Laura Bones

[person123]

Since I'm feeling a little left out with everyone's stories, I've decided to try to make one on my own. Don't expect me to post everyday, though...

Laura Bones, once the most popular, richest girl at her school, once proud valedictorian of Klara's Private Institute for Education, was staring at her new house in both disgust, and awe at having gotten it for such a low price. She looked around, hoping that none of her old schoolmates lived in the small town at the foothills of Chartreua Mountain, and entered the cottage, grimacing a little at the slightly pungent smell of the interior. It wasn't bad, she supposed, but she was used to so much better. She lugged her suitcase up the crickety stairs, remembering her old Louis-Vitton luggage set and sighing--she'd had to sell it on eBay for enough money to buy the cottage and groceries for a couple of months. Flopping onto the mattress that she'd had to move by herself into the room, she almost immediately fell asleep, dreaming about the day her life had come crashing down around her...

Laura stepped through the front door of their enormous mansion, dropping her bag unceremoniously onto the floor and calling, "Mom, I'm home from school!" When she didn't hear an echoing answer, she frowned and curiously went up the grand staircase to the master bedroom where her mother usually wrote her best-selling novels. Instead of the sight of the older woman clickety-clacking away at her labtop in the windowseat, she was greeted with a strange scene: her mother and father huddled on the bed, weeping silently.
"Mom? Dad?"
The copper-haired, middle-aged man looked up, his normally sparkling green eyes hollow and dull. "Laura? You're home already?"
"Yeah, the newspaper club was cancelled because Mrs. Gonzez had a meeting. Ashley's dad took me home." Ashley had been in her tight circle of friends in high school; her father was the CEO of EA Games. "What's wrong?"
"W-We have something to tell you, dear." This time her mother spoke, her voice wavering. "Your father's c-company was sued."
Laura's eyes widened in shock. "What? Why?" Her father had been the head of the Valerie Wrights Publishing company, and was the one who published her mother's books--that was how they'd met.
"One of the books was mixed up, and they put the cover for 'Dreams' onto 'Bertram and Love'."
The girl inhaled sharply. 'Dreams' was a short novel about a middle school girl moving across the country because of her father's job--it appealed to preteen girls. 'Bertram and Love', however, was a book written for adults, with inappropriate content.
"Apparently 3 million copies of 'Dreams' were sold in the first 5 hours, and a few days later parents began to sue our company. We're bankrupt. We've lost the mansion, most of our property...you won't be able to go to Harvard anymore."
Laura's ears had gone deaf already. Her blood was rushing up to her head, and before she knew it her mind blanked out.

Laura awoke with a start, sweating profusely and looking around her surroundings, half expecting to be in her mother and father's old bedroom, with their concerned faces hovering above her own. She gulped in deep breaths, feeling the air pour into her lungs like liquid, and ran her hand through her hair, checking her watch. It was already 10:00 pm, and she stumbled through brushing her teeth and changing before collapsing mattress, falling asleep instantly.

[jupitershana]

Great start! I can't wait to read your updates. I'm glad you decided to start a story thread of your own.

[Lynet]

Wow! :cool: Very cool.

[kuponutty]

It must be hard giving up the glory. Does she live alone in the cottage or with her parents?

[Mirelly]

Hai carumba! What literary style you got kiddo! This is rich and inciteful stuff and no mistake. I am hooked already. I hope that you plan to make writing a career because you have the craft off pat right now! Who are (have been) your influences? Please keep this up! :D

[surprised_by_witches]

Please keep writing, whether here or for yourself. You've got talent!

[person123]

She lives alone. Her parents...well, as the story goes you'll find out. Also, she's not really all that snobby, but she's used to an easy life. Mirelly, all I've done is read books. Read, read, read. I've been reading novels since 2nd grade because of my older sister's influence. My mom's always yelling at me--my eyesight has gone down the drain, and I'll be needing glasses soon--but I always tell her that either you have a daughter with good vocabulary and writing skills and glasses, or you have a daughter without glasses and absolutely no talent in the writing department. Yeah, occasionally I allow my all of my awesome talents to go to my head. :rolleyes: Anyway, I'll be posting more later today--thank you, all of the Jewish people on this forum, for giving us a holiday!

[person123]

A week had passed since Laura had moved into her new house, and she'd gotten a job as a tutor for children in elementary school. It didn't pay much--only $25 an hour--but she was slowly gaining money for furnishing her house. Her students were quite bratty, and after only a few study sessions, she'd taken to bringing Aspirin along in her purse. Now she was getting ready to visit her parents.
She rummaged through her suitcase, looking for a suitable outfit. They usually became very distressed if she showed up in casual wear. She donned one of the pantsuits that she'd saved from her old home and got into her second-hand car, sneezing at the musky odor wafting from the coffee stain on the backseat. Laura put the key into the ignition and waited a few moments for the engine to warm up. She checked her watch impatiently. It was 11:00 am. Visiting hours at the Institute started at 12:00 pm, but it always took fifteen minutes to start the car. She usually turned it on before she even got dressed, but she'd forgotten that morning. Now she'd be late!
Quite suddenly, the car jumped and began to vibrate with life, and she twisted the steering wheel deftly while the car crunched over the gravel. She headed off towards the highway.

Laura stepped out of the car, having to slam the door twice before it'd close. She hurried to the shiny glass doors of the hospital, her heels clicking loudly on the marble floors.
"I'm here for Mr. and Mrs. Bones, room 347." The woman sitting behind the desk nodded without looking up, her eyes on the monitor in front of her.
Laura slipped into the elevator, pressing the button for the third level inspecting her once impeccably manicured nails, picking a piece of grit from underneath one. She nervously brushed her hair out of her eyes and when the doors slid open, she hurried out, checking the numbers above the doors mentally. You've come here for years now, and you still don't know the way? she scolded herself, frowning. When she reached the door with the plaque saying '347' on it, she stopped, applying another layer of lip gloss on her lips and adjusting her jacket. She took a deep breath and opened the door.
The room inside was painted bright yellow, with many potted plants arranged on the windowsills and endtables. There were four beds side by side along one wall of the room, and the other wall was lined with bookshelves and couches. She walked to the third bed and sat down slowly, watching the pale woman lying in the bed, typing on her laptop. The woman looked up slowly, her greying blonde hair pulled into an tight bun, without one strand loose.
"You're late," the woman's voice cracked, and she looked up from the monitor. "I wanted you to look over my latest story outline." She turned the monitor around to face Laura, and the younger woman felt a lump form in her throat. The screen was covered in random words and numbers, making no sense.
"It's great Mom. Sure to be a bestseller."
"That's what I thought," her mother said, smiling warmly. She put the laptop aside and asked, "How's high school going? I see you've changed out of your uniform already."
Tears formed in Laura's eyes, and she silently cursed herself for losing her composure so quickly. "It's--it's great. I got an 115 on my social studies test."
Her mother grinned proudly. "That's my girl! Why don't you go say hi to your father, he's home early from work. He's bound to be in the study." Without another word her mother took the laptop into her lap again and began typing.
Laura stood up and walked around the bed to the window next to the fourth bed, where a man was standing with his hands folded behind his back. He was looking at the gardens arranged around the hospital, watching the other patients planting.
"Hey, Dad," she greeted, placing a hand gingerly on his shoulder. He turned around quickly, his eyebrows knitted together in alarm, but quickly relaxed when he saw his daughter standing before him. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, patting her back, before standing back, smiling brightly.
"Today one of my interns spilled coffee all over my suit! It's probably stained forever." He chuckled lightly, and Laura grinned weakly. "Why don't you go do your homework, all right?"
Laura nodded and left, waving to him before she closed the door to the room behind her. She shut her eyes tightly when he was out of sight and leaned against the door for support, tears flowing freely now. She took deep breaths for a while, calming herself, before squaring her shoulders and making her way down the hallway to the elevator.

Second part done! Next post I'll post pictures.

[person123]

Since my brother keeps kicking me off right when I start typing up a new chapter, I'll just post a picture of Laura. I've stopped using the ingame camera pictures because it just takes way too long to sort through all of the snapshots--I must have at least a thousand. Besides, if I were one of the readers I would be dying to see a picture of her! That's what I hate about novels--no pictures! What's so childish about liking pictures in books?

The picture is a little dark, but you can still see her, right? With this new downloaded medium skintone, suddenly that bright pink lipstick that I used to think looked horribly obnoxious looks really pretty! I also used Helaene's eyeliner, because I'm a sucker for nice makeup like that. Laura used to have shiny pink lip gloss from Helaene but I decided to try to make more conventional sims.

[Mirelly]

What great freckles! :D

[kuponutty]

Who's the guy she really likes?

