Just Sh*t: A New York City Story

Chapter 22: Judah's Fan Mail

Judah had been receiving what he thought was a surprising amount of fan mail recently. Each envelope was addressed neatly, the handwriting varying just enough that it seemed authentic. He was flattered by the attention and took time to write back to each "fan," even sharing some of the letters with the boys.

"Check this out! Another letter from a fan in Ohio! This one says my stories really inspire them. How cool is that?" Judah said, grinning as he waved the letter excitedly.

"Yeah... that's great, man," Jackson replied, forcing a smile.

At first, Jackson found it a bit strange how suddenly Judah's fan mail had picked up. But after finding a letter that Alex had accidentally left open on the counter one day, Jackson's suspicions were confirmed. He started putting the pieces together and realized that the mysterious fans were actually Alex and Ryan, who had been crafting the letters for their own amusement.

Jackson wasn't sure what to do. On one hand, Judah seemed genuinely touched by the letters, but on the other, it felt wrong to let him keep believing they were real fans. After some thought, Jackson decided to confront Alex and Ryan.

"So... fan mail, huh? Judah's really racking it up," he said, raising an eyebrow as he approached them.

"Uh, yeah. Isn't that wild?" Alex laughed nervously, avoiding eye contact.

"Yeah, crazy how much people love him," Ryan added, chuckling but clearly a bit anxious.

"Come on, you guys aren't fooling me. I know it's you two. What the hell, man? He's so invested in writing back to his 'fans,'" Jackson said, crossing his arms and narrowing his gaze.

Alex and Ryan exchanged guilty glances before Alex sighed and admitted it. "Alright, you caught us. But it wasn't malicious, I swear. We just thought it'd be funny. You know Judah loves the attention."

"Yeah, we were just having fun with it. We didn't mean any harm," Ryan nodded, trying to justify their antics.

Jackson rubbed his temples, trying to think of how to handle this. "I get that, but Judah's gonna be pretty upset if he finds out it's all fake. You guys need to come clean before this goes too far."

Realizing Jackson had a point, Alex and Ryan agreed to tell Judah the truth. Later that evening, they approached him, a bit sheepish.

"Hey, Judah. So, uh, about your fan mail..." Alex began, scratching the back of his neck.

"Yeah, we might've... uh, written some of it. You know, just to mess around. No harm intended," Ryan jumped in, glancing at Alex for support.

There was a tense moment of silence as Judah processed the revelation. His brow furrowed at first, and for a split second, it seemed like he might take it the wrong way. But then, he chuckled.

"Wait, you guys were my fans? I gotta say, I'm a little flattered! I mean, I thought it was kind of funny to get fan mail in the first place," Judah replied, his laughter breaking the tension.

Alex and Ryan let out a collective sigh of relief. "See? It was all in good fun," Alex grinned.

"Alright, alright. But next time, just tell me, okay? Maybe I'll get real fans someday," Judah said, shaking his head, still smiling.

A few days later, just as the fan mail prank seemed to fade away, another letter arrived in Judah's name. This time, the handwriting was different from Alex's or Ryan's usual messy scrawl. When Judah opened it, he found a heartfelt note:

"Dear Judah,

I just wanted to say how much I appreciate everything you do. You're a huge inspiration, and I'm proud to call you my friend. You've always had my back, and now I want to be your number one fan. Keep doing what you do best.

Signed, Captain Jamie, your #1 fan."

Judah stared at the letter for a moment, then burst into laughter. He couldn't help but find the whole situation amusing, especially considering the backstory.

As he sat down to respond, he thought about how to approach this unexpected fan. But instead of a heartfelt letter, he wrote a simple, cheeky reply:

"Dear Captain Jamie,

Who tf are you?

Best, Judah."

He sealed the envelope with a grin, chuckling to himself as he pictured Jamie's reaction. No matter how the fan mail had started, it was turning into a great source of entertainment, and he couldn't wait to see what happened next.