HOLLAND FAMILY CHALLENGE STORY!
Hello there. :) Thank you for being here for my first ever Sims 3 story! 😃 (Circa 2015) ****PLEASE NOTE THAT I HAVE MOVED THIS STORY OVER TO MY BLOG WITH REVISIONS AND HAVE MADE IT TONS BETTER! �...
Forum Discussion
LONG Chapter ahead everyone...the end goes a bit out of my comfort zone, but...there needed to be some crazy drama. Enjoy!
Chapter 37
Three months passed since Molly and Tay's wedding and in that time they were able to find a nice apartment building to live in. It was a Triplex that was just built and the two liked that it was close to where Jade and Derrick lived and their neighbors seemed friendly from they could tell by casual greetings. The thing that thrilled them the most was being able to live on their own with Shawn as a family. How long they had waited for this day and it was well worth it. Tay was getting settled into his new job nicely and for now Molly was a stay at home mom.
The first floor of their new home consisted of a living room, kitchen, dining and bar area. Laundry was available in the common area for all the tenants. Wooden spiral stairs led up to the second floor.
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The second floor of course had the one bathroom in the home with a loft-like master bedroom and a spare bedroom for Shawn.
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Molly LOVED it! Being able to make and keep house for her husband and child was the best feeling in the world. This was really the life she had always dreamed of. After getting everything moved in, Molly chuckled while making an autumn salad as their first meal in their new home, but there was NO WAY she was cooking up a big meal after all the stress and fatigue from moving! She was thankful she didn't hear any complaints from Tay or Shawn.
"This salad really is delicious my love," Tay said to her sincerely.
"Thank you," Molly said with a smile.
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After dinner, Tay took Shawn up to bed and had a little daddy and son bonding time with him.
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He loved how Shawn looked and acted so much like him, but at the same time...that frightened him. In a funny way.
Once Shawn was asleep, Molly and Tay had their very first romantic moment in the new home.
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"Oh Tay," Molly said after kissing him, "life feels so perfect right now!"
"It really does," Tay agreed. "I've never been happier in my whole life!"
Molly leaned in and touched noses with him. "Same here."
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****************
It had been two weeks since Derrick and Jade took the plunge and had the In vitro fertilization done. Nothing showed up yet on the pregnancy tests, but they never stopped holding out hope. Bruce was looking forward to becoming a big brother someday.
A while back Michael and Derrick made an agreement that Michael would come and check on Derrick's health every other week since his COPD diagnosis. On this day, Derrick seemed to be having a flare up.
"You haven't skipped out on wearing that oxygen mask in fires have you Chief?" Michael asked, probing.
"NO dad!" Derrick said with a cough, "I promise I use it religiously now! I think my allergies are what's making it worse." He coughed again.
"Most likely."
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"Oh," Derrick added, "I need a refill on my medication."
"I thought so," Michael said, pulling out his prescription pad. "The Prednisolone right?"
"Yeah."
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"Although I keep wondering if it's not helping me the way it used to," Derrick added.
Michael had been looking forward to sharing this with Derrick and now was the perfect opportunity. "Well," he began, ripping the prescription paper off the pad, "a new drug has come out for COPD and its effects sound more promising than the other medications."
Derrick's eyebrows shot up in interest.
"From what I've studied, I feel confident about it. Would you like to be part of a trial for it?"
"Sure," Derrick said shrugging his shoulders. "It's worth a try."
"Great!" Michael said brightly, "I'll get a sample from work and bring it to you tomorrow morning. Just don't take your current medication beforehand."
"Ok dad."
The next morning, Derrick was having second thoughts about trying the new medication, but he pushed those concerns aside. It felt cool being part of a medical trial and IF this new medication DID turn out to help him breathe like he used to, he was all for giving it a try!
"You ready?" Michael asked Derrick, handing him the pill.
"Yes!" Derrick said confidently, taking the pill and swallowing it.
Michael gave it a couple of minutes and then asked. "How do you feel?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Derrick answered, "Fine. I don't feel any different."
"We should give it a few more minutes."
In that time the two made casual conversation about their lives and current events. Glancing down at his watch and seeing that a half hour had passed, Michael asked again, "How do you feel now?"
"I have a little bit of a headache," Derrick said.
"Yeah, that's a normal side effect."
"Side effects s-u-c-k!"
"I know."
