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Chapter Text

In Sunset Valley, if you weren't with the nouveau riche Altos you were with the old money Landgraabs. The Goths, despite helping found the town alongside the Landgraabs didn't matter. The supposed lycanthropic Wolff family didn't matter.

The Altos had moved in a few years ago from a large city called Bridgeport, and immediately bought up most of the businesses. This earned them the ire of Landgraabs, who immediately viewed them as rivals. The Altos didn't care about this until they learned that the Landgraabs began to look into their background. That's when the two families went to war.
Not literal war, mind you, but their conflicts ended up splitting the town in two.

The younger adults showed their support for Altos, due to them being more in tune with modernizing the small town. The older generation supported the Landgraabs, to keep up with tradition. The other rich families even picked sides. The Wolffs helped out the Altos because in this town, they were also nouveau rich. The Goths sided with the Landgraabs due to their kinship with each other from building up the town.

The teens and children, however, were different. The Alto's only daughter was nothing like her family, yet she still felt like a bit of an outcast in town due to the dirty looks she sometimes got from older people. The heir to the Landgraab fortune was somewhat more popular, but he didn't particularly care about the feud either. In fact, he and the Alto girl struck up a sort of friendship despite their differences in age.

Even with the younger generation trying to reverse the damage done, will it be enough?

Chapter Text

Holly Alto sat on her bed watching as her best friend Bebe Hart dug through her closet to find something cute for her to wear. It was the summer right after freshman year and since the annual summer festival was in town again, Bebe decided that they should get their friends together for the day. Holly's parents were off doing their shady business in the bistro as usual, so the girls were free to go wherever they wanted without Holly's numerous 'aunts' and 'uncles' in pinstripe suits and mink coats tagging along.

"Jeez, Holly! For a rich girl, you sure don't have a lot of fancy clothes." Bebe said, pulling things out to inspect them.
"You know I prefer simpler things, B. Besides, I don't need to dress fancy for a day in the sun with our friends."
"Yeah, but don't you want to impress Michael?" The girl wiggled her eyebrows as Holly's face turned red and she looked away.
"Why would I want to impress Michael?"
"Girl, you've been harboring a crush on him since he invited you to sit with me and Parker at lunch last year."
"Okay, yeah, but.. isn't he into River McIrish? They're pretty close."
"Nope! Riv's probably more into Ethan Bunch like most girls in this town. Michael, on the other hand, is single and ready to mingle." Suddenly, Bebe threw a yellow sundress with flowers on it at Holly's face, "Put that on."
Holly sat there for a moment, before heading into her bathroom to change. After a few minutes, Holly stepped out and twirled for Bebe, "You know, this is a pretty cute dress. I forgot that I had it, honestly."
"Which is why you should let me pick out all of your outfits from now on. Now, come on! Michael and Parker are probably getting tired of waiting for us, and I bet the taxi's almost here." Bebe said, skipping her way out of the room.

Holly sighed, following her out. How did she manage to befriend someone like the party girl Bebe Hart? Well, it came to be when she was the new girl at school last year. Because Sunset Valley was such a small town located in the suburbs of SimCity, everyone knew each other. That changed when Holly and her family moved into Sunset Valley last year in the winter. To the teenagers and adults of Sunset Valley, Holly was an enigma. Everyone wanted to unravel the mystery behind her, but no one really made an attempt to get to know her. In fact, she remembered that on her first week of school here, she ate lunch in the library because people wouldn't stop whispering about her in the cafeteria.
That's when Bebe Hart and Michael Bachelor waltzed into her life.
Bebe Hart was a girl who had parents who were rumored to be insane, and people thought she was going to follow in their footsteps. The rumors didn't seem to bother her, and she instead decided to focus on popularity.
Michael Bachelor was a popular football player who was actually a pretty nice guy. He wasn't at all like the jerkass jocks you saw in those movies about high school, and that's probably why Holly became enamoured with him over the months.

That story was for another time, however. Holly joined Bebe in the taxi, and they were off to the park to join their friends. You know, of all the festivals that were hosted here, spring and fall had to be her favorite. They weren't too hot like the summer, and they weren't too cold like the winter. Still, if Bebe or Michael or Parker Langerak asked, she'd go to any of the festivals with them regardless of season.

As soon as Bebe and Holly made it to the small park at the center of town, they searched for Parker and Michael. The park wasn't that big, so they quickly found Parker standing by the photobooth. Once they got close enough, Parker put away his phone and waved at the girls.

"Parky!" Bebe cheered, running up to the boy. Holly waved back, calmly approaching them.
"Hey, Michael's going to-- mmm!" Before Parker could finish his sentence Bebe had pulled him into an intense kiss. Holly decided to give them a little privacy, and wandered off to look for Lisa Bunch and River McIrish. Maybe it was time for a little more background on their friends.
Parker Langerak. What could be said about him? Well, just like Bebe was Holly's best friend, Parker was Michael's best friend who played baseball. He's also one of the most popular boys in school, second to only golden boy Ethan Bunch, and he's currently Bebe's boyfriend. Apparently he was a known flirt in the past, and it was a huge surprise to everyone when he settled down with Bebe at the spring festival this year.

Lisa Bunch was.. something. She's the younger sister of Ethan Bunch, and basically the antithesis of him. She got into fights with people, skipped class, and often snuck out after curfew. According to everyone else, she had been like this ever since elementary school right after the younger Bunches, Arlo and Darlene, were born.
River McIrish was an interesting case. Like Holly last year, no one knew much about her despite her being born and raised here. From what Holly gathered from their brief interactions with each other, she knew that River was really into the arts and literature. If she wasn't drawing in her sketchbook or on her arms and hands, she was writing poems in a journal. She was also best friends with Lisa, somehow. No one knew how it happened, but Lisa got defensive whenever asked.

"Hey, Holly. Where's Parker and Bebe?" Speak of the devil. Lisa and River were approaching her, cotton candy in their hands. As usual, River had penned tattoos covering her arms and hands and Lisa had some as well.
"Hey, River, hey Lisa. They're probably making out in the photo booth."
"Ew, gross." Lisa rolled her eyes and scrunched up her face, "They really need to get a room."
"I guess, but the photobooth's the next best thing." Holly shrugged, "Have you seen Michael anywhere?"
"He's going to be a little late getting here. His parents and Bella are taking a while to get ready." River said.
"Oh, okay. You know, I'm surprised Ethan's not tagging along like usual."
"He's bringing River a snowcone! Can you believe it? Little Miss Artistic has my brother doing her bidding!" Lisa laughed.
"Knock it off, Lisa. He offered, and I accepted it." River said, folding her arms. 
"Well, I think it's sweet of him." Holly said firmly in River's defense. Though she didn't say anything out loud, she could tell River was thankful for the support.

"Hey guys! When did you get here?" Bebe asked cheerfully as if nothing strange had happened. Her and Parker had finally exited the photobooth quite disheveled, and Bebe ended up wearing Parker's usual baseball cap.
"Not too long ago." River said.
"We were just waiting for you guys to stop eating each other's faces." Lisa said in a matter-of-fact way. Bebe and Parker didn't look at all embarassed by that statement.
"It's not our fault we love each other so much! By the way, is Michael here yet?" Bebe asked.
"Nope. He'll be here a little later though." Holly said, "Let's do something while we wait." Everyone agreed with this course of action, and went off to do their own things.

Holly almost felt like a third wheel or even a fifth wheel with this group. That was a given with Bebe and Parker, since their PDA was broadcasted everywhere they went. Despite them not being in a romantic relationship, Holly also felt like a third wheel to Lisa and River's friendship due to her not being close to either of them. She was pretty okay with that. Lisa was way too intense for her liking, and River didn't seem too interested with striking up a friendship with her or anyone else either.
That's why she decided to sit and wait for Michael to arrive near the pond. It was a little boring, but at least the fish could keep her company while she waited.

Chapter Text

Michael had come to the park later than he originally wanted and promised his friends, but it was better than nothing. It started when his parents wanted him to bring Bella along, which was fine. Then his parents decided to come along too, which was also fine. Then a girl who shared some of Michael's classes named Candy Ashleydale decided it was fine for her to join them. As nice as she sometimes was, the car was already cramped enough as it was.

To make matters worse, Candy kept falling on him. She apologized each time, of course, but it was starting to get pretty irritating. Once they finally made it to the park, Jocasta and Simis let the teens and Bella out and searched for a parking space. Almost immediately, Bella ran off to find her best friends Darlene Bunch and Kaylynn Langerak.

Candy, on the other hand, strayed close to Michael. 

"So.. now that we're alone, what will we do?" The redhead asked, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously.

"I'm going to look for Holly, Parker, and Bebe." He said, scanning the park. He eventually spotted Holly sitting in front of the fishing pond, watching Claire Ursine and Beau Andrews fish.

"Why Holly?" Candy asked, scrunching up her face, "Isn't her family like, in the Mafia? Why would you hang out with someone like that?"

"I think those are just dumb rumors, honestly. Besides, if you don't like her, you don't have to keep following me." Michael was normally a peaceful boy, but for some reason he felt the need to defend Holly's name. That got Candy to leave though, so he considered it a bit of a win.

Holly didn't notice him coming up behind her, so he tapped on her shoulder to get his attention before moving to her other side as a small joke. She looked around for a moment before finally spotting him next to her.

"Oh! When did you get here-?" Holly asked, surprised. Michael snickered before getting comfortable next to her.

"Just now. Were you guys waiting for me long?"

"No, not really. Everyone went off to do their own thing for a while."

"And you didn't?"

"This is me doing my own thing. That, and I really don't want to watch Bebe and Parker make out. I'm not really close with Lisa and River either."

"What about Ethan or VJ?"

"He's with Lisa and River, I think. As for VJ, I haven't seen him or his brother all day."

"Oh. Well, as much as I appreciate you waiting for me, you didn't have to."

"But I wanted to. By the way, I saw Candy Ashleydale glaring at me for a while earlier. What's up with that?"

"She's mad that I came looking for you. I'm convinced that she has a bit of a crush on me."

"Oh yeah? I don't get why she'd be upset at that. It's not like we're boyfriend and girlfriend.. I mean, we're friends that are of the opposite gender but-"

"Calm down, Holls. I get what you meant." He grinned at her, causing the girl's face to flush red as it usually did when she went off on a tangent.

"A-Anyway.. Let's go look for Bebe and Parker, yeah? I bet they're in a whole lot of trouble right now." Holly said, quickly standing up. Michael wanted to be alone with her for a while longer, but he eventually got up too. Finding Bebe and Parker in such a small park was simple, and they found them talking to River McIrish, the Bunch siblings, VJ Alvi, and Davy Linnell.

"Took you lovebirds long enough." Lisa drawled, looking quite pleased for some reason.

"We're not lovebirds, Lisa." Holly groaned as she covered her face. Michael could see that Davy looked somewhat jealous at what Lisa said and as Michael went over to reassure him, Parker initiated their somewhat secret handshake.

"Hey bro, what took you so long?"

"My family and Candy Ashleydale."

"Candy? She's pretty cute, I guess. Kinda crazy though. I invited her out one time, and she stole my watch." Parker sighed as Bebe gripped on his arm a little bit tighter, "Don't worry, B. No one's as cute as you."

Before Bebe and Parker could kiss again, Ethan Bunch cleared his throat, "So, who's excited for this summer? I feel like it's going to be big."

"Puh- lease. Knowing you, you're going to be inside reading all day!" Lisa snorted, causing Ethan to frown a little.

