Rose 28: Reverse mohawk

Skye

     I'm practicing my logic skill in the greenhouse on a very rainy afternoon when my kid brother, Milo, walks up to me and sits in the chair across from me.

      "I learned how to play that in my gifted class." he mentions.

      "That's nice." I answer, trying to figure out which first move I'm going to make since I've reset the board.

      "I bet I could beat you." Milo quips in his little child voice.

      "No you can't." I say in an almost-bored voice.

      "Yes I can."

      "No you can't."

      "Yes I can."

      I stop this back and forth and just stare at him. "Alright then, try. Don't say I didn't warn you." I say as he eagerly pulls up the chair. I get it, the kid is smart, but nobody beats me except when I play myself.

    For a little while, he mirrors my moves, studying me. Smart, but easy to trap.

     Until, that is, he sees my planned trap and counteracts before I can implement it.

     Then I see it. An opening so wide you can hear the wind blow through the wide open space. I move my bishop.

    "Check." I say, smiling and hoping he moves his king where I want him to. I plan on moving my knight if he does. He does.

      "And mate." I finish after I let go of the knight. I never had to use my queen. She sat in her comfortable little square where I'd placed her close to the beginning of the game.

      He stares, shocked for a few moments, at the board. "That's not fair! You tricked me!" he wails as he figures out what I did and how I did it.

      "It's perfectly fair, and I played the game like it should be played. I warned you." I reason. Nobody can beat me.

      "Don't be cocky, Skye." Link says from where he stands working on a potion of some kind. It really stinks in here thanks to him.

      "Oh, yeah, like I could never accuse you of that." I say and grin at him. 

      Link's going to graduate coming up on Spooky Day. Then he and Chasity plan on getting married and moving in together (naturally). Her family is buying them a house.

     "Yeah, Yvette, you should come over and see it. It's certainly no Mona Lisa. It looks a bit ridiculous actually, but for some reason, that makes me like it more." Donovan laughs. "It must've been that psychedelic 'still pictures in motion' thing Mr. Banks threw at us yesterday."

      I have no idea what he sees in Yvette Ferrari. They talk on the phone nearly every day.

      "Are you serious?! Your parents are having another kid at their age?" he asks her.
      Well, that's interesting.

    He's going to go to university. He says he wants to be a computer game designer, and that's one of the most competitive jobs going right now. The way he's going, he'll be valedictorian when he graduates.

     I want to go to university too, but I'm not ready to take the test yet. I have no real idea what I want to do. I just want to go for the parties... and the sorority girls.

    But until then... there's her. Her name is Carmen James. Our dads went to school together as if that really means anything. She already has a boyfriend, Efren Denney.... who's apparently my sister's nephew now. I've got to get out of this small town someday and live where I'm not related to everyone.
    We're 'friends', and I have no idea what that really means. Her boyfriend is a jerk, and he treats her bad. I honestly don't know what she sees in him. Does she want to be treated like crap?
     She doesn't need that. She needs to be adored and worshiped. Oh, I've got it bad.
     She asked if she could come over today. Like I would say no. ?! I asked if she just wanted to walk since our house is just down the road, but she insisted that we ride the bus. I start getting the feeling that she was hoping to avoid getting Efren's attention.

     Link heads upstairs to use Fiona's old desk to do his homework. On his way, he wiggles his eyebrows at me, teasing me about Carmen.
      I swear, Link, if you ruin this for me I will shave a reverse mohawk down the middle of your head in the dark of night while you sleep. Somehow, I doubt that would look all that great in his graduation photos.
     Carmen acts like she's upset about something. I figure that if she wants to talk about it, she'll talk about it. I've never had any trouble getting her to talk if she wants to talk. All I have to do is ask and she starts talking and talking and talking and talking and I just listen to her voice and watch her mouth move.

    She doesn't start up on her own, so I go with a little prompting. "Everything okay? You act like something's bothering you."
     She takes in a deep breath, shakes her head a little, and says, "It's nothing. I'm fine."
     Right. Sure you are, I think sarcastically. I'm confused that she didn't immediately tell me whatever it is. "It doesn't look like nothing." I say.
      "Listen Skye, can we please just talk about something else?!" she nearly cries.
      Oh no. No waterworks, please,  I think before I say, "Okay. Okay! Um ... " My mind draws a blank.