A few more minutes passed and nothing else changed. Derrick figured he'd just take a pill to help with the headache and try to get in a nap before work. As he began walking away from his dad however, his headache intensified. Michael stopped dead in his tracks once he saw his son rub at the back of his head. "Are you alright?" he asked.
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Derrick couldn't answer. He rubbed his forehead now, squeezing his eyes shut and praying he wouldn't pass out. It was sure starting to feel like it. "Dad..." he began, but everything went black and he fell to the ground.
'Oh c-r-a-p!' Michael thought as he watched his son take that hard fall onto the ground. 'Ouch!'
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"Derrick?" he addressed coming towards him and bending down by his side. While checking his son's pulse he sighed dismally. 'This new medication might not work for him after all...'
*****************
Young love continued to flourish for Tristan and Emerald. Even though there was no ring or proposal in the picture yet, Tristan and Emerald were practically betrothed. They talked often about getting married soon after they graduate from High School which was coming up! Tristan was thrilled beyond words! Not just because of that but because he'd had "Senioritis" since he was a Sophomore! He couldn't wait to be FREE, independent and start his life with Emerald. Often times he wondered what line of work he would get into to support her and their future family. He'd been in band all four years of High School, playing various instruments and enjoyed that very much to where he debated on writing music or starting up a band. He even took up playing the piano recently which Emerald thought was very...s-e-x-y.
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Not a day went by that the two young lovers didn't go and see each other. <3
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Ken was really climbing the ranks in the Scouts and was pretty close to earning his Eagle. He was the type of person that was very much a homebody. He enjoyed playing and being with his family more than anything.
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"My gosh that was freaky son," Michael said to Ken after he finished telling an ancient Egypt mummy story. "Where on EARTH did you hear that!?"
There was one other thing he liked to do a tad bit more than hanging out with family and that...was fishing.
https://s20.postimg.org/j1jufg34d/Ken_fishing.jpg
He was getting pretty darn good at it too...much to Michael and Jenni's surprise. The fish he caught were always delicious!
Bailey and Goodwin were having a wonderful life together. They especially enjoyed having Celeste around to make them smile and laugh often. The two kept holding out for promotions soon since finances were becoming a burden.
Back at the University, Daniel and Andrea Vaughn had just celebrated their one year wedding anniversary. While Andrea was preparing for finals, Daniel was GRADUATING with his degree in Fine Arts, which Michael and Jenni came down to attend. 'If only that were me!' Andrea thought, while burying her nose into another medical textbook, 'just ONE more year and I'll start residency!' She was very proud of her husband though and was...a little jealous that he was offered the new middle school's art teacher position. Art was Andrea's second passion to medicine and she never stopped trying to make time to practice her painting. With Daniel's help, she felt like she had become a better painter than ever before!
One day while visiting the Comic store, Andrea had a pleasant run in with Garrison Fort. He congratulated her on her first year of marriage and mentioned that he had been dating someone pretty seriously for the past six months. It came as a surprise to Andrea, but she was truly and honestly happy for him. Garrison was a good man. She always hoped he'd find the perfect woman and it sounded like he did. Speaking of the men in Andrea's life, sometimes, Stephen Brackney would randomly pop into her head. How the two of them ended up becoming friends was beyond her, but she couldn't help thinking about how she hadn't seen him in months! A year ago he broke up with his girlfriend and seemed to focus more on his studies, the most Andrea had EVER seen him do. When she found out he made it on the college football team the light bulb came on. 'Ah,' Andrea thought, 'THAT'S why he's been focusing more on his studies! Gotta keep those grades up!' He even ceased sending her random text messages, sometimes asking for medical advice. She hesitated to admit that she missed them. She hoped he was ok.
In the middle of the night before finals, Andrea and Daniel woke up to Daniel's phone ringing. He grunted as he answered it. "Hello?"
Andrea turned around to snuggle with him as she heard someone talking on the other end.
"What!?" Daniel cried, jumping out of bed. Andrea stared at him in concern. The voice on the other end had become louder. Then Daniel asked, "Are you serious!?"
Now Andrea had gotten herself out of bed and walked toward him whispering, "What's wrong?"
Daniel held a finger up to her and continued listening. "No...no it's not a problem. I'll make it over there as soon as I can!"
'Where!?' Andrea asked in her mind.
"Just hang tight! I'll be there! See you soon!" Then Daniel hung up.
"Daniel?" Andrea asked worriedly, "what's going on?"