"What's wrong with reading?"

"Nothing. It's just.. you hardly hang out with us. If you stay inside reading all the time before you know it, you won't experience being a teen. That's just my thoughts on it though." River said. Ethan's face softened up as he considered her words.

"I see. I suppose I could put down my books for one year, if that's how you really feel."

"Good. You don't want to miss the end of the month." VJ grinned somewhat mischievously.

"What's at the end of the month?" Davy asked.

"My buddies in Bridgeport came through! I'm getting fireworks and setting them off on the hill where all the rich folks live. Who's in?" Of course, Bebe, Parker, and Lisa were going. River was going because Lisa was, and Ethan was coming too.

"How about it, Holly? You already live there, so it'd be hard to avoid it." VJ pointed out.

"Well.. I guess I could come."

"Then I will too!" Davy said, grinning.

"Might as well come too. But just to be clear, are these fireworks legal?" Michael asked, clearly concerned.

"Minor details. That's for me to know and you to forget." VJ replied.

"Hello, everyone! What are we talking about?" Candy Ashleydale flounced towards the group, smiling. Bebe groaned in annoyance as she covered her face with Parker's hat. If Holly was annoyed, she didn't show it-- though that was because Davy ended up leading her away. Michael was tempted to follow as listen in, but Candy was already clinging to his arm.

"We're going to set off fireworks sometime soon, but it's too bad you're not invited." Lisa snapped, pointing at the redhead.

"Excuse me?"

"Lisa, please." River said, trying to calm down her best friend.

"It's true though!" The blonde declared before marching off with River. Michael followed after them as an excuse to get away from Candy.

"So, what was all that about?" Michael asked once they were out of earshot, "I know she can be a bit extra, but that was a little uncalled for."

"Maybe it was, but you don't know her like I do. Her name may sound sweet, but she is anything but." Lisa responded, taking out a lighter and cigarette, "Riv, you can explain. I need a smoke." River sighed, shaking her head.

"Well, Candy and Lisa were pretty good friends in elementary school."

"Most of us were." Michael nodded.

"Oh sure, but they were close . Closer than me and Lisa are now. Well, Candy was picking on me one day and Lisa didn't like that very much. She told on Candy, and do you know what she did? She grabbed a huge chunk of Lisa's hair, and cut it out."

"Wait, I thought VJ did that? Everyone was talking about it."

"It was Candy. She lied about the whole thing, and denies it to this day."

"Hence, why I still don't like her. She's a snake in the worst kind of way. When I'm mean, at least I'm upfront about it." Lisa finally spoke up, blowing out a cloud of smoke.

"That's not any better." Michael pointed out.

"And? You still hang out with me. Be careful around Candy. It's pretty obvious she's got a huge thing for you, and even though you're a huge goody two-shoes, that's what I admire about you."

"Thanks for the advice, I guess."

"Of course. I don't want to see you or Holly hurt because of her."

"What does Holly have to do with this? I know Candy doesn't like her, but--"

Lisa shook her head, putting out her cigarette, "You'll understand soon enough, Michael. C'mon, Riv. I need to know if they let that snake join us."

"Coming. Please take our words into consideration, Michael. We're serious." River said, walking away with Lisa. Michael soon followed after them only to see Davy and Holly holding hands. For some reason, that made Michael pretty upset.

"Can you believe it, Michael? Davy asked me out on a date." Holly said with a soft smile.

"Did he now? Good for him." Michael replied, somewhat upset. Sure, he should be happy for the two of them, but this was completely out of left field. Clearly Bebe, Lisa, and Parker felt the same way. They were exchanging weirded out looks.

"Holly, dear, are you sure this is what you want?" Bebe asked carefully.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Holly asked.

"Because you're like the only one of us who isn't into dating!" Parker exclaimed.

"People change." A shrug.

"Holly, it was literally a few minutes." Lisa rolled her eyes.

"Listen, I'm allowed to change my mind, aren't I? Enough about my dating choices. We're going to have fun today, and that's final."

Well, she wasn't going to answer any more questions about her and Davy, so everyone went off to do what they came here to do. No one was really pleased with this outcome, but there wasn't much else they could do without earning Holly's wrath.

Chapter Text

Bebe sighed as she watched Holly and Davy chat. Of all the possibilities she saw, this definitely wasn't one of them.

"Hey babe, what's wrong?" Parker asked, handing Bebe a snow cone. She took it to be nice, but she wasn't at all focused on it.

"Holly and Davy."

"I dunno, now that I'm looking at them again.. they're kinda cute together." Parker replied, scooting next to Bebe. She shook her head vigorously, nearly smacking her boyfriend in the face with her braids.

"No, Holly likes Michael! She never even talks about Davy with me!" Bebe exclaimed before biting into her snow cone.

"Maybe she was keeping it a secret or something. Are you going to try and break 'em up?"

"I don't think you understand. Holly tells me everything, and I tell her everything in return. But no, I'm not like Candy. I'm going to disapprove, but not to their faces."

"Speaking of faces, Michael's sulking over there." Parker said, pointing at his best friend sitting by the pond, "Think he's upset about Holly?"

"Probably. I wish they'd just admit their love already. Watching them pine over each other is like watching a sitcom have a cliffhanger! Oh look, Riv's going over there too."

"That's probably why." Parker said, pointing at Ethan and Candy talking about something with each other. Based on Candy's flirty expression, it was risque.

"Ugh. That girl knows Riv's been crushing on Ethan since 6th grade! C'mon, let's get outta here. I feel like I'm going to get hives if I hang out around here any longer." Parker nodded in agreement. After finishing up their snow cones and picking up a sleepy Kaylynn, the teens hailed a cab to go to Parker's house. The drive wasn't long, so they were out in a flash. Parker unlocked the door, and went to take Kaylynn upstairs.

"You can sit down here until I get back."

Bebe nodded, turning on the TV. She hardly ever came over to the Langerak house, but that was because Iliana and Dustin seemed to dislike her but Zelda and Kaylynn liked her enough. She knew exactly why Iliana and Dustin didn't trust her that much, and it was the same reason other adults disliked her.

Suddenly, Bebe heard a strange noise coming from a nearby room. Before she could get up to find the source, Parker came running down the stairs and towards the kitchen.

"Babe! You hungry or something? We've got all sorts of things."

"Not really. But hey, do you hear something?" Parker gave his girlfriend a confused look for a second, but listened out for anything strange anyway. Soon enough, he did hear something.

"Sounds like it's coming from Aunt Zelda's room."

"Do you think she's hurt or something?"

"Probably not, but I'll check anyway." Parker made his way to Zelda's bedroom door and knocked, "Aunt Zelda?" He noticed the door was unlocked, so he opened it, "Aunt Zelda, are you-- What the hell!? " Parker flinched as if he were hit by something or someone.

"Parker? What is it? What's wrong?" Bebe hopped up from the couch, making her way to her boyfriend. He was unresponsive, so she turned her attention to the bedroom, "Oh my Watcher!" Bebe gasped. Dustin and Zelda were hurriedly getting dressed, but the damage was already done. Parker grabbed Bebe's arm, so she looked over at him.

"Parker, let's talk--" Dustin made his way over to Parker, who immediately started pulling Bebe to the front door.

"Get the hell away from me, asshole! I can't believe you two betrayed mom like this!"

"Parker, please. Don't talk to your father like that. Just let us explain." Zelda said, trying to catch up to the two teens.

"No, just shut up and go away!" Parker yelled, finally pulling Bebe outside. Iliana was pulling up to the driveway, but Parker and Bebe ignored her greeting.

"Parker, are you.." Bebe began, but Parker shook his head.

"Not here, Bebe. Can we go to your house, please?"

"Yeah, of course." The Hart house was just around the corner, and Dorie and Gus were out right now. As soon as they made it inside the house and went up to Bebe's room, Parker collapsed on the bed. Bebe sat next to him, so he decided to cling to her waist.

"I can't believe I didn't see this coming."

"No one could've seen it coming."

"No, I should've. The shared looks, the sneaking around, and the touching.. I saw all that, and I ignored it." Parker said, close to tears.

"What could you do? Adults in this town never listen. Worst case scenario, they don't believe you, they call you crazy, and they say you're too young to understand."

"You're right, but.. Mom and Kaylynn shouldn't have to find out like this. Mom was coming inside when we left, and Kaylynn probably heard all the yelling too."

"I know. I'm sure it'll be a war zone by the time you get back there."

"I don't want to go back tonight, B. Can't I stay the night with you?"

"Nothing's stopping you, but won't your family worry?"

"Forget about them right now. I'll deal with them later."

Bebe nodded, holding Parker closer to her. If there was anything Bebe hated in the world, it was cheaters and liars. Sure, Parker could've been considered that in the past, but he at least broke up with girls before moving on to the next one. Maybe she'd end up being one of those girls in the future, but she was content with being with Parker for now. What she didn't understand was Dustin's logic. He had a wife and two children, but he cheated on her with her younger sister? Who came onto who first, Bebe wondered. She'd guess Dustin because he seemed a little lonely, but it could've easily been Zelda too. A lot of the men in town were enamoured by the budding musician, so it really could've gone either way..

"Hey, B?"

"What is it?"

"What if we ran away together? Dad taught me how to drive, so we could head to Riverview."

"And what, become farmers or something?"

"Yeah. We'll plant fruits and stuff, and own chickens."

"I never took you to be the farming type. Let's do it after graduation though, alright? I want to get out of this town anyway."

"Sounds good to me." Parker replied, leaning up to kiss Bebe. She returned it happily before laying down next to him.

"Are you going to tell everyone about what happened between your parents?"

"Just Holly and Michael. I trust them as much as I trust you. Why?"

"I was just wondering. Word gets around fast in a town like this, and I know rumors are gonna spread."

"Maybe, but rumors don't bother me that much. You get used to it in school." Bebe knew that feeling too well.

They heard the front door open, so Bebe got up from the bed, "Stay in here. I'm gonna tell my parents you're spending the night." Parker nodded, and Bebe made her way downstairs. Her father, Gus Hart, was sitting on the couch with her mother Dorie. They were chatting about something, but stopped as soon as Bebe approached.

"Hi, sweetie! What's up?" Gus asked, smiling.

"My friend Parker came over, and he wants to know if he can spend the night. Things are kinda rough at his house right now, so.."

"I don't see why not." Dorie said, "I'll dig up a sleeping bag for him later."

"Great, thanks!" Bebe grinned. Before she could turn and tell Parker the news, Gus spoke up again.

"Say, did you hear about Parker's family? You just reminded me."

"No, what about them?"

"Apparently Iliana caught her husband and her sister in bed together!"

"No!"

"Yes! Heard 'em having a shouting match myself. Threw 'em out too."

"I'll let Parker know." Gus nodded and went back to his conversation with Dorie, while Bebe made her way back to Parker.

Iliana didn't catch them first, she and Parker did. She knew that Parker would be devastated by this news, so she almost decided not to inform him. No, she'd tell him. He deserved to know what was going on in his own family, even if the truth killed him.

Chapter Text

Lisa Bunch was furious. That wasn't new for her, but for once in her life she was furious with her 'dear' older brother, Ethan.

"I can't believe you, Ethan!" Lisa yelled at Ethan on the way back to the house.

"It's one date, Lisa." Ethan sighed, trying to calm her down.

"One date with a complete and utter bitch!"

"Don't call her that. It's impolite."

"It's what she is. She's never polite to me either."