     "He's cheating on me." she admits quietly and looks at her feet.
     I'm afraid she's crying. I have no idea what to do! Should I hug her? What if she reads more into that than just friendship? I think I'd have a hard time hiding how I feel if I hugged her. She's already rebuffed my mild attempts to take things further than just friendship, and I backed off, making her comfortable again.
      Now what?!
      "I saw him. With Angela." she continues, unaware of my internal struggle.
      Not that I'm really a judge here, but in my opinion, Efren is kind of strange-looking. It's weird enough that he has the prettiest girl in school as a girlfriend, but to then have the gall to cheat on her?
      "Um, but didn't Angela graduate?" I ask.
      "Not yet."
      "Did he see that you saw him?"

     I hear Donny walk in, sigh, and slap his homework on the table. Then I hear Giselle humming to herself as she makes her way to the kitchen for a snack. Carmen looks nervous about answering my question now that we have an audience.
    "No." she finally says quietly. "What am I going to do?"
     Easy. Break up with him, I think to myself, but I prevent myself from saying it because I'm not positive that's what she wants to hear.
      I can't believe the words coming out of my mouth as I say, "Have you thought about talking to him about it?" Ugh. Okay wait.... yeah, talk to him about it, find out it was exactly what it looked like, and break up with him!
       "What on earth do I say?"
        Say 'You're lower than the dirt you walk on, and I never want to see you again.' That would make a great start.

       "What was going on when you saw them?" I ask instead of saying what I really want to say.
       "I'd just finished helping out with the ballet class." she answers. "He didn't know I'd be there since Miss Astrid had only asked me about an hour before school let out."
        "Um, well, you could just mention that you'd helped with the ballet class, and then see what he does. If he even knows when ballet meets." Because I have no idea myself. She looks at me like she's expecting me to say more. I let out a huff and finally say, "Or, you could up and confront him with it and hear what he has to say." Then dump his sorry ass for me. I worry my last thought is too easily read on my face because of the way she looks away.
         I decide since I may have started walking that line again that I'll try just a little... "He's an idiot."
        "Why do you say that?" she asks. "Because he got caught?"
        "Well, yeah that, but..."

     I can no longer stand it, and I take my chances again. "He's an idiot because he has the prettiest girl in school as a girlfriend and then has the nerve to go and cheat on her." I hear a pencil slap down on a notebook behind me and the chair creak a little like Donny is turning around to look at us.
     Carmen looks embarrassed, and she turns her face away from me.

     "Skye, please don't." she says while facing the front door.
     "I'm just saying." I quickly try to salvage the situation. "That's all I'm doing, just pointing out the obvious."
      "Don't call me the 'prettiest girl in school'." she groans.
      "Alright, fine." I say, trying to sound apologetic. What does she not like about me that she keeps shooting me down like this?!
      I try to stay cool and not let any aggravation show on my face. I hear Donny turn back around because Giselle starts talking to him.
       "I'll try doing what you said." she says quietly.

     I quickly work on changing the subject, and soon we're laughing about the dumbest things.

     After a little while, she suddenly thanks me for my advice, and then she hugs me.

     I can't help it. Her hugging me is so unexpectedly welcome that the second my arms go around her, I stand up straighter and pull her along with me. Her posture changes infinitesimally, but I notice as her back straightens like she's a little surprised. I feel amazed that she doesn't immediately push me away. Instead, she threads her fingers through the hair on the back of my head for just a second, and in that second, I forget there are other people in the room with us.
     She must've remembered, because she straightens up even more and pulls away, blushing.
     I think fast to avoid the awkward moment that's building, and I ask her to dance.

    My mom smiles at us as she walks in the room. I have no idea why.

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Stuff I want to document:
Pedro reached guitar lvl 10
Pedro achieved his lifetime want of $4000/week book royalties, his latest one being a poetry novel, Unintentional Poetry, for $823/week. (edit: no, it happens on the next book, not this one.)
Rose completed the brushmaster skill challenge.
Beppe married Marta, making an honest woman out of her.

Births:
Clemete Rossi, son of Santos and Victoria
(expecting are Ron Frey and his wife)

Deaths:
Patrizio Monty, Tiana Padilla

Click newer post to go to chapter 29

Brooke 1: Not to change the subject, but...

Okay. We all already know I'm moderately (be nice!) insane. I wanted to play in Aurora Skies, and I rolled the random thingy for the hell of it. Well, wouldn't you know it? I got one of the best doggone rolls ever, so I must play it. >:-) At least I'm doing this one correctly from the beginning.

