Homegrown - Completed 26th May

[Aryxa]

This was inspired by something HP brought up over here (http://forums.sims2community.com/showthread.php?t=44292), so I thought I'd have a little go at a story based loosely on that idea. Please feel free to leave any tips on photo-taking or story telling (as long as they don't revolve around "Ths iz crp"!)

Homegrown - Chapter 1 - Seeds

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Hi, I’m Beth Mossberg, and… well, this is a picture of me just after I moved in to a small house in a quiet country neighbourhood called Riverblossom Hills.

It was small, but it suited me fine. I settled down here because it seems like the perfect place for me to live a peaceful life, and live solely off the produce I can grow and catch in my own back yard. I got food poisoning A LOT at university from all the over-processed rubbish they served, and when my auntie got bowel cancer last year, well... I decided to take a positive step towards taking better care of myself.

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Well, I thought, I may as well make a start and fertilize my little garden. I had a small plot for growing plants, and an orange tree. There were already some tomatoes planted, but I thought I may as well use the rest of the space. What I don’t eat I can sell, and as it looks like taking care of this place will be my full time job, any extra money would come in handy!

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Once the tomatoes were planted, I headed towards the small pond in the back of my garden, thinking I’d try my hand at fishing. I'd never done it before, but I had to eat, and it can’t be that hard, right?

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OW! Those little scaly buggers are strong! Thank goodness, I think I heard the doorbell. I left the fishing for later…

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Cr*p, who’s this? She looked so smart, and I was… well, covered in soil and slightly bruised in a fishing accident.

“Hi, I’m Claudia, I live across the street. I noticed you moving in so I thought I’d come over and say hi. Is this a bad time?”

“Not at all,” I said, pulling weeds out of my hair, “Where did you say you lived?”

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“That house, over there.” replied Claudia coolly, pointing out the biggest, most intimidating house on the street.

“Wow!” I breathed. “You must be loaded! Oh my God, I’m so sorry, that was so rude-”

“Don’t worry,” laughed Claudia, “It is a bit excessive. It’s my parent’s house, I’m just living there with my son until we find a place of our own.”

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“Wow, you’re lucky your parents don’t mind having you around.”

“I think they like it more than I do, to be honest,” she said. “I mean, I could move out already if I really scraped some money together, but I think Mum likes having me and Jamie around. You‘re lucky to have your own space here.”

“What little space there is!” I joked.

“But you can really relax here,” she said, “Just have some time to yourself, garden, fish… I wish I had that.”

“Well you’re welcome to come over anytime” I said. “I was just fishing when you came over, do you want to join me?”

“I’d love to! Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Of course not!” I said, handed her a rod, and led her over to the pond.

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I managed to catch a fish!

Claudia and I stood and fished in the sunshine for a while and chatted about our lives. She told me about her son, Jamie, who was nearly two. His daddy had died in a car accident just before Jamie was born, and Claudia was left with no option but to move back in with her parents until she could financially support herself. Her parents were very wealthy, but Claudia was very vague about what either of them did for a living.

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She visibly relaxed as the afternoon drew later, and even caught a fish or two. I enjoyed her company, so I offered to cook her fish for us.

It’s so nice to be cooking fresh food after all the junk I ate at university!

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Oops! Oh well, the recipe did say blackened catfish…

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Bless her, if Claudia could tell the fish was burned, she wasn’t letting it show.

“You know, Beth, I think it’s amazing you’re starting out alone here. I’d be so lonely if I were you. Not to mention tending this garden alone!”

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“It is a lot of work, but I’ll manage!” I smiled, but to tell the truth I was feeling quite tired after today. I supposed I’d get used to it.

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After dinner, Claudia left to go take care of Jamie, and I got a strange phonecall.

“Hello, is that Miss Mossberg?”

“Speaking, who is this?” I didn’t remember giving my number to anyone except Claudia.

“My name is Aurora Goss, I run the local singles network. I heard you’d just moved in on your own, and thought you might like to join us for a night out?”

“Um… I’m actually a little tired..”

“Come on! There’s no time like the present to get out there and meet someone special!” she cried.

“Ok, ok, give me ten minutes to freshen up and I’ll meet you. Where are you going and how do I get there?” I sighed.

“Don’t worry about that, we’ll send a taxi to pick you up!” she chirped.

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Ten minutes later and, sure enough, there was a taxi waiting outside my house, honking loud enough to wake the neighbours. I climbed in, looking back at my little house and wondering just what sort of neighbourhood I’d moved in to.

Ok guys, that's the first chapter done. Let me know what you think!

[Jasmin_SC]

Ohh I like this story already, :) Beth seems like a nice charactor.

What sort of challenge is it?

[Dragon Guardian]

This looks promising :D Beth is cool :)
I like it!

[Aryxa]

Ohh I like this story already, :) Beth seems like a nice charactor.

What sort of challenge is it?

Thanks guys! The challenge is to be completely self sufficent - grow all you own food, fish, etc, have no job and make any money from selling vegetables and fish... It's gonna be a toughie.

[Jasmin_SC]

Oh sounds like fun ^-^ Goodluck with it.

[Dragon Guardian]

Thanks guys! The challenge is to be completely self sufficent - grow all you own food, fish, etc, have no job and make any money from selling vegetables and fish... It's gonna be a toughie.


Eep! I might do a variation of that with one of my sims. Perhaps how one write novels for a living or something... :anime:

[Aryxa]

Eep! I might do a variation of that with one of my sims. Perhaps how one write novels for a living or something... :anime:

That sounds really cool. Kinda like the Starving Artists challenge?

[Aryxa]

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“Welcome to Bernard’s Botanical Gardens!” cried the Maitre D’ enthusiastically, flailing his arms around. “Not only do we serve the best food in town, all our products are ethically sourced and some are even grown on the premises!”

Wow, I thought. This place actually sounds like somewhere I could eat! I didn’t usually eat at fancy restaurants, what with the garbage they pumped into their food, but Bernard’s Botanical seemed perfect for me.

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“I’ll have the chef salad, please.” I thought it would be nice to sample some of the restaurant’s home grown vegetables, but apparently my dining companions from the singles club didn’t agree with me.

“Ooh, I’ll have a bowl of your delicious mac’n’cheese, Bernard!” cried Aurora. Her perkiness was beginning to annoy me. How could you come to a place like this and order such gunk?!

We chatted for a while about my farm as we ate. I must say, some of them had the most revolting eating habits, just shoveling food into their mouths. No wonder they’re all single!

By the end of the main course I was exhausted.

“I’ve had a lovely time,” I lied, “but I’m afraid I’m going to have to go home. I’m very tired.”

“Well, it was lovely to meet you, Beth!” Aurora beamed. “You’ll have to come with us on our next outing to the bowling alley!”

“That would be… lovely, Aurora. Um, give me a call and hopefully I’ll be free…” There’s no way I’m going out with these people again…

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“Hi, could I get a taxi from Bernard’s Botanical Dining to 172 Birch Street please?”

“On it’s way!”
Wow, that was good service. Man, I was tired. My shoulders ached from digging all day, and my eyes were itching to go to sleep. I’ll have a nice hot shower when I get home, I thought, and curl up into bed.

What the?! The taxi arrived, and everyone from dinner was just piling into it! I didn’t mind sharing a taxi home, but they could have asked…

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When the taxi arrived at my place, everyone just started getting out again. This was really beginning to bug me.

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“It was really nice to meet you… all,” I said, quickly covering the fact that I couldn't remember everyone’s names, “but I have to be up early in the morning, so if you don’t mind I’m going to call it a night.”

They finally got the hint and left, so I dragged my aching body into the shower and finally hauled myself into bed.
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What a weird first day. It was nice to meet people, especially Claudia, but that singles club was weird. I think I’ll head downtown on my own tomorrow, see if I can’t meet some normal people!

Just a quick update so I can get everything ready for the next few chapters. I have some pictures ready so it just needs to be written!

[daltonism]

ooo, this is good! Update soon! lol

[Inucrazy101]

Wow this is a good story so far! ^^


-Inucrazy101 :anime:

[starwyn]

This story starts off a lot like mine,( except mine is not a challenge as such) so i look forward to your next chappie...someone else had a mind to do a story with the same idea after reading about HP's challenge...i think it's a fantastic idea

[Aryxa]

Thanks Starwyn! Do you mean Sims Way of Life? Yeah, it does, there were a few times when I was writing when I was thinking it sounded similar to that! Just noticing things that other sims do around my characters sometimes makes me go WTF?
SWOL was a really good story, so I'm kinda glad it reminds you of that, although I wouldn't want to just have a mirror story here. She's got some stuff being thrown at her soon, I'm just trying to get the 'settling in' part out of the way...

[Aryxa]

Just one more update today, I swear!

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The next morning, I did a spot of gardening before heading to the local boutique. My clothes were getting seriously grubby, and I didn’t want the locals (especially any cute male ones) thinking I was the local madwoman.

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I brushed the soil off my clothes and quickly applied some simple makeup, just as the taxi pulled up and honked loudly, then again when I didn‘t come running out of the house. Those guys may be quick, but they’re seriously rude! They seem to be the only taxi company around, though…

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Things didn’t get much better once I got to the local clothing store, Belle’s Boutique and Tailoring. This guy just glared at me as I walked past! I was beginning to think Claudia was the only normal person around here.

“Who the hell is that?!” He muttered. “She looks like she’s just crawled out of a pig pen!”

How rude! I thought about retaliating with a comment about keeping his ridiculously beaky nose out of other people’s business, but I didn’t want to make any enemies, so I ignored him.

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Hmm, maybe all is not lost! I got talking to a nice guy called Erik, who was talking to me about his small robotics venture. He seemed really sweet, but suddenly something caught his eye behind me and he ran off!

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I couldn’t believe my eyes! That crazy looking guy was attacking some poor woman (who for some reason was dressed in what looked like leaves…). What was worse was everyone in the store had dropped what they were doing and were cheering and booing like they were at a football game!

I was appalled and ran and hid in a side room until the fight was over. I didn’t want to get dragged into anything.

Thankfully, the crazy guy left after the woman kicked his ass (I don’t condone violence, but any guy who attacks a woman deserves it!), so I came out and tried on some clothes.

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Some of the clothes were a little… drab, but I managed to find a really cute outfit lurking in amongst all the frumpy dresses.

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It was perfect. Cute, but not trampy and just my style. Now all I needed was a nice guy to show it off to, so I hit the local hotspot, Club Dante.

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This place was amazing! I mean, really upmarket. I felt completely underdressed, and I didn’t think any of these yuppies would be that impressed if I told them I was a farmer.

There was one guy walking around who I noticed immediately. Tall, handsome, with striking eyes and a sense of power, he was striding around the room giving orders to his staff and mingling with the patrons of his bar.

“Hey,” he said, noticing me, “I haven’t seen you around here before, have I?”

“No,” I replied, smiling at his blunt attempt to introduce himself. “My name’s Beth Mossberg, I’ve just moved into Riverblossom Hills.”

“Ah, I know that area well,” he smiled. “Well, Beth, why don’t you tell me some more about yourself?”

To my surprise, he parked himself right there on the floor, ignoring the various sofas and chairs scattered around the room, and looked up at me, grinning.

I wasn’t sure if he was flirting with me or just a few sandwiches short of a picnic, but I followed suit and sat cross legged in front of him on the floor.

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“So Beth, what brings you to sleepy Riverblossom Hills? I’d have thought an attractive, smart young woman like you would have settled down somewhere nearer to civilization.”

“Oh, civilization’s overrated,” I joked. “I’ve come here… you’re going to think I’m silly…”

“Well, that’s a rash assumption, Beth.” he said, the smile broadening on his face. He was definitely flirting. “Just amuse me and my curiosities.”

“Well, if you must know, I’ve moved here to start my own farm.” I winced, waiting for the derisive laughter.
“Really? That’s amazing.” he said. I opened my eyes in disbelief.

“What?”

“Seriously. I think it’s great, being completely self reliant. I wish I had that choice.”

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“But you own this fantastic club, what more could you want?”

“True, this is a great place, but it’s not really mine. It belonged to my father, I inherited it from him when he died. It’s great to have, but sometimes I think it would be nice to have something that was actually mine.”

His eyes drifted over his bar and darkened, and just for a moment, he looked completely folorn.

“Come on,” I said, “I have an idea.”

I led him outside to a local store, and bought a packet of balloons.

“Beth, what are you doing?” he asked, bewildered.

“Giving you a break” I replied, as I filled the balloons from an outside tap and piled them on the floor.

“Now, you can have a few seconds headstart if you’re quick” I said, bending down and grabbing a water balloon.

“What do you - oi!” He yelled as the first balloon narrowly missed him.

“You’d better grab some ammo or you’re definitely going to lose!” I laughed.

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Finally he realized what I was getting at. “Oh you’re so dead!” he chuckled, grabbing a handful of balloons and hurling them at me.

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We hurled balloons back and forth, almost-but-not-quite hitting each other. I didn’t want him to have to go back to work soaked, but we both got a bit splashed. It was worth it just to see him relax and smile.

Finally, the balloon supply ran out, and he walked over to me, hands up in a truce, laughing.

“You really are one of a kind,” he said. “I’d love to do this again… well, perhaps not the water balloons, but maybe dinner?”

“I’d love to.” I replied, smiling. “When?”

“Tonight, about seven?” He replied.

I smiled, and gave him my address and phone number.

“I’ll see you tonight then, Beth,” he said, and headed back into his bar.

Just as I turned to head home, he called back to me.

“By the way, my name’s Malcolm.”

[jenny]

looks good !...and fun, I have this exact same challenge going on for myself, great idea huh?:D...and I have it started as a story, I may post it later, hopefully you won't mind.....its a fun challenge!..looking forward to reading more:)

[Aryxa]

I'd love to see your story and I won't mind at all :) HP's idea was great, it's such a fun way to play. I've been playing legacies for a while so it's nice to try something different.

I have another chapter planned and almost written, so that should be up tomorrow. I'm really pleased people are enjoying it!

[FABx]

this is really great!!! i think ill try this but since i dont have seasons it'll be sorta diffrent anyways i cant wait to read some more!!!

[Aryxa]

FABx, I think there's a download on MTS2 that lets you grow harvestable crops without Seasons. I'm not sure who it's by but it should show up in a search.

Update coming tomorrow!

[starwyn]

What is it with the men attacking women in Belle's boutique :blink:

[Aryxa]

What is it with the men attacking women in Belle's boutique :blink:

I'm considering changing the name to Belle's Boutique and Boxing Ring. I swear every time I'm in there some guy attacks a woman. Usually the crazy pointy-nose guy.

[Aryxa]

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Our first date was perfect. Malcolm had a devilish sense of humour, and he was surprisingly sweet.

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As our dates continued over the weeks, we grew closer, and began spending much more time together.

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He even managed to get me in fancy restaurants, even though I was still careful about what I ate.

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He became involved in my garden, often popping over to join me in a late night fishing marathon, which usually ended in me cooking for him.

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Thankfully I’d finally stopped burning things!

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My garden began to flourish, and pretty soon I had my first harvest of oranges!

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I spoke to Claudia a few times a week, mainly on the phone. She was keeping busy looking for jobs and trying to find a place of her own. Her parents seemed less and less willing for her to leave and I was beginning to worry about her.

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One day while I was gardening, Malcolm arrived out of the blue.

“Hi honey! I wasn’t expecting you today.” I gave him a squeeze and a kiss.

“Well I missed you, so I thought I’d come over and surprise you.”

He leaned over and kissed me deeper. I looked up at him and smiled.

“Do you want to come in?”

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Malcolm and I had an early night that night…

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I woke up the next morning, and reached over for Malcolm next to me. He wasn’t there.

I got up and went into the kitchen, wondering if he was making breakfast. When I didn’t find him there, I knocked the door of the bathroom, and finally ran out into the garden. He’d gone.

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I trudged back inside, feeling awful. Had I just been used? I couldn’t believe he’d just scarpered as soon as we slept together. I had to call him, even if it was just to have him dump me. I needed to know what was going on.

“Hello?”

“Malcolm, it’s me. What happened to you this morning?”

“Oh… I had to… do something.” He sounded shifty.

“Oh. Well, you’re obviously busy, so-”

“No,” he interrupted, “Not at all. Actually I wanted to talk to you. Can I come over?”

“Um… sure,” I replied, confused. Was he dumping me or not?

“Great. I’ll be over in a few minutes.”

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When I saw him coming down the street, I ran outside, grabbed him, and kissed him. The last few weeks had been amazing, and I wasn’t going to let him go that easily.

“Wow,” he gasped, “I guess you missed me then!”

“Where the h*ll have you been? I don‘t know about you, but I don‘t sleep with every person I meet, and when I do I expect him to be there when I wake up!”

