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Click on Table of Contents for organized posts, or just scroll down to start reading the latest update! Zombies. An apocalypse. Restricting ...

Saturday, April 18, 2020

Chapter 13 - Are You My Girlfriend?

With the Tier 1  restrictions fulfilled, the small town finally gets a daily newspaper!  It was nothing more than a short "Help Wanted" ads. 

There was a lot to be thankful for in the Sharp household.  Pepper gave birth to a rascally puppy, Barker.
Xerxes was becoming a man, too!
 "Dad? What's wrong?" Xerxes asked with concern.

Orlando sobbed.  "I love babies!"

"I want grandbabies so badly!" Orlando sobbed again.  "I've been waiting so long!"

"Sweetie, Xerxes just got barely turned 18! Give him some time!"

Orlando sniffled. "We had kids when you were 18!"

Yoshi patted her husband's arm and tried to comfort him. "Yes, but I had you! Xerxes doesn't even have a girlfriend yet!"

Wasabi was in the process of building a snowman when the strange guy walking bye stopped to watch her. 
Strangely, his first question was how old she was.  "16, almost 17," Wasabi replied. 

He nodded and politely took a step back.


 The family headed down to the new Community Center.  Way to screw the picture up Xerxes.
Yoshi led Xerxes through the reception area.  "Wasabi, will you stay out here with your Dad?" she asked before disappearing behind the corner.
 The town had called their first official community meeting.
Joe tapped on the table to get everyone's attention. "I wanted to thank you all for coming." he announced after the room had quietened.  "I want to give the floor to Lt. Sharp.  She, and her parents before her, were instrumental in helping this town secure their basic needs." He motioned to Yoshi.
"I was happy to serve," Yoshi announced with a smile.  "Now we have food, medical care, safety.  But, we need to discuss what happens next. 
"How do we even know we're still safe?" Jane asked worriedly.  
"I think we need to focus on careers that will help build our little town back up, like architecture, law, science, and so on," Marylena put in, earning nods from around the table.
"Definitely," Ivy agreed.  "Education will be very important, too.  We need to get our children and teens learning again!"

"But how do we do it?" Xerxes asked.
 "I have a suggestion..."
"ZOMBIE!"
Andres slid into a vacant chair.  "I have a plan," he continued.  "But it's going to require Zombies and Sims to work together!"


Wasabi was bored. And a bored Wasabi was never a good thing.  Right now, she was practicing flirting with her good friend Ricky. 
But when she tried to kiss him, he pulled her away.  "Know it off, Wasabi!" he complained.  
Her cheeks turned red.
Without skipping a beat, she put Ricky in a headlock and gave him a noogie.  That'll teach him to turn down her kisses!


"WAIT!" Wasabi screeched loudly.  "I missed a ZOMBIE at the meeting?  LAME! I never get to see anything cool!"
"It sounds like the Zombies will stop attempting to eat our brains and help rebuild the community," Yoshi explained. 

"What changed?" Wasabi asked.  "I mean, just yesterday you were hunting down Zombies on patrols and today they're our friends."
"Well, it sounds they discovered they didn't have to eat brains anymore.  There's a new drink called Instameal Brains," Xerxes explained.
"Which means we don't need to be scared for our lives anymore!" Yoshi added, beaming.  "You guys are free to follow your dreams!"

"I'm just glad I got to see it happen in my lifetime," Yoshi said nostalgically.
"Happy Birthday, Mom," Xerxes said, pressing a kiss on his mother's cheek.  "You're a true hero."

Both kids headed upstairs and working on skilling.
"I feel like I'm gaining more cleaning skill than cooking skill using this thing," Xerxes complained.


 Wasabi was ready to meet the newspaper boy bright an early.
 He was soooo handsome!
The door almost opened them.  "Aw come on, Wasabi. Go flirt with your many boys somewhere else!" Xerxes complained, trying to squeeze through to get the paper.
"Don't listen to a word he says," she said, batting her eyelashes. "He's just a trumpy butt!"