[person123]

...the who? Did I mention a guy? Well, you asked it just in time, because here's the next installment of Laura Bones's story! And it includes "the guy she really likes", I suppose.

For the next few days Laura did things in a routine: wake up, brush her teeth, take a shower, eat breakfast, go to work, eat lunch, come back from work, eat dinner, study, brush her teeth, go to bed. She didn't talk with anyone but her colleagues, and only then she needed to ask questions about work. She stopped doing the things she used to love, like reading, writing, (it seemed she inherited some talent from her mother) cooking, and painting. That is, until she met Komei Tellerman.
Laura was eating brunch at one of the cafes near the Graderon Learning Center, when a red-headed man sat down at the table right next to her own. She merely glanced at him before returning to her food. However, his voice jarred her out of her daze, and she frowned, looking up again.
"Excuse me, which dish are you eating? It looks delicious." He grinned charmingly, and Laura found herself smiling as well despite herself.
“Um, the salmon fillet.” Laura gulped audibly, feeling butterflies forming in her stomach. When was the last time I felt this way? I’m like a silly teenager again! She shook herself and smiled more firmly, offering her hand for him to shake. “My name is Laura Bones. Yours?”
“Komei Tellerman.” Instead of shaking her hand Komei gently brushed his lips across her fingers.
Laura blushed and immediately snatched her hand away, looking at her plate and missing the man’s amused expression.
“May I join you? It seems a waste to use up two tables.” He grinned again, his teeth shining in the sunlight, and Laura couldn’t help but nod, though the rational side of her brain was shouting against it with all its might. “Thanks.” He slid into the chair on the opposite side of their table and called over the waiter, ordering the salmon fillet, before turning around to face Laura. “So, do you live around here?”
Laura frowned and said forcefully, “Look, Mr. Tellerman—“ “Komei. Call me Komei,” He interrupted smoothly, and Laura blushing slightly before continuing. “Okay, Komei, if you’re trying to ask me out on a date, I’m not interested.”
Komei didn’t even flinch. “Okay. So, do you live around here?”
Laura spluttered, her face turning a brilliant shade of magenta. “Didn’t you hear what I just said? I said—“
“That you don’t want to go out on dates. I understand. Can’t we just be friends?”
Mollified, the woman answered, “I…I guess.” She looked down, extremely embarrassed. “No, I live in Chartreua Heights.”
“Ah, that’s pretty far from here. Do you have to take the bus or the subway?”
“No, I drive my car.” My beat-up, dirt, stinky, rotten car, she thought bitterly.
“I live here, in Graderon.” The waiter arrived with his fillet and he thanked him profusely before beginning to eat. They lapsed into an awkward (for her) silence, Laura looking up every few seconds to find Komei’s bright blue eyes boring into her own. He’d smile to himself and then look back down.
Ever since then she’d run into him at the bookstore, the grocery market, and the café again, and they’d talk. She found herself getting more comfortable with him, though she still felt the odd spark of excitement when their hands touched or when he stared at her. She felt herself smiling almost as much as she had before that day in high school.

I know it ends on a weird note, but either I ended it there or I made the chapter twice as long, and I just don't have the time right now to continue yet.

[Mirelly]

Ooh you've got me dangling ... ;) Can't wait to find out what happened in High School!

[Lynet]

Amazing, person123. I'm looking forward to more, too.

[kuponutty]

I found out about 'The guy she really likes' from her asperations. Looks like she wants to get engaged to Komei. I see that she's a nice family person, right? So who's the other person in the household? Sorry if I'm bombarding you with questions, its just that I noticed those little things.

[surprised_by_witches]

I finally had a chance to catch up on this story. I love your use of details, 123. You have a real knack for writing.

More, please!

[person123]

Btw, "that day in high school" was supposed to be "that day in college." Too late to edit now, I think. And I'm getting a little confused by your questions, Kuponutty. Maybe you're mixing up my story with someone else's...? Didn't I mention that she lived alone in her house? And "the guy she really likes" will change, as well--it's not like she meets one guy and immediately knows he's the one! Anyway, I was just getting a little concerned about these questions, so I posted before I finished the next part.

Edit: Eh, well, I'm finished now, I'll just post it.

“So Allison’s older brother thought Jane’s bra was a waffle and almost put it in the toaster?” Komei asked incredulously, his laughter barely contained.
“Yes, it was so hilarious!” Laura was shrieking with laughter, her face tinted red. She brought the can of beer to her lips again, and Komei stopped her, chuckling merrily.
“I think you’ve had enough of that tonight!” He tried to take the can and placed it on his side of the table, but Laura wouldn’t let go of it.
“I think I can handle two cans of beer,” she said, her words slurring together. She wrenched the can out of the man’s grasp and gulped down more, hiccupping loudly. “Okay, I’ve already told you so much about all of the parties and sleepovers I’ve had. What about yours?”
“Well, there was one time my best friend Alec invited me to his house, where he, supposedly, ‘had a few friends over.’ When I got there it turned out to be this big, wild shindig with kegs and everything. We were both only juniors in high school, and when my mom dropped me off and saw all the frat boys running around naked, she freaked. Since then I haven’t been able to see Alec formally much anymore—of course, we still sneaked out all the time to get a slushie at Seven Eleven.”
Laura burst out laughing, her can flying out of her hand and spraying beer everywhere.
“So, what about your parents? What’d they do?”
“Oh, my dad was the CEO of Valerie Wrights Publishing Co., and my mom was an author—Serena Bones.” Her brain was quite muddled, and she hadn’t worked out exactly what she was saying.
“You’re related to her? She used to be my favorite author! Why’d she stop publishing books?”
“She—“ she stopped abruptly, her eyes clouding over with memories. She began gasping for breath, and clutched at her arms, shivering slightly and rocking back and forth on the chair.
Komei, alarmed, jumped out of his seat and rushed to her side. “What’s wrong? Are you okay, Laura? Did you drink too much?”
Laura tried to say something, anything, but when she opened her mouth no sounds came out. She felt bile rising in her throat but forcefully pushed it back down, her eyes beginning to sting with tears.
“Laura! Laura! Laura! Laura!” Benjamin Drake’s slate grey eyes were staring worriedly into hers. He shook her shoulders several times until she was able to calm down slightly, and finally she was able to stop shaking and breathe more evenly. “Laura, are you okay? Did something happen?”
Laura smiled weakly. “I’m fine; just lost control for a moment there. When you said Valerie, it…it brought back some painful memories.”
Ben seemed to understand without asking any questions. He stared at her, his eyes seeming to reach every corner of her soul, and Laura couldn’t help but lean in to kiss him. He immediately reacted, wrapping his arms around her and pushing her to the couch. She broke away, though, and bit her lip, trying to find the right words to say. Her boyfriend was staring at her in growing anxiety, watching her decide whether or not to say whatever it was she wanted to.
Finally she decided to stop beating around the bush. “Ben, I—I’m pregnant.”
Laura snapped back into reality, seeing Komei’s face instead of her old college boyfriend’s.
“You were remembering something?” He asked gently.
“Yeah,” she whispered, tears openly pouring down her cheeks. She remembered that time in college all too well. She’d had to sell most of her own possessions on eBay to pay for the abortion.

[kuponutty]

I wonder what the picture meant. Have a look at it, it seems like there's another person. I'm talking about the picture of Laura and her quoted, Nice Freckles. People can see it, right? Inspect the picture!

[Mirelly]

Yeah she wants to get engaged ... let's hope the fella is her mister Right ... but then maybe .... ;)

[Kristalrose]

Wow!!! Awsome story so far, Person. Laura is very pretty. I like her hairstyle and her freckles, too. :)

[person123]

Oh, I just noticed that I left in the playing...thingy. Heh, yeah, she's a family sim and, as any other family sim, wants to get engaged, fall in love, have a family, etc. I hope this doesn't give away things later in the story...

By the way, the things in the picture, like her aspiration, wants, fears, and the other person living in the house have absolutely nothing to do with what's going on in the story, all right?

[kuponutty]

You can't fool me! Little kuponutty wants in! I can get very annoying. I hope you keep writing and not give up because of my questions! ANd is it true that teen sims can get abortions? I was wondering if they could!

[Lynet]

...I was wondering if they could!No, they can't. And I think we should not talk about it anymore, please, because the moderators might get worried and put an end to this thread. We really don't want them to do that to Person123's story.

Well said Lynet! ;)

[person123]

Well, if you read the story carefully you'll find that Laura was in college (even though I don't have Uni, who cares if the story is dynamically different than the real game?) when she got pregnant and got an abortion.
Laura snapped back into reality, seeing Komei’s face instead of her old college boyfriend’s.
I guess I'm too used to reading fantastic stories on fanfiction.net and analysing every single detail of the story, therefore finding information that I wouldn't normally have. Of course, I'm not saying that the people here aren't good readers, but....yeah, I'll shut up now. *sweatdrop*

[kuponutty]

That reminds me of good old animes... *Sigh* I should shut my mouth too. Don't want this thread to be shut down! And in the flashback, I assumed she was back in school since it was a memory.