“Sorry,” he said, blushing, “I had some things to do.”

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He wandered over to the pond, picked up a rod, and began to fish.

“Malcolm! Are you going to tell me what’s going on or not?”

He sighed, and set down the rod.

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“You have to understand that this is hard for me.” he began.

“Malcolm, if you’re going to break up with me, can you hurry up?” I said, fighting the urge to cry. “ I’m cold.”

“I’m not here to break up with you.”

“What?”

“I’m crazy about you, Beth. I love everything about you, I love what you’re doing here, I love your eyes, your laugh, the fact that you hang out in your underwear…”

I blushed. I’d forgotten I hadn’t bothered to change since this morning.

“This morning I left early to see my estate agent. Ever since I met you, I‘ve been more and more aware of how unhappy I am. I hate my life, Beth! I hate having to go into work every day and see the faces of people who couldn‘t care less about me as long as I pay their wage. I hate going home to an empty house and eating whatever I can shove in the microwave because I‘m too exhausted to cook. I need to change my life. I want to move in with you, Beth, if you‘ll have me. I’m selling my house.”

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“WHAT?!”

[FABx]

omg lol she's hanging out in her underwear hehe great update!!!

[starwyn]

great update aryxa - sorry, Katie :)

[msnicolejones]

I just read your story. I was hooked from the first chapter. :) I'm looking forward to your next update.

[jenny]

funny update...lol....I really don't think Malcolm is too well off...not sure though....watch out for his babies.....hehe

[edejan]

I love your story! I've been following chapter, but I also agree. Malcolm is not that well off and he's not that nice. I think your heroine may be in for a rough ride with him!!!!

[edejan]

I love your story! I've been following every chapter, but I also agree. Malcolm is not that well off and he's not that nice. I think your heroine may be in for a rough ride with him!!!!

[Aryxa]

He's stayed fairly well-behaved in my game, so there are no sprogs to watch out for just yet. As for the money issue... well, let's just say this isn't the first time I've played Malcolm...

[Aryxa]

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“Are you completely insane?” I cried. “We’ve only known each other a few weeks, and all of a sudden you want to move in?”

“Yes! Look, I know this seems sudden, but it just feels right to me. Don’t you agree?”

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“I don’t know, Malcolm. This is a big decision for me, I need to think. I’ll call you, okay?”

“Oh, ok. Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll speak to you later.” Malcolm wandered off down the road, looking dejected. For a moment I wondered where he was going, because his house was in the other direction, but I guessed he was going into work.

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After mooching around the house all day, I decided I needed to talk to someone.

“Hey, Claudia, it’s Beth. I was wondering if I could come over later? I kind of need to talk.”

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“Sure you can, honey! Is everything ok? You sound really upset.”

“I’m ok, just a little confused. I’ll explain everything when I get there.”

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As I walked up Claudia’s drive, an elderly woman rushed out of the front door to greet me.

“Hello, darling, you must be Beth! Claudia’s told me so much about you! I’m Patricia, Claudia’s mother. I’d love to introduce you to my husband, but I’m afraid he’s working at the moment.”

“It’s lovely to meet you, Patricia,” I smiled, though I thought to myself, who works at nine in the evening?

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Claudia must have seen me talking to her mother, because before I could even get to the door to ring the bell, she came running outside and gave me a huge hug.

“Hey Beth, how are you?”

“Having difficulty breathing!” I replied, laughing.

“Sorry!” She released me from her bear hug. “You just sounded so down on the phone. Come in, I’ll just put Jamie to bed and we can have a proper chat.”

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“This is Jamie.” She scooped up a beautiful little boy from the floor. He was seriously cute, with his mummy’s pale skin and dark hair.

“I’ll just take him up and get him settled, make yourself at home in the kitchen and I’ll be down in a few.”

As I walked through the house into the kitchen, I couldn’t help but notice all the expensive statues and strange looking gadgets dotted around the house, and wondered just what it was Claude’s dad did.

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“So,” she said, settling down across the table from me, “What’s the matter?”

“It’s Malcolm. He wants to move in with me.”

“Wow, that’s great!” she cried, until she saw the look on my face. “Isn’t it?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I’ve never lived with a guy before, I don’t even know if I’m ready for that sort of relationship. Don’t you think it’s a bit soon?” I asked. “We’ve only been seeing each other a weeks!”

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“That’s true, honey, but… well I’ve lived here for a few years and Malcolm’s been with quite a few girls, and you’re the only one he’s been with for more than a week!”

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“Telling me he’s been around isn’t helping, Claude!”

“What I mean is, in the time I’ve known him, Malcolm’s never lived with ANYONE. Ever. So if he wants to live with you… well, I’d guess that was pretty serious.”

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“Never? I guess he could be serious then… I just don’t know. Do you think I should do this?”

“Beth, it’s not my decision! You have to follow your heart.”

“Claude! Help me! Hypothetically, what would you do?”

“For goodness sake. Ok, fine, fine... All I’m going to say is, after Jamie’s dad died, it made me realise that you don’t get second chances in life. Sometimes, if the feelings right, you know when you have to take a risk. And, if it feels wrong, then you know that you have to hurt someone.”

“You’re right, Claude. I know you are. It’s just gonna be so hard.”

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“Ok hun, call me if you need me.”

“Thanks Claudia. See you soon!”

As I left Claudia’s house, I met Patricia in the hall.

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“Going home, dear?” she asked.

“Yes, I have something to do I’m afraid. I though Claudia put Jamie to bed?”

“Oh, he can’t sleep without a cuddle from his Nana!” she replied, jiggling the yawning toddler on her knee.

Poor Claudia, I thought. She can’t even look after her own baby without her parents interfering.

“Well, goodnight Patricia.”

“Night, dear.”

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I couldn’t help but break into a run as I left Claudia’s house. I knew exactly what I had to do, now I just had to find the courage to do it.

[Aryxa]

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/5201.jpg

“Hey, Malcolm, it’s me. We need to talk.”

“Ok. What’s up? Have you decided anything?”

“Yeah, I have. But I think you’d better come over to hear it.”

“Ok, sure. I’ll be over in a few.”

“See you in a minute, then. Oh, and Malcolm?”

“Yeah?”

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“Bring suitcases.”

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Malcolm arrived about ten minutes later, with hastily packed bags.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” he asked.

“I’ve never been surer.” I replied, and hugged him.

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Malcolm smiled as he pulled her close to him. It seemed he had finally landed on his feet. He just hoped Beth never found out his little secret…

[auroraspirit]

Oh dear, I don't like secrets, what's Malcolm got up his sleeve that's smelling a bit fishy :hmm:

Good story aryxa :)

Auroraspirit :angel:

[starwyn]

oooh secrets! Now it's getting interesting :)

[Aryxa]

Whoops... I'm having some picture size issues so bear with the links while I fix them!

[jenny]

hmm, secrets....what secrets could he have.....:)

[Aryxa]

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“Hey sweetie,” Malcolm called to me from the dining room. “I heard that Belle’s Boutique has had a renovation, fancy going to check it out?”

“I’d love to hun, but it’d just make me want to buy clothes, and you know I can’t afford it.”

“Well I can,” he grinned. “The sale of my house completed today, and what better way to celebrate than to thoroughly spoil my favourite lady?”

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“I don’t need spoiling,” I smiled, “but I’m sure if I see something pretty, you could persuade me to let you buy it for me…”

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Belle’s looked lovely, but it seemed they hadn’t really bothered to clear out the drab clothes on the rails!

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I managed to find some nice things, and even persuaded Malcolm to splash out on some new clothes.

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The things some people wear! She must be freezing! She kept bugging Malcolm too, flicking her hair this way and that. Finally he shooed her away, and she swished out of the door, wiggling her bum as she went.

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Back home, I fixed us some fresh fruit and bran flakes.

“Nice job they’ve done, isn’t it?” said Malcolm between mouthfuls.

“It’s lovely. I wish I could give this place a spruce.”

“Well, why don’t you?”

“I can barely afford new clothes, Malcolm! Today was the first time I’ve bought new clothes in ages, and you paid for those, and that makeup. I bought one outfit when I got here and that stretched my savings. I don’t have the money to do up the house.”

“Well why don’t I pay for it?”

“You're sweet, but don’t be ridiculous. You’re not paying to do up my house.”

“Well, I live here too, so technically it’s my house as well. And I’m happier when you’re happy, and redecorating the house would make you happy. So, we’re doing it.”

“What did I do to deserve someone like you? New clothes and decorating all in one day?”

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“You must have been a very good girl in a past life.” he smiled. “And anyway, just because you live on a farm doesn’t mean you have to look like a farmer, do you?”

“Uh… I guess not.” I replied, deciding not too take the farmer comment to heart. He didn’t mean to be hurtful, it was probably just a slip of the tongue, right?

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And I had to admit, it did feel nice to do my hair and put some makeup on. Everyone likes a little pampering!

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That evening, Malcolm prepared a freshly caught fish, and Claudia came over for dinner.

“You know, Malcolm, it’s so nice to see you settled down at last. I mean, I don‘t know a girl in the neighbourhood who you haven‘t-”

“Watch it, Claudia!” he chuckled, “We wouldn’t want my perfect reputation smudged for poor Beth, would we?”

“I don’t know, I’d quite like to hear about your bachelor days!” I teased.

“Well, if you’re going to spread vicious, totally untrue and entirely-not-based-on-fact slander about me… I may as well go pick tomatoes!” Malcolm grinned, kissed me on the cheek, and disappeared outside, leaving Claudia and me in the kitchen.

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I hope Claudia doesn’t say too much, thought Malcolm. Or, I hope all the money I'm spending on Beth makes her think I’ve changed my ways!

[Aryxa]

Wow, when did this get 5 stars?! Cheers!

[Aryxa]

Some censored swearing in here guys... you have been warned!

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“Hey, sweetie. Have you been waiting up for me?” Malcolm curled up on the bed next to me.

“I couldn’t sleep” I replied. “I’ve hardly seen you lately, and I’ve missed you.”

“I’m sorry darling, I’ve just been so swamped at work, training up my new manager. It’ll all be over soon, don’t worry.”

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Malcolm had passed the majority of the responsibility of his business over to his new manager, who apparently needed a lot of help getting settled into the workings of the club. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too long before Malcolm could leave him in charge and spend more time with me at home.

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“But enough about my boring day,” said Malcolm, pulling me down onto the bed. “Why don’t you show me just how much you’ve missed me?”

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A few days later, I was on my way out, leaving Malcolm to tidy up and tend the garden.

“Malcolm?” I called up the stairs, “I’m going shopping with Claudia, I’ll see you in about three hours, ok?”

“Ok honey, have a nice time!”

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As it turns out, I only spent about an hour with Claudia. I felt really tired for some reason, so I thought it would be better to call it a day, and slob out on the sofa for a while.

Bless, Malcolm had left me some flowers by the door.

To my darling, last night was amazing. I can’t wait to see you again. K x

That was weird. The delivery guy must have got the wrong address. I took the flowers into the kitchen and put them in the sink to keep fresh, then headed towards the lounge to find the phone number of the local florist.

“Malcolm, are you home?” I called. “Some idiot delivery guy left - WHAT THE-?!”

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As soon as Malcolm saw me, he leapt off the sofa (or rather, leapt off the strange girl on the sofa).

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“Beth! You’re home early!”

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” I yelled. “Shall I go out for another hour and give you a chance to clean up?!!”

“Malcolm, what’s going on?” said the half dressed stranger on my sofa. “Is this your maid?”

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“No, I am not his f*cking maid! I’m his girlfriend!!”

“WHAT?!” screamed the girl, scooping up her clothes from the floor. “I can’t believe you, Malcolm! You told me this was your country house!”

As she ran out of the house, swearing at Malcolm and pulling her top on, I felt the anger bubbling up inside my chest.

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“Get out of my house.” I said slowly, grinding my teeth.

“YOUR house? I think you’re forgetting, I paid for this house! I paid for everything in it!”

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“I never asked for any of this! Just because you like to splash your money about! Yes, having a pretty house is nice, but you know what’s nicer? Having a boyfriend who doesn’t sleep around with cheap tarts!”

“Hazel is not a tart!”

“Hazel…?” My mind flicked back to the flowers in the sink.

To my darling, last night was amazing. I can’t wait to see you again. K x

“Who else have you been sleeping with, Malcolm?”

“What? No-one, I swear, it was just one mistake-”

“Malcolm, who is K?!”

“Have you been spying on me, you b*tch!”

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Malcolm slapped me full across the face with all his might. It was all I could do not to fall, but I was determined not to let him see any weakness in me.

“Get out. Now.”

“I’m not leaving this house.”

“Get out, or I’ll call the police and have you arrested for assault.” I could feel the bruise spreading across my eye.

“You wouldn’t dare…” His voice sounded doubtful.

“Try me.”

Malcolm quivered.

“Baby, come on. You can’t do this to me! Where would I go?”

“I don’t care! Get a hotel, stay at one of your tart’s houses!”

“I can’t afford a hotel!”

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/7012.jpg

“What?”

“I don’t have any money left, Beth. I spent it all on you, I thought if I bought you all these things you wouldn’t notice if I was late home sometimes, or if I spent a lot of time at work…”

Realization hit me hard in the chest, and I felt completely stupid. How could I not see this coming?

“If you throw me out,” Malcolm continued, “I’ll have nothing. You can’t do this to me.”
“You’re right, I can’t. I won’t leave you with nothing.”

Malcolm smiled, and moved towards me, his arms open to hug me.

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“You can take your f*cking sofa with you.” I scowled.

Malcolm visibly crumpled. He knew he’d lost everything.

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I watched Malcolm’s taxi leave from the lounge window. I couldn’t bring myself to speak to him, but I’d watched him pack, locked the door behind him, and seen him kick over the trash can in anger. I couldn’t even bring myself to go pick it up yet. I didn’t care if it got roaches. I didn’t care what I ate that night. I didn’t care about anything.

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Half an hour later, the moving van arrived to collect the sofa. They were going to sell it and deliver the money to Malcolm at the club. I assumed that would be where he was sleeping.

Once the delivery men had left, I stood in the spot where our sofa had been, where Malcolm and I had sat and watched TV, the sofa we made out on, the sofa he’d cheated on me on, who knows how many times. In the newly emptied, cold room, I stood and cried and cried.

[starwyn]

Awww poor Beth

That line cracked me up tho. i won't leave you with nothing “You can take your f*cking sofa with you.” LOL

[Aryxa]

Please ignore any furniture discrepancies in this chapter... I had some game issues!

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I did my gardening at night for the next few days. I didn’t want to see anyone and have to explain why Malcolm had gone or why my left eye was now a violent shade of purple.

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I began eating constantly. It was like a comfort to me. All I seemed to do was eat and sleep. I stayed in my pajamas for about four days. I started putting on weight, which I hadn’t done for years.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/8003.jpg

Every now and then I got these insane urges to clean everything. It was like I wanted every trace of Malcolm scrubbed out of my house. I was getting really chubby, my stomach nearly grazed the counter, but I didn’t care.

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One morning, my doorbell rang as I was taking a nap on top of the bed after exhausting myself cleaning (I still couldn’t bring myself to get under the covers. I kept thinking about whether Malcolm had had other women in there.)

“Beth! Get down here now!” yelled Claudia from outside. “I haven’t seen or heard from you in days, come on! Open the door!”

I stuffed my head under a pillow and tried to ignore her. I knew she was just looking out for me, but I really didn’t want to see anyone.

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“Fine!” she shouted, “if you’re not going to let me in, I’m just going to have to sit out here! Hm, it’s kinda dull out here. Maybe I should sing to amuse myself? Jimmy crack corn, and I don’t care, Jimmy crack corn and I don’t care…”

D*mn her, she knows I hate that song! I dragged myself out of bed and went down to open the door.

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I opened the door silently, and turned to go into the kitchen.

“Beth, what’s going on? I haven’t heard from you for days, I haven’t seen you since Malcolm left…”

“How did you know he left?”

“Honey, the taxis are loud enough, but he kicked your trashcan about eight times before he left. He wasn’t exactly discreet.”

I laughed bitterly, and turned to face her.

“I don’t think discreet is his style.”

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“WHAT THE H*LL?! Did that pr**k do that to you?”

“Yeah…”

“I’m gonna f*cking kill him. I swear to God… where is he?!”

“Claude, calm down. He’s gone, and he’s not coming back. That’s all that matters.”

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Claudia’s eyes flicked down to my podgy belly.

“Um.. Beth, when did that happen?”

“Oh, I guess I’ve not really been taking care of myself. I need to eat better.”

“Beth, how’ve you been feeling lately?”

“Apart from mad as hell? Tired, I guess, and hungry a lot. Oh, and I’m peeing all the bloody time.”

“Uh-huh. And how many times have you thrown up this week?”

“What?”

