alone and party by yourself”

“That’s what I plan to do” She watched him make his way into the house, a few minutes later; he came out in a Jeans and T-Shirt. He stopped by her chair

“Are you sur…”

“Absolutely”

“Okay but don’t upset when this hunk of love is snapped up but some gal…don’t say I didn’t warn you” he said jokingly as he caressed his chest.

She laughed not because of his joke was funny but because it was exactly what she wanted. It’s been almost two years since her last break up and the after effects of it was fading, she doubted if she’d make till the end of the year. She needed a new one….fast.

Vince smiled and came toward her.

“You know if I go alone, they’ll think we’re having problems or that you are sulking because of the pictures” he said gently.


Ah Yes the pictures of Brad and his new family romping it at the beach. Wasn’t that just All American of the she thought snidely…Daddy and son with Daddy’s friend on their power ATVs and Mummy and the girls have a little tête-à-tête under the palm trees. When she had seen the pictures…she couldn’t believe her eyes’. That freak was turning into the All American wife and Mummy. That was supposed be her goddammit….after all, America’s Sweetheart becomes America’s Mother and to top it off, that weird Blonde Chick Gwen Stefani was there…two freaks taking pictures of their babies.

When Katy (Najimy) had called her to check out the website Just Jared, she had almost fallen off her chair at the sight of the pictures. What freaking alternate universe was she in? She knew she had to act fast…luckily, she had friends whose lives revolved around her, so she was able to get them to meet at an outdoor restaurant where she was certain their pictures would be taken. It was a counter attack on her own part….every time pictures of Brad and his new family made the papers, a picture of her looking sad and lonely was sure to follow. It was the only way to keep reminding her fans that SHE was the one left behind, That it was on HER pain Brad's beautiful family (yes, she’d admit it they were beautiful) was built on and like the overweight producer from E!, they fell for it.

Again, she remembered the words from the THS show…the words she had coached her friends to say…

“She doesn’t do well alone"

"People feel the need to protect her"

"She’s probably a lot stronger than she lets on but likes the attention"

"She’ll never ever have a hard time finding a shoulder to cry on because so many women who are surer of themselves seem to feel like they should protect
her."

Oh the sweet Power of Pity, She marveled again. Speaking of pity, she looked at Vince. He was still staring at her. She felt sorry for him, it wasn’t his fault he couldn’t do anything right…Brad was a very tough act to follow. She sighed and reached out for him and got rid of him the only way she knew how…

“Sweetie, the truth is, it is that time of the month for me…” she’d barely finished her sentence when he jumped to his feet., said something about being late and not wanting to be rude before dashing down the stairs like the devil was on his tail. She laughed out loud…poor Vince, women issues made him uncomfortable. She wondered how he never got women had their periods only once in month. Last month, she’d used that excuse four times and he’s fallen for it every single time.

When she was sure he wasn’t coming back, she whipped out her cell phone and dialed and waited for it to ring. Jen was excited, after the photogs had taken her pictures yesterday, she had told Steve (Huvane) to make sure they were on the blogs…especially Just Jared. She’d heard this was where the Brad’s supporters met often. Once in a while, she’d read their comments and even though she sometimes didn’t understand what they wrote because of the big words, she wished they were her fans. Ughh! The thought of the calibre fans she attracted always made her angry. They were a bunch of fucking Psychos. They never had anything intelligent to say. It was always “I love you Jen” or Jen is beautiful”…Fucking morons.

After reading the comments a couple of times, she knew she had change her strategy. Her new strategy was getting sympathy from Brad’s fan and getting rid of Psycho fans. Yep, with the former supporting her, she could reach for the stars. She tapped her feet impatiently until Kathy finally picked up the phone

“Hey” Jen greeted briskly

“Oh Jen, I just watched the THS again and you looked so beautiful I wanted to cry. You were so pretty and beautiful and so….” Jen listened as Kathy babble on and on…She never tire of hearing nice things about herself.

“I didn’t like how I looked though” she heard Kathy say…well that makes two of us Jen thought but said out loud

“Yeah, well it’s no use crying over spilt milk now is there? So what's up…what’s everyone saying?”

There was no answer on the other end of the phone, She looked at her cell and saw the timer still counting on

“Hello? Kath?”

“I’m still here” Kath answered in a thin voice.

“Sooooo…what’s the sitch? How are they responding?”

“Well” Kathy clears her throat “Right now, you’ve only had 101 comments”

Jen jumped from her chair

“What? What the hell?” she took in a deep breath “How many do they have?”

“Huh….Jen I…don’t…”

“Just fucking tell me, how many do they have?”

“On which thread?”

“What do you mean which one?”

“Well well Brad and Angie have three threads right now….”

“And….?”

“And each one has over three hundred comments”

“Are you fucking kidding me? What pictures did they put up? I told Stephen to make sure they have the ones where I looked unhappy... downright miserable.” She began to pace "I swear I’m gonna kill him. How am I supposed to get sympathy with pictures of me smiling a storm?”

“He did, he did and they did…but the thing is your fans keep saying you look beautiful and you look happy and that you have moved on”

“FUCKING MORONS!!!” Jen Yelled at the top of her voice.

Good God! Who had she offended to get idiots like this for fans?

“How can they say that? I didn’t even have make up on and we all know how I look withot makeup. I swear to god…if I had my way these idiots will be at the bottom of the lake” she took a deep breath to calm herself “Okay…we’ll move to plan B” she stated.