[person123]

Oh my gosh, this took FOREVER to get out, and it's not even that long! I'm really sorry guys, I'll try to have the next one out Wednesday.

It’d been a couple of months since Laura had met Komei, and he’d finally coaxed her into going out on dates with men he deemed acceptable that had asked her.
However, none of the guys she’d met really sparked her interest; there was one man named Abhijeet Deppiesse who had been quite handsome in an exotic sort of way, but her opinion of him dropped drastically when he began flirting with their waitress right in front of her!
Laura sighed and rubbed her temple, searching the room for a respite. She’d been promoted to an assistant teacher at work and finally made enough money to buy a nice laptop, among other amenities for her house. Her bedroom was looking a lot more cheerful with bright yellow walls—it’d always been one of her favorite colors--and a new comforter and pillows for her bed. Her kitchenette finally had a food processor and coffeemaker, and she’d also bought a larger dining table and another chair. The living room was now furnished with an old, and yet surprisingly decent-looking couch she’d snuck out of the dumpster behind IKEA. She now felt comfortable with inviting Komei over for dinners on Saturdays.
Laura scribbled down an 85 and circled it, groaning in frustration. Mrs. Barbowski, the teacher she assisted, had given her a stack of homework to look through and correct. She squinted her eyes, trying to differentiate an R from a V in--she squinted again--Mavk Berenshive's handwriting…? How stupid could these kids be? They were already in 4th grade! Hadn't their teachers taught them how to subtract yet? Laura rubbed her eyes and stood up from the cheap desk she'd purchased at Amazing Savings, mentally declaring her task a lost cause for the evening, and went downstairs to get a cup of coffee.
She smiled briefly and reveled in the fact that she could have coffee whenever she wanted now instead of driving her poor excuse of a car down to Dunkin' Donuts. Laura poured the steaming brown liquid into a chipped blue mug, gulping down almost half of it all at once and closing her eyes, feeling the caffeine doing its job.
Smiling perkily, she sat down on the aforementioned (Author's Note: I LOVE that word. Aforementioned. Aforementioned. Aforementioned.) couch and grabbed her latest library book, thumbing through it until she reached the spot she was on.
She only read five words before she heard knocking at door. Groaning, she stood up and opened the door covered with peeling paint.
Komei was standing there with a forlorn, lost look on his face, his eyes glistening slightly. “Can I come in?” his voice rasped.
“Um, sure,” Laura stood aside, blushing when she saw the little bunnies on her pajama pants. “What’s up?”
“I...I have a daughter.”

Yes, I'm evil, aren't I? That reminds me--where has JMP been lately? Yeah, the word evil reminded me of him. :rolleyes:

[Lynet]

Nice going with Laura Bones. Komei? She's so pretty and he's...so...needs a serious makeover. At least in my neighborhood, he did.

Poor JMP. Hasn't got Nightlife yet, I bet. He must live at the very end of a very, very long, rough road.

[person123]

Yeah, well, he looks better with a mustache and glasses. It's pretty ironic that I finally posted this on the day I have the most homework. :D

[person123]

“What?” Laura was stunned. “You—what?”
“I have a daughter,” Komei repeated in a monotone voice. “She’s two years old.”
“Two…who’s her mom?” She tried to think rationally, but she still hadn’t realized all that the man had said.
“Charlotte Duvonte. She’s my ex-girlfriend. She dumped me three years ago.”
Laura paused. She’d heard that name before! She racked her brain for a memory, but nothing came up. “When did you hear about this?”
“Just now. Apparently Charlie’s moved into Graderon. I saw her at the grocery store…with my daughter.” His voice had lost its lifeless tone and sounded sardonic now. “She’s changed since we’ve been together. Nicer, more responsible, I guess. Well, that’s a given when you have a baby. But she got all prissy and spiteful when she saw me—she acted like she was the one who got dumped! She was the one I wanted to marry.”
Laura gulped audibly. “You loved her.” It was a statement.
“I loved her. But,” he laughed bitterly, “she decided that my hair looked too dorky and decided to ditch me for Craig Peterson, some guy she’d met in school.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
Komei thought for a long time, and Laura felt uncomfortable, staring at his profile. “I don’t know.” He blew out a breath, seeming to deflate. “I hope Charlotte takes care of her. If she doesn’t, well… I don’t even know the kid. Do I want to go the trouble of fighting for her custody?”
“Don’t you want to at least get to know her?”
“Well, I just got my life the way I want it, you know? Good job, nice house, good friends…do I really want to screw everything up with a kid? A two year old?”
Laura bit her lip. “If I had a kid, I wouldn’t want to give her up…”
“But, see, you’re a woman! You would’ve had to carry that thing around for nine months, and then go into childbirth… With men, it’s just one night that sets the deal. I just…I don’t know. I’m feeling a little shaky. Can I stay here for the night?”
The woman was bombarded with images of them sleeping in the same bed and she blushed profusely, but the thoughts quickly dispersed when she saw the completely vulnerable look on her friend’s face. “Sure. I’ll get some extra blankets. I guess you’ll have to sleep on the couch.” She smiled apologetically at him, but he was submerged in his own thoughts. Her smile disappeared, and she was reminded of exactly how serious this whole thing was. She went into the tiny cob web-covered linen closet and brought out a thick, warm quilt—the nights were beginning to get chilly. She brought it back into the living room and silently handed it to him. He murmured thanks and lied down on the couch, spreading the blanket over his lanky form. He looked rather comical with a purple, heart-covered quilt and his sock-covered toes sticking out. Komei’s eyes closed almost immediately, and his breathing soon eased. She left the room and went upstairs, brushing her teeth quickly before falling into bed, her mind still buzzing.
“Daddy! Daddy, why are you leaving me? I don’t like my momma! Can’t you take care of me?” A little girl with dark red hair tied into pigtails ran after Komei, her young, lisped voice crying loudly.
“I never asked to have a daughter! I don’t want to take care of a daughter!” He roughly pushed her away and watched her stumble and fall, scraping her knees and elbows.
“Daddy, why are you so mean?” Tears were pouring down her face, and it rapidly morphed into that of a young woman’s with chestnut-colored hair and chocolate eyes. She was still crying and asked, “Why did you leave me with an unborn child all those years ago, Komei? Why are you so irresponsible?”
Komei cursed and yelled, “I didn’t leave you, remember? You left me! I loved you!” But guilt and regret shined in his eyes.
“Komei! You left both of us! Komei! Komei!”
“Komei! Komei, wake up!”
Komei stirred, his eyes shooting open. “Charlotte?”
Laura shook her head. “It’s Laura, remember? You spent the night here.”
Komei frowned and his eyes finally slid into focus. “I…I had a dream.”
“Yes, I know.”
He’d plainly said everything out loud, and he flushed slightly. “What time is it?”
“It’s already nine. It’s a good thing it’s a Saturday, or I would’ve had to leave you here. Listen, I’ve got to go grocery shopping. I made some pancakes and they should still be warm. Unless you want to go back to your place.”
“No, I think I might stay here for a bit.” He smiled tiredly and sat up, rubbing his eyes.
“Alright, see you later.” She opened the front door and stared at him for a moment before leaving.

Argh, still pretty short. I wanted to make it longer, but also wanted to continue in Laura's point of view, and talking about what she does while she's grocery shopping wasn't appealing to me. :rolleyes:

[babewithbrains_14]

Wow. I mean, wow. My eyes are killing me I'm so tired - but I'm just so eager to finish reading! It's a fantastic storyline, and your writing is very realistic. This is a lot more adult than other sim stories I've read, which makes it appeal to me even more. It's very different.

If this was a published book and there were quotes on the back cover, mine would say;

'Quite simply, a truly talented writer.' babewithbrains_14

Hehe, I liked writing this post. Keep this story up girl!
By the way, fabby avatar.

[surprised_by_witches]

Good stuff, 123. I love this story. More!! :D

[person123]

Laura couldn’t concentrate. It was the lunch break for teachers and students alike and she was trying to eat her salad in peace. However, all that Komei had said the other day were still on her mind. How could Komei just not care about his own child? How could he completely dismiss the whole issue from his head? Wasn’t it bugging him everyday, like it was for her? She stabbed at the bits of lettuce in her plastic box angrily, staring moodily at a random spot on the wall. Why did this have to happen? She’d been so happy with her new life, and then Charlotte what’s-her-face had just had to drop this bombshell on both of their lives! She stood up from her seat and threw the hardly-touched salad into the trashcan, leaving the teacher’s lounge in a rush.