Daniel held his hand up to the wall, trying to compose himself. "That was my little brother. You know how my mom finally decided to leave my dad?"
"Yeah?"
"Well," he paused, trying to hold back his emotions, "he tracked my mom down and...beat her up."
Andrea clasped her hand over her mouth.
"She's in really bad shape," Daniel choked, looking at her with tears in his eyes. "The doctors aren't sure if she's going to make it."
"Oh my gosh!" Andrea cried.
"So I have to head over there and see her in case she--" He stopped, sobbing while Andrea held him tightly.
"Oh Daniel," Andrea said, "I'm so so sorry! I wish I could come with you!"
"I do too," Daniel said, grabbing the clothes off the floor to wear again. He struggled getting his pants on. "I'll keep you informed. Please...pray for her."
"Of course!" While watching her husband frantically get dressed, Andrea hoped he would make it to his mother in time with a four hour drive ahead of him.
Grabbing the car keys off the end table, Daniel turned to give Andrea a kiss. "I love you," he said, "See you later."
"I love you too. Drive safe!"
And with that, Daniel was out the bedroom door, into his car and driving off in a flash.
*****************
On that same night back in Twinbrook, Sue sat on her bed, wide awake from sneaking back into the house at two in the morning, thinking long and hard about what she had just done. A big part of her felt AMAZING...one heck of an adrenaline rush, but the other part of her felt sick. Sick with worry about what her parents would do to her if they ever found out. A few events from the near past flashed through her mind.
Not receiving a text back from Jarrett in weeks.
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Whenever she tried to call him, there was never an answer. Her heart broke.
Completely not caring about anything anymore...mostly when it came to school.
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With her grades falling, Michael had a serious chat with her about it. She really didn't feel like throwing out all the reasons WHY to him, she just begged for his forgiveness and promised to do better.
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"Of course you're forgiven Sue," Michael said, "I hope you'll make me proud. I know you can do better than this."
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"I know dad," Sue said, "I'm just...struggling right now, but I'll get through it."
"Is there anything you need help with? Anything at all?"
"No. Really. I'll be fine."
Michael looked deeply into her eyes and studied her carefully. "Ok," he said. "If you change your mind, you know your mother and I are always here for you."
"Thanks."
"I love you."
"Love you too."
The next day after school, instead of going home like she usually did, Sue decided to watch the protest that was going on at City Hall. It lasted for hours, up until it started to get dark. When most of the crowd left, she sat on the ground by the front doors thinking about how hurt she still felt over Jarrett neglecting her.
"That's quite the sad face on such a pretty girl," she heard a male voice say.
Looking up to find an incredibly attractive, older man, with arm tattoos and pointy eyebrows looking straight at her, Sue stood up feeling uneasy. "Excuse me?" she asked the man.
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The man stepped closer to her. "I get the feeling that some jerk broke your heart? Am I right?"
Sue pursed her lips. 'Wow. Good one,' she thought, but like she was going to admit he was right.
"Don't let this guy bring you down," the man continued, "you're too young to have your heart broken forever. There's much better fish in the sea." He winked at her.
Rolling her eyes while thinking, 'Is this guy seriously FLIRTING with me!?' she said, "Thanks. I'll remember that."
Smiling, the man drew closer. "Sorry, I'm not trying to creep you out. Just trying to cheer you up."
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He seemed sincere. Sue cracked a smile.
The man held out his hand. "The name's Sinbad," he said, "and who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"
Sue carefully shook his hand. "Sue," she replied. She couldn't help noticing Sinbad's mysterious face expression as he studied her.
"Hmm," he said. "Interesting."
"What?"
Shaking his head, Sinbad replied, "Nothing. You just look like someone I was very close to." Then he looked off into the distance while saying, "A long time ago."
Sue raised her eyebrows. "A girlfriend, I imagine?"
"No...but I wish she'd been." He grinned.
"Great," Sue said nonchalantly. "I better be getting home now." She started to walk past him.
"Hey, hang on a second," said Sinbad, stepping in front of her. "You're not really going to let that guy get to you now are you?"
"I really don't think that's any of your business."
"Ok," Sinbad said holding his hands up in defeat, "You're right. I'm sorry I asked, but could I tell you something real quick before you go?"
Sue rolled her eyes again and sighed. "Ok," she agreed.