"No, she isn't. If you're gonna be rude to her, she can be mean right back." Lisa rolled her eyes at this before yanking the house door open.

"She was the bitch first. Why did you say yes to her anyway?"

"She was lonely. You guys always include Davy, but you never include her."

"River's lonely, and I don't see you asking her out." Lisa said nastily.

"She doesn't seem all that interested in me or anyone else in the first place. Why's River the first one that comes to mind anyway? She hangs out with you and VJ, doesn't she?"

"Well, yeah. But as cool as she is, she's kind of a third wheel when VJ and I start hugging. C'mon, Ethan! You wouldn't leave a poor, sweet girl like River alone, would you?" Lisa exclaimed, rolling her eyes. God, was he oblivious.

"I suppose not, but I can't leave Candy alone either."

"Then ditch the bitch and hang out with Riv! It's not like Candy can't take no for an answer." Ethan sighed again, but didn't bother to scold her this time. She'd never change her opinion on Candy.

"Look, I'll think about it if you stop being rude."

"We both know that's not gonna happen."

"Then I'll just think about it." Ethan finally said, making his way to his room. Lisa figured it was so he could do his summer reading in peace.

Lisa, on the other hand, decided to leave again. Their parents and younger siblings weren't home, so she might as well paint the town red! As soon as she stepped out, she saw VJ leaning against a black motorcycle he either stole, built, or bought. Knowing him, it was probably the first.

"Did you follow me home?" Lisa asked, approaching the boy.

"Maybe. I just wanted to take a ride with you. You in?" VJ asked, grinning.

"Do you even have to ask? Where are we headed?" Lisa climbed on behind the boy, putting on the helmet he handed her before wrapping her arms around him.

"Riverview. There's this guy I met a couple of days ago, and I bet you'd find him interesting."

Lisa only nodded in response because she was certain he wouldn't be able to hear her over the roar of the motorcycle, or the wind whipping against them. Riverview was only twenty minutes away from Sunset Valley, but Lisa didn't like it that much. It was too dirty for her, and she didn't particularly like farms either. The blonde girl nearly screamed when she saw that VJ was parking in front of a trailer park. Who here could possibly entertain her?

She got her answer when a teenage boy of maybe fifteen or sixteen wearing a blue hat and covered in motor oil approached them.

VJ pulled off his helmet and shook the boy's hand, ignoring the fact it was covered in oil, "Trigger! Good seeing you again."

"Nice to see ya again too, VJ. Pa and the kids are out right now, so we can do whatever. Why'd you come over anyway?" Lisa pulled off her helmet, causing Trigger to stare at her in a daze, "Hello.."

"I wanted to introduce you to my girl, Lisa Bunch." VJ said quickly, helping the blonde get off the bike.

"Oh, uh, sorry!" Trigger quickly said, wiping his hands on his pants. Lisa grinned, shaking her head.

"You're good. Anyway, why are we here, VJ?"

"Ain't it obvious? We're hanging out here for today. I saw how pissed you were at Ethan earlier, so yeah."

"Do you even know what he did?"

"Why don't we go inside for this? I hate to say it, but we've got nosy neighbors here." Trigger suggested. The Sunset Valley teens agreed, following Trigger into one of the nearby trailers. Despite the yard being a complete mess, the inside of this trailer was actually pretty neat! Sure, the furniture was cheap, but Lisa didn't complain.

"Take a seat, and I'll serve up some lemonade Aunt Flo made earlier." The other teens did as they were told and listened as Trigger rummaged around in the kitchen. He came back a few minutes later with a pitcher of lemonade and three plastic cups. They thanked him once he served them, "So, Lisa. Who's this Ethan you're so mad at?"

"He's my older brother. A total goody two-shoes. It's nearly impossible to be angry at him."

"So why are you angry at him?" VJ asked.

"Well, there's this girl named Candy Ashleydale." Lisa said. She knew that VJ already knew her, but she was explaining more so for Trigger to understand, "She's a complete and total bitch. All of us hate her."

"I'm not gonna ask what she did to y'all, but I'm with ya so far." Trigger said.

"Ethan asked her out on a date! Can you believe it?"

"No he didn't!" VJ exclaimed, surprised. Trigger didn't respond to it seeing as he didn't know her, but neither VJ nor Lisa cared.

"He did! I tell ya, I could've cried!"

"Is that why River was sulking near Michael before you guys left?"

"I didn't know she was sulking.. but I'm gonna guess yes."

"So, let me see if I understand. This girl, Candy, is a rude person. Your older brother, a way nicer person, asked her out?" Trigger asked.

"That's about it." Lisa nodded.

"If she's known to be rude, why's he dating her?"

"Says it's because she's lonely ." Lisa said, making air quotations, "We exclude her for a reason!"

"If you met her, you'd understand. She's got a reputation for stealing from her ex boyfriend's families, or from the kids she babysat." VJ explained.

"Jeez, sounds like my buddy Dallas. He's no babysitter, but he likes to keep 'trophies' from past relationships."

"If he's such a dick, why do you hang out with him?" Lisa asked, eying the boy.

"It's less for him and more about me warning any of his potential victims. There isn't a girl in our school that doesn't know about his ways, but you always get the ones thinking they can 'tame' him."

"That's awfully noble of you." VJ said, clearly skeptical.

"What can I say? It's kinda sad to see the girls so sad because Dallas can't seem to stop breaking hearts."

Lisa and VJ both nodded before sharing a look. Trigger wasn't a bad kid by any means. In fact, he seemed even nicer than even Holly, River, or Michael! The fact that he lived in a completely different town somewhat made them hesitant to let him hang out with them more, mostly because they couldn't see each other everyday like the other Sunset Valley teens. That being said..

"Hey, Trigger. You should come to Sunset Valley at the end of the month. We're setting off some fireworks, and I bet you'd love our friends." VJ said casually.

"Oh, I dunno. Pa and my aunt and uncle might need help with the kids."

"Your older cousin Ruby, she could watch them."

"I guess. I'll just ask or something."

"You do that. You've still got a few weeks, so don't even sweat it."

Lisa almost found it funny; they were completely willing to let someone out of town to join their activities, but they insisted on not letting Candy in on it. How would she react, Lisa wondered.

Ethan bookmarked his page before tackling some of his homework for college. While he worked, he couldn't help but think about what Lisa said to him earlier.

'River's lonely, and I don't see you asking her out', she had shouted before calming down significantly. He couldn't help but wonder why she brought her up specifically. She hung out with Bebe, but then she had a boyfriend. There was also Holly Alto, who he got along with quite well.

He had entertained the thought of him and Holly together a few times in the past, but he already knew she preferred Michael and he'd probably get a chewing out from Bebe and Parker due to them constantly trying to push those two together.

River McIrish was another story, however. Up until very recently, he only saw the artist as a friend. He started seeing her as a little bit more, which was only amplified by what Lisa said to him. Was he interested in River? He did kinda find it cute when her face turned red whenever they spoke. And her art was really good too!

"Argh!" Ethan exclaimed, noticing he had begun to scribble on his homework. Well, it was time for him to take a break anyway. He sat down his pencil, went downstairs, and left the house like Lisa had done earlier. What could he do today? The festival would be closing for the night soon, so maybe not there. Maybe he could get his date with Candy over with sooner too? Wait, she never actually told him her address..

"Ethan..?" A small voice said from his left. He turned to see a familiar brunette, arms covered in ink as usual.

"Oh, River. Good afternoon." Ethan said, smiling. 

"Good afternoon to you too.." River replied, face beginning to turn red like it usually did.

"What are you up to? I'm surprised you're not with Lisa."

"Lisa's out with VJ, and I really wanted to look around for places to draw and paint."

"I see. If it's not any trouble, may I join you?"

"You can, but why?"

"I just want to watch you work. You draw and paint so beautifully, and I'd love to learn all of your tricks."

"There's no tricks to what I do, but I can teach you a little. Only if you want!"

"Well, I'm not particularly good at drawing.. but I'd certainly love to try."

"Then come with me."

The teens decided to walk down to the beach. They didn't bring any swimsuits, but that was fine. They wouldn't be going into the water today, they were only going to draw. As River showed Ethan her techniques he couldn't help but hang onto her every word. As strange as it sounded, he wanted to listen to her voice everyday. No, no, Ethan! He shouldn't be thinking like that, especially when he still promised to take Candy out. Yet still.. his thoughts wandered back to River and how close she was to him.

Ethan finally decided he didn't mind his newfound affection for the artist, and he couldn't help but think about how Lisa would react to this. She'd more than likely be pleased with this, but knowing her she probably has a bet with someone. 'How long does it take for Ethan Bunch to get a girlfriend?'

"...than.. Ethan?" River was waving him back to reality, and he couldn't help but jump a little.

"Oh, apologies! I guess I must have drifted off."

"It's fine." River smiled before stretching, "I think it's about time we took a break anyway." They sat down their painting materials and began to chat about whatever came to mind. It surprised Ethan how easily River was carrying the conversation seeing how shy she normally was, at least towards him.

He kinda liked chatty River.

Chapter Text

Morgana stared at her husband across the table as they ate the dinner she made in silence.

Earlier today at the festival, Morgana brought up the idea of having children of their own after seeing the various children and teens of the small town running around. Thornton never replied to that, but he ended up ignoring her for the rest of the day. When she tried inviting him to the art gallery, he declined and claimed that he had business to attend to with Jamie Jolina.

Now, Morgana was far from a jealous person. Men and women could be completely platonic with each other, but there was something about Jamie and Thornton hanging out with each other that she just didn't like. Her and Jamie worked at the same place, so she really should like her more.. but she didn't.

Was it because of how immature Jamie seemed to be? Or maybe how Thornton seemed to favor the blonde over her? Whatever it was, she didn't want to let it affect them and their relationship. Thornton chose her , not Jamie. She trusted Thornton.

"I'm going out." Thornton announced, getting up from the table to take his dish to the sink. Morgana followed him with her own plate.

"Before you go.. did you consider what I said earlier?" The woman asked hopefully.

"What did you ask?" Thorton asked, somewhat annoyed.

"About.. about having children of our own." Morgana reminded him gently. He stared at her in silence for a while, causing her to shift uncomfortably.

Finally, he turned to face the door, "Don't wait up for me, because I'll be late."

"But--"

"Goodnight, Morgana." And just like that, her husband was gone for another night. Dejected, Morgana made her way to the couch and turned on the TV. She flipped through the channels for a while before finally settling on Romantic Rendezvous. As the woman watched her movie, she couldn't help but be a little upset. The male lead looked like he genuinely loved the female lead, unlike Thornton. Why couldn't he be just a little more romantic with her? They might have rushed into the marriage thing a little, but still! Beau and Victoria Andrews rushed into a marriage as well, and they seemed perfectly happy with each other…

Morgana finally switched the TV off before she got too upset at the movie. Maybe she could call up a friend and they could go out on the town? It was still early, and since the festival had gone on for most of the day people should be pretty tired. Maybe Vita would want to meet up.. the Alto woman and her husband were typically busy whenever Morgana called, but maybe this time would be different. Morgana pulled out her cell to call Vita, but as it turned out the woman was already calling her. Of course, she answered the phone.

"Hello, Vita?"

"Yes, Morgana. I would like you to meet me at the bistro in thirty."

"How do you know that I'm not busy?"

"I know your work hours. And I know Thornton isn't home."

"Ignoring the fact that that's essentially stalking.. why do you need me?"

