Disclaimer: C'mon, if I owned HM then I wouldn't be writing little fan fics, I'd be working on a NEW version, with more than one or two towns... bigger towns! Two story buildings! A town AND city with malls! Apartments! Parks! More animals, like PIGS (but then you'd have to KILL them, sob)! And your kid gets to grow old enough so you can actually TALK to it! Hm... what else? More interaction and stuff. Okay, this isn't a disclaimer anymore, it's a comment. Okay let's get back to the disclaimer. I don't own HM, it belongs to... er, a Japanese person and the companies who created it. I just humbly play it! Oh yeah, I don't own Luke Wilson either (yup he's kinda in my fic again!).
Author's Note: Last chapter! Wow, we finally made it! I didn't think I'd actually finish this fic (like I mentioned in my other chapter), but here I am! Now, on to the story... giggle.
Letters, Love and Lies
J'taime...
"What? Who do I love?"
"Yeah, that's right," Elli confirmed, her hand still gripping Karen's fist. "Who do you love?"
Jack winced. "D-do I have to tell everyone?"
Elli nodded furiously. "Yes you do Jack. We need to know this so Ann, Popuri, Karen and Maria will stop this madness before it gets any worse!"
"Uh..." he gave Elli a bewildered look but obliged. "Okay fine. I guess it's time to tell everyone. I love..." Everyone leaned in closer, awaiting Jack's response. "...Millie."
"Wait, did you say ELLI?" Karen gasped. "Oh I knew it I knew it--"
"No, I said Millie," Jack corrected.
"What? Millie? Who the hell is she!" Ann demanded. She couldn't believe all that she'd done, and for absolutely nothing.
"Do you want to meet her?" Jack offered. "She's at my farm. We can go right now if you guys want. C'mon, I'm sure, she'd be happy to meet you guys, even if she's a bit shy. It'll just take a second." He started up the path to the crossroads, gesturing them to follow. The five girls followed him, stunned. Well, except for Elli, who couldn't resist the urge to laugh.
"Shut up!" Karen hollered.
"I'm sorry," Elli grinned. "I just can't help it. No offense, but you're all losers!"
"Elli, you're so cruel," Popuri whined, jabbing Elli's ribs with her balled up fist. "We all just lost this stupid race. Oh well, I guess I'll have to go back to fantasying over Luke Wilson..." She closed her eyes, still walking, and smiled as if struck by a pleasant thought. All the other girls gazed at her, a little disgusted.
"Anyway," Ann went on. "How do you think she's like?"
"I hope she's ugly," Karen spat out.
"No, I don't think she'd be ugly," pointed out Maria. "Jack could have almost any woman he'd want; why would he settle for something not up to his ranking?"
"Do you think she's a farmer too?" Ann wondered. "If I don't hate her, than maybe we'd have enough in common to be friends."
Elli gasped, suddenly struck with a thought. "So does this mean he's married?"
The five of them stopped in their tracks. If he was married, then...
"No way!" Karen exclaimed. "There's no way he's married. Why wouldn't he of told us if he was?"
"Yeah, but there's still the possibility," Maria said with a shudder. "But we should just beg that the four of us weren't chasing after a married man."
"But how come we haven't ever seen her anywhere? Nowhere in town or at the mountain? Or at any of the festivals?" Popuri thought out loud, snapping herself out of her daydream. "Don't you think it's a bit odd that she would spend all of her time on the farm?"
Maria shrugged. "We'll find out soon enough."
Finally, they had made it to Jack's farm, eager to see who this 'Millie' was. They all had different ideas of who she was and how she looked. But not a single person expected...
"A cow?" Maria, Ann, Elli, Karen and Popuri screamed in unison.
"Millie, say hello to Karen, Popuri, Ann, Maria and Elli," Jack told Millie, hugging its neck. She smiled and wiggled her ears.
"You're kidding right?" Karen let out a forced laugh. "It's a joke right? Ha ha! That's funny!"
Jack shook his head. "No, it's not a joke... I love Millie. She's the only girl I could ever love."