After school was over, Laura drove her car to the address Komei had given her a few months ago that she hadn’t had to use. She pulled into the delightfully smooth driveway and got out of the car. As she rang the doorbell, she fidgeted slightly, feeling all of her emotions bubbling and boiling beneath the surface like lava, itching to burst out. She saw Komei through the glass plated door and waved impatiently.
He hurriedly opened the door for her and let her in, watching her jerky movements confusedly. “What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong, he asks!” She asked the air hysterically. “Jennifer Duvonte is what’s wrong!” He’d told her his daughter’s name a earlier after getting a phone call from Charlotte.
Komei sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “This again? I already told you my decision—“
“So? Aren’t friends supposed to help each other out? Aren’t friends supposed to help each other make decisions?” She stared at him angrily, her green eyes flashing dangerously. “How can you just erase her from your mind? Alright, so Charlotte might not be the worst mother in the world, but don’t you want to at least get to know your own daughter? Don’t you feel some kind of attachment to her?”
“No. No, I don’t want a daughter. I thought we already established that I wasn’t ready to take care of a daughter.”
“Can’t you at least go visit her? Talk to her? Let her know that her father actually cares about her? I had tons of friends in high school that had divorced parents, and the one that didn’t live with her always came over to visit and came for birthday parties and piano recitals and crap!”
“Laura—“
“No, you can’t just leave her! You can’t completely forget about her! I know that you will try, that you’ll never answer Charlotte’s calls or e-mails or anything, but deep down you’ll start to hurt! You’ll eventually regret your decision! I know it!”
“LAURA, SHUT UP!” Komei’s face was red, and his eyes were narrowed into venomous slits.
Laura recoiled, surprised by his outburst.
“I’VE MADE MY DECISION! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!”
She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly thought better of it and left, her eyes stinging.

Yeah, I'm on a roll! :D

[person123]

“Laura, please call back. I’m really sorry I yelled at you. Please, forgive me. I…I decided to visit Charlotte’s house.” The answering machine paused for a second, and continued, “Call back, Laura, please. I’m sorry.” It beeped, and Laura angrily deleted the message.
After three weeks Laura was still spiteful, and had completely stopped calling Komei, inviting him over for dinner, or even talking to him when they crossed paths in Graderon. She only brushed past him, looking straight ahead while he called back to her.
She applied a coat of lip-gloss to her lips and observed herself in the mirror, adding a touch more of eye-shadow or blush. Finally, she mentally declared herself decent and stood up, smoothing the wrinkles on her black dress and slipping on her high-heels.
The doorbell rang and she felt her heart jump in excitement. She’d met a man named Joe Carr at the mall the other day and after a few minutes of talking he’d asked her out. He’d told her to dress formally, so, excitedly, she’d picked out her best dress.
When Laura opened the door, Joe was standing in a crisp suit, flashing his bright white teeth at her and holding a bouquet of yellow roses.
She squealed and cried, “Thank you! They’re lovely! I love yellow, too.”
“Really? I picked them out because yellow is such a radiant, sunny color. Red is too cliché.” He handed the bouquet to her and she buried her nose in it, inhaling the sweet flagrance happily.
“Let me get a vase for it, and then we can get going,” she called over her shoulder as she headed into the kitchen, opening and closing several cabinets. “Alright, let’s go.”
When they were outside, Joe dutifully opened the car door for her and closed it before getting in himself, smiling charmingly as he put his key into the ignition.
The restaurant they went to was called Audria’s, and it looked extremely formal and expensive.
The interior was decorated with many pots full of ivy that twisted all over the place, and tiny marble figurines were placed in niches in the wall. The host led them to a small table with a white cloth and a peony in a crystal vase. He handed them two menus and left with a flourish.
Laura felt a little insecure and nervously patted her hair. She’d pulled it up on top of her head with many pins and faux pearl clips, and though it looked quite elegant, the clips surely looked tacky. Joe smiled reassuringly at her and she blushed, picking up the menu and flipping through it just to hide her red face. Her freckles! She’d forgotten about her freckles! They might look cute on normal days, but at a fancy restaurant…she groaned inwardly and sighed—there was nothing to be done about it.
“The Mushroom Alfredo looks delicious,” Joe said airily, shaking Laura out of her thoughts.
“I think I’d like the Chilean Sea Bass.” A waiter came to the table asked for their orders, and they each ordered their preferred dishes before handing back the menus.
“So, tell me about yourself.” Joe leaned forward against the table and sipped from his glass of wine.
“I’m an assistant teacher working at Chartreua Elementary School. I like to read and write. My absolute favorite book, however, is Pride and Prejudice—“
“Oh, I finally got around to reading that last week! It was amazing, very insightful.”
And so the night went on, them talking and eating their dinners. Laura was having a great time, and she truly thought she might actually start dating him officially—he was good for taking her mind off of Komei—until, of course, he had drove her back to her house and walked her to the door.
Without invitation, he walked inside after her and proceeded to kiss her, ignoring her muffled protests and pulled off her shawl.
She finally managed to pull away and cried, “What are you doing?”
“Aren’t we going to, well, you know?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and kissed her again, shoving her against the wall.
“Ge—get off of me!” She kept beating her fists against his back but he didn’t show any answer, until she kicked him very hard in a very uncomfortable spot.
“AAIIRAGGGHH! What’s wrong with you?!” He slapped her and tried to pin her arms against her body but she kept kicking him, screaming and shoving. Finally he pulled away, snarling. “You know what, I thought you were hot, but you’re just like everyone else!” He grabbed his things and left, slamming the door behind him.
Laura whimpered and sank down to her knees against the wall, shivering uncontrollably. The phone rang and she jumped to her feet, running to answer it.
“Hello? Komei? Can you come over right now?”

Yeah, it's a little weird, but I couldn't think of anything else to make Laura forget about Komei's harshness and want him to come over. Sorry if it's inappropriate. :( If you want me to change it, just say so.

[surprised_by_witches]

I don't think it's inappropriate, 123, but I'm not the person to judge that. You'd be surprised what I don't find inappropriate LOL ...

These things happen in the sims, so I think it's OK to post them as well.

Oh, Joe Carr, you masher. And I thought he was a nice family sim. :eek:

[person123]

Komei opened the front door (Laura had given him a key previously) hurriedly and, upon spotting Laura crying on the floor, rushed over to her side. “Laura, what’s wrong? What happened?”
“I—I was on a date with Joe Carr,” she began, but gulped and hiccupped, the tears taking over again.
Komei stiffened noticeably, but gathered her into his arms and rocked her back and forth like a child, letting her cry into his shoulder. “Did he hurt you?”
“He tried to—he tried—“ she couldn’t continue anymore and burst into tears all over again.
“Shhh, it’s okay, you can cry.” Komei comforted her silently, but inside he was boiling with fury. How dare he?! How dare he hurt Laura?!
The woman’s sobs finally subsided and she sat up shakily, wiping her eyes on her shawl. “Komei, I don’t want to be alone,” she whispered, clinging to him with all her might.
“It’s okay…it’s okay…” he said in a soothing voice, rubbing her back.
Laura stared at him, her green eyes sparkling with tears.
Komei’s eyes unwillingly fell to her lips, and he slowly leaned forward and kissed her.
She didn’t act surprised at all and wrapped her arms around his neck, but he quickly gasped and pulled away.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—I mean, I did mean to, but—“
Laura silenced him with another kiss, but he didn’t respond and pulled away again. “Laura, we shouldn’t—you’re just feeling hurt. Tomorrow you’ll regret it.” He gently pulled her arms from around his neck and stood up. “I’ll get a blanket from the linen closet and sleep on the couch. You go upstairs and to bed, alright?”
Laura nodded mutely and went up the stairs, grasping the railings for support.
Komei shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. He grabbed a quilt from the linen closet and spread out on the couch, feeling tired and excited all at the same time. He’d kissed Laura! This was what he’d wanted to do since he’d met her! But it wasn’t supposed to happen this way. She was supposed to be happy, and they’d start dating and fall in love…but she was hurt. She’d just been feeling hurt. Their friendship would be ruined forever because of this.