"I'll tell you when you get here. Also, I saw Thornton skulking around here earlier, and I assume he was meeting up with someone or buying a surprise gift. He seemed very secretive."

Oh. So that's how Vita knew she was alone. Slightly less creepy.

"Well, thank you for letting me know. I'll be there as soon as possible." Without even a 'goodbye' or a 'see you soon', the older woman hung up. Morgana grabbed her purse and house keys and made her way down to the sidewalk. Thornton took the car, so she hailed a cab and was at the bistro in about 10 minutes after telling the driver to step on it. There weren't many people dining out there besides a sad Kaylynn and Iliana Langerak sitting outside browsing a menu, but she could see Vita sitting inside patiently with a bottle of some chardonnay or champagne on the table.

"You are Morgana Wolff, correct?" The host asked, causing the woman to nod, "Follow me, please." The host led Morgana inside to Vita's table, handing her a menu before leaving.

"You're late." Vita said somewhat snappily before smiling, "Oh, don't give me that look. I'm only joking. Would you care for some chardonnay?" So, that's what that was.

"In a minute. What did you need?" Vita poured herself a glass, before swishing it around for a moment, "What I need is for you to get me more guests for my upcoming campaign fundraiser. Nick invited some of his own.. friends already."

"I can do that no problem, but why are you hosting one?" Vita rolled her eyes at this line of questioning before setting down her glass.

"Isn't it obvious, Morgana? I'm running for mayor. My family and I will be the change Sunset Valley needs to prosper like it should."

"By modernizing it, right? Won't the older folk be somewhat upset?"

"You've been paying attention, good. Yes, I seek to modernize the town like Bridgeport. And who cares what those old bats think? They're almost dead ."

"Ouch.." Morgana nervously laughed.

"Anyway, when I become mayor I plan on changing the name. Something like.. Pleasant Valley should do."

"Pleasant Valley, that's not a bad choice. It has a nice ring to it. Why not Pleasantview though?"

"Because there's already Riverview ." Vita took a sip of her drink.

"True.. but why not combine the two towns into one?" Vita paused, eyes focused on the woman. She set the glass down before resting her head on her hand, "Go on, I'm listening."

"Well, Riverview is a farming community. They're also quite behind on the times, and I'm sure that improving the economy there will convince more people to live there. It's not that far away either, so it's easier to manage compared to say… Veronaville or Strangetown."

"...Morgana, my dear. You're smarter than I thought you were. Scribonia, Valentine, and the Grunts would never let me in on their territories. I think we'll make a businesswoman out of you someday." Vita said, giving the woman a genuine smile.

"Oh, I'll pass. I think I'm content with being a doctor for now."

"Nonsense! You'd make a fine deputy mayor when I get into office, I'm sure of it." 

"Now wouldn't that be something? Me, a mayor.."

"Consider it. You're the only other person in this town that I trust. Between you and me, that Thornton is a loose cannon." With that, Vita lifted her menu up causing Morgana to do the same. What exactly did Vita mean by her husband being a loose cannon anyway?

Thornton and his friend Jamie Jolina left the movie theatre, laughing up a storm. Morgana kept bringing up the possibility of having children tonight, so he desperately wanted to get away.

Unlike his wife, children had no place in Thornton's life.

He refused to turn out like his parents, though he slowly started to see his relationship with Morgana turning out like theirs. Just like there wasn't much love in his parents relationship, there wasn't much love involved with him and Morgana. That's where Jamie came in. She's one of Morgana's coworkers, and Thornton found her to be quite the charming woman. Though he'd never admit it to himself, he wished he knew Jamie before he rushed into a marriage with Morgana. He more than likely would've chosen Jamie.

He did feel somewhat bad for having an affair, which he initiated, but what Morgana didn't know wouldn't hurt her. He always came back to her, and she never asked about his nightly activities either. He felt like he was in the safe zone for now.

"Thornton." Jamie said, looking up at him with a soft smile.

"Yes, dear? What is it?"

"Can we go back to my house? It's getting late, and Morgana may eventually see us out here if we stay any longer."

"Morgana is at home, and I doubt that she'd leave tonight, but as you wish." Thornton led Jamie to his car and opened the passenger door for her before getting in on the driver's side. The drive to Jamie house went by in comfortable silence, which Thornton appreciated.

As soon as they arrived at Jamie's house and she unlocked the door, they were on each other in an instant. They had gotten handsy with each other in the past, but neither of them took it this far before. When they finally calmed down from their small frenzy, they were in Jamie's bed and Jamie was resting her head on Thornton's chest.

"Morgana hates me." Jamie said softly, tracing patterns on his collarbone.

"Morgana couldn't hate anyone. She's far too nice for that."

"Oh, but she does indeed hate me. I see the way she's constantly glaring at me, and she always has this annoyed tone when she's speaking to me. I think she knows about us."

"Nonsense, darling. You're being paranoid. We've been extremely careful, and I know she doesn't suspect a thing."

"I think it's wrong for us to sneak around with each other behind her back like this, really."

"And yet, you still accept my advances. Jamie, I love you more than I could possibly say. What we have together is undeniably special." Thornton said, kissing the woman on her forehead.

The woman fell silent, clearly having an internal debate with herself. Finally, she sighed and leaned into him some more with her eyes closed, "I love you too, Thornton. It's just.. we need to come clean someday. I feel horrible, and I know I'll be considered a homewrecker if it were to come out."

"We're not telling anyone, and this won't ever get out to the public. We'll be fine. You'll be fine." Thornton said firmly.

"Maybe you're right.. I should calm down."

"Yes, you should. Now then, let's get a little rest."

Jamie yawned and nodded, quickly drifting off into a deep slumber. They both knew that he'd be gone by the time she woke up, and yet she clung to him as tight as she could. What Jamie said had really struck a chord with him; what if they were to get caught? Thorton's reputation might be fine, but not Jamie's. She'd have to leave town, and that would mean Thornton would have to lose the only woman he loved.

He couldn't let that happen. He just couldn't.

Chapter Text

That morning had been one of the best days of Holly's life, but she still felt somewhat guilty.

Davy had got up first thing in the morning to call Holly, and she had been pretty irritated at that. That annoyance had quickly dissipated when he brought her to the cliff overlooking the beach to watch the sunrise. After that, he took her to the diner to have some breakfast and insisted on paying for everything while they hung around town for most of the day until they went their separate ways. Davy would make a good boyfriend to someone, but Holly just didn't love Davy like that. Beating around the bush never helped anyone, but in this case she couldn't bring herself to crush his gentle heart.

That's why when Bebe called her up to invite her over, she took that chance to forget how torn she was. When she arrived by cab, the front door was already unlocked. Bebe's mother, Dorie, was sitting on the couch talking to herself about something while her father, Gus, was preparing something in the kitchen.

"They're all in the back, Holly. Sitting at the picnic table." Gus said.

"Oh, thank you Mr. Hart." Holly said, making her way to the backyard. Sure enough, her friends were all sitting there waiting for her. Parker sat next to Bebe, looking surprisingly vulnerable as opposed to his usual confident self. Michael was sitting across from them so Holly couldn't see his face, but she knew he was worried about his best friend too. "I came as soon as I got Bebe's text. She hardly ever uses her phone, so I assumed it was important."

"Have a seat." Bebe said somberly. Holly nodded, scooting in next to Michael, "Go on Parker."

"Well, I dunno if you guys heard about this already but.. Mom caught Dad and Aunt Zelda in bed together. She threw them out." Parker said, looking down at the wooden picnic table.

"Dad told me about it." Michael said, reaching over the table to pat Parker on the shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

"You already know I was there when it happened. We were the first ones to catch them, actually. That's why Parker spent the night here." Bebe said.

"Mother and Father hardly ever gossip, so this is news to me… but are you alright, Parker?" Holly asked.

"I feel like shit , Holly."

"Oh, I apologize.. will you be alright? You can't avoid them forever. I know that your mother will bring you home sooner or later."

"Honestly, I don't know. I don't want them to separate Kaylynn and me when they inevitably divorce though. Sure, I'm pretty mean to her sometimes.. but she's still my little sister, y'know?"

"Yeah, I know exactly how you feel." Michael said, "If my parents divorced and Bella had to go with one of them, I don't know what I'd do."

"Holly and I can't really relate because we don't have younger siblings, but you should know that we can try and help you feel better." Bebe smiled at her boyfriend, pulling him into a hug.

"Right! If you need anything from us, don't hesitate to ask." Holly added.

"Right now, all I want is to drop the subject for today." Parker sighed, "Tell me what's going on with you guys instead. Maybe your drama'll make me feel better."

"This morning, Davy took me out." Holly said with a small smile on her face. Michael visibly tensed up while Bebe cringed a little, "We went to the diner, and he bought some stuff for me. Nothing too out of the ordinary."

"I see." Michael said sharply, "Listen, I need to go. I'll see you guys later." He said, getting up from the picnic table.

"What's his problem?" Holly asked as soon as the teen was out of earshot, "I noticed that he's stopped returning my texts, my calls, and he's been more or less ignoring me lately. Did I say something to offend him?"

"I don't think it was anything you said.." Bebe trailed off, "But regardless, it's still kinda petty."

"I'll talk to him, don't even sweat it." Parker said, "Davy better be treating you right though. I mean it."

"Yeah, even if he is a bit of a pushover sometimes."

"He's not a pushover, but thanks guys. I actually have to get going too though! Mom wanted me back home because apparently my uncle's visiting us for a while."

"Don't a lot of your aunts and uncles live here in town already?" Bebe asked, raising an eyebrow. Holly laughed, shaking her head.

"I mean my actual uncle. Uncle Bert! He's the only one related to my family. He's my father's brother. The ladies and men you see around town sometimes just work for my parents. Most of them have known me ever since I was a baby, so I call them my aunts and uncles."

"Oh, so it's more of a respect thing." Parker reasoned.

"Yes, something like that. Now I really do have to get going now!" Holly also got up to leave the picnic table, throwing a quick goodbye to her friends as she did so.

As she sat in the cab, she bounced her leg in anticipation. Uncle Bert's visits usually preceded big things happening all at once. Not just him taking her to Bridgeport or Roaring Heights to pamper her like her parents refused to do, but things like funerals or weddings or both at the same time. She couldn't wait to see what excitement he'd bring this time around! Things were getting too quiet here besides Michael and Candy Ashleydale and Lisa Bunch antagonizing each other and her for no reason.

Vita and her husband Nick lounged around outside by the pool like a pair of spoiled fat cats until their butler, Alfred, came rushing outside to tell them something

"Sir, Madame? Your guests have arrived." The older man said with a slight bow.

"Has Holly arrived yet?" Nick asked, not even looking up from his sports magazine.

"Not yet."

"Hm. Well, go on and let them in then. We'll be inside in a moment."

Alfred nodded, making his way back into the house. Since Vita only sunbathed, she put back on her silky, red sundress and walked inside after Alfred. Nick dried himself off and threw his shirt back on before joining them.

"It's been too long, Bert." Vita smiled, pressing kisses to her brother-in-law's cheeks while he did the same.

"Yes, you really need to stop running." Nick also smiled, but his one was a bit more forced.

"Ahem." Their second guest cleared his throat to get everyone else's attention, "I don't mean to be rude, but I really would like to get this meeting over with while Little Holly is still away."

"Oh, of course Kurt." Vita grit her teeth before leading the man to the sitting room while her husband and brother caught up with each other, "Now, what did you wish to address?"