For a moment, Sinbad just gazed into her eyes with a smile. Sue couldn't help being drawn to that beautiful smile. He was definitely attractive for an older guy. "Any boy who is crazy enough to break up with someone as pretty as you," he began, "Doesn't appreciate what he has. I get the feeling you are someone special. A girl who'd always treat her man right."
"Wow!" Sue meant to think, but it came out of her mouth in a whisper. "Thanks. I really needed to hear that."
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With a bright grin, Sinbad said, "I'm glad I could cheer you up. Keep your chin up now ok?"
Sue nodded with a smile.
"And remember what I said, there's better fish in the sea." He paused. "Heck, if I were younger I would ask you on a date myself."
Blushing, Sue giggled.
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"Seriously though," Sinbad said, pulling out a notepad and pen from his back pocket. He began to write something. "Here's my number," he said, tearing the paper off and handing it to her. "If you're ever having a hard time again, give me a call."
Sue took the paper hesitantly.
"We could grab a little bite to eat and I could cheer you up again by telling you how beautiful you are."
Nodding, Sue tried not to blush again. This did feel a little creepy, but at the same time...he really got to her.
"Catch you later," Sinbad said with a wink and turned and walked away.
From that day on, Sue found herself unable to get the mysterious, good looking stranger out of her mind! It was CRAZY since she knew he was probably old enough to be her father but...there was something about him that was drawing her to him. For the life of her she couldn't figure out what! The whole beautiful thing was really having a positive effect on her. She had been having some self esteem issues and if a man as old as Sinbad could notice her out of the clear blue...then she MUST be attractive after all. While shopping for clothes she ended up picking out a few shirts and outfits that she never would've thought to wear before. One outfit, in particular, certainly got the attention of her father one morning before school.
"What are you wearing?" Michael asked her with a hint of disgust in his voice.
"An outfit I bought at the store," she replied. "I like it."
"Well, I don't!" Michael said sharply. "It shows a little too much of your...chest."
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"It's not that bad dad," Sue said defensively. "At least it's not see through!" Jenni then appeared on the scene at a distance.
"It's giving off a certain message," Michael started, "and I don't want you wearing it! Go upstairs and change into something else."
Sue stood her ground. "I'm not changing. I paid money for it, I want to wear it and I think it looks cute!"
"You will not leave this house wearing that!"
"Oh yes I will!"
"Are you disobeying me!?"
"Yeah! I am!"
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Michael opened his mouth about to say something else, but he stopped himself and just shook his head.
"What?" Sue asked.
Michael was still shaking his head. "Oh Sue," he said, looking up at her. "This is not you. I don't ever remember having an argument with you."
Jenni looked down and Sue did the same.
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"Please," Michael said, putting his hand on Sue's shoulder, "tell me and your mom what's going on with you. You're really starting to worry us."
Jenni nodded when Sue glanced at her. "There's nothing to worry about," Sue said, "I just picked out some new outfits to wear that would make me feel better about myself ok?!"
"I understand Sue," Michael said, "but that outfit is too s-e-x-u-a-l and I would be very disappointed if you went out into public wearing it."
Sue then picked up her backpack from off the floor and threw it over her shoulder. "Well dad," she said, "I'm going to be late for school if I don't go right now so...bye." She spun on her heel and whipped out the front door.
Sue noticed quite a few heads turning in her direction at school that day and it made her feel amazing. Confident. She couldn't help wondering if the flirty stranger wasn't meant to come into her life at that very moment to help her move forward with her life. 'Jarrett is ancient history now!' she thought, 'someday he's going to wish he never let me go!' When she returned home she was relieved to find that her parents were still at work (Jenni graduated from nursing school at this point and she worked alongside Michael) and that Tristan and Ken seemed to be gone as well. Then this thought came into her mind...'Maybe I'll send a selfie of me in this outfit in a picture message to Sinbad, thanking him for boosting my confidence.' And that's just what she did.
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A bright grin appeared on her face as she heard the text message ringtone and read Sinbad's message back:
Hellloooo Sue! Glad to see you're feeling better. VERY nice!
And that was the beginning of her correspondence with Sinbad.
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Every day she found herself chatting with him, be it through text messaging or instant messaging online. She was almost convinced he had her under some kind of spell because...she was falling for him...and falling hard. They ran into each other a few times around town and hung out, but Sue tried to be discreet. At first she felt a little uncomfortable hanging out with him, but the more she got to know Sinbad, the more comfortable she felt around him. However...it wasn't until that night that she found out just how evil of a man Sinbad really was.