“Just answer me.” Claude replied, looking more and more worried.

“Three or four… Claude, what’s wrong? You’re scaring me now.”

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“Beth… don’t you think you might be… pregnant?”

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“Don’t be silly,” I replied, “I’m just a little run down… I just… sh*t.” My explanations ran out, and it dawned on me. I was pregnant!

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“No, no, no… this is wrong, this is all wrong…” I wailed. I couldn’t be pregnant now, not with him!

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“Ssh, it’s ok,” Claude put her arm around me, “We’ll sort this out. You’re not on your own. I’ll help you, Mum’ll help you, you know how much she loves babies… it’s going to be ok, Beth.”

I stood in Claudia’s arms, crying my eyes out. I wasn’t ready for this, but it seemed I had no other choice.

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“I don’t want his baby!” I bawled.

“It’s not his baby, Beth. It’s yours. It’s a tiny person, and it belongs to you. If I know Malcolm, he won’t want anything to do with it, and I’ll tell you something - if your eye is anything to go by, it’s better like that. You need to forget about him. And I’m going to help. The first thing we have to do is get rid of everything that he bought for this house. Go upstairs and have a bath, and I’m going to bring some catalogues over. This is your fresh start, Beth. It could be the best thing that ever happened to you.”

With that, Claude ran me a bath, and as she pored over furniture magazines downstairs, I lay in the tub and ran my hands over my belly, which had changed from an inert lump of extra fat, to a living, mysterious entity. It seemed to tingle with the unknown. I laid back, hand resting over my belly button, and tried to visualise all the bad feeling floating away with the bathwater, replaced by a white light. It was hard, but eventually I began to feel more positive about this baby. I climbed out of the now lukewarm bath, pruney fingered, still apprehensive, but happier than I’d felt for days.

[jenny]

whoa...nice black eye!...see Malcohlm(sp) is no good, and butt ugly...*snickers*.....they always get left with a baby don't they.....lets hope it looks like her at least....good update:)

[Aryxa]

I know, he has a seriously scary brow going on... I have a horrible feeling the baby's going to have the Maxis caterpillar brows, too... as long as that's all it has I don't mind!

[auroraspirit]

Malcolm deserves a good kick up the bum that's for sure, what a so and so :mean:

I hope Beth makes it through okay with the pregnancy :hmm:

Auroraspirit :angel:

[starwyn]

I didn't realize there was more to go when i commented , sorry about that. I really like Beth and her friend so that says a lot about your writing style :) I'm liking this story..casual and down to earth...like me lol

[Aryxa]

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The next few months were a bit of a blur. I spent most of my days tidying up the house, gardening and fishing. It felt really good to get rid of all the old stuff and have something that was just mine.

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It seemed like the baby was even improving my fishing! I’d never seen one that big before. I’d hang it on the wall if my pregnancy hadn’t made me so hungry all the time.

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Urgh! Maybe my fishing hadn’t improved that much… how did that even get in my pond?!

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Claudia called one evening late into my pregnancy.

“Hey preggers! How are you feeling?”

“Fat,” I replied, “and tired, and hungry, and I can’t stop peeing. Apparently my bladder’s in the baby’s way, so she’s decided to kick it constantly.”

“She? I thought you didn’t know the sex?”

“Well, officially, no, but I just have this feeling. So how are you?”

“Jamie said his first word today.”

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“Claude, that’s great! What did he say?!”

“Dada.”

The silence hung heavy in the air.

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“Oh, honey. Don’t feel bad, a lot of the books say that’s likely to be their first word. It’s easier to say, apparently…”

“I know, it’s not that. It’s just… that made me realise that one day I’m going to have to explain where Jamie’s daddy is, and I don’t think I can.”

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“Honey, Jamie had a great daddy, and it’s nobody’s fault that he’s not here. When the time comes, you’ll be able to tell him everything about how wonderful his daddy was, and how much he would have loved him. It’s not easy, hon, I know it’s not. It’s going to be sad, and you’ll probably both cry, but you’re going to be able to tell him everything.”

Claude was crying on the other end of the line.

“I guess so, Beth. It’s just… no-one ever said it was going to be this hard, you know?”

I smiled bitterly. “You don’t have to tell me that, Claude.”

We chatted for another half an hour or so, until I felt my eyelids drooping.

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“I’m gonna have to love you and leave you, Claude, I’m exhausted.”

“Ok, Beth, you take care of yourself.”

“You too. Do you fancy coming over tomorrow?”

“Sure. I’ll call you in the morning. Night!”

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I clambered into bed in my faithful old pj’s (the only ones that fitted over my huge bump!) and climbed into bed. I swear, if I got any bigger I’d have to winch myself in and out.

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I woke up at ten to five the next morning with the most unbelievable pains in my stomach. As soon as I brought myself up to a sitting position, my waters broke.

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“AAAAOOOEEWW!” I screamed. There was no way I’d get to a hospital in time, let alone get downstairs to the phone. The baby was coming, now.

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Two hours, a lot of pain, and a quick visit from the paramedics later, and there she was. My little girl. Chloe.

[FurryPanda]

This is an awesome story!! I just read it the whole way through and I love it! I simply can not wait to read more :) Happy simsing!

[Aryxa]

Thanks Panda! I've just taken some shots for the next update, should be up soon!

[starwyn]

uh-oh, your sim baby got the caterpillar eyebrows too lol...must say tho...like mother like daughter

[Aryxa]

Those bloomin eyebrows haunt me! She grew up yesterday, and we had to have a quick surgery too... though nothing as bad as yours! I'm not putting the before shots in the story, I'm just going to pretend the kid was never an uggo :)... I still don't get how the genetics can go THAT wrong!

[starwyn]

'bloomin' LOL my granddad says that and mum says blimmin yes i'm from a long line of poms, they migrated here when mum was 6
the term uggo cracked me up too...i really hope you took a pic of the uggo anyway so we can check it out :D give us a laugh lol

[Aryxa]

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/10-01.jpg

I couldn't get over this little girl. When I think about how scared I was when I found out I was pregnant, I can hardly believe how happy I was now. She was perfect.

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The only thing that was similar to Malcolm was her eyes. They both had a steely blue tint, but that was ok. Soon I'd stop seeing them as Malcolm's eyes and start seeing them as Chloe's.

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Time flew by, and, even though I had less time for it, my garden had sparked an interest in the local Garden Club. They wanted to offer me a membership, and soon they were popping round every week or so to check on my progress.

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They seemed really impressed with my vegetable plot, and the Chair, Tiffany Zarubin, even gave me some interesting recipies to try.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/10-05.jpg

The weirdest one involved cucumbers. Picked at midnight, she said, they would produce a drink with the qualities of a love potion.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/10-06.jpg

I thought it sounded a bit far-fetched, but why not give it a try? Looking after Chloe was exhausting and a fresh juice perk might help, and if my some miracle it did work, Claudia and I could go out on the town and have a laugh.

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To be honest, I did't feel much different, although I swore every time I turned around I caught a floating loveheart in the corner of my eye...

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Chloe was growing up fast. Before I knew it she was toddling around the house, a beautiful little girl in her terrible two's stage.

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As she grew, she began to look less and less like her father, which was such a relief.

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I started teaching her to walk, talk, and use a potty. She was a fast learner and never stopped smiling. I realised that my life now was soley based around my little girl; nothing else in the world meant more to me.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/10-11.jpg

[Aryxa]

'bloomin' LOL my granddad says that and mum says blimmin yes i'm from a long line of poms, they migrated here when mum was 6
the term uggo cracked me up too...i really hope you took a pic of the uggo anyway so we can check it out :D give us a laugh lol

Lol well I was born and raised in good ol' blighty, and seeing as I can't swear like I normally would on here... I guess bloomin' will have to do! ;)

As requested... uggo photo! You can't tell from this shot but from the side her face was completely flat... urgh.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/uggo.jpg

[angelthatishonest]

lol I just finished my story when I went to yours and found you had like just updated it.

I love it.

[FurryPanda]

As always, great update. And Chloe is such a cute toddler! Can't wait to read more!

[msnicolejones]

Great updates!

[Aryxa]

Chloe is such a cute toddler!

She didn't used to be... check the before surgery shot... :argh:

[LizaLizBethy]

I am adoring this story. It's very cute and I really like the characters; and I love that you update so often. Thanks for a great story!

[Aryxa]

:) Thanks, everyone! It's good to know you're all enjoying it!

[angelthatishonest]

I love the story. It's one of the best ones I've read on here. Give me more great updates!!!

[Aryxa]

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/11-01.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/11-02.jpg

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And sometimes an unexplained emptiness leaves a greater void than ever imagined.

[angelthatishonest]

O me gosh!! Great update!!!

[Aryxa]

"MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM!"

The scream jolted me back to the real world, instead of the daydream I had been in when I was gardening.

"MUUUUMMMEEEEEE!"

I dropped my shears and ran in a panic to the front of the house where Chloe was shouting for me.

"MUUUUUUM!!"

As I turned the corner, my heart was in my mouth, as I imagined a world of terrible things, any of which could have prompted the cries coming from my little girl.

"Mummy!!"

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/12-01.jpg

"Mummy, I got an A!! Come look! I got an A!"

Relief flooded through me.

"Is that all?" I laughed.

Chloe looked disappointed. "Aren't you proud?" she asked, hurt.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/12-03.jpg

"Of course I'm proud, I'm so pleased for you honey, but when you were shouting I thought something bad had happened... I was just being silly."

Chloe chuckled. "What could ever happen to me, Mum? This is a nice place."

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I smiled at her innocence. "Come on, my little genius. Do you want to help me in the garden?"

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Bless her, she worked so hard on that garden.

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I came in a few hours later to find her sprawled on the sofa, asleep, with the tv on.

"Chloe? Wake up honey, it's time for bed."

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"Hey Mum, can we talk for a sec?"

"Of course we can, honey, what's the matter?"

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"Am I normal?"

"What? Of course you're not, honey. You're very special and that's why I love you."

"Oh... ok. Never mind."

She got up to go to bed, looking dejected.

"Chloe, stop. What's wrong? Talk to me."

She sighed, and plonked herself on the floor in a gesture achingly reminiscent of the pose her father had taken on the day we first met.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/12-08.jpg

"Mum..." she said, taking a deep breath. "Why don't I have a daddy?"

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Oh, cr*p.

"Honey... you don't have a daddy because... well, you're father isn't a very nice man. There's no easy way to tell you this, so, I guess I'll just start from the beginning..."

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As I went through the whole messy history leading up to the birth of my precious little girl, her face became more and more clouded.

"So... I was a mistake? You didn't want me?"

"You are the best thing that has EVER happened to me. EVER. I never thought I'd love anyone as much as I love you, do you hear me? No, you weren't planned but, Chloe, I would be lost without you. You don't have a daddy, and you're better without him. And no, you're not 'ordinary', and I'm so pleased you're not. You're perfect, and I love you very much."

Finally she smiled and got up to go to bed.

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"I love you too, Mum."

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I gave myself a few minutes after tucking Chloe into bed. Talking to her about Malcolm was hard, but she needed to know the truth about her father. Plus, if she knew the truth about him, she wouldn't be deluded into trying to find him later in life.

As I stood up to go to bed, I noticed a moving van outside Claudia's. There seemed to be a lot of commotion. As I watched, Claudia, Jamie, a man and a little girl, neither of whom I recognised, piled into Claudia's car and drove off, with the van following behind. Patricia stood on the drive by the fountain, watching her daughter drive away. In the darkened window of an upstairs room, I thought I saw the figure of a man, but in a second, he was gone.

[starwyn]

ooh ah, i hope there's more soon!!!!

[Plumeria330]

I just read through your story and I love it! looking forward to more ;)

[Aryxa]

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/13-01.jpg

"Hey, Beth, its me."

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"Claude! How are you? Call me crazy but... did I see you move out last night?"

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"Yep, that was me!" Claude chuckled. "Things got a bit... weird at home."

"What happened?"

"Well, you remember that guy from my office that I went on a date with? Well, things have been getting a little serious with him, so I decided to ask him back to my place, to meet Jamie... and, well, Dad was home, and he kinda went mad. He has this thing about deciding who I date and he really didn't like Jasper for some reason and he just went mad and 'forbade' me to date him, like he was some 18th century lord or something!"

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/13-05.jpg

"What?!"

"I know! So I just lost it, he's been doing this since I was a teenager, and I'm just so tired of it! So I told him I wasn't a little girl anymore, and I'd see who I wanted to."

"So what did he say?" I asked.

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"He threw me out."

"WHAT!"

"It's ok, though. Jasper was there, and he asked me to move in with him. We're living in a little house just the other side of Riverblossom Hills."

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"Are you sure you're not moving too fast?"

"Not at all. I know you're edgy about this stuff because of what happened with Malcolm, but... I just know this is the right thing to do. And there was no way I was staying home with Dad."

"Honey, as long as you're happy, that's all that matters. Listen, give me your address and I'll come see you!"

"Sure, but... before you do, I need to tell you something else..."

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"I'm having a baby."

[sweetbabyhnd2007]

I love this story..

[Aryxa]

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Seeing Claudia again was great, and I can honestly say I've never seen her so happy. She was even putting on weight along with her pregnancy. Its weird, I never realised how stressed she was until it had gone.

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"So you must be the lovely Beth!" exclaimed a tall redheaded guy, who smiled warmly at me.

"I'm Jasper. Claudia's told me so much about you."

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/14-04.jpg

"Well, I have to be honest Jasper, I haven't heard much about you."

"I know, it all happened a bit fast! I know you're going to worry about her moving too fast because of what happened to you, but...I just couldn't let Claude stay in a house like that. You know what it's like with someone you love."

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"You love her?" I said with the biggest smile on my face.

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"With all my heart."

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I smiled. "Ok, you passed the test. You can stay!"

Jasper laughed, and gave me a hug. "Thanks. That means a lot."

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"So," said Claudia, dishing up salad, "Everyone's getting along?"

"He's great." I replied.

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"God, look how grown up we are." Claudia said. "It seems like just yesterday that you just moved in, and now all of a sudden I'm having my second baby and your little girl's about to go to high school."

"I know." I replied. "Life's moving so fast."

[sweetbabyhnd2007]

Good update

[Plumeria330]

nice updates! Im glad Claudia can finally be happy :)

[msnicolejones]

Yay for Claudia. She deserves to be happy!

[Jasmin_SC]

Ohhh baby time! Claudia's baby will be beautiful ^__^ Awsome story <3

[Aryxa]

I lost some pics, so there's been a bit of a jump here, but hopefully I can catch you all up...

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/15-01.jpg

Man, I was pooped. I'd been up all night helping Mum with the garden, and then I'd had to finish my homework. Mum always insisted the garden came first, then my studies. Doesn't she realize I have exams in a few weeks?

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Looking out of my bedroom window I could see her in the garden. I didn't understand why she didn't just leave it until the morning; she must be freezing out there.

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I came down the next morning to find a bowl of cereal waiting for me, along with Mum.

"How did you sleep, honey?"

"Fine thanks, Mum. You? What time did you go to bed?"

"Oh, it was about one before I turned in."

I groaned inwardly. She couldn't keep doing this, and I didn't have the time to help her what with all my schoolwork.

"Listen, Jamie's coming over later, is that ok?"

Mum raised her eyebrows.

"That's fine, honey. Anything I should know about you two?"

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"Mum, for goodness' sake. Jamie is my oldest friend, I've known him ever since I can remember. He's like a brother to me. Nothing... gross is happening. He's just coming over to see me before he leaves for college."

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"That's a shame." Mum sighed. "You're really going to miss him, aren't you? I'm glad you're staying here with me, I don't know how I'd cope without you."

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"Yeah..."

Guilt knotted in my stomach; I hadn't told Mum about the applications I'd sent to Sim State University, let alone the acceptance letter that I'd hidden under my mattress. I hadn't even decided if I was going yet. I'd deal with that later.

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Later that morning, Jamie and I were standing on the front lawn.

"So, what's new?" I asked.

"Not much. Mum's preggo again. You'd have thought me and the little sister from hell were enough. But enough about me. Have you told her yet?" he asked.

"No," I grimaced, "She gave me the whole 'I can't imagine being without you' speech and I chickened out."

"Chloe! You can't keep letting her rule your life... Come on, when was the last time you actually made your own choice?!"

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"Hmm... let me think... never?" I joked. "Come on, Jamie, you know my Mum, she's so over protective it's scary."

I glanced over Jamie's shoulder, and lo and behold, there was Mum, embarrassing me as always, smooching her boyfriend in full view of the neighbours.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/15-11.jpg

Leod. I actually quite liked the guy; he made Mum happy, and it had been a long time since I'd seen her happy. I actually couldn't remember a time when she didn't look like there was something on her mind.