"I know you want to merge Sunset Valley with Riverview." He began, "I have no objections to that. However, I believe that there is no use for Riverview. It's small, it's isolated, and there are too many secrets hidden there."

"You want to kick everyone out of your own town?" Vita asked, surprised. In all honesty, she never considered that. There would be no point to modernizing the town if she were to do what Kurt was planning, "Why don't you just upgrade the town if it's that bad? You don't have another rich family to compete with you, you know."

"The McDermotts. Everyone looks up to them, and everyone agrees with them. If I were to go against their wishes, I'd be out of City Hall faster than you can say 'Myshuno'!"

He had a point there. Anger everyone, and you risk having all of your carefully laid out plans going to waste. At least sims here agreed with her ideas…

"I say we merge the towns before anything else." Vita said firmly, "Once the Riverview citizens see what they're missing out on, they'd agree to it in no time. Besides, everyone already knows Riverblossom Hills is the agricultural giant in SimNation. Riverview wouldn't stand a chance against it either way."

"You may just have a point there, Vita. The children and teenagers can attend school here instead, it's far more high tech than the shoddy building they learn in anyway."

"I'm glad that you finally see my point of view, Mr. Shallow."

"Just be lucky that I even considered listening to you. When should we announce this in any case?"

"At my campaign fundraiser in about two or three days. No one here is running against me for mayor, and my plans would be beneficial either way. How could they possibly refuse?"

"And am I correct  in assuming you're holding your party here then?"

"No, I'm holding it in Roaring Heights. I think I have a right to go all out on this, wouldn't you agree?"

"I can't argue with that." Kurt glanced at his watch for a moment before standing up, "I need to get going now. Tonight I'm telling my family that we're moving into Sunset Valley over dinner."

"Perhaps we could set up a meeting between your grandson and my daughter."

"That's not a bad idea actually. I will definitely consider it." He said before leaving. Vita followed him to the door, and suddenly Holly came sprinting in.

"I'm sorry for being late! There was so much traffic and a bunch of moving vans for some reasons."

Vita didn't really mind Holly being later than usual, seeing as she didn't need her telling her little friends about her plans for Sunset Valley. The part about the moving vans interested her however. Kurt had just told her about his plans to move his family here.

"And did you see where those vans were going?"

"One was going towards where the Wolffs live, one towards the beach houses, and one went towards where some of my friends live."

"Very interesting.."

"Personally, I hope it's new teenagers or something. I could use some new friends." As her daughter rambled about how some plebeian named Michael Bachelor or whatever broke her heart or something like that, Vita tuned her out. This was good news-- she could gain support if she greeted the new sims herself later.

"Is that my darling niece I hear?" Bert called out from the kitchen, causing Holly to stop her tirade and grin.

"Uncle Bert!"

"He's moving in with us this time." Vita said absentmindedly, "He figured it'd be easier to see you that way."

Holly cheered before rushing into the kitchen to greet him. Vita, on the other hand, decided to leave and hop in her imported sports car from Champs Les Sims. She would greet those families before Nancy or Gunther caught wind of their presence.

The first family she'd greet would be the one by the Wolffs, of course. 

Chapter Text

When Michael went home that day, he quickly made his way to his bedroom, completely ignoring his dad's greeting, slammed the door shut, and collapsed on his bed.

He didn't mean to shut Holly out like that. He was just so caught up in the moment! He hated Davy Linell more than anything, and for what reason? Because he wasn't afraid of telling Holly that he liked her? Because he was able to do what Michael couldn't? Ugh, why did feelings have to be so damn complicated?

"First you don't respond to me saying hello, and then you slam doors." Simis Bachelor, Michael's dad, said. He leaned against the doorframe with his arms folded and a grave expression on his face, "Mind telling me what's wrong, son?"

"Everything." Michael groaned, turning to the man, "But you wouldn't understand."

"Try me. I was your age once too, after all. Perhaps I can give you some advice." Simis replied, sitting next to Michael on the bed.

"There's this girl I like. I've liked her for a while now, and I wanted to tell her that sometime soon."

"Is it that Bebe Hart girl you're always hanging out with? You know I don't trust her family. They're lunatics."

" Dad . Don't talk about my friend's family like that." Michael snapped, glaring at Simis, "I don't care what the town thinks about her or her parents, they're genuinely good people.. Besides, it's not her. She's dating my buddy Parker."

"Alright, I get it. Just be careful around that girl."

Michael rolled his eyes and continued, "Well, the girl I like recently started dating someone else. And no, it's still not Bebe."

"Michael, I think you need to move on from this girl. If she's happy in her current relationship, let her be."

"That's the thing. I don't know if she's really happy with him. She's never mentioned liking anyone before, let alone him."

"She's not obligated to tell you anything."

"It's kinda weird that she didn't tell her best friend at least. According to her, they tell each other everything ."

"She probably wanted to keep this one a secret."

"Secrets in a town like this? How long did it take for everyone to know about Mrs. Langerak's husband cheating on her with her sister?" Michael pointed out, "If she was trying to keep the relationship a secret, she did a horrible job at it. She ended up telling me and our friends today."

"And I'm guessing that's why you're currently sulking right now." Simis shook his head, "Acting like a little kid isn't going to make that girl like you back."

"I know, but…"

"No 'buts', Michael. How does it look when you're storming off when she tells you she's with someone? Jealousy isn't a good thing for a friendship or courtship. What you need to do is apologize to her and promise to support her. If she's really your friend, then you need to respect her choices even if you don't like them."

"Yeah… you're right. I just don't think she wants to see me anytime soon. I stormed off right after she told us about her boyfriend."

"Then you definitely need to apologize. I don't know what's gotten into you lately, Michael. You were so kind as a boy."

"It's just that things are changing too fast. I mean, summer just started."

"Change isn't always bad. In any case, I hope you don't mind me asking for the name of this girl…?"

"...Holly Alto."

"The same Alto that's in the mafia? Are you sure she's the right choice for you?"

"Dad, you need to stop listening to rumors. The Altos aren't in the mafia. Bridgeport may be where they thrive, but that doesn't mean anything."

"And you need to stop talking back to me." Simis narrowed his eyes, "I'm only looking out for you."

"Even if they were in the mafia, Holly's nothing like the rest of the family. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body, and she doesn't even approve of her parents' shadier dealings."

"That could just be a facade. She could be hiding a dark secret beneath her 'goodness'."

"Yeah right." Michael snorted, "Like someone like Holly would have a deep dark secret."

"You never know, son." Simis said, finally getting up from the bed, "And remember what I told you. Apologize to Holly."

"I will, I will." Michael said absentmindedly as his father left. How could he apologize to her? Bringing her flowers would make it look like he's asking her out, which he definitely couldn't do. She probably wouldn't want to see his dumb face after ignoring her messages and storming away from her, but apologizing by text would make it look like he didn't care. He definitely cared, maybe a bit too much.

Speaking of texts, he heard the telltale sign of his phone alerting him about one. He unlocked his phone only to see that Parker had texted him.

'whats ur damge mike???'

'Your horrible grammar'

'i can use big words 2. photosynthesis

but yea hollys real upset w/ u'

'I had a feeling. Did B tell you to text me'

'maybe. but thats not important rn

we need 2 focus on u and holly'

'Why are you two so obsessed with seeing us together anyway'

'tru luv or some shit

nah but we cant just let this friend group fall apart. me and b can only be ourselves around u 2'

'I get it, but I'm gonna need some help'

'Just say the word, and we'll help you out.'

'Thanks, B. At least I know you guys have my back'

'How did you know it was me?'

'We both know Parker doesn't type well'

A full minute went by before Michael got an answer, and he could help but laugh at it. It was a simple phrase that could have only been typed out by Parker, and Michael's response was something only he'd respond with to Parker.

'stfu'

'no u'

'at least i actually play baseball'

'At least I didn't throw the bat at the pitcher's head'

It was clear that neither of his friends would respond to that, but he had a feeling that Bebe was already laughing. What would he do without Parker and Bebe, Michael wondered after shutting off his phone. They didn't ever hesitate to tell him when he messed up, but they also didn't hesitate to help him rectify his mistakes either.

To the rest of the town, Parker Langerak and Bebe Hart were two vapid and weird teenagers whose relationship was based on nothing but lust and the feeling of needing to be in a relationship.

Michael knew better than that, of course. Bebe was actually a pretty sensitive soul who cared a lot about what others thought of her, and Parker was the same way.

To Michael, Bebe Hart and Parker Langerak were his best friends. No, they were much more than that. They meant much more to him than that.

"Mary Mack, Mary Mack had a sack, sack, sack.." Bella Bachelor and her best friend Darlene Bunch smacked their palms together as they recited the ever popular 'Mary Mack' rhyme together at the park.

"Gotcha again, Bells!" Darlene cheered once her friend slipped up again for the third time that day.

"Darn it! How do you always manage to beat me? I've been practicing with Mortimer and Kaylynn for weeks now!" Bella huffed in frustration.

"I'm the Mary Mack champion of Sunset Valley. No one can beat me."

"I… I think I can beat you." A soft and unfamiliar voice said from behind the two girls. They turned to see a boy about their age with brown hair in a bowl cut dressed in reds and browns and rusty yellows.

"Who the heck are you?" Darlene asked, taking in the boy's appearance.

"Thomas Castor. I'm from Twinbrook. We… we moved in today. Me and my family."

"Twinbrook. Isn't that down south?" Bella asked, resting her head on her fist.

"Yeah.. mom and dad wanted to move us somewhere nicer and with more kids my age."

"Well, there are a whole bunch of us. They're probably getting ready for dinner though. You got any siblings, Tommy-boy?" Darlene asked. 

"Tommy-boy?" Thomas questioned before shrugging, "I have an older brother named Jeffrey. He's right over there." The kid pointed at a weird looking teenage boy glaring daggers at them for some reason.

"Why does he look like that?" Bella asked, squinting at the boy, "We didn't do anything wrong, did we?"

"No, he's always like that. He doesn't really get along with others, and especially not with our family. He's only glaring at you guys because he was forced to bring me here."

"Well, he's a freakin' weirdo. I could kick his scrawny butt any day of the week." Darlene said, glaring right back at the teen.

"Darlene! Be nice." Bella scolded, causing the blonde girl to roll her eyes in annoyance, "I mean it. They just got here and you're already being unkind."

"It's fine, really… our family can be kinda weird sometimes." Thomas said quietly, picking at the lint on his sweater.

"It's not alright." Bella said firmly, "But let's drop it for now. I'm Bella Bachelor, and this is Darlene Bunch."

"Yeah, the Sunset Valley Mary Mack champion!"

"Well… I was the Twinbrook Mary Mack champion." Thomas said with a small smile. With a smirk, Darlene raised the palm of her hands and this is what started the most intense Mary Mack game Bella had ever seen. Darlene intentionally tried to mess Thomas up, but the boy didn't even break a sweat. That's the moment Darlene knew she needed to get serious. She couldn't let some fancy new boy dethrone her!

Bella could only watch in shock and awe as Darlene's brother Arlo, Mortimer, and Malcolm Landgraab walked up to them.

"Man, he's really giving my sis as run for her money." Arlo whistled.

"Who is he? I've never seen him around here before." Malcolm asked, arms folded behind his back.

"Thomas Castor. His family is new here." Bella replied, still engrossed in the game.

"He's good. Not even I can beat Darlene." Mortimer said.

"I bet he's gonna beat Darlene." Arlo said, grinning.