To be continued...
Chapter 37
Three months passed since Molly and Tay's wedding and in that time they were able to find a nice apartment building to live in. It was a Triplex that was just built and the two liked that it was close to where Jade and Derrick lived and their neighbors seemed friendly from they could tell by casual greetings. The thing that thrilled them the most was being able to live on their own with Shawn as a family. How long they had waited for this day and it was well worth it. Tay was getting settled into his new job nicely and for now Molly was a stay at home mom.
The first floor of their new home consisted of a living room, kitchen, dining and bar area. Laundry was available in the common area for all the tenants. Wooden spiral stairs led up to the second floor.
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The second floor of course had the one bathroom in the home with a loft-like master bedroom and a spare bedroom for Shawn.
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Molly LOVED it! Being able to make and keep house for her husband and child was the best feeling in the world. This was really the life she had always dreamed of. After getting everything moved in, Molly chuckled while making an autumn salad as their first meal in their new home, but there was NO WAY she was cooking up a big meal after all the stress and fatigue from moving! She was thankful she didn't hear any complaints from Tay or Shawn.
"This salad really is delicious my love," Tay said to her sincerely.
"Thank you," Molly said with a smile.
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After dinner, Tay took Shawn up to bed and had a little daddy and son bonding time with him.
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He loved how Shawn looked and acted so much like him, but at the same time...that frightened him. In a funny way.
Once Shawn was asleep, Molly and Tay had their very first romantic moment in the new home.
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"Oh Tay," Molly said after kissing him, "life feels so perfect right now!"
"It really does," Tay agreed. "I've never been happier in my whole life!"
Molly leaned in and touched noses with him. "Same here."
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****************
It had been two weeks since Derrick and Jade took the plunge and had the In vitro fertilization done. Nothing showed up yet on the pregnancy tests, but they never stopped holding out hope. Bruce was looking forward to becoming a big brother someday.
A while back Michael and Derrick made an agreement that Michael would come and check on Derrick's health every other week since his COPD diagnosis. On this day, Derrick seemed to be having a flare up.
"You haven't skipped out on wearing that oxygen mask in fires have you Chief?" Michael asked, probing.
"NO dad!" Derrick said with a cough, "I promise I use it religiously now! I think my allergies are what's making it worse." He coughed again.
"Most likely."
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"Oh," Derrick added, "I need a refill on my medication."
"I thought so," Michael said, pulling out his prescription pad. "The Prednisolone right?"
"Yeah."
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"Although I keep wondering if it's not helping me the way it used to," Derrick added.
Michael had been looking forward to sharing this with Derrick and now was the perfect opportunity. "Well," he began, ripping the prescription paper off the pad, "a new drug has come out for COPD and its effects sound more promising than the other medications."
Derrick's eyebrows shot up in interest.
"From what I've studied, I feel confident about it. Would you like to be part of a trial for it?"
"Sure," Derrick said shrugging his shoulders. "It's worth a try."
"Great!" Michael said brightly, "I'll get a sample from work and bring it to you tomorrow morning. Just don't take your current medication beforehand."
"Ok dad."
The next morning, Derrick was having second thoughts about trying the new medication, but he pushed those concerns aside. It felt cool being part of a medical trial and IF this new medication DID turn out to help him breathe like he used to, he was all for giving it a try!
"You ready?" Michael asked Derrick, handing him the pill.
"Yes!" Derrick said confidently, taking the pill and swallowing it.
Michael gave it a couple of minutes and then asked. "How do you feel?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Derrick answered, "Fine. I don't feel any different."
"We should give it a few more minutes."
In that time the two made casual conversation about their lives and current events. Glancing down at his watch and seeing that a half hour had passed, Michael asked again, "How do you feel now?"
"I have a little bit of a headache," Derrick said.
"Yeah, that's a normal side effect."
"Side effects s-u-c-k!"
"I know."
A few more minutes passed and nothing else changed. Derrick figured he'd just take a pill to help with the headache and try to get in a nap before work. As he began walking away from his dad however, his headache intensified. Michael stopped dead in his tracks once he saw his son rub at the back of his head. "Are you alright?" he asked.
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Derrick couldn't answer. He rubbed his forehead now, squeezing his eyes shut and praying he wouldn't pass out. It was sure starting to feel like it. "Dad..." he began, but everything went black and he fell to the ground.