"We should go upstairs; if I have to watch those two pash any more I won't be able to eat tonight." I led Jamie up to my room.

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Upstairs, I tried to steer the conversation away from my Mum and her vice-like grip on my life, but Jamie wasn't having any of it.

"You can't keep letting her her ruin your life, Chlo. You're almost eighteen, she's not going to be able to hold onto you forever."

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"Try telling her that. What am I supposed to do?"

"You need to show her you're an adult, that you're in charge of your own decisions now."

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"And how would you suggest I do that?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "When I turned 18, I got access to the trust fund Grandma set up for me when Dad died, I think Mum wasn't keen but I was old enough to make my own decisions. I think she expected me to buy a car or something, so she was pleasantly surprised when I opened a savings account. Just show her you can make good decisions without her help."

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All of a sudden, it hit me. I knew exactly what I had to do to show my choices were my own. She'd hate it at first, but she'd get over it.

[starwyn]

So is this story going to be from the daughters point of view now?

[Aryxa]

For the moment, yes.

[FurryPanda]

I just read the last couple of updates and I really love what you're doing with the story! can't wait to read more, as always, happy simsing.

[Aryxa]

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/16-01.jpg

Later that afternoon, Mum, Leod, Jamie and I were sat having dinner. Jamie and I had just got back from town, where I'd been stocking up on essentials for the big change.


"So Jamie," Mum said, "Chloe tells me you're deserting us all."

"I don't see it like that, Ms. Mossberg. I see it more as an opportunity to see more of the world, better myself, you know?"

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/16-02.jpg

"Yes, I have been to college, and I can tell you it's not all it's cracked up to be. And Leod didn't go, and he's doing okay for himself, aren't you dear?"

Mum stretched her hand across the table and started canoodling with Leod again.

"Well, I'd better go," said Jamie, as I rolled my eyes at my mother. "Chloe, that... textbook you wanted, I put it in your drawer for you."

"Um, thanks Jamie. See you later."

I showed Jamie out, then headed upstairs, making up some stuff about research, pulled out the package from my drawer and locked myself in my bathroom.
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"What the h*ll have you done to yourself?!" Mum screamed. She'd come in to the bathroom just as I was putting the finishing touches to my hair.

"Your beautiful hair!" she moaned. "How could you be so stupid!"

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"I'm not stupid, Mum!" I yelled. "This is what I've wanted for ages, and I've been too scared to do it because you're so bloody controlling you'd probably choke me on cotton wool!"

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"I can't believe you! You are so immature!"

"Well, Sim State must think I'm mature, seeing as they've offered me a place there!"

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Mum recoiled into stunned silence.

"What? You applied to college and didn't even tell me?"

"What was I supposed to say, Mum? Everytime college is mentioned, you just talk about how awful your experience was, and how you'd fall apart without me."

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"I love you, Mum, but you can't make my choices for me any more. I'm old enough to make my own mistakes, and you need to let me. Did you really think I'd stay here on the farm forever?"

"Well, that's kind of what I'd hoped." Mum replied.

"I'm going to college, Mum. I don't need your approval, but it would still mean a lot to me to have it."

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"I'm sorry, Chloe, but you're not going to get it. I've worked every single day since you were born to provide for you, but you've just thrown it back in my face. I can't stop you going, but don't think for one second I'm happy about it."

With that she turned and left, leaving me to get dressed, guilt and confusion buzzing around my head.

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The next morning, I packed my things and called a taxi to take me to Sim State. I left the house alone, with Mum in the lounge, staring at the wall with Leod's arm around her. Apparently he was moving in. I was pleased she wouldn't be alone, but at the same time there was no way I was going back in there. It was time to start living my own life.

[auroraspirit]

Great updates! Things have really progressed along since I have last read. Just hope things start looking up for Chloe.

Auroraspirit :angel:

[msnicolejones]

Wow! That was a brave move! Hope Chloe has a better college experience than her mother did!

[starwyn]

what was so bad about her mums college experience?

[Aryxa]

Well, so far, all you know is she got sick a lot at college. There'll be bits and bobs coming up soon. I've had some issues so I know the story seems a little rushed, but I promise things will slow down now Chloe's at college and you'll find out some more about Beth.

[Aryxa]

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Well, this was it. My home for the next few years; McClung Hall. It was small and kind of shabby, but I liked it.

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Much as I hated to admit it, though, I could see what Mum meant about college food. I didn't even want to know what I could see floating in my mac'n'cheese...

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Thankfully, Jamie had managed to get in the same halls as me. It was nice to have someone I knew around, it made settling in easier.

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I was unpacking in my tiny room when this girl came in and introduced herself.

"Hi, my name's Vyn. I've just moved in to the room across the hall and I thought I'd introduce myself."

"That's nice of you. I'm Chloe Mossberg."

"Really? Mossberg? Beth's daughter?!"

"Um.. yeah? Do you know her?"

"My mum went to college with her. Didn't she tell you?"

"No. She didn't really tell me much about her college, except that she hated it. She didn't really want me to come."

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Vyn laughed. "I'm not surprised."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You don't know? Well, it's not really my business to tell you if your mum hasn't but... I'm sure if you do your research it should be easy enough to find out."

With that, she turned and left.

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What Vyn had said bothered me, but I didn't have time to think about it. Both Jamie and I had masses of assignments to do, not to mention a term paper to finish and various skills to brush up on. I was studying Journalism, and Jamie was working on his Law degree.

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After pulling an all-nighter to finish our term papers, Jamie and I finally emerged to have some food. I couldn't help but notice the other inhabitants of the dorm had rather... striking new looks.

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"So what prompted your lovely new look then?" Jamie asked the girl next to him, Mary.

"The local boutique were doing discount makeovers door-to-door, probably trying to get new customers. They said they'd do the whole dorm free if we passed out flyers to our friends. It's a shame you guys weren't here, you could have used a spruce." She sniffed, looking down her nose at me.

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"Oh, I think Chloe looks great as she is." said the blonde guy next to me, Douglas. I blushed, and Jamie shot Douglas a funny look.

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"Thanks, Douglas. I'm pretty tired, I think I'm going to turn in. See you in the morning, guys."

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As I climbed into bed, I started thinking about what Vyn had said before. I had some free time tomorrow, thanks to finishing my term paper ahead of deadline, so I thought I'd head into Sim State Library to see if I could find any old yearbooks that might give some clue as to what she meant about Mum.

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The next morning, I was up bright and early, and knocked on Jamie's door before I left.

"Hey, I'm heading to the library for a bit, got any books you need taking back?"

"No thanks Chlo, the beauty of the internet means I did all my term paper research online. You have fun in the Stone Age Library, though! What are you going for?"

"Oh, I just want to look at some textbooks. See you later."

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I felt bad for not telling Jamie why I was really going to the library, but I didn't want to get him involved in something that might just be idle gossip. I wanted to know why Vyn had found it so interesting that I was Beth Mossberg's daughter.

[angelthatishonest]

OO whats up??

[Aryxa]

OO whats up??


:D Wait and see... The pictures have been taken for the next chapter so I'll edit those and should have it up later tonight.

[angelthatishonest]

Awesome! I am so hooked!

[Aryxa]

Awesome! I am so hooked!

Tee hee glad to hear it!

[jenny]

ohh, sounds interesting....I love her new look!

[FurryPanda]

OOOH!! I am intrigued. I can't wit to find out the source of Beth's notoriety! Keep it coming and as always, happy simsing.

[Aryxa]

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/18-01.jpg

As I walked up to the library, I began to feel nervous. What exactly was I hoping to find? Mum's old yearbook conveniently placed on a shelf, signed by all her classmates, confirming her as... what?

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A kindly librarian pointed me to the stacks that held the lists of past graduates. I stopped short in front of the books. It occurred to me that I didn't know what year Mum graduated. Come to think of it, I didn't remember ever seeing her diploma. Quickly I worked out what year it would have been when Mum was eighteen, and found that years graduating class.

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When she didn't show up in that one, I checked the one for the next year.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/18-04.jpg

And the next...

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And the next...

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And the next. After three hours, I'd checked all the graduates from five years either side of my Mum's eighteenth birthday. She wasn't there.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/18-07.jpg

I walked out of the library feeling dejected. The librarian had no suggestions as to why a graduate wouldn't be listed. I trudged home, disappointed with my wasted day.

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When I got home, Jamie was sat on the couch watching the football.

"Hey, lazy arse. Have you done any work today?" I asked.

"Nope!" He smiled. "Come on, we worked our bums off yesterday, today is rest day. How was the library?"

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"Pointless." I said, plonking myself on the sofa next to him, and recounting my whole wasted day to him. As the frustration caught up with me, I felt tears well up in my eyes.

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"Hey, don't cry." He shuffled up to me on the sofa and put his arm around me.

"I'm okay, I just... I thought I might be able to find something to explain the way she is. Its weird to think that she has this whole secret history that I don't know about."

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/18-12.jpg

"Maybe there's a good reason for that. You won't know until you talk to her."

"I know," I sighed. I looked up into Jamie's eyes, and realised with a jolt that we were practically snuggling on the couch. I jumped up, flushed.

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"Anyway," I stammered, "I'm going to take a shower. Thanks for letting me moan at you, Jay."

"No probs, Chlo."

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As I stood in the shower, letting the water run over my aching body and listening out for the toilet flush so I could jump out from under the surge of freezing water that usually followed, I got to thinking about the graduation lists. Why wasn't Mum there? And why had I never seen her degree? She'd definitely come here; she talked about it a lot, and even Vyn knew her by name through her Mum.

All of a sudden it hit me; Mum wasn't on the grad lists because she never graduated. She must have dropped out! But why?

[starwyn]

Great update...this is intersting..but i have to ask...what happened to the 'homegrown' aspect of the story??? lol either way it's still a good story :)
Can i make one tiny suggestion about your picture taking, not that i'm an expert or anything but Perhaps you could tilt the camera down a touch so we can't see the sky?

[FurryPanda]

You know what would be surprising? If it turned out that Beth wasn't in the sim state yearbooks becasue she went to another school! It would be very lame, but I would be surprised. Can't wait to read more! Happy simsing!

[kawaiimeg_SC]

Nice story! Great job so far!

[Aryxa]

Starywn - Thanks for the tip about the picture taking. I used to Photoshop the sky white to look like ceilings but for some reason I seem to have forgotten that in a few pics... *doh* As for the homegrown thing, I know what you mean in terms of Beth's farm, that has been put to one side a little. I think what 'homegrown' means here is the seeds of Beth's life that are coming together for Chloe to piece together. Don't worry, the farm is doing great and we'll get back to it soon!

Panda - Sorry to disappoint, but Beth did go to Sim State, she just didn't graduate, for reasons currently unknown.

Thanks to everyone for reading and commenting. Updates are coming ;)

[starwyn]

Don't worry aryxa, i'm not complaining :) I forget to correct mine too sometimes and i hate having to photoshop skill bars etc

[auroraspirit]

Are you aware Ary, that you have have skipped a chapter (17 and 19 with no 18) It looks like Chloe's mum got up to no good at school lol.

Auroraspirit :angel:

[Aryxa]

Are you aware Ary, that you have have skipped a chapter (17 and 19 with no 18)

So I have! I would never have noticed that... Thanks Aurora!

[Aryxa]

I forget to correct mine too sometimes and i hate having to photoshop skill bars etc

Ack, I know! Thank God for Clone and Heal...

[auroraspirit]

Your welcome :anime:

Auroraspirit :angel:

[Aryxa]

To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Hi!

Hey Jamie, it’s Mum here. Just thought I’d drop you an email, see how you were doing. I hope you’re studying hard!

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/19-01.jpg

Annette is growing by the day - you won’t believe how big she’s getting! She misses you very much; she’s always snuggling up to the teddy you bought her before you left.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/19-03.jpg

And guess what? She’s walking now!

How’s Chloe? We don’t hear from her often. Please try and persuade her to phone her mum; you know Beth’s stubborn but secretly she’d love to hear from her.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/19-02.jpg

As for me, I’m also growing pretty quickly! Yep, baby number three is almost due, and I can’t wait. This pregnancy has been a tough one! Almost everything makes me feel sick. I helped Jasper take the bins out last night and the smell nearly had me hurling right there.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/19-04.jpg

Well, that’s pretty much all my news. Except, have you heard from Nana and Grandpa recently? Grandpa’s been very busy at work, and… well, you know he doesn’t really like Jasper. Nana has called a few times but never for very long. Please give them a call, you know Nana loves to hear from you.

Jasper and Annette send their love.

Love you lots,

Mum
xx

[FurryPanda]

That was a nice update, short and sweet. Update more! and soon! Happy simsing!

[Aryxa]

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/20-01.jpg

I was working off some off the cafeteria's finest mac'n'cheese when Jamie came strolling over.

"Guess what?" He grinned.

"You finally grew a pair?" I teased.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/20-02.jpg

"Less of that, missy, or I'll have to sign you up for the campus streaking squad. I made the Dean's List! And so did you!"

"That's great!" I squealed. "When did you find that out?"

"I just checked the boards after class."

"Well, you clever thing, congratulations."

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"You too. So... gonna tell your mum?" He asked.

"That's not a good idea, Jay."

"Why not?"

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"What would I say?! Hi Mum, you know how much you hate me being at college? Well I thought I'd call and rub your face in how well I'm doing."

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"Chloe," Jamie sighed, "you're going to have to talk to her eventually."

"I've tried! Everytime I call, Leod picks up. He's nice but as soon as he hears it's me, I can hear her ask him to tell me she's out."

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/20-06.jpg

"Then email her. Anything, Chlo. She misses you, and she'd be proud to hear how well you're doing. Just get in contact, for me?"

"Fine, fine, I'll do it, you can put the puppy dog eyes away."

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As I headed to my room to try and compose an email to Mum, a faded noticeboard caught my eye. The thing must have been up for years, and I'd never really looked at it. But a picture stuck out to me.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/bethkiss.jpg

As I looked closer, a familiar face swam out of the collage of old photos and flyers. Was that... Mum? Kissing some guy? What the h*ll?!

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/20-09.jpg

I quickly put the do not disturb sign on my door, and started up my computer, even more confused about what to say. I knew Mum had never graduated, but surely this was proof that she'd at least been here?!

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/20-10.jpg

As thoughts swam around my head, my computer made a familiar pinging sound.

You have received an email from Beth Mossberg. Read?

[Aryxa]

To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: None

Chloe, it's Mum. I need to talk to you. This is hard for me to do, but... I really miss you.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/21-01.jpg

I went into your old room yesterday. I've kept it the same way you left it. I haven't even changed the bed.

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You'll be pleased to know the farm is doing well. Oh, who am I kidding, you always hated the farm.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/21-03.jpg

Leod is helping a lot around the house. It's nice to have him around; it makes the house feel less empty without you.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/21-04.jpg

We both got really bad colds a few weeks ago, and I made us the same juice mix I used to make you when you got sick. It always made you feel better.

What I really wanted to talk to you about happened earlier today. I was tidying up in my pajamas when Leod came in with a funny look on is face. He looked really nervous, and he kept talking about how close we'd got, and how special I was to him.

Then, he got down on one knee and...

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/21-05.jpg

He proposed.

I'm really shocked and I don't really know what to do. Chloe, I need your approval. I need to know this is ok with you. I know I haven't really been there for you lately, and I know I've been selfish and blind. I can't just use my experiences to judge yours. But I'm still your mum and I know if I marry Leod it could make things uncomfortable for you.

Please email me or call me about this. It would mean the world to me.

I love you.
Mum

[starwyn]

Aww What a sweetie taking her daughter's feelings on her man into consideration

[jenny]

great update:D..I was confused at first with all the babies and so forth but had to go back and read to get caught up!

[msnicolejones]

I'm glad Beth came to her senses and reached out to Chloe.

[Aryxa]

I'm an idiot. I cleared out a lot of custom skins and eyes, thinking my characters all used Enayla skins and default eyes, which I kept. Buuut... they don't. SO I'm gonna have to either spend some time in SimPE fixing it or export the characters into Bodyshop, fix them, and create the families again. Either way, updates won't be for a while...

[Plumeria330]

I just caught up on this whole story and Im really wanting to know what happened with her mom!
Im sorry to hear about your game :(
But Ill be waiting patiently and hopefully you'll be able to update soon!

[Aryxa]

Thanks, Plumeria! It's nice to know there's someone still interested in this story. I've had a few game issues but thankfully all the bugs seem to be ironing out, so hopefully an update won't be too far away.

[FurryPanda]

HAI! there's plenty of people still interested in your story! We/I are just to lazy to comment for anything less than an update. Writers, insane the lot of you, lol. Meant in the nicest way. Update soon and happy simsing!

[Aryxa]

Lol glad to hear it Panda, and don't worry, I'm fully aware that I'm bonkers. In fact, I take regular steps to secure my insanity. Otherwise I'd be normal, and who wants that?!