The next morning, Laura was feeling horrible. How could she kiss Komei like that? What if he didn’t feel the same way about her? She’d been feeling this chemistry since they’d met, and now their friendship was probably ruined. Sure, they might try to forget about it, but the awkwardness would always be there, lurking under the surface. She sighed and got out of bed, washing her face and brushing her teeth. Her hair was a great big tangled mess. She slowly went downstairs to find Komei already up and making breakfast. He smiled wanly at her as she sat down at the dining table but didn’t say anything.
Laura sighed. This was so weird! He’s probably so embarrassed. She groaned and dug the palms of her hand into her eyes, yawning loudly.
Komei placed a plate of pancakes in front of her and started eating his own, keeping his eyes on the plate.
They ate in silence for a few more minutes until neither of them could take it anymore.
“Komei, I—“
“Listen—“
They both started in unison, but stopped abruptly, waiting for the other to continue.
Laura started first. “Komei, I’m sorry about last night,” and Komei felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach. “I was just feeling so overwhelmed and everything. I…”
“So you didn’t really want to kiss me?” Komei’s voice was soft and his eyes filled with sorrow, even though he tried desperately to hide it.
“I…If you didn’t want me to.”
“I do. I wanted to kiss you. But last night your emotions were probably all jumbled up and everything. I’m sorry.” He had finished his pancakes and put the plate in the sink, leaving the kitchen in long strides.
“Wait, Komei!” Laura ran out after him, feeling confused. Why was Komei acting like this? What was going on? She grabbed his arm. “Wait—“
“I thought we were just going to forget about it! Nothing happened, okay? It was all a mistake.” His face looked pained, and he avoided her gaze.
“I love you,” she blurted, and immediately clapped a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry! I just…wanted to say it and—“
“I love you, too.” Komei looked like he couldn’t believe what he was saying.
“You do?” Laura was sure she was in a dream.
“Yeah, I do.”
He kissed her.

UGH, I seriously did not know what I was doing in this part. Since, obviously, I haven't experienced a broken heart or anything like this, it was really hard to try to imagine what they'd say. I think it came out okay, though. :o Anyway, I don't know why I'm typing this up when I should be finishing up my homework. It's due Tuesday but I really don't want to have to do much homework tomorrow...trick-or-treating. When did all you adults stop trick-or-treating? My mom's always like, "You're too old to trick-or-treat, why do you still do it?!" Psh. You're never too old to eat 5 lb. of candy in one day!

[Lynet]

UGH, I seriously did not know what I was doing in this part. Since, obviously, I haven't experienced a broken heart or anything like this, it was really hard to try to imagine what they'd say. I think it came out okay, though. :o Anyway, I don't know why I'm typing this up when I should be finishing up my homework. It's due Tuesday but I really don't want to have to do much homework tomorrow...trick-or-treating. When did all you adults stop trick-or-treating? My mom's always like, "You're too old to trick-or-treat, why do you still do it?!" Psh. You're never too old to eat 5 lb. of candy in one day!

Goodness gracious, Person123. For someone without the experience you've done a crackin' good job. And no one's too old for candy or dressing up ;) . Mom is probably just remembering experiencing an upset stomach after eating 5 lbs of candy she collected once upon a time. :p

[person123]

Komei twirled a strand of Laura’s hair around his finger, sighing for what must’ve been the hundredth time that week. This time, it was a sigh of contentment.
Laura sighed as well, and giggled. “We sigh a lot, don’t we? Sometimes for good reasons, sometimes…”
“For bad reasons. Very bad reasons,” Komei finished. He smiled at her and placed a kiss as light as a butterfly on her nose. “I love you,” he whispered. “I love saying I love you!” He chuckled.
“I like saying it too.” Laura grabbed his other hand and brought it to the space between both of their pillows.
“So…this whole thing is over? What’s been going on with Jennifer?” She watched him carefully, but he didn’t wince or grimace.
“I’ve been going to Charlotte’s house every weekend. She’s as mean as ever, but Jennifer’s beautiful. You were right. I like getting to know her. This happened way too early for me—I wasn’t planning on having a daughter until I was married! But Jenny’s so…amazing.”
Laura smirked. “I knew I’d be right! Can…can I see her, too? You know, come with you sometime? Would Charlotte hate that?”
Komei snorted. “She’s always bringing men over and kissing them right in front of me. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you came over. Then again, it’d be just like her to act all hypocritical.”
Laura grinned. She sighed again and looked around the room. Her gaze fell onto the small digital clock on her bedside and she yelped. “Oh, gosh, I need to finish my work! I’ve still got a stackfull of homework to correct—“ She jumped out of bed and grabbed all of her clothes, running into the bathroom to change.
Komei watched her bemusedly, thinking about what had happened. He and Laura were together…after half a year of hard work—not jerking at all whenever she mentioned some man she’d thought was cute, always understanding and listening as she talked about a bad day…it’d all come down to this. He lazily got out of bed as well and put on his own clothes, checking the clock as well. It was almost time for dinner, so he went downstairs and started some dinner, throwing leftover pasta into the pot and mixing some sauce as well.
Laura poked her head into the kitchen worriedly and relaxed when she saw he was there. “I thought you’d left! After, ahem, that, I really hoped you wouldn’t just up and leave.” She entered the room completely and dropped a heavy stack of papers onto the dining table, taking out a red pen and mentally steeling herself from the task ahead.
“What, is it that hard?”
“Yes! Yes, it is! I’m going to need glasses soon, with all this stress on my eyes. These kids handle their pencils like baboons…” She trailed off, already starting to completely rewrite a sentence on the paper. “Who writes ‘My name is Vacuum cleaner’ for a sentence using the word vacuum?” She scribbled out a few more sentences and looked up gratefully when Komei placed a large plate of spaghetti and meatballs in front of her. “Thanks, I’m starving. Why do you cook better than me?”
“Because I’m a family man.” He grinned and began eating his own plate.
Laura scowled.
“So…what’s going on with your job? Is that bacteria still dying?” Komei was the Chairman of the Science Department at Graderon University.
“Hmph. It just doesn’t move! As soon as we put the de-ionized water on it, it just goes into some kind of self-activated hibernation.” Komei continued babbling on and on, using all kinds of big words, and Laura simply zoned out, eating the spaghetti and thinking. This was what she’d been waiting for since her father’s company had been sued. She was finally happy.

It sounds like it's the end of the story, right? I finally got a good ending for a chapter! I'm so proud of myself. :rolleyes:

[surprised_by_witches]

Awww, little Laura, happy at last.

Very good story, 123. You sure you're actually 12? ;) You do a very good job of imagining what it's like to be older.

[person123]

“So, um…how are things going?” Laura fidgeted, waiting for the one-worded answer that she always seemed to get nowadays from Komei.
“Okay.” He stared at his dinner plate and pushed the vegetables that he never ate around, washing the juices squirt all over the sides. He checked his watch and smiled apologetically, still not meeting her eyes. “I’ve got to go—you know, work.” He pushed his chair out and put the plate in the sink before leaving the dining room, his right hand jammed into his pocket.
Laura watched him leave, confusion etched on her face. He’d been acting peculiar lately—nervously staring at her when he thought she wasn’t looking, always fingering something in his pocket… She got up and put her own plate in the sink, turning on the tap to rinse some of the sauce and grease off. What was wrong with him? Did he not feel the same about her anymore? When this thought hit her, she panicked. It’d already been almost a year since the incident with Joe Carr, and it was possible for him to fall out of love. It happened in the movies all the time. She went upstairs and changed out of her nice clothes. If he broke up with her…she’d be miserable. That’d be three horrible events already in her mere twenty-three years of life, not including her date with Joe Carr. She went back downstairs to completely wash the dishes in older clothing.
Later that night Laura lied in bed, feeling slightly put down. It’d been a nice year. When Komei had told her he loved her for the first time, it’d been as if her world had suddenly filled with sunshine. At first the sheer bliss of being in love had almost overwhelmed her, but now that she’d gotten used to it, she didn’t think she could go back to her own personal hell. She drifted to sleep, thinking about Komei’s negligence…

Her mother and father were laughing with her in front of a large, plasma-screen TV in their old mansion. She went into the kitchen to get a bowl of popcorn, but when she came back her parents were being swallowed up by a large, dark asylum, its mouth lined with hundreds upon thousands of teeth. As their pleading cries for help faded in nothing, the whole house burned down before her eyes and she was thrust into the atmosphere of Columbia University, all alone. Her old boyfriend, Ben, kissed her and told her everything would be alright, but suddenly she felt her stomach burgeoning with life, and Ben, surprised and disgusted, pushed her away, saying he wasn’t ready for commitment. Tears were streaming down her face by now. Suddenly her stomach burst open and the skeleton of a baby climbed out, wailing with hate and spite. “You killed me! You killed your own baby! How could you?” She tried to take it into her arms, but it only ran away, screaming in grief and somehow laughing sinisterly at the same time. Then Joe Carr appeared, and she was clothed in a slim and fragile slip of a dress. His face was split wide in a malicious grin as he slipped her clothes off, oblivious to her struggles. Komei materialized at the doorway and suddenly both men were wielding shining swords. Komei continued to strike blow after blow, and as Joe blocked them he was being pushed backwards to a gaping black hole that had appeared. He fell in, screaming in fury. Laura tried to stand up and kiss Komei, but he only turned away, saying, “I don’t love you—I never did!”

