Chain Reaction 2.37: Overlooked

Alex

      Time moves forward. It has a habit of doing that. I continue occasionally seeing Traci and Addyson, neither of them in any serious way. Traci has started hinting that she wants to 'take our relationship to the next level.' I want so badly to tell her, 'what relationship?' I don't do relationships anymore, not in the way she's thinking.

      Insensitive? Crass?

      Honest.

      Laura is serious with Kenneth, and it kills me. I know now that I'll never get that wonderful woman back, but it still hurts like a mother plumber.

      The neighborhood has a little festival, and I go to it with Traci. We have a good time until she crosses that line. She outright asks me if I'm ready to have a committed relationship. I look her square in the face and tell her that I never want a committed relationship ever again.

      She asks me, "Then what the plum have we been doing?"

      I smile meanly. "Woohooing."

      She throws the drink in her hand into my smile. Then she storms away.

      I sigh. Getting a few napkins from a nearby stall, I wipe my face off before heading back up to my house.

      Traci may have been attracted to me, but I'm betting she was more attracted to my bank account. I know I'm no prize without it. Something tells me what happened tonight will happen plenty of times.

     I walk into the house and find my son at the bar. Taking a chance, I have a seat on a stool in front of him. He looks at me as if to say, 'back for more?' He never misses an opportunity to fire verbal missiles. The only time he ever holds back is when Emily is around. She's the only one that has any sway over him. Not that he holds back much.

     "Heya, Pops. How's it hanging? I thought for sure you'd bring that slut back up here with you." He drops a few ice cubes into the shaker. Their clinking echoes in the large room.

     "No, I wasn't going to," I reply.

     He bobs his head up and down. "Yeah. It's because I'm here, right? Plum, Pops, don't let me stop you from getting some."

     "I'm really getting sick of hearing you speak like that. Please, tell me you're not like this in public."

     He laughs meanly. "Nah. I save this especially for you."

     "I'm also referring to your choice of language usage."

     "I'll say whatever the plum I want," he argues.

     "I know your mother would never allow that."

     "Speaking of Mom," Oh no, "you'll never guess what Kenneth said when he pulled me aside the other day."

     My shoulders slump. "I'm sure whatever it was doesn't concern me." Drake realized some time ago that talking about Brielle no longer affects me like he wants it to, not even hearing the news that she's pregnant again. He's taken to bringing up Laura at every opportunity.

     "Oh, but it does!" he replies happily.

     I sigh. "Then, what?" Fine. Keep torturing me. I reach for the drink sitting on the bar.

     "He wanted my blessing to ask her to marry him." He grins after delivering his mortal blow. "Can you believe it?"

     I put the drink back down, knowing it would come back up again. The espresso I had earlier threatens to do just that.

     It's not like I didn't expect to hear this kind of news eventually, but this is sooner than I thought it would happen. "And what did you tell him?"

     "I told him I didn't have a problem with it."

     "You don't think it's a little soon?" I give him a loathing look.

     "'Soon' like what kind of 'soon'?"

     "She recently got divorced!" I shout, losing my temper. Looking at Drake, I see he happily absorbs my fury like it's a scrumptious dessert.

      "That was a year ago, Pops!"

      Oh, Maker! I've been divorced a year already? I rub my face. No wonder Traci was asking when I'd ever get serious with her. I'd not realized. How long have I been on autopilot?

      "Goodnight, Drake," I tell him and climb the stairs. Once up here, I can't resist doing something I probably shouldn't.

You're getting married?

     I text Laura. I probably won't receive a reply.

No. Whatever gave you that idea?

     She replied! Oh, Maker! I hold my phone like a lifeline and lean against the wall in my bedroom.

Drake said Kenneth asked for permission to propose.

     I don't care if I'm breaking some kind of trust by telling her this. I don't trust Drake at all. I can't trust my only child.

This is the first I've heard of it.

     Oh, plum. Kenneth hasn't proposed yet.

     I slide down the wall and sit on the floor. A strange sense of satisfaction goes through me with the knowledge that I ruined the 'surprise.'

     What do I say now? I finally have her responding to me about things other than where Drake will be this weekend. I can't wait too long to reply.

      I can't stop myself from being pathetic.

Please don't say yes.

      You know I still love you.

I don't know what I'd say.

I still love you, you know.

      I am the most pathetic sim on the planet. I couldn't prevent it. This is my first opportunity in... well, I guess a year.

I love Kenneth. Goodnight, Alex.

      "No, no, no, no, no," I whine quietly at my phone. My cheeks are wet.

      I curl up into a ball on the floor and cry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Emily

       A few months ago, my mom sat down at the table with me. I'd been happily enjoying her chicken stir fry. Mom is a fabulous cook.

      "Guess what, sweetie?" she asked happily.

      I smirked at her in the robe. She'd been to the spa that day. "What?"

      "I'm not fat! I did a test this morning. I'm pregnant! You're going to be a big sister!"

      My smirk disappeared. In fact, I didn't smile at all. "Congratulations, Mom," I told her flatly and got up to throw out the rest of my food. Next, I called Drake. We met at the park, and he assured me it was normal to feel a little angry that my parents didn't consider my feelings.

      Lately, I've been trying to be good, to be supportive, but it's harder than I thought it would be. My mom gets so huge, and that apparently kills her self esteem. Dad spends a lot of time trying to make her feel better. I want so badly to scream at them, 'Don't you see me standing here?!' But, I don't.

      I visit Drake a lot. Whenever I want to, we happily bash our parents. He likes that. We grow even closer over sharing the reality that our parents are crazy and self-absorbed.

      However, I wouldn't say his parents are like that. Laura just acts like she wants to get her life back in order. That's normal, right? It's Alex that I worry about. He goes around like a ghost, hardly seeing what's right in front of him. I've had to lightly punch Drake in the arm to get him to be nicer to his dad. I suspect nothing holds him back when it's just the two of them.

      Then, she arrives: Isabella.

      Was it like this for Ethan when I came home from the hospital? Right now, I miss my brother being home all the time, but he's so wrapped up in his wife that I don't want to bring him my troubles.

      I wish Isabella had been a boy. It's bad enough I have a little sibling, but now, Daddy has another daughter. I keep trying to tell myself that I'm being crazy for thinking it, but I can't help it: Daddy has another chance to get it 'right' this time.

      Then, I hear him through the door. "...but you'll not date a Goth, will you, little Bella?"

      My heart breaks.

      I know I won't be able to hide from him that I heard that, so I escape. I keep trying to get Drake on his cell, but he's not answering. I decide to just go to his house anyway.

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