[starwyn]

I'm still interested aryxa :)

[Aryxa]

After I read Mum's email, I sat staring at my screen for a few minutes, then decided to shower and change. My head didn't stop spinning with the information from the last few days. My mum didn't show up on any of the graduation records, yet her picture was here? And now she's getting married? I didn't know what to think, let alone what to say to her.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/22-01.jpg

Luckily, Jamie got back from his class as I was heading towards the kitchen.

"Hey, Chlo, did you talk to your Mum?"

"Kinda... She emailed me, so I haven't had time to ask her about it yet. She's getting married, Jay."

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"Wow. That's big. How'd you feel about it?"

I sighed. "I don't know, really. I mean, I know Leod makes her happy, and I want her to be happy, but... she's kept so much from me, I just don't know if I can trust her. I want to know the truth before I say anything about the wedding."

"I guess." Jamie replied, as tears welled up in my eyes. I couldn't believe I was saying I couldn't trust my own mother. She'd always been controlling, but deceitful?! It was hard to come to terms with.

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Jamie saw the tears and pulled me in for a hug.

"Come on, hun." He murmured. "You're just going to have to talk to her. You can't go on like this, it's driving you crazy."

"I know." I replied. "Thanks Jamie, I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here. You're so good to me."

I leaned back and looked Jamie full in the face. Suddenly, without warning, he leaned forward and kissed me, gently, on the lips.

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It felt amazing to have him kiss me. This was the guy I'd grown up with, he was like my best friend, or my brother.

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Like my brother? Oh God, I was kissing Jamie! My best friend!

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I pulled away sharply, blushing furiously.

"Listen, it's getting late... should go to bed... class in the morning..." I mumbled.

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"Wha- Chlo? Ok, I'll... talk to you later, then..." Jamie stuttered as I turned and fled to my room.

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As I climbed into bed, I felt awful. I didn't know how I felt about Jamie, it had never crossed my mind before. He was just... Jamie. There for me when I needed him, just like I was there for him. And now, there was this kiss hanging over my head, adding to the tumultuous confusion in my head. I lay back, and tried to get some sleep.

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The next morning, I pulled on the clothes from the day before and headed out to my class. As I passed by Jamie's door, I noticed he's put the lock on it. My heart sank. He never locked his door. Ever.

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When I got home I showered and changed, then spent the majority of the day playing chess with Douglas. I couldn't concentrate, and he kicked my *ss.

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I gave up on chess and went to try and read, when Douglas followed me into the room.

"So, Chloe... we've known each other a while, right?"

"I guess so, Doug."

"So, um... how would you like to go out with me? Like, on a date?"

At that moment, I heard the familiar creak of Jamie's door opening.

"I have to go, Doug." I said, and sprinted down the corridor, leaving Doulgas looking dejected in the reading room.

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As I got to Jamie's door, he was stood taking off the lock.

"Jay..." I started, "we need to talk about last night."

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"Forget it," he replied. "It's obvious I felt something, and you didn't, so let's just leave it at that, ok?"

"But Jay-"

"Leave it." He looked really angry and disappointed, so I shut up. "We have to go back to Riverblossom Hills. Today."

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"What?" I almost shouted. "Why? If you've got some crazy notion of making me talk to Mum-"

"I have no intention of forcing you to do anything, God knows you're so stubborn I wouldn't stand a chance. You're coming back to my house with me. Mum's had the baby."

[BabyGirl250185]

I love your update can't wait for the next one and when is that????????? and chloe and jamie would make cute baby's hope they get married

[PlasticBarbie.]

Hey, you've got great timing;; I had just finished reading the last chapter, and when I went to comment on it you updated! I might have just started reading this story, but i'm a big fan. Can't wait for another update love.


:beer:

[starwyn]

Great to see this story back on track :) Great update, can't wait for the next one

[Aryxa]

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When we arrived at Jamie's parent's house, Claudia was walking up the drive, and she turned around and came running down the drive to see us.

"Hey guys!" She beamed. "I'm so glad you both came!" She grabbed us both and pulled us in for a surprisingly tight bear hug.

"So where's the bundle of joy, then?" I asked, getting my breath back.

"He's upstairs in Jamie's old room, head on up, we'll be with you in a sec." she replied, pulling Jamie aside.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/23-02.jpg

As I walked into the house, I could hear Claudia asking Jamie why he looked so miserable. We'd hardly spoken in the taxi, and he looked tired and depressed.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/23-03.jpg

I left them to it, and headed upstairs to see Ben. I peeked my head in on Annette, to see her sleeping on her blanket. I thought Claude could do with the peace, so I passed on to Ben's room.

He was beautiful, pale skinned and dark haired like Claudia, but brown eyed like Jasper. He was going to grow up quite the stunner.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/23-04.jpg

"Theres my little poo machine..." said a voice behind me. I turned, and smiled at Claudia.

"I do hope you're talking about Ben." I chuckled. "He's gorgeous, Claude, and Ben is such a cute name."

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/23-09.jpg

"Thank you," she smiled, taking him off me and putting him into his crib. "I think Mum's a bit upset that I didn't name him something Japanese, but I think life's hard enough for kids these days without having a name that none of the other kids can pronounce. Mum wanted me to call Jamie Ken'ichi, for goodness sake. I like to celebrate my heritage in a way that won't make life hard for my children."

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/23-05.jpg

"Speaking of Jamie," she said, "What happened between you two? You're barely looking at each other, let alone speaking. That's not like you. I can barely get a word in usually."

I sighed. "It's a bit awkward, Claudia..."

"You kissed."

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/23-06.jpg

"How did you know? Did he tell you?!" I asked, blushing.

"No, but I'm not stupid, Chloe. I'm his Mum." She smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not going to give you some lecture about not breaking my little angel's heart. He's a grown man almost, he can take care of himself. And I've known you since the day you were born, you couldn't hurt a fly."

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/23-07.jpg

"I just don't like to see you two upset. You need to talk to him. But first... maybe you need to talk to your own mother? Yes?"

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I sighed. Claude had this irritating way of being right, all the bloody time.

"Yes, I do. I'd better get it over with, we have a lot to talk about."

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"Yes you do," she replied, pulling me in for a hug. "Don't worry, sweetie. Your mum isn't angry with you."

No, I thought, she's not. But I think I'm getting angry with her...

[msnicolejones]

Glad you got your game all sorted out! Lovely updates! I think Chloe and Jamie would make a cute couple. I'm looking forward to finding out what happened to Beth in college.

[Aryxa]

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Standing on my old front yard, I felt like a stranger. It had been almost a year since I'd been here, and I didn't feel like the little blonde girl that had grown up here. I'd left her behind, in a place where everything fitted, and somehow ended up here, where everything was confused and I didn't know what to do.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/24-02.jpg

Mum must have seen me standing outside, because all of a sudden the front door was flung open and she came running outside.

"Chloe! You came home! What are you doing here? I can't believe you came all this way..."

"I came to see Claude's baby. I thought I ought to drop in and say hi." I replied, my stomach churning.

"Well come in, you must be freezing out here, it's just a shame Leod isn't here, he'd love to see you..."

She kept rattling on as she led me into the kitchen. I wasn't really listening.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/24-03.jpg

"... are you hungry, I could fix you some soup, or fish? Do you still like fish?"

"Mom, I'm not hungry. Can we just talk please?"

"Of course, I'm sorry." Finally her speech slowed down. "I guess you've come to talk about the wedding."

Sh*t. I hadn't even thought about her wedding.

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"Not really, Mum. I wanted to talk to you about college."

"Oh, is everything not going well?" She asked, with a glimmer of hope in her eye.

"Not my college life, Mum. Yours."

"I don't want to talk about that-" she started.

"No," I interrupted, "and you never do! Why is that, Mum? Why were you so against me going when you never even told me about your college experience?!"

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"Chloe, that's really none of your-"

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"I've seen the photos, Mum. I've had people looking at me funny as soon as they realize I'm your daughter... I know you never graduated. What's going on?" I braced myself for the shouting match I knew was coming.

To my surprise, Mum sighed.

"I never wanted you to know about any of this, Chlo. I've tried for so long to just forget about it, but you're obviously not going to let that happen."

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"Mum, please. For once, will you just tell me the truth?"

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"Fine. Let's go sit down. I'll make some tea."

[FurryPanda]

Oh, this is getting really interesting aryxa, and I'm glad you finally updated! Keep it coming, please? Anywhoo, happy simsing and seasons greetings, if applicable :P.

[kawaiimeg_SC]

Great update! Jamie and Chloe are so cute together.

[Aryxa]

BLAH. Updates are going to be delayed again. The power cable on my laptop is broken, as in it only works once in a blue moon and usually if the cable is left completely flat and undisturbed. So I can't have the power running long enough to load ts2 before it cuts out... I'm gonna ring Dell tomorrow and yell, so hopefully they can send me another one soon!
Thanks to everyone for reading.
xx

[msnicolejones]

A curse on Dell if they don't get you another power cable asap! :) I want to see Chloe and Jamie get together!

[BabyGirl250185]

Hope you get the cable soon can't wait for an update hope chloe and jamie make some baby's they would looke so cute

[Aryxa]

I called Dell today; their suggestion was to 'wiggle it a bit'... Helpful. They're calling tomorrow to let me know whether they're sending a technician or just a new cable. Hopefully they'll just post a new cable and I can get on with finishing the story!

[eruwenfuin]

the tension is killing me.....whaaaaaaaaaaaaa. I like the story though :D

[Aryxa]

the tension is killing me.....whaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

Hold on! Don't die on me! Dell just called and they're sending a new cable tomorrow! I'm really p'ed off because this is the second replacement I've needed. Grr!!!

[patta234]

I just started reading this and... awesome story!! i can't wait for an update!

I called Dell today; their suggestion was to 'wiggle it a bit'...
What kind of advice is that?!:confused:

[Aryxa]

What kind of advice is that?!

Stupid advice. Silly Dell :handbag: BUT I have my new cable so updates are coming very soon!

[Aryxa]

Beth will be narrating for this part guys - keep up! ;)

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/25-01.jpg

I was orphaned at a young age. My parents were flying when their plane encountered bad turbulence and practically fell out of the sky. I'm not telling you this for sympathy; that's just what happened. It didn't really affect me, and the money left behind was more than enough to please any teenage girl, especially when I reached eighteen and could finally get a hold of it. My father had been some bigwig in the music industry, or something. I never really bothered to find out. I wasn't the most selfless person back then.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/25-02.jpg

So when I got to college, I made the most of my new found wealth, spending ridiculous amounts on clothes, jewelry, various gadgets and trinkets that I didn't need.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/25-03.jpg

I became notorious in the campus stores; when the clerks saw me coming they looked like they'd won the lottery.

I lived with two girls that I'd become friends with at high school.

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Willow was hoping to make a career for herself in the police force. She was fiercely competitive, and had no scruples about demeaning her fellow classmates if it meant getting ahead. Her feisty nature carried through to her friendships, which she defended with fervor.

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Madeleine was more relaxed, with her main focus on boys, her appearance, and occasionally spending an hour or two working on her term papers, which were surprisingly well written.

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With my money, we were able to buy a house of our own on campus. It was beautiful, painted in rose stucco, with three floors. I had the top floor to myself; after all, I paid for the rent.

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We spent the first few days of term writing our term papers; we weren't the usual dumb sorority girls, and we could usually finish them in a day or two.

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The rest of our time was devoted to enjoying our college experience. Boys were in constant supply, and we often went clubbing every night of the week, getting crib notes from missed lectures from guys angling for a date.

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We heard about this great new trend sweeping the campus; bubbles. It was a form of narcotic drug which, when inhaled, gives the user a feeling of weightlessness. I'm not proud of this, but we'd be doing it pretty much every night, before we went drinking, and then again when we got home, the alcohol adding to the buzz of the drugs.

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I guess we thought we were pretty cool. I certainly did. I thought I was untouchable.

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One night, after a particularly heavy week of partying, I suggested to the girls that we head out to the Campus Lounge, our local boozer. Willow and Madeleine were too hungover from the night before, so I headed out on my own.

Little did I know then, but that night was the start of my downfall.

[BabyGirl250185]

love the update

[Aryxa]

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/26-01.jpg

I headed into the Lounge and took my usual place at the bar, giving a cheery wave to my favourite barmaid, Lola. I had a few drinks and played a few games of pool, then, as the sun rose, I decided it was time to head home.

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As I left the club to walk home, I ran into the campus weirdo, Allegra Gorey. She was seriously into metal music, dark clothes, and suspicious activities. She probably eats bats, or something.

"Hey," she called after me, "Barbie girl!"

I turned around, forcing my face into a smile.

"My name's Beth, Allegra."

"So, been out partying all night? How rock'n'roll of you."

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"I'm more hardcore than you think!" I cried, suddenly desperate to impress this weirdo. I wasn't going to let her put me down. Didn't she know who I was?!

I lowered my voice conspiratorially. "You know, me and my roommates are really into bubbles at the moment. You could come over and do some with us if you feel like it?"

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"Bubbles?!" she snorted. "Wow, I bet those go really great with your light beers." Embarrassment built in the pit of my stomach.

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"Well, that's not my choice. I'd much rather be doing..." My mind raced back to all the drug slang terms I'd heard on TV. "... Charlie or skag, but it's not the other girls' scene."

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"Really?" Allegra leaned in, interested. "Well, come over to my place tonight. I'm having a get together. I should be able to hook you up."

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My stomach lurched, unable to think of a way to back out. I'd bragged to this girl, and if I pulled out now, my reputation could be tainted.

"Sure. I'll swing by sometime." I replied, trying to control my cold sweat.

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"Cool. Listen, keep this quiet, yeah? It's invite only, so don't bring any of your Lohan wannabes with you, kay?"

"Sweet. So... you off to your dealer?" I replied, trying to sound cool.

"Nope, the salon!" laughed Allegra, and sauntered off, leaving me wondering what I'd just signed up for.

[msnicolejones]

Uh oh, this doesn't sound good for Beth!

So glad you are finally able to update! I hope Dell doesn't need to send you anymore cables. :)

[Aryxa]

Me too! If it happens a third time I may just strangle someone (probably with a broken power cable!)

[starwyn]

weeeee I didn't realize you had updated! Great chapters by the way...really looking forward to the next ones....don't keep us dangling too long...

[Aryxa]

Aw, thanks Star. Updates will be coming soon, I have a few things to sort out and yet another game glitch to work through... but they are coming soon!

[Aryxa]

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When I came in, Madeleine had just got up.

"Hey, I made some cereal if you want some?" she called.

"No thanks, I'm not hungry." I replied, my stomach still churning from my meeting with Allegra.

"Okay, I'll put it in the fridge for you. Oh, some bills came, I left them on the table."

I groaned inwardly. The bills were an unspoken agreement in the house; I paid the rent, I had the money, I paid the bills. The other two couldn't afford it, I knew that, but it still irked me that it was assumed I would pay them. Its not like they couldn't get jobs if they had to.

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I went upstairs and pulled open the large wardrobe I shared with the other girls. I had one in my room too but most of my clothes were in here, along with the small selection owned by Willow and Madeleine.

I scrutinized the clothes, looking for something suitable for an evening at Allegra's. I couldn't go in what I'd usually wear, I wouldn't fit in at all. I needed something dark.

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I tried a lot of stuff on, but none of it looked suitable. It was all quite revealing.

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I didn't want to look like I was trying too hard.

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Eventually I gave up and decided to go shopping for something new, brushing past the maid as I went out.

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I found a few things to try on in the store. It was weird, I'd never really bought clothes for comfort before. They were always a tool to get someone's attention, or to keep up with fashion. It was kinda fun to forget all my little rules and just try new things on.

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Although some of it was a bit much! This one even came with fake tattoos. I did a bit of headbanging in the mirror for a laugh before I realised I was in a shop full of people and scurried back into the changing room.

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Finally I got a selection of clothes sorted, and even bought some new makeup and hair dye. I left the shop feeling better, the shopping having taken my mind off the impending party.

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As soon as I got home, Madeleine quickly reminded me the bills were still sat on the table. I snatched them up, filled in my bank number and posted them. I was starting to get weary of these two sponging off me. Would it be so hard to contribute a little? It wasn't like I'd earned that money or anything, but still...

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I soaked in the bath, and tried to let all the worries wash away. As the afternoon got later and began to melt into evening, I began to feel more and more worried about what would happen, but for some reason I just couldn't pick up the phone and tell Allegra I wasn't coming. I had my pride, and my reputation to think of.

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After my bath, I dressed and pulled out the makeup and dye that I'd bought earlier. I'd never dyed my hair before, but I cut it myself hundreds of times before, and it couldn't be that hard. Nervously, I pulled out the different bottles, pulled on the plastic gloves, and set about the task in hand.