Laura awoke with a gasp, her body drenched in perspiration. She sat up and ran her hands all over her face. She’d been having this same dream almost every night for a while now, and was beginning to fear going to sleep. Suddenly the bedroom door opened and Laura quickly threw the covers over her head, fearing it might be Joe Carr again, or, even worse, the skeleton baby.
“Laura? Are you awake?” Komei’s calm, but monotone voice floated around the room, bringing back a sense of normalcy, and Laura peered above the sheets hesitantly.
“Komei? What are you doing here?”
“I decided to stay the night.” He occasionally stayed over when he felt like spending more time with her, but he hadn’t done it very much recently. “What happened?”
“I had a nightmare. Actually, I’ve been having it for a while now.”
He sat down on the bed aside her. “Tell me about it. It’ll help.”
“All…alright. I was with my parents, and then suddenly they were eaten up by a gigantic asylum. Then I was at my old college, and my old boyfriend, Ben, kissed me and said everything would be back to normal. But then…then my stomach got bigger, and he broke up with me, saying he wasn’t ready for commitment. My stomach burst open and this little skeleton of a baby crawled out. It screamed at me for getting an abortion and ran away, and then Joe Carr was here again.” She shivered and Komei wrapped his arm around her waist, something he hadn’t done in a while. “He started trying to undress me, but then my knight in shining armor came.” She smiled at him weakly. “You fought with him with a sword, and he was pushed into a black hole. Then I tried to kiss you, but you—“ She stopped abruptly, realizing what she’d said.
Komei looked away guiltily. He got up off the bed and walked around to her side, kneeling in front of her. “Laura, the reason why I’ve been acting weirdly lately is because I was—I was nervous. I…I’ve been wanting to ask you something.”
Laura stared at him, half of her hoping with all her might, the other half saying, ‘No, he’s not going to ask, of course not!’
He brought a small velvet box out of his pocket and Laura’s breath caught in her throat. As he opened it, he whispered, “Laura, will you marry me?”
Laura paused. “I...I don’t know what to say…”
Komei’s expression faltered, but she quickly giggled nervously, her voice coming out in a squeak. “Of course I know what to say! Yes! Yes, Komei Tellerman, I want to marry you!”
His face broke out in a wide smile and he jumped up, pulling her into his arms and crushing his lips against hers.
“We’re getting married! I can’t believe it!” He laughed and kissed her again. “I love you!” He took the velvet box again and took the ring out, slipping it on her finger. “I’m going to marry the most beautiful woman in the world. Well, not really.” He smirked and she slapped him on the arm, still giggling, though.
They calmed down slightly and sat on the bed together. “So…that’s why you’ve been acting weird? This whole past month? Just because you didn’t have enough guts to ask me to marry you? Gosh, my fiancé is a wimp.
Komei’s face turned serious. “Say that again.”
Laura stared at him, bemused. “What? That you're a wimp?”
“Say I’m your fiancé again.”
Laura’s expression softened. “You’re my fiancé, the man I love, who I’m going to marry.” She smiled and kissed him lightly.
“We’re going to get married.”
“Yeah, we’re going to get married.”
“When?”
Laura paused. “I don’t know. We’ll have to make plans and stuff.”
“I guess. I just can’t believe we’re going to get married.”
“God, will you shut up?”

Okay, so in this one there's a little bit of humor at the very end, a little out of character, but hey, I was getting sick of all the drama. Then again, what else will you get in a sim's life? :p

To my shock my thread was all the way on the second page! Has it been that long since I updated? I also find that less new members are reading my story than others, maybe because of the name of the thread. I should've spent more time thinking of a title, but hey, you know me with my impatience.

I also had a lot of fun typing up the nightmare--sounds a little sadistic, but it was fun making up some freaky stuff. My nightmares are a lot more realistic--no black abysses or scenes fast-forwarding or anything. :ermm:

This must be the fifth time I've edited this post. I momentarily forgot about Komei's daughter. *bangs head on table* eh, well, I don't want to delete this section, so let's just say Komei hasn't taken Laura to see her yet for a reason beyond anyone's understanding.

[suitemichelle]

Some of us just lurk, reading without comment. As long as you're happy with the story keep writing.... If you get fed up with Laura, bring it to an end. If you want advice, just ask... you'll get an earful.

[person123]

I don't think I'll be getting sick of Laura anytime soon. :) At least, I hope not. I am going out of my way to make sure she survives the installation of Nightlife! Have I mentioned I'm finally getting it? Since I can only get one EP at the moment and I need to get the other for Christmas (going broke) I decided to get Nightlife first--there was a great deal on Circuitcity.com, $10 off! Yay! Oh yeah, then I think I might get the Holiday Pack...wow, I need a job. :rolleyes:

[surprised_by_witches]

I just read this again and wanted to say, nice job. (One small edit: it's "lay" not "lied" on her bed ... sorry, I'm an editor, can't help myself.)

I'm really interested in this story. Her dream was very creepy, and the relationship between the two of them is sweet.

As for titles, mine always tend to be a bit too long! No one's perfect, so don't worry about it.

I like "Laura Bones."

[DuzzyGirl]

I've enjoyed your story, title included! It's the title that got me curious. ;)

[Mirelly]

I just read this again and wanted to say, nice job. (One small edit: it's "lay" not "lied" on her bed ... sorry, I'm an editor, can't help myself.)

Oh please Witch-gal. If you're an editor in the US please save the english-speaking world from white pigeons in swimming pools. A dove is a bird. The past tense of the verb to dive is dived. I dived, you dived, he dived, we dived, you all dived, they dived. No-one ever dove into anything. :mad: Because the verb is irregular.

While I'm on the subject why do so many American's say 'herbs' as if they are talking about the game The Urbz ... it's not as if any other words with a gallic origin are pronounced with a definitive French slant.

And anyway the whole lay(ed), laid, lied thing is deeply riven with controversy as is so much else in our fine language. Steinbeck used "would of" and Shakespear changed the spelling of a word from page to page and most erstwhile respected and respectable writers even made up their own words! Anyone for serendipity?

123 is completely 'book' in my estimation ... and that is a neologism I'd be interested to see someone over 30 explain! :rolleyes:

[person123]

....huh? I'm a mere 12 year old, I don't know what you're talking about! :eek: :rolleyes:

[babewithbrains_14]

Hehe - don't want to hijak the thread, (did you know I don't think I have ever done that? :D) It's just the language thing reminded of this thing I saw on The Comic Side Of 7 Days about slang. See if you can guess what 'Sla-Me No Gitme!' means!

[surprised_by_witches]

You're right, Mirelly, British and American grammar are two different beasts and never the twain shall meet.

I'll say lay and you say lied, let's call the whole thing off. ;)

I'm a huge Eddie Izzard fan, by the way, and I do know herbs has a *9%!0 H in front of it. Doesn't mean I'll pronounce it that way. Over here, that's just plain wrong.

[person123]

Yeah, if you say the H in herb around here, you get strange looks and a few giggles. I know, I've done it. ;)

[MegRen]

I really hate to nitpick, but I'm a speech-language therapist, and one of the things I work on with some of my students happens to be regular and irregular verbs. If you just add "ed" to make the verb past tense, it's a regular verb. If you have to change the spelling (ie run --> ran), it's an irregular verb. And I use dove as the past tense. In my language material books, dive is listed as an irregular verb. I checked Ask Jeeves, and it said "dove" is the correct form, but "dived" is becoming a literary form.

[Mirelly]

To be honest this argument can never be won. My apologies to Person123 for carelessly hijacking your excellent story ... which will continue after this short message ... click me (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=dive) :p

[surprised_by_witches]

I agree. And now, back to your regularly scheduled story.

My apologies as well, 123.

[jupitershana]

I'm long overdue on my compliment to you 123, but your story really is amazing, I'm very impressed with your skills at such a young age! Heaven knows I can't write that well now! You should think about trying to get something published.

[person123]

Eh, well I can only do this one good because the plot is already all layed out for me! I tried writing a fantasy story once, but I hadn't even finished writing out a plotline and making up characters before I got sick of it. :p

[Lynet]

I tried writing a fantasy story once, but I hadn't even finished writing out a plotline and making up characters before I got sick of it. :pI know the feeling. That's why I'll never get anything published. Writing is hard work and I get bored with plotlines and character development. I just want to follow where the characters lead and see what happens, willy nilly, with no idea how it will all end.:rolleyes:

[surprised_by_witches]

I, on the other hand, have high hopes of one day being published and am pursuing that dream ... my sims story gives me a chance to screw off, creatively. I don't have to worry too much about "head hopping" (switching point of view) or any of that other stuff.