Elli burst into hysterical laughter. "Oh my God you all got beaten by a cow! A COW!"
Karen let out a scream. "No way, this can't be true!" She grabbed Ann's shoulders and started shaking her. "Tell me I'm dreaming!"
Ann pushed Karen off her. "No we're not! Jack doesn't love you Karen, he loves a cow Karen a COW!"
"Jack, are you SURE this isn't a joke?" Maria ventured.
"What? No! See, this is why I didn't really want to tell anybody! I knew no one would understand!" He fought back tears and squeezed Millie's neck tighter.
"But she's a cow Jack, a COW!"
"She's not just a cow Maria, she's my girl."
Popuri groaned. "Okay, this is the part where the real Millie pops out and we all have a good laugh. Millie! Millie where are you? Come out come out wherever you are!" The only response she got was the moo of the cow. "Freggin' cow. I hate cows!"
"I can't take this," Karen whimpered. "I'm leaving right now." She turned on her heel and stomped off Jack's farm, with the girls gingerly trailing behind her. "This is what I think of you Jack," Karen grunted as she kicked his mailbox on her way out. The ricochet made the box wobble, forcing the overstuffed mailbox to empty out piles of old letters from all the respected girls (except Elli, naturally) and other random leaflets and junk mail that Jack had neglected to check.
Jack gave Millie a kiss on the head. "No one could ever understand this. No one could ever love you like I love you Millie. I don't know what I'd do in you were gone in my life." Wiping away a tear, he closed his eyes and hugged Millie closer to his body, never wanting to let go.
The five girls reached the crossroads in record time, all angry and bewildered. All except one, of course.
"Look guys, I'm sorry how this all turned out," Elli said. "But... that's what happens when... when you mess with the horns!" She burst into giggles again.
"Cows don't have horns Elli," Ann corrected, feeling annoyed. "Bulls do, not cows."
"Still! It's funny!"
Karen sighed. "Well, I guess we all have nothing else to do but to apologize to each other. So everyone, I'm sorry. Especially to Ann and Elli, for almost destroying out friendship and ever doubting you, respectively."
"Aw, thanks!" The five of them embraced in a group hug.
"See? It did turn out to become a happy ending," Elli smiled brightly, relieved that all the fights and backstabbing was all over. "It wasn't a complete loss, you guys finally realized that friendship isn't something you should take for granted. Real friends are life's great treasures... and that's no bull!" She exploded into another fit of giggles again. The remaining girls groaned simultaneously and left their giddy friend at the crossroads all by herself.
The End...?
Dodges all the random things you guys are throwing at me I'm sorry I'm sorry! But I couldn't help it! Hee hee! I know it's stupid and even a little disgusting, but hee hee it was fun to write! B-but before you give me a flame, won't you notice that if you scroll down, there's more to this? Yeah! So now this is the version where he actually picks one of the girls!
Letters, Love and Lies
J'taime... (Second attempt)
"What do you mean?" Jack frowned in confusion. "Who do I love?"
"Yeah," Elli stated. "Out of all these girls, who would you want to date, marry, start a family with, grow old with, ya di ya di ya da?"
Jack blushed furiously. "I... I..."
"C'mon Jack, tell us!" Ann and Karen said in unison, both at the edge of their feet.
With all the girls surrounding him (and all the townsfolk standing there with their ears open mind you), Jack wasn't entirely comfortable telling them. But then again, it's a perfect situation to tell everyone how he felt about...
"...Maria."
"What?" the whole town erupted with mixed chatter and some cheers (courtesy of her mother and father, and also from Kai, Cliff and Gray), almost like at a game of golf when a player makes a chip-in eagle. Everyone was surprised, but no one was more than Maria herself.
"M-me?" Maria whispered, her eyes brimming with tears.
Jack blushed and looked down at the ground. "U-um... y-yeah."
"Maria? Maria?" screamed Karen in disbelief. "How could you- why could you- this is a joke right?"
"It has to be!" Ann agreed. "Ha ha Jack, that's funny!"