I realized I'd never attempted to make my sim-self. After trying, I realize I suck at it, but it's a grand attempt nonetheless.

This is what I did when I was probably supposed to be organizing Jesse from SWNT's party. :P Or, working on Rose's legacy since I'm trying to get Donovan's butt to college. Oh well! I had a new toy (neighborhood), and I wanted to play with it.

So, this is Brooke:

Adventurous, good sense of humor, bookworm, virtuoso, hopeless romantic

LTW: fully explore 6 tombs in each location

I rolled the adventurer career (the only reason for the adventurous trait in the first place).

Step one: Buy a house. Check!

Step two: Go on vacation so we can make some money!

So... I take her to the park... to meet people, ya know? Who needs money, right? Besides, I'm hoping to get the jetsetter reward before we go 'on vacation'.

Nobody shows up.

I go into neighborhood view and see that one of the houses close by there's someone at home.

This is where we meet Adam! He doesn't live here. Nope, he's visiting this lady named Yuri Apple. I'm more interested in getting her to talk to Adam than I am Yuri because he's cute. I saw while exploring the 'hood that he's touted as some famous sports dude that knows he's cute. They made him conceited! 

Well, I'm not wanting him to be conceited and I didn't roll sports for the spouse career, so if I choose him, there'd have to be a few changes made anyway.

They discover they share the good sense of humor trait, and immediately the jokes start flying.

Yes, just the way to impress a guy.

Since I love a man with a good sense of humor, I start up the flirting interaction. Then, all I have to do is sit back and relax and watch the romance fly as the 'I know you' meter flies up as well. Ever other interaction, he was telling a flirtatious joke. At least Brooke didn't get put off by the same interaction over and over again.

He stops flirting and starts talking about sports. Boring.

Adam, you are not you. You are the man I'm going to make you be. (Yes, typical woman, so I've heard, going in and finding what she thinks she wants only to already start making plans to change him.)(I don't do that in real life.... honest! :P )

At least Brooke politely listens.

Then he has to pee, and afterwards, he goes upstairs where Yuri (who's also in the sports career) sits watching the game on the top floor of her too-big-for-just-one-person house.

I send Brooke's butt upstairs and plop her down between Adam and Yuri. That woman is not gonna take my chosen man! Brooke gets him talking to her, not that woman that wears gloves indoors.

 

I make her ask him out. Yay! Then they decide to leave that woman's house. That's right: I want him all to myself!

Off they go to Mick's, conveniently located just across the street from Brooke's house.

They walk in the door, and he immediately starts talking sports again.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

She changes the subject to clowns. I have no idea why. Clowns annoy me.
I get the feeling he stops listening to her and just brainlessly stares at her while she talks. Maybe we don't wanna know what he's really thinking... or maybe we do.

"Um, I think you have something in your eye..."
No Adam, she's not falling for that old line.

Since she doesn't fall for the line I guess, he goes and sings a duet with the proprietor.... who also wears gloves indoors.... in summer.

I think this is another of those strange neighborhood things like the sunglasses in Monte Vista.

Brooke enjoys the show apparently, not caring that they suck.

"Oh, how nice. You murderously chopped down some innocent roses and pulled them out of your ass to give to me. I'm touched."

They're talking about me. I know they're talking about me. They know. They know what I should be doing instead of screwing around in Aurora Skies.

I included this pic because he's just too darn cute. Curse him for knowing it, too.
(The women's room thing right between them gets on my nerves though.)

He's starving, so they decide to go across the street to her place so she can make burned mac and cheese. Then, he stays the night. He never once sleeps in the bed. He never once sleeps actually.

Then, the bills arrive.

Although I fulfilled several wishes, I still didn't get enough for the jetsetter LTR. It costs $1600 to go to Al Simhara, which is where she wants to start. This is when the kaching tempted me to no end. I resisted and instead, just about stripped her house (as well as a few things outside) bare to raise the funds. (I didn't sell the roses she got last night tho hehe.)

Off to Al Simhara before things get so bad I'm visited by Mr. Repo-man!

Okay, to me, since it's the first expack, world adventures stuff can get really boring to tell in a story, or a not-a-story like this one. So, I'm leaving out the details. There was, however, one pretty picture I couldn't help but take:

While excavating, she found a sultan magic gnome. Ah, gnomes. 

