Teens...Teen Crushes...Teen Fantasies...OH MY!

Ok, LA DAY was a SUCCESS! I will have another entry later today about it. In the meantime, here is a small excerpt from E & I's teen lit book that we are currently working on:

So the night will be dark
And we will stay
Stay Up
Stay Up
Stay Up All Night

I am bored. I wanted Paula to spend the night, but her parents wouldn’t let her. Another wasted weekend. Mom and Dad are out and Janie is watching TV. At least I think she is watching TV. I am supposed to know what she is doing since I am technically babysitting, but since she is eleven I don’t feel the need to hover.

I don’t feel like writing anymore, so I close my laptop and flop onto my bed. MTV is on in the background. I close my eyes. My kitty, Victory, jumps up on the bed and paws on my stomach.

“Are you going to keep me occupied?” I ask her as she purrs. She is such a cuddly orange-striped tiger kitty.

I am bored, bored, bored.

“Hey, get in here NOW!” screams Janie. And, yes, it is a high-pitched scream. She has never really gotten into that inside-voice thing.

I nonchalantly rise up off the bed, grabbing Ms. V along with me, and head into the family room. Janie is lying on the couch but quickly jumps up into a sitting position. Her eyes are wide and, oh my, is that spit I see dangling out the side of her mouth?

“Look! Look!” She is apparently quite excited.

I decide to humor her and actually look at what she is pointing at. On a normal day, I pretty much ignore her but I figure I was bored, so what the heck?

I look at the TV program that she is drooling over (Seriously, I think she is foaming at the mouth. What are the symptoms of rabies?). She is watching her favorite television program, The Road to Stardom. It is one of those reality TV shows where your goal is to become the final contestant, and then you too can become the next American superstar!!!!

Okay, I typically watch it all the time too. But, tonight I wasn’t in the mood. My sister and I both pretty much have the same dream to become famous singers and tour the world with screaming fans at our feet. And loads of money to go shopping with. And a hair and makeup crew. Someone to straight iron my hair for me. Nice. And a stylist. Although I have a pretty good fashion-sense, but it would be nice when I am tired and don’t want to think about what to wear.

So, I move my glazed-over eyes from Janie’s drool mouth to the big screen TV that she is pointing at. Quite animatedly pointing, by the way. She is very worked up. Can an eleven year old have a stroke?

On the big boob tube is none other than the rising star of The Road to Stardom, Joey Johanson. All of sixteen and strikingly gorgeous. Seriously, not a single flaw on this boy. He is the cover boy for teen idols. Tall. Okay, maybe he isn’t tall. It is hard to tell because he is on TV, but he is taller than the girl contestants. And since I am only 5’2” he would be tall to me, right? Okay, so tall, dark and handsome. Well, not really dark. More like a dirty blonde, but that is dark if you are a blonde. And he is certainly handsome. His hair is longish, grazing his shoulders. And he has this beautiful smile. Ahh…melt my heart!

I push Janie over and plop down on the couch to start my own drool session. Joey. Joey. Joey. That isn’t me chanting, it is the studio audience. He strolls down the steps on the stage with the spotlight following him. He is singing the intro to the designated song of the week selection. It is slow. And his seductive voice is making my heart skip a beat. He walks to the front of the stage and reaches down to touch some of the girls’ in the front rows hands. Lucky girls’! He does a little shimmy shake with his hips and I start to feel warm. Then he looks up and stares straight into the camera.

Girl I want to feel your hair run through my fingers.
Girl I want to touch your lips with mine.
Ellie I want you.
Ellie I want you.

“Oh, isn’t he so dreamy?” Janie sighs. “Ellie? Hello? Are you paying attention?”

“Be quiet. I can’t hear him serenade me when you are babbling in the background.” Because I am quite certain that he is singing to me and is trying to get through to me telepathically through the television cameras.

Ellie I want you.

I want you too Joey.

“Why are you puckering? You look stupid. You know he isn’t really singing to you, right? How could he be when he is singing to ME?”

Janie can be so childish. Why in the world would he be singing to an eleven year old when I am thirteen and just right for him? We could write beautiful love songs together that would chronicle our passionate love affair. And I have a new outfit that would look great with the one he is wearing right now.

Joey and Ellie. Mr. and Mrs. Joey Johanson.