'Oh c-r-a-p!' Michael thought as he watched his son take that hard fall onto the ground. 'Ouch!'
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"Derrick?" he addressed coming towards him and bending down by his side. While checking his son's pulse he sighed dismally. 'This new medication might not work for him after all...'
*****************
Young love continued to flourish for Tristan and Emerald. Even though there was no ring or proposal in the picture yet, Tristan and Emerald were practically betrothed. They talked often about getting married soon after they graduate from High School which was coming up! Tristan was thrilled beyond words! Not just because of that but because he'd had "Senioritis" since he was a Sophomore! He couldn't wait to be FREE, independent and start his life with Emerald. Often times he wondered what line of work he would get into to support her and their future family. He'd been in band all four years of High School, playing various instruments and enjoyed that very much to where he debated on writing music or starting up a band. He even took up playing the piano recently which Emerald thought was very...s-e-x-y.
http://s20.postimg.org/n2dgmufil/Tristan_playing_piano.jpg
Not a day went by that the two young lovers didn't go and see each other. <3
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http://s20.postimg.org/sgc8ue58t/Tristan_and_Emerald_sweet_kiss.jpg
Ken was really climbing the ranks in the Scouts and was pretty close to earning his Eagle. He was the type of person that was very much a homebody. He enjoyed playing and being with his family more than anything.
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https://s20.postimg.org/6x4kygq8d/Ken_tells_a_ghost_story_to_Mike.jpg
"My gosh that was freaky son," Michael said to Ken after he finished telling an ancient Egypt mummy story. "Where on EARTH did you hear that!?"
There was one other thing he liked to do a tad bit more than hanging out with family and that...was fishing.
https://s20.postimg.org/j1jufg34d/Ken_fishing.jpg
He was getting pretty darn good at it too...much to Michael and Jenni's surprise. The fish he caught were always delicious!
Bailey and Goodwin were having a wonderful life together. They especially enjoyed having Celeste around to make them smile and laugh often. The two kept holding out for promotions soon since finances were becoming a burden.
Back at the University, Daniel and Andrea Vaughn had just celebrated their one year wedding anniversary. While Andrea was preparing for finals, Daniel was GRADUATING with his degree in Fine Arts, which Michael and Jenni came down to attend. 'If only that were me!' Andrea thought, while burying her nose into another medical textbook, 'just ONE more year and I'll start residency!' She was very proud of her husband though and was...a little jealous that he was offered the new middle school's art teacher position. Art was Andrea's second passion to medicine and she never stopped trying to make time to practice her painting. With Daniel's help, she felt like she had become a better painter than ever before!
One day while visiting the Comic store, Andrea had a pleasant run in with Garrison Fort. He congratulated her on her first year of marriage and mentioned that he had been dating someone pretty seriously for the past six months. It came as a surprise to Andrea, but she was truly and honestly happy for him. Garrison was a good man. She always hoped he'd find the perfect woman and it sounded like he did. Speaking of the men in Andrea's life, sometimes, Stephen Brackney would randomly pop into her head. How the two of them ended up becoming friends was beyond her, but she couldn't help thinking about how she hadn't seen him in months! A year ago he broke up with his girlfriend and seemed to focus more on his studies, the most Andrea had EVER seen him do. When she found out he made it on the college football team the light bulb came on. 'Ah,' Andrea thought, 'THAT'S why he's been focusing more on his studies! Gotta keep those grades up!' He even ceased sending her random text messages, sometimes asking for medical advice. She hesitated to admit that she missed them. She hoped he was ok.
In the middle of the night before finals, Andrea and Daniel woke up to Daniel's phone ringing. He grunted as he answered it. "Hello?"
Andrea turned around to snuggle with him as she heard someone talking on the other end.
"What!?" Daniel cried, jumping out of bed. Andrea stared at him in concern. The voice on the other end had become louder. Then Daniel asked, "Are you serious!?"
Now Andrea had gotten herself out of bed and walked toward him whispering, "What's wrong?"
Daniel held a finger up to her and continued listening. "No...no it's not a problem. I'll make it over there as soon as I can!"
'Where!?' Andrea asked in her mind.
"Just hang tight! I'll be there! See you soon!" Then Daniel hung up.
"Daniel?" Andrea asked worriedly, "what's going on?"
Daniel held his hand up to the wall, trying to compose himself. "That was my little brother. You know how my mom finally decided to leave my dad?"