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By the time I'd finished, my hair was platinum blonde, choppy and huge. I looked completely different. My face was plastered in dark makeup, my eyes outlined in kohl and my lips daubed in black lipstick. At least I looked the part, even if I felt like my stomach was about to backflip out of my mouth.

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I went downstairs quietly, not wanting to wake up Willow or Madeleine. I didn't want them to see me like this, not until after the party and everything was done and dusted.

I just wish my head would stop itching. I know I washed all the dye off properly, I rinsed it three or four times. I hope I'm not getting dandruff or anything. Yuck.

I steeled myself, and headed out of the door.

[Aryxa]

Third person narration for a while...

Meanwhile, in the Bright house, Allegra's housemates were returning from classes.

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"Afternoon, Stacks!" called Martin Reuben as he came in. "Fancy making one for me?"

"Sure. Let me just check the weather channel to see if hell's frozen over." replied Jane.

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"You know," Martin replied, "it would be much easier if you just told me to make it myself."

"Yeah, but where's the fun?" laughed Jane.

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"Is she back yet?" asked Martin, setting up on the counter next to Jane.

"Not yet."

"I wish she'd hurry up. I've got £300 resting on this bet! She'd better come through with the goods."

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"Your mother must be so proud." Jane said dryly.

"Look, don't come all Mother Superior on me!" Martin snapped. "She needs the money just as much as I do, and it's not like the Barbie girl's a f**king nun."

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Before Jane could retort, the front door swung open and in strolled Allegra.

"Good afternoon campers!" she grinned. "One of those sandwiches for me?"

"There's one on the table for you." replied Jane.

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"So Allegra, any news?" asked Martin.

"Bloody hell boy, at least let me sit down first!"

"Look, you know as well as I do-"

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"I know full well the situation, Reuben, yours and mine." Allegra cut in, sharply.

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"Did you pick up any today?" asked Jane, nervously.

"Yes, I did." replied Allegra. "It's in my bag."

"Great," smiled Jane. "So as much as I love torturing Martin, did you see her?"

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/28-09.jpg

"Yes, yes. It's all sorted. She's coming tonight. She fell for it hook, line and sinker."

Jane returned Allegra's smile, but her stomach sank slightly. Across the table, Martin smiled, and bit into his sandwich.

[FurryPanda]

Interesting... So Beth will turn into a temporary druggie? Interesting. Update soon and happy simsing.

[starwyn]

left it on a bit of a cliff hanger there aryxa.....hmmmm
next please lol

[Aryxa]

Thanks for the comments! Unfortunately, there's at least one more cliffhanger coming! ;) Look out for my cameo, too...

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My head was pounding in a blinding, burning headache, which I assumed was nerves. I followed the directions Allegra had given me, and arrived outside her house. It stuck out like a sore thumb from all the other houses on the street. It was dark and weird looking, with a strange assortment of crap outside.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/aryxa/29-02.jpg

Allegra was outside when I arrived, lighting a huge bonfire.

"Hey, glad you could make it." She called when she saw me. "I thought we could all chill out in front of this later."

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I nodded, and glanced around her front yard. There seemed to be an old anchor lying around, not to mention the hangman's noose and gravestone which I hoped were just there for effect.

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"Come on in," said Allegra, straightening up. "Everyone's dying to meet you."

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Allegra strolled over to the bar, opened a large bottle of vodka, and took a huge gulp. "I guess introductions are in order!" She smiled, and pointed around the room.

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"This is Jane Stacks, our little bookworm." Jane smiled warmly. I sighed with inward relief. Even if Allegra got weird tonight, I thought I could turn to Jane for some normalcy.

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"Over here is Mariella, our med student and general go to girl. She's here to make sure everything goes smoothly." Mariella smiled tightly, looking uncomfortable, and reached for a drink.

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"This is Martin, who has no real purpose," she laughed, "but he pays the rent, so who cares?" She took another swig of vodka, while Martin nursed his drink and stared right at me.

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"Finally, this gorgeous young thing is Castor." She threw her arms around the young man, making it clear to everyone in the room that this was her property.

"It's nice to meet you all," I said awkwardly. "Can I use your loo?" My head was hurting so much my vision was swimming.

"Up the stairs, first door on the left." replied Allegra, now thoroughly entwined around Castor.

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I splashed some water on my face, which did little to cool my hot, itchy head. As I headed downstairs, I turned into the living room and spotted a syringe and various little bottles on the desk.

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"See anything you like?" asked Allegra, who must have seen me come in.

"Yeah," I jumped, "This all looks... great..." My voice faded as I felt fainter and the pain in my head soared. It felt like my scalp was on fire.

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As if in slow motion, I lost control of my body and fell backwards onto the floor.

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Looking through rapidly blurring eyes, I could see Allegra. She sounded like she was coming from a long way away.

"Sh*t!" she shouted. "Mariella! GET HERE NOW!"

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Turning on her heel, Allegra ran shouting out of the room, and everything went black.

[Aryxa]

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The first thing I saw when I woke up was Mariella standing over me, looking worried and confused.

"Hey," she smiled, "You're up."

I stood up groggily, my left arm aching for some reason.

"What happened?" I asked.

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"You passed out." She replied. "It looked like you had a bad reaction to something, so I gave you an adrenaline shot. It seems to have worked."

I glanced around the room uncomfortably, worrying that, considering the state of Allegra's house, the needle must have been filthy.

"Don't worry," Mariella said, as if reading my mind, "Everything here is sterilized."

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"So what exactly have you taken today? This usually happens with things like herion, cocaine, speed..." she asked.

"None of those, I haven't taken anything!" I shrieked, panicking.

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"I'm not saying you did," she replied, sensing my fear. "Do you have any other allergies? Nuts, or makeup? Have you dyed your hair recently?"

"Yes, I dyed it today. Does that have something to do with it?"

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"I think that's it." She smiled again. "Some people can have really bad reactions to hair dye. You really need to follow the instructions more carefully, do a test first and all that. Thankfully I think we've sorted you out. I don't think you should drink, or take any drugs tonight-"

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"She'll be fine." said a voice behind me. Allegra was standing in the doorway. I had no idea how long she'd been there. "Go and get yourself a drink, Beth. Mariella's taken care of you, you'll be just fine."

I headed into the kitchen, leaving Mariella in the living room with Allegra.

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"How dare you!" hissed Allegra. "You know exactly what you're here for, and it's not to play doctors and nurses! You take care of anyone who goes overboard, so I don't have the police on my ass when some little tart O.D's! Got it?"

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"Allegra, she's not even a user! For God's sake, the poor girl's probably never heard of half the stuff you've brought here tonight! I don't know what you're planning, but at least for tonight, leave her out of it, or I'll-"

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"What will you do, Mariella?" cut in Allegra in an icy tone. "Will you snitch on me, so I have to tell the Labs you've been stealing medical supplies to fund your habit? She may not be a drug user, sweetheart, but you certainly are, and I don't think the faculty will take too kindly to the girl whose been pilfering syringes full of opiates and adrenaline. So here's what you're going to do. You're going to keep your mouth shut, do what I pay you to do, and we'll all go home happy, okay?"

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Allegra stalked out of the room, leaving Mariella with tears welling in her eyes. After a few seconds, she brushed them away and, reaching into her pocket, pulled out a syringe, filled it, and slowly found a release from the hell she found herself in.

[msnicolejones]

Uh oh! I can only guess that whatever Allegra has planned for Beth will be really bad!

[BabyGirl250185]

Love the update
Can't wait for the next one
Hope that is soon

[FurryPanda]

ZOMG!! Allegra is evil seeming! Is Beth going to be a druggie? Do update soon, happy simsing, merry early christmas and so on.

[Aryxa]

ZOMG!! Allegra is evil seeming!

Muahahaha... *ahem*

Thanks for reading peeps. Updates won't be too far away.

[starwyn]

eek! what are they gonna do? Drug her and steal all her money or something?

[annachibi]

eek! what are they gonna do? Drug her and steal all her money or something?

No, they're going to KILL her!! :rofl: Just kidding!
Seriously, though, how cruel are you, aryxa? Giving us a cliffhanger like that! You naughty writer. :lol:

[Aryxa]

Lol, you guys... they can't kill her, don't worry.

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I'd gone into the lounge and got myself a drink. My head was still buzzing but thankfully my headache had gone and I was starting to feel better. Allegra entered the kitchen, smiling.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

"Yes, thanks, much better!" I replied. "Thank God Mariella was there."

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"Yeah, she's... a gem." replied Allegra. "So, ready for the big guns?"

"Sure!" I replied, over enthusiastically. I was still nervous, but at least Mariella was there to look after me if things got out of hand again.

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"Cool. Well, everything we need is upstairs in Martin's room. Follow me."

Behind us, Martin watched as we left the room, grinned, and poured himself another drink.

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Up in Martin's room, the cleanliness of the house didn't improve. By now I had drunk a fair bit and was starting not to notice. Maybe if I had been more sober I would have realised what was going on.

"Nervous?" asked Allegra.

"N.. no. Why should I be?" I replied, my mouth dry.

"I guessed you've never done this before. You don't really seem the type."

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I blushed, and Allegra grinned.

"Don't worry, I'll help you. Give me your arm."

With that, she reached out, held my arm firmly, and slid a needle into my vein.

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"This might feel a bit strange..." she said, leaning in and pressing firmly on the plunger of the syringe.

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As I felt the drug enter my system, my head swam and I began to lose all my nervousness. I felt fantastic. Light headed, sure, and not really in control of the situation, but Allegra was helping me, and everyone here was so nice. My body felt light, and I slowly folded backwards onto the floor.

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Heading back downstairs, Allegra rolled her eyes at Martin, who was waiting eagerly by the stairs like a puppy.

"You can head on up. She's well and truly sunk."

Martin grinned even more, causing his face to momentarily resemble a Halloween pumpkin.

"Cheers, Allegra."

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As the door opened, I opened my eyes slightly and saw Martin come in. I smiled and slowly pulled myself up to a sitting position.

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"Hiii..." I slurred, my arms and legs tingling, a feeling of intense pleasure settling in my gut.

"Hi." he replied, smiling. "How're you holding up? I hear this is your first time."

"I'm ok... I feel a bit weird, but other than that fantastic."

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"Come and lie here, let yourself get used to it. It's a weird feeling at first."

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I breathed a sigh of relief as I shakily flopped onto the bed. I had been so nervous of 'Scary Allegra' before I'd got here, and now everyone was being so welcoming.

"You're shivering, are you cold?" asked Martin.

"A little." I replied. Actually, I had no idea if I was cold or not, but if I was shaking, I thought I must be cold.

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"Come here, lets warm you up a bit." Martin put his arm around me and rubbed my shoulders and back, trying to warm me up.

"I'm really pleased you came over tonight, I've been wanting to meet you for a while." He murmured into my ear.

"Really?" I asked.

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He turned to face me and looked straight into my eyes.

"Don't worry. I'm here to look after you."

He leaned in and kissed me, lightly, on the mouth.

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Gently, he pushed me backwards onto the bed.

[Aryxa]

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Heading back downstairs half an hour later, Martin greeted Allegra as she poured herself another drink.

"Allegra, you're a genius."

"Thank me with my share of the money, Reuben."

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"She's asleep, so I'm going to give her a few minutes then... rearrange her for some photos. I can't wait to see the faces of the guys at the club when they realise they have to pay up. £400 for an easy little sl*t like her..." Martin laughed.

"You know, I think there could be a business venture here. How many more of your horny little friends have lusted over her?" asked Allegra, her eyes glinting.

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In a corner of the room, Jane frowned.

"How long have you got?"

"As long as I can keep her supplied, we're fine. Make some calls. I think we'll be having a house guest for a few days."

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"They're keeping her here." said Jane, as she entered the living room.

"I thought she'd do something like that." replied Mariella.

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"What are we going to do?" asked Jane, her eyes filling with tears. "I knew Allegra was cruel, but Jesus..."

"There's nothing we can do right now. Just wait."

"But Mari, we can't-"

"Just wait." said Mariella, firmly.

[starwyn]

Awww i want more!

[kawaiimeg_SC]

Great update! But blegh Allegra. I actually quite like her and Martin in my game. I think she's just bitter over Castor Nova :p

[Dreea]

Cool update!!! Can't wait for more...

[Aryxa]

Great update! But blegh Allegra. I actually quite like her and Martin in my game. I think she's just bitter over Castor Nova :p

Castor is a big tart. Nuff said. Thanks for commenting my lovlies.

[FurryPanda]

ZOMG!!! They're fracking arses! One of her freinds hsould like ninja on thier heads. gah!! Update soon! (Note lack of happy simsing. tis due to cliffhangers annoying me) Merry Potato Season!

[annachibi]

Well, I'd probably leave college after something like that, too. But she shouldn't have been so stupid to go over there in the first place! *rolls eyes*
You must update soon or I will... never give you cookies! :lol:

[msnicolejones]

Somebody should have told her to say NO to drugs!!!

Those are evil people! Shame on Allegra and Martin! And Jane and Mariella too for not standing up to them!

[BabyGirl250185]

I love the update don't love Allegra hope ther in a new updat soon

[Aryxa]

Panda , I promise the cliffhangers will stop soon! It's just Beth's college years are a bit cliffhanger-ey. But what is Potato Season?

Anna No cookies? I'd better get working on the next one then...

Thanks for all the comments, and hopefully I can get the next chapter up in the next few days. I have a job interview tomorrow so be patient! And wish me luck :)

[msnicolejones]

Good luck on your interview! Hope you get the job.

[annachibi]

*gives cookie for job interview luck* But no more until update! Bwahaha! :rofl:

[FurryPanda]

potato season? It's the holiday in between easter and chrisma-hanu-rama-kwanza-satur-wali. More commonl known as thanksgiving, and the days immediately proceeding it.

[Aryxa]

Ah. Us Brits just get stuck with Autumn. :(

[annachibi]

Well, there's always Halloween. ^_^

[Plumeria330]

oooh this is getting interesting! I'm finally getting caught up with all the stories, and Im cant wait to see an update. Hope you had a good interview...Ive been a bit busy with those too lately :)

[Aryxa]

Thanks Plumeria, good luck with yours too (interviews and stories... sometimes I think 'Do n't all these interviewers know I have things to do?!' Lol)

Things are very busy at the moment but I will be furnishing you all with an update as soon as I can. Hopefully I can get a few hours of play in tonight.

[Aryxa]

Yep, I was listening to Snow Patrol as I thought of the chapter title...

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The days blurred into each other. Allegra threw lots of parties, and at each one there was always a male friend of hers who was just dying to meet me. Allegra provided drugs for me, gently increasing the dosage. I quickly became used to the sensation of the high and began to dread coming down. My life became a blur between each period of bliss, between which I would sleep.

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Jane and Mariella became close, and I often saw them glancing in my direction and whispering to each other. I brushed it off as jealousy; I was Allegra's favourite, they had been pushed to the sides.

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One evening, as I drifted in and out of sleep, I heard Allegra and Martin talking on the stairs.

"Reuben, call your friend from last night, tell him I'm on my way over to collect his fee."

"Sure. How much did we make this week?"

"With last night's money, just under a grand. That little slut is a goldmine."

My eyelids drooped and I tumbled back into sleep.

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I woke again, I don't know how much later, to see Mariella standing over me.

"Wake up!" she hissed.

"What's going on?" I murmured.

"We're going on a road trip." she replied. "Get dressed."

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Groggily, I pulled myself out of bed, a familiar nausea settling in my stomach. "Allegra didn't say anything about a road trip. Is she here? I need her..."

Mariella rolled her eyes. "I haven't got anything to give you. Get dressed. We're going away for a while."

"I need to go home, then, I need to pack..."

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Mariella winced, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Good God, you really don't get it, do you? Do you know how long you've been here?"

"A few days, maybe three?"

"Nearly two months. You don't have a home anymore. Your friends couldn't afford to keep it when you left. They don't know where you are, they think you've dropped out and gone away without telling them. That's what Allegra's telling people."

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"That makes no sense!" I stuttered. "Why wouldn't they look for me? They would have come here..." I stopped abruptly, remembering. I hadn't told anyone I was coming here.

"Why would she lie?"

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"Because... because she's Allegra." sighed Mariella. "She doesn't always think. Come on, get dressed. We have to go."

"Where are we going?" I asked, as the nausea rose in my stomach. "Will Allegra be there?"

"Yes. Allegra will be there. She'll make you feel better." replied Mariella firmly.

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I dressed quickly, and followed Mariella downstairs to her car. The house was empty, except for Jane, who shot Mariella a worried look as we passed.

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We drove for a long time, through districts I didn't recognise. Mariella was quiet throughout the long journey.

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Finally, we pulled up outside an old building, it's windows smashed and dark.