I'm just having fun with it. It's great to have instant audience feedback. It's not meant to be great literature, just fun.

I also am having fun reading your stories. We have a creative bunch of people on this site. :)

[babewithbrains_14]

I want to be a writer. I've been through God only knows amount of career ambitions. There was astronaut (!), lawyer, policewoman, actress (the main ambition), dancer, etc. I've settled on journalist. It feels write to me. (hehe! Sorry, really couldn't resist.) It's going to be hard. It's going to be difficult. But determined is my middle name.

If - no, sorry - when I get my first book published, who wants a free copy? This is something I really want to do. I WILL do this!

[person123]

LOL, what genre will you be writing? I guess I'm putting off finishing the next installment but I feel a little lazy...writers can have days (or weeks) off, right? :o

[babewithbrains_14]

Writers can do what they want, when they want, honey!

Well. Basically. Apart from deadlines and rent repayments. :D

I think I'll go for Teen Fiction first of all. You know, the average teen with an average life. LOL. I think that's the easiest field to break into and establish your name.

[person123]

The next morning Laura was awake bright and early, humming to herself cheerfully. She brushed her teeth, feeling quite refreshed despite how long they’d spent the last night talking and…she blushed and splashed cool water on her bright red face. She shouldn’t be embarrassed anymore, right? She was an adult, she was going to get married…she was going to get married. She smiled to herself in satisfaction and went downstairs to fix herself some breakfast, throwing slices of bread into the toaster and cracking a couple of eggs over the pan on the stove.
When Komei at last came down she’d completely set the table with matching plates and silverware, and a small bouquet of wildflowers she’d found outside. There were plates of toast, waffles, pancakes, and scrambled eggs.
“Wow. You outdid yourself today.”
“I just feel…good. You ever feel that way?”
“Whenever I’m with you.” He planted a kiss on her lips and sat down at the table, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
Laura sat down as well and took several pancakes, eggs, a waffle, and two pieces of toast.
“Hungry, are you?”
“You wouldn’t believe!” She stuffed a forkful of eggs splattered with ketchup into her mouth.
Komei glanced at her disdainfully as he cut a neat piece of pancake and put it into his mouth, chewing daintily.
Laura snorted. “Wimp.”
“You know what, after we eat, let’s go to Charlotte’s house. I know I’ve been holding off on it, but now that we’re engaged I can rub it into her face. Besides, we missed Jenny’s birthday last week. She’s three now.” His eyes shined with pride and Laura smiled softly. Even though, at first, Komei had been totally and completely against even acknowledging he had a daughter, he’d begun to think of Jenny as only his daughter, not Charlotte’s.
“Alright, I’ve got to go change now.” Laura stood up and put her dish in the sink before going up the stairs. She donned a red cardigan sweater and jeans and applied some eyeliner and lip gloss.
When she came back down, Komei smiled appreciatively and opened the front door, saying, “You could beat her in a beauty pageant any day.”
Laura blushed but said, “Sure, if I wore 50 lb. of makeup and got a boob job. You wouldn’t believe how shallow those judges are. In college one of my friends entered one...”
They continued to chatter amiably on the way to Graderon and suddenly it hit Laura. “Wait, what was her last name again?”
“Charlotte’s? Duvonte.”
Laura snapped her fingers. “She used to work in my dad’s company! It was Charlotte! She made the mistake with the printing press! She’s...she’s why my parents are in a mental hospital right now. She’s why my life was completely shattered when I was sixteen...” Her eyes welled with water as she realized all of the things that were the fault of this woman. “I can’t believe it. The woman that ended my life as I knew it is the mother of your daughter and lives twenty miles away from me. I could’ve driven over there any time and...” She stopped, unable to continue, sobbing quietly into her hands.
Komei quickly pulled over onto the side of the highway and gently pulled Laura into his arms. “Shh, it’s okay. Just let it all out.”
“I hate her. I hate her.” Laura’s voice shook with fury. “I just...I just can’t believe it. It’s pretty ironic, if you think about it.” She’d stopped crying now.
“Even though your hate is completely justifiable, you definitely can’t lose your temper when we get there. She doesn’t know who you are.” He kissed her hair softly and released her, turning on the car again.
Laura nodded mutely. ‘I definitely can’t hate Jennifer for this. She’s totally innocent.”
However, when they got there, an entirely different sight than they’d expected greeted her.
A woman Laura assumed to be Charlotte appeared at the door with black clothes on, her hair ragged and streaming eyes.
“Charlotte! What happened?” Komei immediately rushed inside, pulling Laura along with him. He gently guided Charlotte to a couch just inside the door and sat down as well on the couch opposite it. “Did someone—did someone pass away?”
“Yes,” she whispered, her voice raspy. “Jenny. Jenny died.”
Komei looked shocked. “What? Wha—Jenny? Our daughter, Jenny?”
“Yes. She died last Sunday, the day after her birthday. She showed symptoms of the pneumonia, so I took her to the doctor. He said it was a mild case, but just wanted to keep her overnight since she was pretty young…and she died.”
“Jenny…died? She’s dead? She’s dead.”
“Yeah…she’s dead.”
Komei reached out his hand and Laura took it, gently massaging his fingers.
“My daughter is dead.”
“Don’t keep saying it! Show some emotion, cry or something!” It was the first time Charlotte had raised her voice. “It’s not like it’ll ruin your manly image or something! And who the ****(eh, don’t like substitutes like ‘sims’, so I decided to just censor it in) are you?” She whipped around to face Laura, her face red. “Komei’s little girlfriend?”
“I’m—I’m his fiancée.”
The other woman looked almost hysterical now. “Oh, I see! You brought her over to rub it in my face, huh? To make me realize that I’m going to die alone, without my sweet little Jenny?”
Laura was horrified. “No, we—we didn’t know—“
“You little *****! How dare you?!” She lunged forward to grab Laura but she quickly moved out of the way.
“Charlotte, you’re not well! Sit down!”
The woman had stopped now and simply burst into tears, falling onto the couch. “You’re right…I’m not okay. I just…I don’t want to believe it. My darling Jenny…gone.” She looked at Laura normally now and smiled weakly. “I’m sorry we met that way. I’m just…shaken, is all. What’s your name?”
“Laura Bones. I completely understand. I’ve lost loved ones before.”
Charlotte nodded. “Alright. I know it sounds a little rude, but I need to…rest a little. Deal with it, you know? Could you…leave?” She smiled apologetically.
“I understand. Come on, Komei.” She grasped his arm and led him out the door. “Are you alright?”
“I…I think I want to go home…your place.”
“Alright. Why don’t I drive?” Laura got into the driver’s seat and waited for Komei to buckle his seatbelt before starting the car and pulling out of the driveway.

Mods, if you have a problem, feel free to change any of the *'s. Anyway, yes, finally got it finished! Jenny got taken away by the social worker. :( So I just decided to pretend she died--good twist, right? I hadn't played with her enough to get attached anyway, so it's okay.

[Lynet]

This is so sad. :cry: He loses his daughter before he's even gotten a chance to know her.

[surprised_by_witches]

I know putting "sims" in is corny ... I didn't like all the ***'s ... oh, well. :o

Very sad. Very well written, too.

[person123]

Well, it's an emotional part of the story, but I probably won't use ***s anymore. Yeah, it's so weird how great of a story playing the sims will get! Wouldn't it be funny if someone published a book based on what happened to their sims? :rolleyes:

[person123]