"No, I'm not joking," Jack said quietly.
"But... it's not fair! You can't! I mean... she didn't even do anything! How could you- you can't- this isn't fair Jack!" Karen stomped her foot on the ground. "What the hell is going on?"
"I know! Karen and I sacrificed so much, our dignity, our friendship, almost everything to make you notice us! The least you could do is acknowledge that! And Maria... she didn't have to do a thing and she wins! This isn't fair Jack!"
"That's exactly it!" Jack indicated. "The three of you-especially you two-" he gestured toward Karen and Ann, "Tried way too hard to impress me. It just kind of makes you think, doesn't it? And you would hurt a friendship just for a guy? I wouldn't want a girl who would do that."
"Yeah!" Elli called out, grinning ear-to-ear. "What'd I tell you?"
"But still!" Karen kept roasting him for answers, even when she knew her efforts were futile. "What could you possibly see in Maria? She wears glasses, she's shy, clumsy and a bookworm!"
"Yeah, and that's what I like about her! And she's beautiful, with or without her glasses."
"Exactly!" Elli added, clearly enjoying the moment. "And you shouldn't make fun of Maria. It's a turn-off, remember?"
Maria beamed. She never thought a guy would ever love her for... her! She was always overlooked by the rebellious Karen, the cutsie-outgoing Popuri, the warm-hearted Elli or the fun-loving nature of Ann. But this time, when everything mattered, the modest-shy Maria won.
Maria turned to Jack. "You... you really like me?"
Jack started to blush again. "Yeah, I do."
The whole crowd erupted again when the two finally exchanged their first and long-awaited kiss. Karen grumbled something under her breath and stomped off the beach, with Ann and Popuri at her heels. She stopped abruptly when she reached the entrance to the Green Ranch and turned on her heel to face Ann and Popuri.
"I can't believe this!" Karen muttered, still fuming. "How is that possible?"
Popuri shrugged. "Once in a blue moon?"
"Y'know, that makes you think," Ann began. "What Jack and Elli said, about betraying your friends. They're right, it gets you absolutely nothing in return. So I want to apologize to you Karen, I'm sorry."
"Me too," Karen grinned and they exchanged a hug.
"Hey, where's my apology?" Popuri demanded.
The two looked her up and down. "We didn't do anything to you!" Ann pointed out.
"Well, except the part where I almost punched you in the face and called you Ms. Priss, and told everyone you made out with Kai and went streaking-"
"What!" Popuri opened her mouth wide. "You told everyone I went streaking too?"
"Sorry Popuri!"
"Okay I forgive you, I guess," Karen and Popuri exchanged a hug.
Ann whined. "Okay, now Popuri and I get to hug."
After the moments of affection were over, the three of them turned to face each other. "Let's agree to never ever betray each other's friendships again," Karen suggested. "Agree?"
"Agreed!"
"And that we owe Maria a heck-load of apologizes too?"
"Agreed!"
Ann and Popuri exclaimed happily. A new tingle engulfed each girl, more pleasant than any guy could ever make them. After so much bickering, hurtful words and emotional pain, it was all over. At the end, they had finally realized that men and boyfriends come and go constantly, but the true bonds between friends were endless.
The End
Author's Note: So I guess this story has a moral to it; don't turn your backs on your friends or you'll face the consequences! I didn't originally think that would happen, but it just came out that way, so kewl! And major props to Ayako for figuring out the 'Maria went to Jack's farm' was a big hint. Remember the photo of Jack and 'his girl' on a previous chapter? That's the link! So good job for figuring that out! A lot of people thought Maria WAS the girl, which kinda gave my story away, but who cares! Well the story is over sob sob... I might miss it writing it... but thank God I finished it before the school year started! Blech, school! Less than a week away! And I missed half of it because I had to take this summer course for piano (okay, the class was only an hour long, but it takes an hour to get there! But that's not the point at all, GRR!). Anyway, thank you very much for reading to the very end! You guys are the motivators and I thank you very much for reading it, reviewing it with your compliments, comments and criticism. Thank you everyone!