“Huh….I already tried that” Kathy said

“Okay… what happened?” Jen asked

“Okay Jen, you have to understand, these people are very smart”

“Just tell me what you did.” Jen Snapped

“Well, I went to their thread and started writing nasty things about Angelina, just like you taught us, I later went back supporting my earlier statement”

“Okay…okay that’s good. Did you wait until after at least seven post before writing the supporting post?”

“Yeah”

“And…?”

“They laughed at me…well I assume that’s what they meant when they write Lol, Lmao and Rotflmao. I got the last one a lot. They said I was pathetic and sad. They said really mean things to me Jen.”

“Well you can’t let that stop you now…we have to think of something else”

“Jen…I don’t think….”

“Not now Kathy, I’m thinking”

“Jen…I don’t think I wanna do this anymore ” Kathy said

Jen thought she’s had misheard

“What? What did you say?”

“It’s just that I was reading the fans comments about Angie and her best friend Holly. I don’t think she treats her they way you treat me.”

“What the hell do you know about that? I can’t even believe you are comparing me to her…you know how sensitive I am about that.” Jen exclaimed and the pouted

“I’m, Sorry Jen but..sometimes, I think you only parade me and the other girls around just to show the world you have friends”

“But you are my friends…my girlfriends”

“Yeah but…deep down I don’t think you care about how we feel, it’s like we are accessories or something”

“Not care how you feel? Didn’t I bring you those expensive chocolates from France?” Jen said trying very hard to hold on to her temper

“Yeah and you also know I’ve been trying to lose the weight”

“Oh please, you always say that but you never do.” Jen scoffed

“Jen why can’t you be more supportive? You were fat once and you lost the weight so I’d think you of all people will understand why I want to do this”

“Kathy…sweetie…honey, when I lost the weight, I was being offered roles but you’re not, so what’s the point?” She paused before continuing “Anyway, about the comments…we need a plan C”

“Jen No!” Kathy said firmly

“What do you mean no?”

“I can’t do this anymore…I…I have to find a more supporting friend”

“Oh really? And where are you gonna find one?” Jens replied.

“Well, I’ve been meaning to tell you….huh…you know my daughter likes action adventure movies”

“Shut up! You have a daughter?” Jen interrupted

“Wha….yes Jen I have a daughter and You’ve met her several times”

“No…I think I’d remember if I met your daughter”

“Jen, I brought her to your house last week.”

“What? That girl was your daughter? No wonder I didn’t know…she very pretty, imagine that.”

“Yes, imagine that.” Kathy bristled.

“Okay go on”

“My daughter’s favorite movie is Tomb Raider and last year she finally got to met Angie…they’ve been corresponding ever since. It’s been good for her to have a famous friend….

“Are you fucking kidding me? Kathy how could you? You are my best friend, which means your daughter is like my daughter and you let her communicate with the enemy?”

“My daughter is like your daughter?! The same daughter you didn’t know I had?” Kathy’s patience finally snapped “you want to talk about communicating with the enemy…I am the one communicating with the enemy. Do you know where I am right now…in the basement, the cold dreary unfinished basement. Do you know why I am here…because everybody in my house is on Team Jolie except me. I give and I give and I give but you don’t appreciate it….now I know Brad was a saint for putting up with you. We are all accessories to you Jen, the handsome husband, the wonderful friends…and you wear us like you do your Prada shoes. I’m sick and tired of it…do you know my daughter told Angie in passing that I’m trying to lose weight and Angie sent her regards... she’s never met me before and she still took time out…meanwhile my own best friend buys me a box of chocolate. I can’t take it anymore…I can’t. Jen I have to go…”

“Wait…Wait, you can’t go now, we haven’t talked about plan C”

“Oh my God, Jen didn’t you hear a word I just said?”

“You were serious about all of that? I thought you were....”

The only response Jen got was the click of the phone. She looked at her phone, the timer had stopped.

“What the hell? The bitch hung up on me!” She threw her phone on the chair and got up. She walked into the house and came back with her laptop. She had to psyche herself up before logging on to Just Jared…she found the thread she wanted and began to read. These people really like Brad and Angie…she couldn’t take it anymore, so she began to type, she wrote the words and when it was time to put a name….she wrote Colin. That would throw them off. It had worked with her fans… a few times, she had gotten Kathy to write as a man, claiming he found her attractive and he’d pick her over Angie any day. Her fans lapped it up, they always came back happy, writing things like “See, Bruce is a man and he prefers Jen to Angie”….she posted her message and waited. A few minutes later, she got her responses….Lol, lmao, Rotflmao, Sad and Pathetic. That made her very angry so she posted again, this time using hard evidence to support her claims…the readings from her Psychic Slyvie Brown. who had convinced her that Brad and Angie will break up. Jen waited a few seconds and read the response…"Lol, Lmao, Rotflmao, sucker, idiot, fool, sad and pathetic."

These were not your average fans….these were smart people. Although, she was frustrated, she was also impressed.

Why couldn’t she have fans like these?

Why couldn’t she have friends like Holly?

Why couldn’t she have the All American Family?

After all she was America’s Sweetheart!!!

No Jen. A voice in a head said…You aren’t America’s Sweetheart…You are America’s Nobody and this time there were fireworks.

The End

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