When they’d gotten to Laura’s house, Komei had sat down (awkward grammar) on the couch and completely lost his composure. He’d cried for seven minutes straight and only now began to draw in shaky breaths, his tears dried.
“My daughter is dead. At the age of four, she’s dead.”
Laura wrapped her arms around him. “It’s okay to cry. This is…big.”
He nodded, hiccupping slightly. After a few moments of silence, he turned to her and said, “Let’s get married. This very minute. I want to fill in this gaping hole in my heart.”
Laura was taken aback. “What? Get…married? Right now? I mean, we don’t even have engagement rings—“
“Let’s go buy some, then! Then we can go to a church.”
“Komei, this isn’t exactly the wedding that most girls dream about when they’re young…”
“But…I…can’t we just be shallow and careless for this one time?”
“I…alright. Let’s get married.”
And so they hopped into the car again and drove into Graderon, looking at the shops through the car windows for a suitable jewelry store. Finally they parked the car on the side of the street and went into Graham’s, a moderately expensive-looking store.
“Hey, we’re looking for, um, rings.” Laura blushed as the elderly man behind the counter smiled knowingly.
“Rings, huh? I have a few nice ones for a small price in the back store.” The man shuffled into a door behind the counter and brought out several small velvet boxes. He arranged them on the glass top in a line and opened each one, making sure to display the price tag as well.
Laura examined each one, her heart thudding painfully in her chest. This was the moment all little girls dreamed about, wasn’t it? She was going to get married. She took one out of the box and slipped it on her right ring finger to see how it looked, only half-realizing what she was doing.
“You like that one?” There was still sorrow in Komei’s eyes, and Laura suspected that it’d be there forever, but he was smiling in anticipation of what was to come.
Laura looked down in surprise at her hand. The ring she’d picked was silver with a shining pearl surrounded by tiny diamonds. It was unique, and had a bit of an antique touch to it. She loved it. “Yeah, it’s beautiful. How much does it cost?”
Komei snorted. “My stingy fiancee. $1,272.”
Laura gaped at him. “A thousand?! I mean, no offense—it’s a perfectly reasonable price for such a beautiful ring,” she said to the salesman, “but we don’t have the money—“
“You don’t have the money…not that I’m complaining,” Komei corrected, smiling. He dug his wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans and took out a credit card, handing it to the other man. He swiped it through the cashier (don’t know how to say this since I’ve never done it before) and gave it back to Komei, ripping the price tag off the velvet box and giving it to Laura.
“What about you? Don’t you want to get a band?”
“Yeah, this time I’ll pay for it.”
“You don’t have—“
“I want to,” Laura cut him off, smiling. She picked a simply silver band that cost $830 and gave the cashier a pile of crumpled bills.
“Okay, where to next, Mr. Tellerman?”
“To the church!”
“Wait, um, can we at least wear nicer clothes?” Laura gestured to her wrinkled and tear-stained sweater, and Komei smilingly assented, getting into the car.
They went back to Laura’s house and she looked through her closet hurriedly. Did she have any white dresses? She’d inherited her mother’s wedding dress. Would it fit, and was it too battered and old? She finally unearthed the garment bag from the back of the closet and dumped it on the bed, unzipping it a little hesitantly. It was a sleeveless dress with a bodice embroidered with entwining leaves. The skirt was form-fitting and didn’t fan out like a hoopskirt…she pulled on panty-house and put it on, grabbing a pair of white pumps as well.
Finally she sat down at her vanity and studied her face. What makeup would she wear for her wedding? How should she do her hair? She really was supposed to have her mother with her…tears welled up in her eyes unexpectedly. She hadn’t cried about her parents for a while, and suddenly the tears were back. Laura harshly swiped them away and applied shiny pink lip gloss, as well as eyeliner and mascara. She ran a brush through her hair a few times before letting it fall over her shoulders. She looked okay…right? She took a suede jacket and rushed downstairs for Komei’s approval.
Komei whistled. “This is like a real wedding! I better get my tuxedo from my place.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered.
“Okay, let’s get to the church, right?” Laura smiled and went out the door, into the car for what must’ve been the seventh time that day.
They drove to Komei’s house and he put on a black tuxedo. “We’ve both got our rings, right?”
“Right. Are…are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” He grinned confidently and they went to the church in the suburban parts of Graderon.
“Am I going to move in with you, or…”
“I like Chartreua Heights. Graderon makes me think of Charlotte, and Charlotte makes me think of…” He trailed off, visibly paling. “Well…”
“Okay, then. I guess…we’re going to live at my house.” Laura smiled reassuringly. The sun was beginning to set, so they hurried inside the stained-glass doors of the white building, looking around in uncertainty. A middle-aged man was standing at a podium, dozing slightly.
“Um, excuse me—“
The man woke with a jump, rearranging his glasses on his nose. “Oh, yes, yes, what can I help you with?”
“We…we want to get married.” They exchanged smiles.
“Oh, yes, I should’ve known, considering your attire…” He cleared his throat and stood up, dusting off his robes. “Come, follow me.” They went through a pair of shiny oak double doors. “You both have your rings, am I correct?”
They nodded.
“And what are your names?”
“Komei Tellerman and Laura Bones.”
“Okay, here, you two, stand here…” He cleared his throat again, and smiled indulgently at the couple. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…”
Laura zoned out, simply gazing at Komei’s bright blue eyes. She was going to get married to Komei…perhaps have children with him…grow old with him…they’d be together forever, as the priest dictated.
“Do you, Komei Tellerman, take Laura Bones as your lawfully wedded wife?”
“I do,” Komei whispered, smiling widely at Laura.
“And do you, Laura Bones, take Komei Tellerman as your lawfully wedded husband?”
“I…I do,” her voice shook as she answered, tears forming in her eyes.
“I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Komei crushed his lips against Laura’s, drawing her close for a passionate embrace. They kissed for a long time, reveling in the fact that they were now married…
The priest cleared his throat again, and they pulled apart, Laura blushing a little.
“Erm, you can leave now.” He walked through a door to the side of the hall, and Komei grasped Laura’s hand.
“So, Mrs. Tellerman,” he grinned at her happily, “Where are we to have our honeymoon?”
“Oh, let’s just go home.”
“Alright.” He kissed her again. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.

Ten years later…

“Agh, come on, hurry up Cassie, you’re going to be late for school!” Laura frantically cut up the peanut butter and jelly sandwich she’d been making into quarters and wrapped them in a plastic sandwich bag, putting it and a juice box into a pink lunchbox.
Cassandra, their eight year old daughter, grabbed the lunchbox, let Laura kiss her good-bye, and ran out the door onto the school bus.
Laura pulled two year old Ruby out of the high chair and set her on her hip, gathering the breakfast plates and Ruby’s bowl of mashed carrots and putting them in the sink as well.
“I’m off to work, honey, see you later!” Komei, now the Executive of Parakeet Printing & Co., kissed Laura lingeringly before going out the door and driving off down the road.
Laura went up the stairs and put Ruby into her crib in their bedroom, trying to lean over her heavily pregnant stomach. She watched the baby while she fell asleep and smiled, brushing a few wispy red hairs off the smooth forehead. She turned around to rest a little, thinking about her family...both her children…her loving husband of ten years…they’d saved up money for years, which had become even harder when Laura became pregnant after two years and had been forced to go on maternity leave. Then Cassie had been born, and all their troubles had seemed to go away…for a few days, at least. Then it was back to cooking, cleaning, working… Six years later, after they’d just gotten a routine of taking care of Cassie and setting some alone time for themselves, Laura had gotten pregnant again. She’d quit her job as a fourth grade teacher after having Cassie as she knew she’d just want to spend time with her, and so now it wasn’t too hard to juggle their daughter and unborn baby. Ruby was named aptly so for the hair she’d inherited from her father, was quite the crier, and still woke both Laura and Komei every few nights.
They still loved each other very much and went out to eat every once in a while, leaving Cassie at home with a babysitter. Sometimes he just randomly started dancing with her, and she’d giggle and blush when he swept her down to kiss her. They were still very much in love, yes, and she hoped they would be for much longer…

The End

Yeah, I ended it quickly because her family got messed up! For some reason when she had Ruby everything just got screwed up. The game froze and quit whenever I entered the lot, and I tried moving her out, but it still happened! :( So, yeah, that's the end of Laura Bones. I guess it was long enough.

[DuzzyGirl]

Bravo!

It was sad that Jenny "passed." I'm glad things worked out for Komei and Laura though and Cassie.

[Mirelly]

Oh fabulous! Great story :)

BTW "Komei had sat down (awkward grammar) on the couch and" - just lose the 'had' ;)

[Lynet]

BTW "Komei had sat down (awkward grammar) on the couch and" - just lose the 'had' ;) :confused: :scratchchin: :ponder: :o :D

Great story, Person123. I loved it.

[surprised_by_witches]

Very nice story. I'm glad it had a happy ending and Laura got what she wanted. Her life wasn't very happy starting out, was it?

You even made me like Komei Tellerman. Don't know why, but he's never been a favorite of mine. Maybe it was because he dissed my first, and very favorite (now dead) sim. And that was before NL. :p

Could it be that family sims just don't like romance sims very much? Hmmmm ...

[DuzzyGirl]

. . . Could it be that family sims just don't like romance sims very much? Hmmmm ...
Much like real life . . .

Again, entertaining story, 123. I too now look at Komei differently. ;)

[person123]

Yeah, I hated him at first, but then they star signs were just compatible, so I thought, what the hey! I'll put them together. He turned out as a very good husband and father. And he's a fortune sim, too, not a romance sim.

[jupitershana]

Just wanted to throw in my two cents here, I really enjoyed your story...you're going to do another one soon, right? I hope so!

[person123]

Yeah, I'm starting a blog story made by Kina Ailani, the Pleasure sim I made to start off Nightlife.

[surprised_by_witches]

And he's a fortune sim, too, not a romance sim.

Oh, I assumed he was family because he hated my romance sim. But maybe it varies from game to game ...