"Yeah?"
"Well," he paused, trying to hold back his emotions, "he tracked my mom down and...beat her up."
Andrea clasped her hand over her mouth.
"She's in really bad shape," Daniel choked, looking at her with tears in his eyes. "The doctors aren't sure if she's going to make it."
"Oh my gosh!" Andrea cried.
"So I have to head over there and see her in case she--" He stopped, sobbing while Andrea held him tightly.
"Oh Daniel," Andrea said, "I'm so so sorry! I wish I could come with you!"
"I do too," Daniel said, grabbing the clothes off the floor to wear again. He struggled getting his pants on. "I'll keep you informed. Please...pray for her."
"Of course!" While watching her husband frantically get dressed, Andrea hoped he would make it to his mother in time with a four hour drive ahead of him.
Grabbing the car keys off the end table, Daniel turned to give Andrea a kiss. "I love you," he said, "See you later."
"I love you too. Drive safe!"
And with that, Daniel was out the bedroom door, into his car and driving off in a flash.
*****************
On that same night back in Twinbrook, Sue sat on her bed, wide awake from sneaking back into the house at two in the morning, thinking long and hard about what she had just done. A big part of her felt AMAZING...one heck of an adrenaline rush, but the other part of her felt sick. Sick with worry about what her parents would do to her if they ever found out. A few events from the near past flashed through her mind.
Not receiving a text back from Jarrett in weeks.
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Whenever she tried to call him, there was never an answer. Her heart broke.
Completely not caring about anything anymore...mostly when it came to school.
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With her grades falling, Michael had a serious chat with her about it. She really didn't feel like throwing out all the reasons WHY to him, she just begged for his forgiveness and promised to do better.
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"Of course you're forgiven Sue," Michael said, "I hope you'll make me proud. I know you can do better than this."
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"I know dad," Sue said, "I'm just...struggling right now, but I'll get through it."
"Is there anything you need help with? Anything at all?"
"No. Really. I'll be fine."
Michael looked deeply into her eyes and studied her carefully. "Ok," he said. "If you change your mind, you know your mother and I are always here for you."
"Thanks."
"I love you."
"Love you too."
The next day after school, instead of going home like she usually did, Sue decided to watch the protest that was going on at City Hall. It lasted for hours, up until it started to get dark. When most of the crowd left, she sat on the ground by the front doors thinking about how hurt she still felt over Jarrett neglecting her.
"That's quite the sad face on such a pretty girl," she heard a male voice say.
Looking up to find an incredibly attractive, older man, with arm tattoos and pointy eyebrows looking straight at her, Sue stood up feeling uneasy. "Excuse me?" she asked the man.
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The man stepped closer to her. "I get the feeling that some jerk broke your heart? Am I right?"
Sue pursed her lips. 'Wow. Good one,' she thought, but like she was going to admit he was right.
"Don't let this guy bring you down," the man continued, "you're too young to have your heart broken forever. There's much better fish in the sea." He winked at her.
Rolling her eyes while thinking, 'Is this guy seriously FLIRTING with me!?' she said, "Thanks. I'll remember that."
Smiling, the man drew closer. "Sorry, I'm not trying to creep you out. Just trying to cheer you up."
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He seemed sincere. Sue cracked a smile.
The man held out his hand. "The name's Sinbad," he said, "and who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"
Sue carefully shook his hand. "Sue," she replied. She couldn't help noticing Sinbad's mysterious face expression as he studied her.
"Hmm," he said. "Interesting."
"What?"
Shaking his head, Sinbad replied, "Nothing. You just look like someone I was very close to." Then he looked off into the distance while saying, "A long time ago."
Sue raised her eyebrows. "A girlfriend, I imagine?"
"No...but I wish she'd been." He grinned.
"Great," Sue said nonchalantly. "I better be getting home now." She started to walk past him.
"Hey, hang on a second," said Sinbad, stepping in front of her. "You're not really going to let that guy get to you now are you?"
"I really don't think that's any of your business."
"Ok," Sinbad said holding his hands up in defeat, "You're right. I'm sorry I asked, but could I tell you something real quick before you go?"
Sue rolled her eyes again and sighed. "Ok," she agreed.
For a moment, Sinbad just gazed into her eyes with a smile. Sue couldn't help being drawn to that beautiful smile. He was definitely attractive for an older guy. "Any boy who is crazy enough to break up with someone as pretty as you," he began, "Doesn't appreciate what he has. I get the feeling you are someone special. A girl who'd always treat her man right."