"And I bet I'm gonna beat you when we get home, Arlo." Darlene snapped, still not looking up from the match.

Finally, it (somehow) ended in a draw. The boys congratulated Thomas while Darlene sulked with Bella.

"I can't believe that bowl cut butthead actually managed to keep up with me! I hate him!"

"Aww, it's not that bad. Now you can have fun destroying someone else for a change."

"Fat chance, Bells! If he's as good as me, then how am I supposed to beat him?"

Thomas came up to the girls now, smiling.

"That was a good match, Darlene! Does this make us friends?"

"No way!" Darlene grabbed the boy by his sweater vest, getting up in his face, "This means war , boy. From this day forward, you and I are rivals! Enemies even!" She then let Thomas fall to the ground, stomping away.

"What was that all about…?" Thomas winced, rubbing his aching back as Mortimer and Bella helped him up.

"Sorry about her. Darlene gets really competitive when she feels her dominance is being threatened." Arlo said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"All I wanted was some friends…" Thomas said, clearly dejected.

"Oh, don't worry about that! We can all be friends. Kaylynn and Miraj too, if they ever get here." Bella smiled, "Don't worry about Darlene though. She'll come around sooner or later."

"Hopefully sooner." Mortimer said.

"So, what do we do now that Darlene's going home?" Malcolm asked.

"Anything we want to, really. Let's play on the playground." Bella suggested. The boys agreed to this course of action, and they played and played until a little after dark and their parents called them for supper. Bella couldn't help but tell her family about everything that had happened to her today, and they hung onto her every word. She could tell that they'd like the Castors, and that pleased her immensely.

She liked the Castors too-- or just Thomas at least.

Chapter Text

Later that day, Iliana Langerak called her son and asked him to return home for a while. He didn't have to stay over if he didn't want to, but she desperately needed to talk to him and Kaylynn.

"Please, babe?" Parker pleaded, holding onto his girlfriend's hands, "I don't think I'll get through this without you there."

"But you'll have Kaylynn." It wasn't as if Bebe didn't want to support Parker, but Iliana disliked Bebe and made it known. She knew that Parker knew that too.

"I know, but.. you make me feel better." He said simply, "Kay's my sister yeah, but she doesn't know me as well as you do. She needs someone to comfort her too."

"Yeah, but…" Bebe bit her lip. One on hand, Iliana would probably just send her away as soon as she saw her. On the other hand, who would comfort Parker while he comforted Kaylynn?

"Okay. When are we supposed to meet up with them?"

"Right now, actually." 

They took their sweet time leaving Bebe's house, and they took their sweet time walking to Parker's. The walk went by in silence, but it wasn't an uncomfortable one. As they came up to Parker's driveway, Bebe could hear a faint ringing in her ears. Her hands felt clammy, and her heart was beating out of her chest too. If Parker noticed she was distressed, he didn't say anything about it. She was thankful for that.

Parker fished for his house keys in his shorts pockets, pulling them out a minute later. Almost mechanically, he unlocked the door and entered the house with Bebe behind him.

His mother and sister were already sitting across from each other waiting for him. Iliana's eyes narrowed to slits and a sneer soon followed as soon as she noticed the unwanted guest.

"Hart. This meeting is not for you. Please leave my house." Bebe winced at the woman's harsh tone and before she could respond to it, Parker jumped in to defend her.

"I invited her. Ma'am." Bebe noticed his voice falter a little as he said that. Was he afraid of his mom or something? She's never seen him afraid of someone before.

"You were told to come alone." Iliana barked back, "Leave, Hart."

"No!" Parker shouted before realizing what he had just done, "I mean.. I think she has a right to know what's going to happen to me." He said more quietly, subtly squeezing his girlfriend's hand.

Iliana said nothing as the two of them sat on either side of Kaylynn, who immediately leaned against her older brother for comfort. It was clear that Iliana was still miffed judging by the tone of her voice.

"As you should all know by now, I threw your father and your aunt out. Dustin and I are getting a divorce as well."

Bebe could feel Parker tense up as Kaylynn buried her face into his chest, clearly upset. He wrapped an arm around the younger girl, causing Bebe to do the same with Parker.

"You two have a choice. One of you can stay here with me, while the other must go with his father. I don't want to sit in a court over this."

Bebe noticed how the woman said his rather than their . She could feel anger rising up inside her-- it was clear to Bebe who Iliana seemed to favor in this family. She held no ill will towards the little girl in Parker's arms, but for once she felt the need to speak up.

"Excuse me, but did you just say his father?" Bebe asked before she could stop herself.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Right now. You just said his father, instead of their father."

"Then you need to clean the wax out of your ears, little girl . I did say their father, and if you're going to continue to interrupt me then you can just leave. Do you understand ?" Bebe slowly nodded, brow furrowed and her jaw set.

"I didn't hear you."

"Yes, Ms. Langerak…"

"Good. Now, make your choices."

"Wait, right now?" Parker asked incredulously.

"Yes, right now. I haven't got all day." Iliana said impatiently. Bebe could hear her say something under her breath, but couldn't exactly make out what she had said. Based on Parker suddenly looking away from the woman, she guessed it was something rude about him.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kaylynn looking up at her brother with wide eyes. She was mouthing the word 'No', but Parker subtly nodded his head.

"Yeah, I think I'll stay here." Parker said casually, as if he were discussing the weather or the latest video game.

" What ?" Iliana asked sharply. Clearly, she wasn't expecting that answer.

"I'm staying here, Mom. Kay can go with dad."

"No, she can't!" Iliana exclaimed before springing out of her seat. She marched up the stairs, and they could hear a door slam too.

"Watcher. And she calls my parents crazy." Bebe sighed, shaking her head before turning to Parker and his sister.

"You can't stay here, Parker! She's gonna hurt you!" Kaylynn said frantically. It was the first time Bebe had heard her speak today, and she wished it were under better circumstances.

"Sticks and stones hurt like hell, but words can't do shit." Parker shrugged. Bebe knew he was just putting on a brave face though-- she saw how he cowered before the woman earlier.

"Parker.. you know it's okay to be afraid, right?" Bebe said firmly. Parker wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Not now, babe.." He said softly before wiping Kaylynn's tears away, "Go to Dad, Kay. I bet you'll love it there."

"No, I won't!" She exclaimed, face turning red, "How am I gonna enjoy it without you?"

"I'll visit if you want me to, but someone's gotta keep mom company." With that, he placed his lucky baseball cap on the girl's head with a grin, "Keep it safe for me, alright?"

"Y-Yeah.. okay." Kaylynn said, wiping her face and adjusting her new baseball cap. 

"See? Fits like a glove! Now, wanna go to the park or something?"

"...Okay." The three kids got up from the sofa seeing as Iliana probably wouldn't be coming back down for a while now. Bebe kept trying to meet Parker's eyes, but he was more focused on the road ahead of them. She wouldn't force him to say anything if he didn't want to, of course, but she was definitely worried about him. The way Iliana blew up at him when he said he wanted to stay with her frightened Bebe. She had never seen anyone so angry before-- not even perpetually bitchy Lisa Bunch. (Not that Lisa wasn't ashamed of being mean.)

As soon as Kaylynn ran off to play with her friends, Parker led Bebe to a park bench and began to run a hand through his styled jet black hair.

"Hoo boy. Where do I even start?"

"How exactly did you go from trembling at your mom's feet to your usual self?"

"Gotta be strong for Kay, y'know?" Parker said casually, "If I'm afraid, then she's gonna be afraid."

"Parker.. I'm afraid that Iliana's going to hurt you while you live with her."

"If you're worried she's gonna hit me, she's not. She doesn't want to risk anything." Bebe's blood ran cold. How could he say something like that like it was the norm at his house? If Iliana Langerak wasn't at risk for whatever it was she was at risk for, what would that mean for Parker and Kaylynn? Bebe shook her head, trying to clear that thought from her mind.

"I've already heard it all." Parker continued, looking ahead at something, "Nothing she says bothers me anymore."

"But it bothers me, Parker! It's the fact that you don't seem to care that your mom's a horrible person!"

"Believe me Bebe, I know and I care . Why do you think I'm trying to take Kay's place?" Parker asked quite loudly, "It's because I don't want her to end up like me!"

The two of them were staring wide eyed at each other, and they could feel the entire park's eyes on them. Yet another strike against the two of them-- Bebe could almost see the headlines now. ' Local Teenage Couple Having a Lover's Spat at the Park. Potential Breakup on the Horizon? ' 

"You know what? Look, I'm sorry. I should just mind my own business when I clearly don't understand you about much as we thought I did." Bebe sighed, looking down at her worn out sandals, "Just.. tell me what I can do to help you out."

"You already are. You being here with me is like, the only thing keeping me from lashing out right now. And you know what? You don't need to apologize. I have to admit it, I hide stuff like this sometimes so you guys don't worry. I'm more worried about mom trying to get you guys arrested more than anything besides my sister."

"Oh, how sweet." A new voice came from in front of them. It was a male voice, but it certainly didn't match any of the ones they knew. The couple looked up to see a teenage boy staring blankly at them through one visible eye, the other was covered up by his hair. He was wearing a patterned sweater over a yellow shirt, and Bebe thought it was a pretty interesting look.

"Watcher, you dress like my friend Holly. Except Holly's a girl." Parker said boredly. The boy completely ignored the insult, instead focusing on the 'Holly' part.

"You're familiar with Holly Alto?" He asked excitedly, causing Bebe and Parker to share a weirded out look with each other.

"Who wants to know?" Bebe asked. The boy turned his attention to Bebe instead.

"Me, Jeffrey Castor. I have a proposition for her. A very good proposition."

"Sorry, never heard of her." Parker said, shrugging, "Don't the Altos live in Bridgeport anyway?"

"Actually.. one branch of the Alto family tree moved here." Jeffrey said, grinning. Oh watcher. Hate was a very strong word, and Bebe knew she hated this kid's smile. It was unsettling, it made her feel like he was going to do some horrible to her.

"Are you stalking the Altos, dude?" Parker asked, raising an eyebrow at the boy.

"No! Just very careful observation… besides, how could I stalk her? Twinbrook isn't at all close to Bridgeport…" The boy trailed off and began to wander off.

Bebe and Parker watched him as he leff, noticing that he decided to go bother two other teenagers. One of them looked a lot like Lisa from behind, except she was far paler and was carrying a pink, lacy parasol. Lisa Bunch wouldn't be caught dead with something like that.

With the other person, they couldn't really make out anything too striking besides their pale skin and dark hoodie covering their head.

"Babe?" Parker asked.

"Yeah?" Bebe answered absentmindedly.

"You get the feeling something strange is about to go down soon?"

"Absolutely. And you know what? We're not even in Strangetown." 

Sunset Valley was definitely changing right before their eyes. New faces were popping up everywhere, and it felt like new revelations were being made every single day. Gone were the blissful days of their small town hidden in the valley. New times were approaching fast, and Bebe didn't know if she'd be able to adapt to these changes or just get lost in the tides.

Chapter Text

Ethan had just gotten back from hanging out with Candy Ashleydale, sighing upon realizing Lisa had begun to snub him because of it. It wasn't like it was a date, so why did she get so mad about it?

Ethan was just getting ready to go upstairs when he heard the doorbell ring. It was somewhat odd seeing as they weren't expecting any visitors today. Nevertheless, the boy went to greet whoever was at the door.

He was immediately smothered with a bone-crushing hug and the strong smell of some perfume that only the elderly would wear.