"Here we are." said Mariella. "Get out."

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I clambered awkwardly out of the car, and shut the door, waiting for Mariella to get out. Instead, I heard the clunk of the central locking system.

"Mariella?" I said nervously.

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Suddenly, the tyres squealed and the car lurched forward, speeding off into the night.

"WAIT!" I screamed, but the car's lights just faded into the darkness.

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I began to shake in fear and pain. The nausea in my stomach had worsened, my bones ached and my skull felt like it was going to explode.

"Come back, please... please..." I whispered, sobs rising in my throat. "Please come back..."

[Annelae]

I only read the first chapter so far but it's really, really good. I'll be watching this page!

[starwyn]

Hey you naughty girl! I thought you said no more cliffy's!
Great chapter though, looking forward to the rest :)

[FurryPanda]

But I thought Jane and Mariella were nice? ish? Ooooh, darnable cliff hangers, you simply must update soon! Happy simsing and happy early holidays.

[JrockSlore]

Great story! I've be following since you first started...I just love the way you grabbed my attention>3

[msnicolejones]

Wow! Excellent chapter! It just keeps getting better and better!

[annachibi]

Huh. Well, I think Mariella was sick of Allegra taking advantage of her, and decided to get her out for her own good. But of course, she wouldn't have gone if she knew about it, because she's an addict now and Allegra is her supplier, so she would have just gone back and gotten into the whole mess all over again. At least, that's what I think. Maybe my opinion of Mariella is too high? *shrugs* Update soon, you evil cliff-hanger writer! :lol: *throws cookies everywhere*

[jenny]

Finally got caught up!!!!
wows, so much going on...great cliff hanger:)
I love snow patrol as well......can't wait to read your next update!

[BabyGirl250185]

OMG!!!!!!! can't wait for the next update

[Aryxa]

Star, Panda, and Anna I know! I'm terrible, all these darn cliffhangers... they will be over soon. Mariella isn't all bad, I think annachibi has the closest mark on her. She's just trying to do the right thing by Beth, but you know what they say, you've got to be cruel to be kind!

[annachibi]

And can you believe I've never taken a single class on psychology? :lol: Really, though, I can't wait to get back to the main storyline, too! I almost forgot there was one. *bonks forehead* I have a short memory.

[kawaiimeg_SC]

Great update! Can't wait to see where this goes.

[Plumeria330]

need another update right this minute!! haha :) Great job! ;)

[Aryxa]

Really, though, I can't wait to get back to the main storyline, too! I almost forgot there was one.

I keep having to remind myself that I can't do anything too awful to Beth in this part, because she needs to get back to the future, so to speak. I've reread this and reminded myself of everything that was going on so I can keep the continuity going. The story was never planned when I started writing, (which was stupid of me) and it just took shape as I played, but now it has an ending! Hurrah! Beth's college should be done in about two more chapters, so we'll be back with Chloe and Jamie before too long.

And thanks to everyone for posting, it's lovely to know you're all reading and enjoying!

[Dreea]

This is such a good story. I love it! Update soon!

[Aryxa]

Thank you all for your patience in waiting for an update! I've been busy of late, but don't worry, things will be back on track soon!

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So there I was, stuck in the middle of nowhere, with no idea where I was, no money save whatever was in my jeans pocket, no home, no friends... No matter how hard I wished, Mariella did not appear round the corner to save me.

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I had a good long cry; there was little else I could do. Snow started to fall thickly around me, and the desperation of my situation began to sink in.

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Giving up all hope, I sunk back into the snow, letting the coldness over me, and gently, I fell asleep.

I woke to the sound of footsteps crunching over the snow towards me. I opened my eyes blearily and saw a face a vaguely recognised.

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"What have we got here?"

"Mariella...?"

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Some days later, I found myself woken up in a strange bed. I was given clothes to put on, and led to a room by the girl from the street.

"Take a seat. I don't know how much you remember, Mariella, but my name is Doctor Milligan Bisley. Feel free to call me Milligan."

Mariella? She thought I was Mariella?

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"You've been here for a few days now. It took you a long time to come out of the worst of it, and you've just been sleeping, sometimes mumbling your name."

I wasn't mumbling my name, you idiot, I thought to myself. I was calling for Mariella. I thought you were Mariella, back to help me, not some doctor come to whisk me off to the loony bin.

"Thankfully I think you're almost clean now. So... when did you first start taking drugs?"

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"Me? I don't, really. I mean, I did, but not seriously, just once or twice..."

"Sweetheart, you don't get into the state you were in by taking drugs once or twice."

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"Now you don't have to tell me everything," Milligan continued, "but it might be helpful to the healing process."

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"There's nothing wrong with me!" I said, getting frustrated. "I just got in with the wrong crowd, these heavy metal weirdos, I should have known, all their peircings and weird clothes... it was stupid of me to get involved with people like that, I know."

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"Mariella, music and dress sense have nothing to do with a taste for cruelty. I know some butter-wouldn't-melt pop primadonnas who like nothing more than to pay underprivileged people to do the most awful things... But that's another story. Listen, if you leave here knowing only one thing, it's that you should never make such snap judgements about people. Just because someone looks different to you doesn't mean they can't be your saviour."

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"Mariella..." I whispered.

"I beg your pardon?" she asked.

"Nothing." I answered quickly. "So, when can I go?"

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"Oh, not for another few weeks yet. Don't worry, this isn't a prison. There are no guards or security cameras here. The only measure we take is to lock your bedroom door. You need time to think in peace, without the distractions of the outside world, to truly overcome your addiction."

"Come on," she said, rising from her chair. "I'll walk you back to your room."

[msnicolejones]

Glad to see an update! Seems like Beth is still in a bit of denial.

[Aryxa]

FFS I had JUST finished writing the second part of this chapter when my internet crashed. Grr... I shall have it done by tonight!

[starwyn]

I was wondering about that...it did seem unfinished for some reason and now i know :) well i look forward to the next part

[Aryxa]

And you shall have it, Starwyn. :) (If I can remember it all!)

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I was escorted back to my room by Milligan, and locked in. I slumped down on my bed, feeling miserable. Even though I was grateful for a warm bed and a roof over my head, I didn't feel like I belonged in Doctor Milligan's Happy Home for Junkies.

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I lay on the bed in the small room, glancing around at the bare walls. There was nothing here for me to do, no books to read, nothing to distract me from my 'healing process'. More importantly, there was nothing I could hurt myself with or pick a lock with.

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Restless and bored, I paced around the room, and finally slumped on the floor against the bed, trying to think of what to do next. Finally, I remembered something Willow told me, back in college. Every new homeowner in Sim City and it's districts was given $20,000 to buy land. If I could get out of here, I could claim my money and be in my own house within a few days, far away from here. There was a new district being built out in the countryside; no-one would know me there, and I could start afresh.

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My plan firmly in mind, I began searching my room more vigorously for anything that could aid my escape. I couldn't wait until Milligan decided I was ready; I didn't want to give anyone time to find me and drag me back to my old life. I even checked under the bed for any loose springs I could prise out.

I found nothing, and was sat back on my bed when Milligan came in.

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"Well, Mariella," she said, "Since this is your first night here with all your wits about you, I thought I'd come and say goodnight. It'll be nice and quiet here for you, so you'll sleep well. I'll see you in the morning for another counseling session. Good night."

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Under Milligan's watchful eye, I put on the nightdress provided for me and clambered into bed. As she left, she turned out the light, and I heard the lock click.

A few hours later, I got out of bed and dressed, listening carefully for any noises.

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When I'd satisfied myself there was no-one around, I aimed a strong kick at the door.

To my delight, it swung open easily. I listened intently for any sounds, half expecting to hear footsteps running towards me. There was silence.

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I crept through the door, constantly checking for anyone watching me. I turned, and softly padded down the corridor to the reception.

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I checked the drawers of the reception desk for anything that could help me. All I could find was a lot of medical notes and a small metal letter opener. I used the latter to pick the lock of the front door. I'm no Artful Dodger, so that took me a while, and I was constantly looking over my shoulder.

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Finally, I found myself outside. Taking one last look at the hospital, I dropped the letter opener on the floor, turned and ran, to the Sim City Council. There, I got my grant and moved to the quiet country village of Riverblossom Hills, and faded into obscurity.

[starwyn]

That was really cool! You did a great job remembering what you wrote...if that's what you meant?
So now we know the truth huh. She didn't want her daughter going to college in case the same sort of thing happened to her?

[Aryxa]

Yuppers... silly overprotective Mum! And I think she didn't really want any of her past life coming back to haunt her... like it just did lol

[FurryPanda]

I liked that. But does Mariella ever show up again? It woul dhave been more than eighteen years since they've seen each other. Can't wait to see Chloe's reaction, so update soon and happy simsing!

[Aryxa]

AAAAAAAARGH. I didn't realise until now because Beth's college is in Pleasantview, but when I installed BV I had to re-install Seasons and Riverblossom has been regenerated... so I'm going to have to spend some time getting things back to how they were. There may be a tiny jump in time to make things easier for me, but I haven't decided yet. Bear with me!

[starwyn]

That sucks doesn't it. I'm surprised my story has lasted this long without any real upsets (apart from one major one where i had to delete my entire neighbourhood-it was just luck that i had 2 of my sims in BS) Anyway..i've probably jinxed myself now :hmm:

[Aryxa]

I know, I seem to be messing up a lot with these guys. They are in BS too, thankfully! I just have to make the houses again, decorate, set the relationships up, get Jamie and Chloe to college...

[annachibi]

Great updates! ^_^ I see how everything is falling into place. I hope your game-recovery works out. I seem to be having a few problems with my game at the moment as well...

[Aryxa]

Ok, I have new defaults, lower graphics to stop all the damn lagging, and I'm not sure if Beth's house is exactly the same as it used to be. Jamie looks a lot different to how he used to, and Claudia's house isn't done yet! BUT I'm back in Riverblossom with no explosions! So hold on tight while I crank up the Delorean... let's go back to the future! Lol I'm such a nerd...

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I sat on the couch, staring at Mum, trying to force my mouth to move. She squeezed her eyes shut, obviously waiting for the screaming match to begin.

"So... you thought me going to college would somehow make me a drug addict, dropout, living on the street... Why didn't you tell me this before?" I asked quietly.

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"What would I have said, Chloe? Have fun at uni, by the way I ran out of a rehab clinic so try not to mention me?!"

I sighed, trying to make the jumble in my head make sense.

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"You should have told me, Mum. I'd never think any less of you for it. God knows we all make mistakes. You need to be honest with me. Please?"

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"Wait... you're not mad? Why aren't you more upset?"

"I don't know. I guess I should be, but... I guess you've been through enough without me yelling at you, too."

"So... are we friends again?"

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"We never weren't! I can't say I'm not surprised by all this, but you're still my mum! You just need to trust me. I'm not about to fill myself full of heroin or anything like that. You brought me up to take care of myself, mum. If I'm honest, you were right about college food! I really miss the fresh stuff you used to cook..."

"I can make up some fish..."

"I'd love that." I smiled.

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Mum got up to go into the kitchen, and I stood up to and pulled her into a hug.

"No more secrets, ok Mum?"

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"No more secrets. I promise."

"I've really missed you, Mum."

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"I've missed you too, honey."

[annachibi]

Awww, what a cute update! :D You know, Beth has a really unique face... Maybe you should upload her somewhere. ^_^

[Aryxa]

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I got back to university alone; Jamie had left ahead of me. When I got in, he was on his way into his room.

"Jamie! You'll never guess what happened! Me and Mum just had the biggest talk, and we're friends again!"

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"It's brilliant, I mean, it's going to take a while for things to be normal again, but we had a really good talk about stuff..."

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Jamie's expression brought me to a halt.

"That's great. I'm really pleased for you." he said, coldly.

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"Jamie, are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

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"Is this about what happened before?" I asked.

"I'm going to bed, okay?" He snapped, and turned into his room.

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"Jamie for God's sake!" I yelled. "You've been acting as if I've stomped all over your heart when you haven't even given me a chance to talk about it yet!"

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"I thought you didn't..." he started.

"You didn't think anything, you just assumed!" I interrupted. "Look, I'm sorry I ran off on you, that was stupid of me but I panicked, ok? But you can't just think I'm not interested, or that I'm leading you on..."

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I faltered, and took a deep breath. "Look, the thing is Jamie, it's not that I didn't want it to happen, it was just really unexpected, and you're my oldest friend, and I didn't want to lose you-"

"Chloe." Jamie interrupted my flow of gibberish. "Shut up."

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"What was that for?" I asked, breathlessly.

"Mainly to shut you up, but I kind of wanted to see if you'd run away again."

"I'm not running anywhere."

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Jamie smiled, and turned back to his room again.

"J, where are you going?" I asked.

"Like I said, I'm going to bed. If you want to join me, you're more than welcome. If not, no pressure."

I smiled, and followed Jamie into his room.

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[Aryxa]

Anna, I completely missed that post. I might put Beth on MTS2, if she gets accepted I'll post a link here.

[annachibi]

Kewl! :D Ooh, hope they used protection there. I knew they'd get together eventually, though. They're cute together. ^_^ BTW, did you color the hair for her yourself, because I've never seen such a unique shade of pinkish-magenta-fuschia on those hairs before. :lol:

[BabyGirl250185]

Love the update hope you whill update soon

[Aryxa]

Kewl! :D Ooh, hope they used protection there. I knew they'd get together eventually, though. They're cute together. ^_^ BTW, did you color the hair for her yourself, because I've never seen such a unique shade of pinkish-magenta-fuschia on those hairs before. :lol:

Don't worry, she's a smart girl. No Jamie-Chloe babies yet. As for the hair, it came that colour but I have recoloured a bunch of hairs to that colour.

[annachibi]

Ahh, I see. 'Cause I know she had a few different hair-do's and they were all the exact same color, which seemed odd because it was such a unique shade. ;) The mystery is solved! :lol:

[starwyn]

Your sims look prettier in those chapters. Is that due to new defaults?
Great update btw :)

[Aryxa]

Your sims look prettier in those chapters. Is that due to new defaults?

Could be. Jamie's had some surgery, but Beth and Chloe have the same face structures, but HP's default skins and Bruno's default eyes.

[Lipgloss]

i just read all 34 chapters and im exhausted but its a great story, cant wait to read more.

[Aryxa]

Thankyou, lipgloss! I'm rushed off my feet at the moment as I've just started working full time. Hopefully I can get some more done tomorrow or Monday.

[BabyGirl250185]

You are killing me with curiosity hope you will update soon

[Aryxa]

I'm sorry guys! I'm working a lot over Christmas, but I will try and get something up soon. My friends are all coming back from uni and tempting me away to the pub after work... ;) The real world's having to come first for a bit, but I will get a good chapter up for you as soon as I can! x

[Aryxa]

A quick chapter in the festive spirit!

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[FurryPanda]

Aww, thanks for the piccies and the lovely sentinment. Happy holidays to you too!

[Aryxa]

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A few weeks after Christmas, I found myself woken up by the noise of one of my fellow dormmates crashing through the front door after too much alcohol. I listened to them stumble around, then slam their door shut. I lay back in bed, trying to get back to sleep, then, irritated, flung the covers back and went to use the communal bathrooms.

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Ugh. The less said about those the better. No-one ever bothers to clean them, unless it's me or Jamie, and frankly, I can think of better things to do than clean up other people's mess.

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Talking of other people's mess... this is ridiculous! How can people live like this?!

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After scraping the gunk off the plates, I sat down next to Jamie on the sofa.

"I'm so fed up of clearing up after everyone else round here. And can you remember the last time we got some sleep without someone slamming a door or leaving their music on?"

"It is a bit mad here. Listen, why don't we look for a place of our own?"

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"Are you serious?" I asked.

"Sure, why not? We both have some money put aside, and it wouldn't hurt to look. It beats staying around here trying to ward off the flies."

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After a quick shower, Jamie and I settled down to some house hunting. We couldn't afford anything big, but thankfully properties round here were designed for students with little or no income, so there were a few to look at.

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"Jamie, this one looks perfect! It's in our price range, within walking distance of campus, and it seems really roomy."

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"Come on, then," he said, swinging his legs off my bed. "Let's go have a look."

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The place was better than I thought. It was small enough to be cosy, not cramped. The decor wasn't my style, but the landlord had no problem with us redecorating.

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There was room for a kitchen/dining room and living room downstairs...

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And enough space for a study upstairs.

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"So," asked Jamie, eagerly, "What do you think?"

"I really like it!" I exclaimed. "But can we afford it?"

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"Well, I have some savings put by that should keep us going for a few months, and if we both keep studying, we should get our scholarships too..."
His face looked so excited, I couldn't bring myself to say no to his puppy dog eyes. And I was excited too!