Oh, I feel the need to mention how at camp there were 'restless natives' that escaped to tents every five seconds to risky woohoo. I took pics, but I think you get the drift.

 

I later discovered that she can't sell relics at the in-town consignment shop. So, this is the only visit she makes to sell a days' worth of goods. I kept one thing other than the copper bars and gems and stuff that I'm assuming I can't sell. (they help with opportunities tho) I don't have to go to the consignment shop I guess, but I've gotten used to (because of Rose's *%^# misc fun thingy) selling at the consignment shop.

Seth of the desert.

I felt guilty keeping it because it's worth a lot of simoleons, but I just couldn't part with something so cool.

So, we go back to her place with... less money than she had before she left. I do, however, finally get that jetsetter thing.

I don't want Adam to be the only fella she meets, so I send her across the street again since it's the hotspot anyway.

This guy is Jessie Clark. I like the name Jessie. However, he's either married or has a baby on the way or something because I just know there was a reason I couldn't choose him. Besides, he doesn't like to flirt, and that just doesn't work for me.

Then I discover that Adam lives only a few houses down the street from her, on the other side of the gym! I rush her over the next morning before he can disappear to work.

She's not there two seconds and he immediately asks her to move in with him.
!!!!!!!!!!!

In all the years I've played sims, this is only the second time this has happened to me. I sit, afraid, because I don't want to lose my Seth of the Desert in the move. Still, him actually asking her to move in is more rare than the statue, so I decide to move in! It really helps the dude is rolling in dough.

It's now that I discover that I can pack all the house furniture.

Here's his house:

Lots of open space.

They have $21,943 in funds. No more worrying over the bills now!

So, after I frantically saved my game, Adam thinks about Brooke. Brooke thinks about going on vacation again, but she immediately does the autonomous risky-woohoo in her queue. I guess that's the kind of 'adventure' she wanted at the time.

She gets mad at me when I make him screw it up because I have to make him quit his job ASAP.

It quickly shows up in her queue right away again, and I let her have her fun.

He wears socks to bed. I guess I can't say anything because when I made her, I was so worried about the game crashing that I only set her everyday wear. She winds up wearing earrings to bed. Big, shiny earrings.

So, they woohoo, I discover that I can't sell relics in town (not that it really matters for a little while), they woohoo, and then I take them to the supernatural hangout. (she's a witch -- why have a normal founder?) Some woman hits on Adam, and I'm happy he rebuffs her. Then, I remember to have one of them ask the go steady thing.

Adam starts rolling wants to read a preggers book and buy a crib, etc. I'm like 'oh boy'.

I "fix" the hangout lot so that it has an actual bar and I put up the elixir consignment register since that's a good place for it imho if I'm not going to have the shop.

What?! Mean mirror. He did put her in a nice dress though.

Holy nuts Fiona is a bartender!
haha, No. But that's what I thought when I first saw her. Nice taste in bands too haha.

I guess they didn't get enuf earlier.

In the middle of the night, I get a prompt asking me if I want to move in Noah Olivia. I'm like 'huh?' Then I discover why. Noah Olivia is a new baby in town and Adam is the father! So, now we have a $500 child support payment due way too much because I don't want the kid. I let him stay with his mother, Estella Olivia. Adam, you naughty naughty boy.

And here I thought I was rich for once.

In my imagination, this is when he tells Brooke about Noah. That's his workout wear incidentally. More gloves.

She takes it rather well. He's now my chosen dude, and I feel I must accept the baggage.

I still haven't gotten him into the rolled career for him, private investigator. I can't think of a segue that would work story-wise, but since this isn't a story, I'm not worried about it anymore.

Then I save to go make a pizza.

Then I come back and play for a few minutes and have them flirt and stuff. Adam rolls a wish to get married. Not necessarily to Brooke, but just to get married. I can't remember... I may have locked it in before the save. Oh well because

my game crashed.

------------------------------------------------

I really like these two, but I don't know how often I'm going to play them. It's very likely I'll combine the Robles household and the Birch household (Adam's last name -- haha because of Bryce and Adele Burch) down the line somewhere.

Wow, my verb tenses are all over the place in this. Sorry. I'm really really really really not worrying over stuff like that with this. Plus, I have all kinds of comma mistakes. ppfftt on comma mistakes.

Oh yeah!
Adam:
good sense of humor, genius, daredevil, athletic, ambitious
LTW (currently, going to save the points to change it): top of the sport career (can't remember)