"Ethan! It's been too long!" The person said happily, releasing Ethan before he died of suffocation or perfume fumes. Whichever came first.

"Jane and John!" His parents came out of their room to see who was at the door, and Ethan immediately moved out of the way so he wasn't caught up in the group hug.

"Is that Aunt Jane and Uncle John?" Lisa asked Ethan as she came down the stairs. As usual, she had a cloud of smoke and fruity scents around her to try and cover it up.

"I.. guess it is. I wonder what they're doing here though? They only visit on Harvestfest and Simsmas."

"Maybe the loonies finally left that weird town and finally moved here like they said they were." Lisa joked.

As it turned out, Lisa was right on the money.

Their aunt Jane Doe (their mom, Judy Bunch's sister) and her husband John brought their three children Joseph, Jennifer, and James to Sunset Valley for a way more normal life. According to them, Midnight Hollow was far too macabre and dark for their tastes.

"Your Ethan is so well behaved, Judy!" Jane exclaimed, happily pinching the teen's cheeks at the dinner table. Ethan could only sit there frozen in embarrassment and shame as Darlene and Lisa made jokes about him, "I think Joseph could learn a thing or two from him."

"Yeah, sure." Joseph snapped, clearly agitated. It felt strange seeing his cousin so upset, really. Joseph was usually very warm and friendly. He was very much like Ethan himself, right down to their appearances (they were family though, so that part wasn't really odd).

"Aww, don't lose your head, Joey!" Darlene teased in a somewhat mean-spirited way, "Just don't take our brother away from us. I need to do my homework for me so I can get back to doing my stunts."

"Oh, so that's the only good thing about me then?" Ethan snorted, finally free from his aunt's iron grip.

"Hmm, yep!"

Suddenly, Joseph rose up from the table and marched right out the door. 

"Oh dear.. sorry about him." John sighed. Oddly enough, it looked to Ethan like the man was still smiling despite his disapproval of his son, "It's just hard for him to adjust to a new place, y'know?"

"New place? You guys come here all the time though." Ethan asked, confused.

"Oh, didn't your parents tell you? We're moving to Sunset Valley permanently!" Jane said happily. Lisa and Ethan shared a look before Lisa finally got up from the table.

"I need a smoke. Don't wait up for me."

"A smoke? But that's very unladylike." Jane said firmly, causing the teen to roll her eyes in defiance.

"Up yours." Lisa sneered, slamming the front door shut as she left. Jane and John gasped dramatically, while Jennifer was unphased for the most part, choosing to play footsies with Darlene and Arlo instead.

"Judy! You never told us how rude your daughter is!" Jane said, raising a trembling finger at her sister in anger.

"Lisa hates being told what to do." Judy said calmly, "And if we banned her from smoking, then she would most likely go behind our backs to do it anyway. Jack and I would prefer her to do it in the safety of her house than at a sketchy place where she could possibly take the wrong thing."

"You need to teach your children some manners." John added, "Lisa, Arlo, Darlene, why can't they be more like Ethan?"

At the sound of his name, Ethan's face and neck went pink with embarrassment as he hung his head to avoid his family's gazes. He hated being put in the spotlight, and he despised adults comparing everyone else to him as well. It made some people dislike him, and it made some believe Ethan thought he was too good for everyone else.

"Yes, what do you think about your sister's habits?" Jane asked, smiling.

Now, while Ethan hated when Lisa smoked because the smell permeated everything no matter how much they sprayed or how many windows they opened, it kept her from lashing out on everything and everyone else. Everyone thought VJ Alvi got her addicted-- but in actuality, it was her idea first.

"I.. it doesn't bother me that much." Ethan didn't have to look up to see that his aunt and uncle were disappointed in his answer, "May I be excused?"

"Take the kids with you upstairs, but leave James on the couch. He's asleep." Jack said. Ethan nodded, leading his younger siblings and cousin upstairs. Just as he led the children into his room, they could hear a shouting match start up between their respective parents.

Ethan winced as he shut the door and finally turned to the children. Jennifer was nervously picking at her perfectly (for a kid anyway) manicured nails like she usually did. Darlene tormented Arlo, who threatened to tell everyone that she still wet the bed at night (which was very much not true, Darlene insisted).

Finally, Ethan turned on some music on the small, sky blue radio located on his desk. The kids stopped what they were doing for a second or two until Darlene declared a dance battle. And yes, Ethan had to join them as well. While the children smustled, Ethan could only awkwardly shuffle his feet-- he didn't dance in front of people. He didn't dance alone either.

Still, he didn't want to disappoint the children and he certainly didn't want them hearing the shouting match either. So he danced and danced until his legs were sore, and then he danced some more until finally the kids were exhausted.

It was official, Joseph Doe was lost in downtown Sunset Valley. He had been so angry when they started comparing him to Ethan, that he wanted to skip town right then and there.

His achievements? Ignored in favor of his precious golden boy cousin's achievements whether it be a skill or a grade. Whatever he or Jennifer did was inevitably compared to Ethan. Why couldn't his parents just understand that he wasn't Ethan and that he would never be Ethan? He was always Joseph Doe, and that would never change for as long as he lived.

"You know if you're trying to run away, you did a pretty shitty job at it. You could've been halfway to Riverview by now." A girl's voice said from behind him.

"I wasn't trying to run away, Lisa. I was…"

"Look, I get it." Lisa walked up to her cousin, taking a drag of her cigarette, "Ethan breathes and it's like the motherfuckin' Watcher rose from their grave a second time."

"Heh, yeah. I just don't want to be compared to him anymore. I'm fine with not being super rebellious like you, but.."

"I'm not gonna tell you to be yourself, you know. I'm not like your Simsmark greeting card family."

"Well, I never took you as someone to comfort anyone anyway."

"Oh, I do comfort people sometimes depending on who it is, but you need to pull yourself together. You want them to stop seeing you as Ethan? Stop acting like him."

"I just said--"

"I heard you. But maybe you should try forcing them to see you in a completely different light instead of staying in my brother's shadow." Lisa said before holding out her box of cigarettes.

"I don't smoke, and that was oddly philosophical."

"Then why do you carry around a lighter?"

"Friend gave it to me as a going away gift. She wanted to give me something to remember her by, though I'd never be able to forget her."

"She was your girlfriend or something?"

"It wasn't ever official or anything like that. We didn't want to make it official."

"Why not? Kudos to you for not putting a label on it, but why?"

"It wasn't safe. Her uncle's pure evil, and she didn't want me getting hurt by him."

"Damn. If I were cockblocked like that--"

" Lisa. You're so crass."

"Yeah, and? Are you going to scold me like your parents?"

"Of course not. I'm not really like them, if you couldn't tell."

"Well, good. They're the reason I left." Lisa said, taking her cousin's arm, "Now come on, you need to see someone." Joseph didn't protest. He could understand why this place was called Sunset Valley-- the sunsets here really were beautiful. In Midnight Hollow, it felt like it was constantly nighttime.

Lisa took Joseph to a decently sized house close to the ocean. She rang the doorbell and waited-- soon enough, a rather pretty teenage girl with shoulder length brown hair, tattoos, and a paintbrush in her mouth came running to the door to open it.

"Lisa! What are you doing here so late?" The girl asked, taking the brush from her mouth.

"Riv, I want you to meet my cousin." River looked towards the blond boy wearing blue, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Erm, hello…? You look a lot like--"

"Yes, I know." Joseph said quickly, "I'm Joseph Doe."

"River McIrish. I'd shake your hand but.." She raised her hands to reveal that they were covered in paint.

"So, you're a painter?" Joseph asked once River let them in.

"Yeah, but I do a whole bunch of other things too. Sculpting, pottery, guitar.."

"That's really cool!"

"You really think so?" River smiled a little, pale face going red.

"Of course! I prefer gardening myself though. And cooking too."

"I hear that you two are getting along." Lisa said, grinning as she took a bag of chips from River's pantry.

"Your cousin is actually pretty cool, Lisa." River said, "You guys should come over tomorrow too."

"We'll be here, don't worry." Joseph replied.

"Watcher, you don't even know if I'm busy tomorrow!" Lisa rolled her eyes, "I'm not, by the way."

With that conversation out of the way, Lisa watched as her best friend and her cousin ignored her in favor of speaking to each other. Lisa didn't particularly care in this instance, really. She was happy they got along! In any case, River would probably be able to get over her dumb older brother because of this. Of course, Lisa wasn't giving up on them just yet.

She needed Candy Ashleydale out of the way first and foremost. Had it been any other girl that was interested in Ethan, she'd be perfectly fine with it! It was the fact that it was Candy of all people.

She wasn't going to murder Candy, not yet anyway. That was reserved for Plan Z.

It was highly unlikely she'd ever get to Plan Z… probably.

She tuned back into her friends' conversation. Apparently Joseph had said something hilarious because River was on the floor rolling in laughter and tears. 

"Are you two done yet?" Lisa teased, causing River to sit up and lean up against the couch.

"I think we're good for now."

"The cat sure wasn't though." Joseph said, which made River burst out into laughter again.

Lisa couldn't help but roll her eyes at this display. Finding Joseph funny meant you had horrible taste in jokes. Clearly, she'd need to teach Joseph some better ones.

Oh, and tell VJ literally everything that happened tonight!

Chapter Text

Morgana, Thornton, and Vita sat on one couch while a teenage girl, a teenage boy, and a man sat on the other one across from them.

The girl was blue-eyed, super pale, and her blonde hair was tied into two plaits with dark red ribbons on the ends of them. She was wearing a cute pink sundress with black combat boots, and there was a pink and white parasol leaning against the couch next to her leg.

The boy had hazel eyes and light brown hair styled in somewhat of a pompadour. His black hoodie was unzipped to reveal a grey shirt with white letters on it. He also wore dark ripped jeans and black sneakers. His face looked super tired, but he never nodded off once.

Finally, the man with them had deep brown eyes, and black hair styled into a comb-over. He wore a black trenchcoat with a black top and red vest over it. His slacks and shoes were also black, and Morgana noted that he was wearing red lipstick. She had that exact shade in her bathroom, as a matter of fact.

Morgana had heard of these people from her husband. The man was Ayden Van Gould, and the two children were his children Tristan and Emelie. They had come from Moonlight Falls, a town up north close to Midnight Hollow. According to Thornton, his family and the Van Goulds had hated each other for years and that wouldn't be stopping anytime soon.

The woman couldn't help but wonder what exactly Vita was planning.

"Why have you called me into the house of my family's enemy, Mrs. Alto?" Ayden sneered, gazing at the woman as if she were beneath him. Vita stood her ground however, and went ahead to tell them her plans.

"Mr. Van Gould, I want Sunset Valley to prosper just as you wanted Moonlight Falls to prosper when you and your family lived there. To achieve this, I wish to become mayor and I require your support."

"And if I do help you, what exactly is in it for our family? If you lose this election, then we'll have wasted money that we won't ever get back."

"Should you decide to head back to Moonlight Falls to prove to the Wolffs that you founded the town--" Morgana noticed how her husband stiffened up and how Emelie winced a little at this, "My family would gladly support you."

"Very tempting, Mrs. Alto. Very tempting indeed." Ayden stroked his chin as if he had a beard for a moment before standing. He gestured for his children to do the same, "I shall think about this tonight. I will contact you once I've decided." With that said, the man and his children left. Thornton ended up leaving to take care of some business as well, leaving Vita and Morgana alone in the living room with each other.