Xerxes snapped the paper open, "I heard that!" he called.

 There still wasn't anything good in the paper.  So, Xerxes decided to call up his friend.

Right, Tucker traveled quite a distance to take a leak on the tree.

I'm starting to get concerned about Clarence.  He must be desperate to be in the Apocalyse Challenge.

"I just happened to be walking by!"
Wasabi didn't care. Her current goal was to befriend him and keep him on the back burner until she grew up.
Clarence seemed to really enjoy her company.

 We're gonna nip this in the bud while he's a puppy!  Xerxes scolded little Barx.
 "Aw, I still love you!"

Since Pepper had a new job in the Service pet jobs, Xerxes gave her a bath and pampered her a little bit.
 He was just coming home from walking her when he ran into a blonde.  "Oh! Your dog is so cute!"
Could this be his girlfriend? he wondered, checking Sandy out.  Despite the heart farts as he gazed at her, he actually was mismatched with her.
Apparently she did not care for the look he gave her.   

 "Were you outside talking to your giiiiiiiirlfriend?" Wasabi teased.
"Shut up Wasabi."

Feeling disheartened and at a loss, Xerxes called up his friend Ivy to talk.  When she offered to bring a friend, he eagerly agreed.
He was quite surprised when he saw Joe from the community center.
Ivy gave him an enthusiastic hug. 
Curious if anything had changed, she tilted her chin up and kissed her.

Nope. Still nothing.
He heard Joe clear his throat.  
 "Sorry about that, Sir. I didn't mean to ignore you," Xerxes apologized.
Ivy watched Joe admire what appeared to be the freshly fallen snow. (It was actually a misplaced invisible OMSP)
"Must be Elderly Noncognaizance," Xerxes pointed out.  They decided to hang out nearby to keep an eye on him.
"So what do you want to do now that the town has more job availability?" Ivy asked him.
"I dunno. I guess since we're not going to be fighting off Zombie hordes anymore, I could do something different. Mom said follow my dreams."

Ivy nodded.  "Well, what's your dream?" she asked.
"I dunno. I noticed the community newsletter kinda sucks right now. Maybe I could do something with that."
 "Can we go home now?" Joe asked Ivy quietly. "I'm so cold!"

Ivy sent an apologetic look towards her friend.  "Well, whatever you do, you'll do it well!" she told him. 

Xerxes hugged her.  Still sad there was no spark between them.

 Way to go Pepper!  These poor elders need help!

"Did you know Pepper had a puppy?!" Yoshi asked her daughter excitedly.  "He's a cute little snuggler!"
"Yeah, Mom, like, days ago!"

While Xerxes waited on the perfect job opening up, he continued to fulfill his duty.

"Pepper! It's time to go to work!"

Pepper growled, then ran to the food bowl.

Crap.

Wasabi had just returned from taking Pepper for a walk. Her hope was to get back before the carpool had left, but it took so long getting Pepper out the door that the carpool was looooong gone.

But what was that in the air...?
 It almost looked like...
So long Tucker, you were an amazing doggy!

I saw that coming, now leave poor Pepper alone. She's grieving.

 Xerxes came home after a long day at work.
 He saw a girl walking by and stopped her.
She was definitely hot, though!
 "Hey, I'm Xerxes," he said, introducing himself.

"Hey, I'm Camryn. With a y."
Whoa, that was quick! Literally 5 seconds after he greeted her, poor Camyrn started freezing. Unfortunately, Xerxes was too tired to spend the time befriending her enough to invite her in.
He headed straight to bed.


 Wasabi had slept in too long this morning.  "Still be there, still be there," she silently chanted as she scurried down the ladder.
"Barx! Move it!" Wasabi grouched, then turned towards Derek.  "Oh, I didn't see you there!" she said in the sweetest voice possible.
She slowly grew more aggressive with her flirting: charm, suggestion, sweet talk, hit on.  It was only after she'd hit on him that she wondered what the heck she was doing.  It wasn't like she could call him up and invite him over.  This relationship wasn't going anywhere.