"Wow!" Sue meant to think, but it came out of her mouth in a whisper. "Thanks. I really needed to hear that."
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With a bright grin, Sinbad said, "I'm glad I could cheer you up. Keep your chin up now ok?"
Sue nodded with a smile.
"And remember what I said, there's better fish in the sea." He paused. "Heck, if I were younger I would ask you on a date myself."
Blushing, Sue giggled.
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"Seriously though," Sinbad said, pulling out a notepad and pen from his back pocket. He began to write something. "Here's my number," he said, tearing the paper off and handing it to her. "If you're ever having a hard time again, give me a call."
Sue took the paper hesitantly.
"We could grab a little bite to eat and I could cheer you up again by telling you how beautiful you are."
Nodding, Sue tried not to blush again. This did feel a little creepy, but at the same time...he really got to her.
"Catch you later," Sinbad said with a wink and turned and walked away.
From that day on, Sue found herself unable to get the mysterious, good looking stranger out of her mind! It was CRAZY since she knew he was probably old enough to be her father but...there was something about him that was drawing her to him. For the life of her she couldn't figure out what! The whole beautiful thing was really having a positive effect on her. She had been having some self esteem issues and if a man as old as Sinbad could notice her out of the clear blue...then she MUST be attractive after all. While shopping for clothes she ended up picking out a few shirts and outfits that she never would've thought to wear before. One outfit, in particular, certainly got the attention of her father one morning before school.
"What are you wearing?" Michael asked her with a hint of disgust in his voice.
"An outfit I bought at the store," she replied. "I like it."
"Well, I don't!" Michael said sharply. "It shows a little too much of your...chest."
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"It's not that bad dad," Sue said defensively. "At least it's not see through!" Jenni then appeared on the scene at a distance.
"It's giving off a certain message," Michael started, "and I don't want you wearing it! Go upstairs and change into something else."
Sue stood her ground. "I'm not changing. I paid money for it, I want to wear it and I think it looks cute!"
"You will not leave this house wearing that!"
"Oh yes I will!"
"Are you disobeying me!?"
"Yeah! I am!"
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Michael opened his mouth about to say something else, but he stopped himself and just shook his head.
"What?" Sue asked.
Michael was still shaking his head. "Oh Sue," he said, looking up at her. "This is not you. I don't ever remember having an argument with you."
Jenni looked down and Sue did the same.
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"Please," Michael said, putting his hand on Sue's shoulder, "tell me and your mom what's going on with you. You're really starting to worry us."
Jenni nodded when Sue glanced at her. "There's nothing to worry about," Sue said, "I just picked out some new outfits to wear that would make me feel better about myself ok?!"
"I understand Sue," Michael said, "but that outfit is too s-e-x-u-a-l and I would be very disappointed if you went out into public wearing it."
Sue then picked up her backpack from off the floor and threw it over her shoulder. "Well dad," she said, "I'm going to be late for school if I don't go right now so...bye." She spun on her heel and whipped out the front door.
Sue noticed quite a few heads turning in her direction at school that day and it made her feel amazing. Confident. She couldn't help wondering if the flirty stranger wasn't meant to come into her life at that very moment to help her move forward with her life. 'Jarrett is ancient history now!' she thought, 'someday he's going to wish he never let me go!' When she returned home she was relieved to find that her parents were still at work (Jenni graduated from nursing school at this point and she worked alongside Michael) and that Tristan and Ken seemed to be gone as well. Then this thought came into her mind...'Maybe I'll send a selfie of me in this outfit in a picture message to Sinbad, thanking him for boosting my confidence.' And that's just what she did.
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A bright grin appeared on her face as she heard the text message ringtone and read Sinbad's message back:
Hellloooo Sue! Glad to see you're feeling better. VERY nice!
And that was the beginning of her correspondence with Sinbad.
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Every day she found herself chatting with him, be it through text messaging or instant messaging online. She was almost convinced he had her under some kind of spell because...she was falling for him...and falling hard. They ran into each other a few times around town and hung out, but Sue tried to be discreet. At first she felt a little uncomfortable hanging out with him, but the more she got to know Sinbad, the more comfortable she felt around him. However...it wasn't until that night that she found out just how evil of a man Sinbad really was.
To be continued...