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"Let's do it!" I said. Jamie grinned and gave me the biggest hug.

"This is going to be so great!" He laughed. "I love you, Chloe."

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I grinned broadly. "I love you too, Jamie."

[BabyGirl250185]

Love the update hope the next one is soon love this story

[jenny]

great update! getting their own place, sweet:)
she looks very pretty with that purple hair:D

[JrockSlore]

awe, what a cute update! :)

[starwyn]

looks like you're at landgraab house too and i was thinking of moving my sim into her own place also, so she can throw some parties hehe
Thanks for the update

[Aryxa]

I couldn't resist putting her there, what with her parentage and all... ;) Keira would be great in her own place, although hopefully we'll see some more of that hottie :)

[Aryxa]

This is quite a little chapter, to lead on to something else. There should be the next chapter in a day or two.

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It was so nice to be able to sit in peace with Jamie in our own home, without some cow mascot poking us or an inept elderly cook setting off the sprinklers.

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In fact, our cooking was hugely improving now we had to do it ourselves. It was nowhere near as good as Mum's, but it was a vast improvement on the stuff in dorms.

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We even had a little plot of land! Mum would be so proud. All I can cope with at the moment are tomatoes, Mum's convinced I'll kill anything else, so hopefully I'm going to grow this crop perfectly and she'll upgrade me to cucumbers, or something.

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I was just coming in from the garden when Mum called.

"Hey, how's my little girl?" she asked.

"Great, thanks Mum! I've just been watering my tomatoes, they're all looking nice and healthy."

"Well, don't overwater them, and you might want to weed around them every now and then, oh- and talk to them-"

"Mum, I'm not standing in the garden talking to plants. I'm not mad!"

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"It helps!" she laughed. "Now listen, I have some news for you."

"Oh right, what's up? Nothing bad's happened, has it? Leod's ok, and Claude and the babies?"

"No, don't be so silly, everyone's fine. It's good news, hun. Leod and I have set a date for the wedding."

"That's great Mum, when is it? I need to go get my outfit!"

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"Next weekend!"

"How soon?!!!"

I think you can probably guess what the next chapter will be about!

[Aryxa]

Updates are coming for those who are still reading. My internet is being funny about uploading pictures, but it would seem *touch wood* that it's working again. Hopefully there'll be a update or two before the week is out.

[eruwenfuin]

Jeehj. I love this story, seriously, it's well done.
And that allegra girl should seriously be knocked over for her disgusting behaviour towards chloe's mum

[starwyn]

yeah she's back! I was wondering about this lol. Look forward to seeing the wedding chapters :D
Chloe looks really pretty with the latest purple recolour. Did you do that one yourself?

[Aryxa]

Thanks Starwyn. Yes, I did recolour it myself. There's just not enough purple hair out there! I end up recolouring most new meshes I get for Chloe.

[starwyn]

I'm the same with blondes, only a few sites do nice/natural blondes but others are tacky yellow and it's hard to match when i change hairstyles. Black is sooo much easier lol
Although i have recoloured hair it's so time consuming to try and find which one is the adult!

[annachibi]

Ooh yay, I like this update! :D That's the same house I use for most of my college simmies. ;) I can't wait to see the wedding!

[Aryxa]

The wedding is done! I was all ready to go... and then my computer decided to get all full of virus. Grr. So it won't let me do a lot of things, which is a pain. The pictures are taken, but I can't really get to them and photobucket keeps timing out on me, because for some reason whatever's wrong with my computer has affected my connection. Bear with me, please!

[stardust27]

:cdance:Yay!! This story is great
Cant wait until the Wedding


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Aryxa]

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I lay soaking in the bath, using some of Beth's organic bubble bath, trying to calm my nerves. It wasn't working, I still felt like my heart was about to jump out of my chest.

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I dried off, threw my coat on, and went out to fill the buffet table and check the decorations outside. Hopefully the morning chill would pass, I didn't want people to be shivering as Beth and I exchanged vows! When I was happy that everything was looking perfect, I went upstairs to Chloe's old room and changed into my suit. Beth had locked herself into our bedroom to dress; she didn't want me to see her in her dress before she walked up the rose petal aisle we'd arranged outside.

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As I descended the stairs, I heard the doorbell ring. I was thrilled to see Chloe waiting outside, looking more grown up than ever in her bridesmaids dress. All her mother had asked was that Chloe and Claude's dresses were green. I was relieved to see Chloe had toned down her usual style for her mum's big day. I gave her a huge hug, and shook Jamie's hand. He was looking smart in his suit, and wished me the best for the future. He's grown up into a nice young man, and I'm glad Chloe's found someone to love.

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Jasper and Claudia arrived not long after Chloe and Jamie. Claudia gave me a quick hug before heading upstairs to see how Beth was doing.

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"So, how are you feeling?" asked Jasper. "Scared yet?"

"I feel sick, my legs feel like jelly!" I laughed. "But I've never felt surer of anything in my life. I can't wait to marry her."

"Well, you won't have to wait long," said Claude, descending the stairs behind me. "She's ready."

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I stood under the arch in the garden, my heart trying to pound it's way out of my chest. What if she changed her mind? Has she been up in that room trying to think of how to get out of this? How did I ever think I was good enough for her, she must have come to her senses, how could someone so incredible fall for someone like me...

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Suddenly, the music began to play. Walking up the aisle towards me came Beth, looking more beautiful than I had ever seen her before. She took my breath away. I held my breath, praying that this wasn't all a dream, or if it was, praying to never, ever wake up.

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"You look beautiful." I whispered, my mouth dry in awe.

"Thank you." Beth replied, blushing. "You scrub up rather well yourself."

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"With this ring, I thee wed..."

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"...to have and to hold..."

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"...now pronounce you man and wife..."

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The congregation burst into applause, bringing me back down to earth. My eyes were full of tears as I looked at my beautiful new wife.

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"Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Leod McGreggor on their wedding day, with love from Chloe, Jamie, Claudia and Jasper. May you have a happy and long life together."

[starwyn]

Aww i love weddings :) is there more?? lol

[romyhorse]

Leod scrubs up well :D!

[annachibi]

Yaaaay! *claps* Wish I had Celebration Stuff, too. ;) Who's the random old person in the outerwear? :lol:

[Aryxa]

Two old ladies from the Garden Club arrived mid-wedding and just decided to join in the festivities! Gotta love old Sim ladies. Yes, there is more coming, depending on my rubbish computer!

[starwyn]

Who's the random old person in the outerwear? :lol:

:lol: that made me laugh - ahh simmies are so funny

[the_unnoticed]

wow...i love it!

[stardust27]

this story is the best need an update soon tho
:beer:

[Winter_SC]

^ I agree this is my favorite story I've read in a long time. Can't wait for the rest!

[Aryxa]

Thanks for the comments, you guys are too kind!

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Hi Chloe! Greetings from Twikkii Beach!

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Leod and I spent most of our first day lying around on the beach, but neither of us seem to be tanning at all! Oh well, at least we aren't getting burnt!

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This morning we headed out to a ruined temple, get some local history and all that. Leod read something in one of the guide books about the fountain having the power to grant wishes, so he tossed in a coin and made one.

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I don't really believe in all that stuff, but he insisted I do the same, so I thought about it hard, and wished for the one thing I wanted.

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Maybe there's something in this wishing fountain malarky, because no sooner had I thrown my coin in, I got my wish - to kiss Leod!

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All this holiday food has had it's affect on Leod! I think the Pineapple Surprise did it.

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I still love him, though.

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We spent this afternoon at the local spa, where Leod learnt a new massage. He's talking about getting a massage table for home, where he can practise his new skills. I'm not complaining!

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Well, I'm going to have to sign off here. Leod and I are going to soak in the hot springs before we head back to the hotel.

Give my love to Jamie!

Mum
xx

[Ladyluck89]

Wow! I didn't think you were still updating this. I read the whole thing. Took me two hours on the account I was reading all the comments and I am a slow reader. :$ I really liked this one. :D Great job hun! You have inspired me to write a story. :P

[Aryxa]

Wow! I didn't think you were still updating this. I read the whole thing. Took me two hours on the account I was reading all the comments and I am a slow reader. :$ I really liked this one. :D Great job hun! You have inspired me to write a story. :P

I am still updating, just really rarely! Thanks for reading, I look forward to seeing your story!

[annachibi]

Yay for the update! :D Where do you get your hair from, aryxa? It's lovely!

[starwyn]

I just love the twikki island. There's so much to do there!

[Aryxa]

Twikkii s my favourite of all the destinations. I'm just a beach bum ;). Which hair did you mean, annachibi? Beth's hair in the last update was, I think, from Raonjena.com, or perhaps I found it in a pirate's treasure chest...

[annachibi]

Yeah, that's the one I meant. I thought it looked a bit familiar. ;) Guess I'll have to get out my shovel again. :D

[Aryxa]

Due to game screw ups a while back, I had to replace some Sims - I completely forgot that some Sim personalities had changed, so I'm being nice and letting them have what they want! Photobucket has screwed up, and I've lost my BV disc (so I might have to buy FT... ;) ) so updates have been sitting around for ages!

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I sighed at the mirror. I was finding it harder to find clothes that didn't clash with my hair. Purple doesn't really give you many options.

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Walking down to the garden, I remembered something I'd read about the properties of tomato leaves when mixed with various other herbs and plants. It was something Mum sent me; she'd often find clippings about the medicinal or practical use of plant extracts.

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As I pulled up leaves, I began to think about all the times I got sick when I was little and Mum made her special juice from homegrown oranges, and how it always made me feel better. An idea began to form in my head.

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Change Major - Please choose a new Major

You have selected Medicine - Confirm?

You have successfully changed your Major. Your new timetable will arrive tomorrow.

That was surprisingly simple.

After a quick trip to the herbalist and a few minutes mixing in the kitchen, my other change was ready to go.

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That looks better! I actually feel like a college student now, not some stroppy teen.

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Even Jamie was looking different. Laziness had prevented him getting his hair cut, but it actually looked quite hot all messy like that. Which made me think...

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The next morning I dressed early and headed out into town. I found the local jewellers and spent a long time just dithering between different items, completely unable to decide which one was perfect.

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Finally I found exactly what I was looking for, and I headed home, grinning to myself about how surprised Jamie would be.

[starwyn]

ooh more proposals? And she's becoming an adult :) I liked the purple hair but the black is nice on her too :) saves you having to recolour everything lol

[Aryxa]

Lol that was my main reason for changing it - I have no patience for recolours anymore!

[annachibi]

*gasp* Oh boy! Engagement time! I hope he accepts... :D

[Aryxa]

*gasp* Oh boy! Engagement time! I hope he accepts... :D

I don't remember saying anything about an engagement... ;) You'll have to wait and see!

[Aryxa]

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When I got home from college a few days later, Jamie had prepared a big bowl of pasta for us.

"This looks delicious, hun, what prompted this?" I asked

"Do I need a reason to do something nice for you?" He smiled.

"I guess not. Talking of nice things, I've got a surprise for you later."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow.

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I stood up, and before Jamie could start clearing plates, pulled him to one side.

"So, I was thinking about how a lot of things are changing. We're both growing up, and I've recently changed my degree and my whole life plan, and... I guess what I'm saying is that even though my life is changing, I know that the one thing I'll always want in it is you."

Jamie's eyes widened as I pulled the jewelry box out of the kitchen cupboard, where I'd hidden it.

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"I saw this in town, and thought of you, and if you don't like it that's fine, we can change it..."

"Shush, Chloe, I'm sure it'll be perfect and fit just fine... oh."

Jamie's face fell as he opened the box to reveal his new watch.

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"You hate it, don't you?" I asked, tears filling my eyes.

"No, I love it, it's perfect!" Jamie reassured me with a hug. "It's beautiful, thank you."

"Then why do you look so strange?" I asked.

"It's just... I though you were going to ask me something else." He replied, with a funny look in his eye. "But perhaps, seeing as you've given me a gift, it would be nice if you got one too."

He ran upstairs, and I heard a drawer open, and then close, and he ran back down again.

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"I've had this upstairs since your Mum's wedding, Mum gave it to me. It was my Dad's, he was going to give it to my Mum before he died, and it's just been sitting around waiting for me to find someone I really wanted to have it... and I know in my heart that's you." Jamie looked up at me from one knee, and my heart almost pounded through my chest. Could he really be saying what I thought he was?

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"Chloe, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

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I stood dumbfounded as I stared at the beautiful ring before me. Jamie's Dad had left it to him, instead of using it to propose to Claudia before he died. It was gorgeous, simple and elegant, and in it I saw my whole life ahead of me, a life with Jamie.

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I took it out of the box and placed it on my ring finger. It fit perfectly.

"Is that a yes?" Jamie asked.

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"Of course it is!" I cried, leaping into his arms. "As if I'd have said anything else."

[annachibi]

Yay! :D You still managed to put a spin on it. ;)
Now... I want to see babies!! :lol: I think I'm jumping ahead.

[peachizncream]

Yay! :D You still managed to put a spin on it. ;)
Now... I want to see babies!! :lol: I think I'm jumping ahead.
I am with annachibi on that one!

[Candy_Land2012]

I want to see babies to!!! I can't wait for the next update.

[starwyn]

aww i'm glad he proposed i was a little disappointed when it was a watch
i had to laugh at this though

"I took it out of the box and placed it on my ring finger. It fit perfectly."

Considering it's halfway up her finger LOL ...being a sim and all ;)

[Aryxa]

Lol sims and their stubby little fingers! Maybe that's the style in Sim City?!

[Aryxa]

Hopefully I'll be finishing this up soon... it doesn't seem to be going anywhere past a few more chapters!

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"How's the dissertation going?" I asked Chloe, as she typed feverishly at her computer.

"Slowly," she replied. "I've gone over my word limit, so I've got to cut about 3000 words out, but there's still so much I want to say, there's a whole other chapter on the affects of plant sterols on the heart, not to mention an extract that would work wonders on the kidney if it was only tested..."

I phased out slightly. Once she got talking about this stuff, she'd keep going for hours.

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"Cool," I interrupted. "Listen, I'm going to do some reading for a bit, then I'm off to bed. Do you want a tea or anything?"

"No, thanks love. I'll be finished up soon."

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I sat and read about ethical law for a while, until my eyes started to itch. Chloe was still gazing intently at her computer, deleting a phrase here and adding another there. Presently, she got up, pulled a book off the shelf, and plonked herself down next to me on the couch.

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I closed my book, rubbing my sore eyes. I looked at the clock; it was 2AM.

"I'm going to bed, Chlo, are you coming?"

"Yeah, in a sec." she replied, barely glancing up from her textbook of plant cross sections. She really was her mother's daughter, even if she didn't see it.

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As I drifted to sleep, I heard the familiar clacking of keys from the next room. Groaning, I rolled over and tried to blank it out.

Come on, Chloe, get some sleep already!

Two weeks later...

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I came back to find Chloe resting on our bed. She looked tired but happy.

"You get everything handed in ok?" I asked.

"Yep!" She grinned. "That's the last essay I'm ever writing in my life!"

I chuckled as I sprawled on the bed next to her.

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"I've missed you, you know." I said. She looked up at me.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I got a little obsessed, didn't I?"

"It's ok," I smiled. "But, can you find something else to fixate on for a while?"

"Any suggestions?" she asked, with a glint in her eye.

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"Oh, hundreds..." I replied.

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Chloe Mossberg, 1st Class Degree, BSc Hons (Medicine) / Jamie Silverton, Upper Second Class Degree, BA Hons (Law)

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"Are you going to keep that on all day?" Chloe laughed. "You look like a Jedi."

"We can't all look as glamorous as you, dear." I replied, swishing my gown.

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Mum, Jasper, and Beth were stood in the kitchen, dancing in their own 'unique' old folk style. Leod called Chloe and me into a corner, and Beth came over with a funny smile on her face.

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"So, I guess you two will be looking for your own place now you've graduated?" Leod asked.

"Yeah," Chloe replied. "We've been trying to find a place where we can build a greenhouse and set up some kind of lab, but it's hard work on our budget."

"I know the feeling," smiled Leod. "That's where your Mum and I come in."

"We're moving to a smaller house with a bigger garden," Beth said. "We don't need that much house space, but Leod misses his orchards and I'd love to start selling homemade produce. And that leaves our old house empty... and we'd like you to move in."

Chloe gasped.

"The garden's big enough for you to get started, but not too much for you to manage, and you can always set up a lab in the spare room."

"Are you serious?!" squealed Chloe.

"Of course." replied Leod and Beth, simultaneously.

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I shook Leod's hand, warmly, while Chloe pulled Beth in for a hug.

"Thanks, Mum. For everything."

[annachibi]

Yay! :D Aww, the kids are all grown up and starting their own family. :giggler:

[mayakii]

Oh snap, I smell kidlets.