Bored, she turned and headed inside.
"I love this house!" Derek thought with a sly grin.

It was definitely Xerxes' day!  First, he got a promotion and then he got to hang out with his new friend Camryn.
 He was trying to read the newsletter, but was distracted by her eating habits.

 Barx grew up and was pretty much the spitting image of his sire, Tucker.
 Hopefully he would life the pet career restriction like his daddy, too!

Could you be my girlfriend? Xerxes wondered, checking her out.  Nope.  He sent the nice lady on her way home.

"Dad, I'm trying to find a girlfriend," Xerxes said, getting more used to seeing his Dad cry. 
"She looks nice. Can you have babies with her?" Orlando asked, pointedly glancing at Camryn.

"Daaaaaad!"
Yoshi pulled her husband into the kitchen.  "Sweetie, you can't put so much pressure on the boy.  He'll have babies when he's ready. You're putting too much pressure on him."

It wasn't that Xerxes didn't want a girlfriend. He did! But, so far, he hadn't met anyone that made his heart zing.  But, he liked Camryn.
He was curious what kissing her would feel like.
He would've liked to explore the sparks that he sensed with her, but a quick glance over her shoulder told him he was in trouble.

"I had a really great time, but I think it's time for you to go home," he said quickly. 

Camryn looked upset by his apparent change of heart.
"I'll explain tomorrow," he promised.  "AH!"
Xerxes valiantly tried to rush Camryn out the door before disaster struck again.
 He wasn't successful.
He should never have let Tucker break Grandma's bed.

 What happened over the next few hours was a night from Hell!


He was tired, hungry, and smelled like pee.  Xerxes sobbed uncontrollably at the dinner table.  No way was he sleeping downstairs!
 "Let me sleep in your bed," he begged Wasabi. 

"Wha?!" his sister asked, stunned by how rough he looked. 
 Xerxes didn't even pause, he just moved her out of his way and climbed into her bed, sighing when his head hit the pillow.  "Don't go downstairs," he warned her.


Are you my girlfriend? Xerxes wondered.  He liked the idea of dating a redhead, images of little red-headed children dancing in his head.  Nope. No spark, he thought.

 Please don't kill your grandchildren, Craig.

 "I just want a grandbaby so much!" Orlando repeated.

Wasabi was just glad he wasn't toting the flour bag around anymore and rocking it like a baby.


"How is it that this is the third day in a row that the stupid newsletter listed Adventurer as the featured job?" Xerxes asked, frustrated.

 Maybe she could be his girlfriend

 Meh.
 Seriously Xerxes, what are you looking for?!

 Oh shoot, I should have seen that coming.
 "Whoa, what a nut," Rose gave the crazy chick a wide berth. 
"Hey, do you know that girl having a meltdown?" she asked Xerxes.

Are you my girlfriend? he wondered while he checked her out.  Nope

"Hello?" Rose asked, waving her hand in front of his face.

Xerxes snapped out of it and glanced down the street at his sister.  "Yeah, she'll be fine. She's a little bit dramatic at times."
"You okay Wasabi?"

His sister grumpily snapped, "Why wouldn't I be fine?!"

 I completely missed this, too.

Yoshi seemed to be the only one heartbroken over Orlando's passing.
 Okay, good. I was starting to worry about their souls!

 "Snap, out of groceries!" Xerxes mumbled.
 Sighing, he threw on his jacket and gloves and headed to the local  Produce Stall.
He grabbed some groceries and passed over the money.  This was so much easier than throwing a refrigerator out the door.

 Now she could be my girlfriend, Xerxes thought hopefully.

 Nope.  At least he was making a lot of friends!

"Hey, Xerx," Clarence said as he walked by. "Is Wasabi home?"
"Sure, go on in," Xerxes said in greeting.
The foursome spent the afternoon hanging out and getting to know each other better.  The 4 Brunette Muskateers!

Wasabi greeted Clarence with a hug.  She'd had such a fun time with him yesterday, she was hopeful that they would fall in.  Maybe he would finally be her first kiss!
Things were going great.  She was finally having her first romance!
But he didn't appreciate it when she tried to make out with him.

He shoved her away, saying "Geez Wasabi, there's no rush! Chill out a little bit!"
 Clarence looked down.  "Is she okay?" he asked Xerx. 

"Yeah, she'll be okay. She does this all the time," her brother answered with a shrug.


 Finally Xerxes found the job he was looking for!
 He headed to the Community Center, where he was told the newsletter was produced. 

For the first time in his life, he resisted the urge to run away when he saw the Zombie.

"Hi, I'm Andres," the Zombie said in greeting.  "Thanks for not screaming and running away."
Xerxes shook his head.  "That's gotta be hard," he said.

"You're telling me brother! It's hard convincing people we won't eat their brains!"
 Xerxes saw a cute ebony-haired girl walk by and stopped to stare, completely ignoring Andres now. 
 He called out a greeting, but she kept walking, as though she didn't hear him.
 His shoulders slumped. 

"I could totally be your wingman," Andres said, having watched the pitiful exchange.  "I have a way with the ladies!"

"Maybe next time," Xerxes said hesitantly.
Letting himself into the tiny, cramped office, Xerxes started his first assignment. He racked his brain, trying to think about what to write about.  Brains! It hit him like a freight train & he instantly knew what he was going to write about.

 He didn't care what it looked like.  Xerxes climbed into bed with his Mom and tried to get some sleep.

 "That'll teach him not to let me be his wingman!" Andres said as he kicked the trash can over.
 "He he he he he," he snickered.


 Oh look, Clarence just happened to be walking by.  What a happy random happenstance!
Wasabi greeted him enthusiastically.  She still hoped he might be the one for her!  Well, at least her one for right now.
 "I'm too cold to flirt," he said pitifully.

Ugh. Go home Clarence.
 Wasabi invited him in and served some warm, burned grilled cheese to warm him up.

 Camryn sealed her fate when she dropped by randomly to see Xerxes.

"I thought you would call," she said shyly.

Xerxes looked at her with chagrin. "Sorry, it's just been crazy over here!"

"I read your article about Zombies in the Mainstream! It was really good!" she told him.

Xerxes was tired of searching every random stranger's face to see if he had some connection with her.  He wouldn't call it settling.  More like, he was picking Camryn and would see where their romance took them.
Hesitantly, he reached out and held her hands. 
She'd apparently grown tired of waiting, as well.
"Will you move in with me?" he asked.

6 comments:

  1. Poor Orlando never got his babies... I loved how he kept harassing poor Xerxes!

    -DD

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    1. Nope, I was sad he passed away so quickly! It was so hard finding Xerxes a match, though! He's so picky!!!

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  2. Clarence playing hard to get or what? Poor Wasabi, she does pick them, :D
    Better luck for Xerxes though, Camryn looks like a nice Sim, how will she fare in this crazy house? Let’s hope she likes dogs, :D
    Aww bye Orlando, he never got his grandbabies but maybe Yoshi will.

    Yay for Andres coming up with a peace treaty, heh. Glad we’re seeing him still. :)

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    1. I think it might have to do with her personality. She's only got 1 nice point.

      Camryn kept walking by. I think she wants in the apocalypse story! Well, she's already been scared by Grandma Zoe once, so if she didn't run for the hills - we should be good!

      Poor Orlando. Xerxes was working on it as fast as he could!

      <3 Andres!

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  3. Did you take out the Zombie Apocalypse mod, so they no longer attack? Cool! I really like how you handled the story there, with Andres coming into the meeting.

    Oh, btw, Barx has the wrong job. Security has already been lifted. He needs to be Service. But I'm sure you'll sort that out. You always do.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I got tired of the Zombie attacks. Lol. And I figured since Military was lifted, we should have a little bit of diplomacy now. :D

      Hehe - story of my life. Barx in the wrong field. Lol. Too many doggos!

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