"What are you thinking, Vita?" Morgana asked, eyebrows raised as high as they could go, "Even you should know about the feud between my husband's family and the Van Goulds!"

"Of course I know about it, my dear Morgana. I am simply trying to get them to get along with each other."

"That's very noble of you, but… there's definitely more to it than that."

"You know me so well. If I can get the support of both your family and the Van Goulds, I'll be practically unstoppable. After all, the Van Goulds are vampires; we'll be allies for all eternity."

"I don't know, Vita. What if your future descendants end up making them mad or something like that?"

"My daughter would never anger anyone. She's as meek as a mouse, and she allows everyone to walk all over her. I'm not at all worried about her offending anyone."

Morgana pursed her lips at the way Vita spoke about her daughter. There wasn't anything wrong with being nice or being polite to everyone, "I see. Well, why did you bring them here instead of your house?"

"Morgana, once you invite a vampire into your home, it gives them free reign to nibble at your neck." Vita said, "At least here I know that nothing will happen."

"That's.. stereotypical. Very stereotypical." Morgana replied quite seriously, "I'm sure that there's plenty of vampires not at all interested in blood."

"And that's exactly why you should speak to them." Vita smiled, "You'd get along with them better, being supernaturals and all."

"I--" Well, crap. Vita just roped her into doing her dirty work for her. How does she keep doing that?

"I really must get going, Morgana. I have other people to meet with today." The older woman stood up, walking towards the front door, "I don't care how you do it, I just want the Van Goulds on my side by next month."

"But--" Morgana sighed, seeing as Vita already left. How was she going to end a blood feud in just one measly month?! On top of that, she really didn't want to deal with politics any longer than she had to. She was fine with being a doctor. She preferred the more sterile and modern environment of the hospital compared to the stuffy and old town hall.

She couldn't be ruthless or cutthroat like Vita, Nick, and Nancy Landgraab. She was more like Geoffrey; more sensitive and preferred to listen. That might've been why the man took her under his wing when she was first starting out. He would probably be disappointed in her if he found out she was scheming with Vita behind his back.

Then again, he didn't seem particularly interested in the feud between his and Vita's families.

Morgana shook her head. She couldn't think about Geoffrey at a time like this! She needed to just do as Vita told her.. though she didn't know how many more demands she could take from the woman anymore.

She also wanted to focus on Thornton. She might've been a little too naive for her own good, but she was far from dumb or unobservant. Thornton had his eye somewhere else. On someone who wasn't her. The constant late night trips, the way he constantly brushed her off.. he rarely even kissed her anymore.

Morgana knew his love for her was fading. She was just waiting for him to come out and say it himself.

When Thornton met up with Jamie that night, he could immediately tell that something was wrong with her.

She wouldn't meet his eyes, she was staring off into space constantly during their small date, and her hand kept resting on her stomach. If she were hungry or had a stomach ache, she would've told him immediately. So what was wrong with his lover?

"Jamie, my dove." Thornton said once they arrived at her small house, "What ever is the matter?"

"What do you mean, love? Everything is perfectly fine." Jamie replied softly, pressing a hand to her stomach once again.

"You know I don't like secrets, Jamie." Thornton said seriously, causing the blonde woman to sigh and finally tell the truth.

"I.. I'm pregnant."

" What? " Thornton sharply drew in a breath, looking into Jamie's downcast eyes, "Is it-?"

"I've only ever been with you, Thornton. What are we going to do?"

Thornton wracked his brain for a solution. Morgana couldn't find out about this, yet he didn't want to force Jamie to give up the child if she didn't want to. He should've been far more careful-- or better yet, he shouldn't have cheated at all.

"You need to leave Sunset Valley before you start showing if you decide to keep it?"

"What?"

"People in Sunset Valley talk. If they found out that you had a child out of wedlock, rumors will fly around. Plus, Morgana will certainly find out sooner or later. I'll be ruined."

"Is that what you're so worried about?" Jamie asked, eyebrows raised to the ceiling, " Your reputation?! "

"Not just mine, but yours as well. I will support you and the child, but you shouldn't stay here."

"And where exactly do you suggest I go then? If you haven't noticed by now, the towns around here are small ."

"Bridgeport, Belladonna Cove… hell, you could even go to Lucky Palms."

"With what money, Thornton? I make a lot, but I can't afford to live in either of those places." Jamie asked in exasperation.

"I'll purchase a house for you. Any house. I'll pay child support and everything else if needed as well."

At this point, Thornton was desperate. He didn't want to raise a child now or anytime soon and he really needed Jamie to leave before anyone else caught on. 

"Fine, I'll go. But once this baby is born, you need to visit once in a while. It's your child whether you like it or not."

"Yes, yes of course." He didn't like it one bit. He was worse than his father-- at least he didn't have illegitimate children, "Do you know where you're going?"

"Appaloosa Plains. It's not too far from Riverblossom Hills."

"Appaloosa Plains.. I'll remember that."

"I'll be gone by the end of next month." Jamie said. Thornton could tell she was upset with him by her curt tone and the way she kept trying to dodge his comforting caresses.

"Jamie, I'm sorry."

"No, Thornton. I get it. You're rich and respected, and you're already married to another woman. A scandal like this would ruin you.."

"But you're upset with me. I see it on your face."

"I'm allowed to be upset with you too, you know. Now, can we please continue this conversation tomorrow? I need to be alone right now."

"As you wish." Thornton said, turning to leave. He hoped that Jamie would change her mind and ask him to stay with her, but she did no such thing. He ended up not going home straight away because he didn't want to face Morgana right now. He could see Emelie and Tristan Van Gould and Lisa Bunch and what looked to be Ethan Bunch hanging out at the park together despite it being pretty late and far past their curfew. Who did these hooligans think they were, exactly?

In the end, however, Thornton couldn't bring himself to scold them. He was too upset over Jamie, and how careless he was with her. He needed to be more careful from now on, otherwise he'd lose both the love of his life and Morgana.

As laughing teenagers and the sounds of police sirens passed by his car, Thornton knew he had to try and fix everything.

By that, he needed to divorce a certain someone, though it wouldn't be easy for either of them.

Chapter Text

Laurel Grisby sat on her bed's naked mattress with her best friend Betty Simovitch, her plaid and blue suitcase on the floor by their feet.

"What if these new kids don't like me, Betty?" Laurel asked softly. Laurel was a rather shy girl with dull, brown hair tied in a plain ponytail. She usually wore a large, blue turtleneck sweater with some plain shorts and sneakers. The most interesting part about her was her face-- her ears and her nose were rather large, and she had been teased in the past by the Shallow siblings because of them.

"Then I'll beat them up when I eventually get there! Plus, Bob's going to be there looking out for you too." Betty exclaimed. Betty Simovitch was a loud and rather pretty girl (prettier than she could ever be anyway, Laurel thought sadly) with beautiful black hair hanging down in a shoulder length bob. She was tanned and lean due to her being Riverview's track star, though she was usually seen wearing a girly pink sundress and matching heels. Laurel thought it was kinda weird for a tomboy like Betty, but it still suited her quite well.

"Well, yeah, but still… you and Bob aren't always gonna be around for me. What if Holly Alto is as mean as MaryKay? They're both rich girls, and they're both from families that people think are evil…" Betty patted her best friend on the shoulder, giving the girl a reassuring smile.

"I don't think anyone could be as evil as MaryKay, honestly. Even her own brother hates her guts!"

"If you say so, Betty.. I'm still a little skeptical. My nose and ears are all people can think about whenever they see me, and they'd probably point it out too."

"I told you that you could start wearing jewelry! They'd be more focused on that. Plus, if you wore some flattering clothes and got a haircut that actually complimented your looks, you'd be drop dead gorgeous."

"I'd just drop dead, really. I don't like that much attention on me anyway.."

"You don't have to dress flashy, y'know. You can have a super subtle look and still be pretty darn adorable."

"Hm.. I guess we can try it sometime then. After I get to Sunset Valley anyway."

"Good! You can have the clothes I hate wearing. Don't worry, they're not all torn up or anything either."

"I know you wouldn't give me tattered clothes, Betty." Laurel said, finally smiling back at her friend, "Now can you help me carry some of these boxes down? Mom and Dad want the rooms cleared out by the end of the week so we can move next Friday."

"You got it!"

With Betty's help, the girls were able to finish bringing the boxes down (and finish up the rest of Laurel's chores!) in record time. Saying goodbye to her parents, Laurel and Betty hopped on their bikes to ride down to the river. Of course, Maximus was down there fishing while Dallas sat nearby and made snide comments as soon as he noticed Laurel.

"Sorry, Dumbo. You can't really catch fish with your trunk ." Dallas smirked upon seeing Laurel fidget uncomfortably at his presence. Betty glared at the boy, stomping over to him.

"You better watch your fast mouth, Dallas. I'll give you another shiner faster than you can call your precious daddy and your fancy lawyer to protect you."

Dallas' smirk dropped as Betty chewed him out. As Laurel scooted over to Maximus, she could see a small grin on his face as he shook slightly.

"Catch anything?" Laurel asked conversationally. Maximus looked down at her for a second before turning his gaze back to his line.

"Yeah, nothin' too noteworthy though. Threw 'em back 'cause they're too small to fry."

"Oh. Well, did you hear about Mr. Shallow's plans to merge Sunset Valley and Riverview if he got elected?"

"Yeah. Ma and Pa don't really approve of it, but I don't really mind. Least we can meet some new people." He reeled in the line to reveal a rather large fish, which he tossed into the bucket next to Laurel, "You excited?"

"Mmm, not really. New people means more people who can make fun of me.. I know I'm being pessimistic about the whole thing, but.. I'm not sure I could handle being teased by anyone else."

"I honestly think Betty over there would knock some sense into 'em first. But you know, you're not at all a bad person. They wouldn't have a reason to bother you."

The fact that Maximus McDermott of all people thought that she was a good person pleased her more than it should've. It wasn't like they spoke with each other that often anyway.

"Oh, thanks Max.." Laurel replied, tucking her hair behind her ear, "Will your family be moving on over there too?"

"Probably. They're thinking about going to Riverblossom Hills too. I think I'd prefer Sunset Valley though. It's where you guys are."

"Same here, really.." Laurel said, finally letting Maximus fish in peace.

Maybe Sunset Valley wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Say 'Hi' to Lisa Bunch for me once you get there, won't ya?" Trigger Broke asked his best friend Bob Newbie as they sat in lawn chairs in their swimming trunks. They were dipping their feet into a small kiddie pool full of cold water and they sipped on some cold sodas from the cooler between them on the ground.

Trigger was a friendly boy with bright blue eyes and short brown hair usually hidden underneath a blue baseball cap given to him by his mother Mary-Lu before she died. He was relatively toned and usually smelt of motor oil because he was almost always found working on an old car on his family's lawn.

Bob (short for Robert) Newbie Jr. was Trigger's best friend, who was more of a bookworm than anything. He had warm brown eyes, and light brown (almost blond) hair that fell in curtains around his face. While he wasn't as sporty as his friend Betty or as handy as Trigger, it wasn't hard at all for him to hang out with them while they were doing their respective activities.

"This girl must be really something special. You keep bringing her up. Are you in love or something?" Bob asked, snorting.

"Maybe. I just think she's one cool girl."

"Well, do ya think she's got a cute friend then?"

"She might, but you'd have to ask her yourself. She didn't tell me much about her friends back home besides VJ." Trigger shrugged, "You're still trying to find your soulmate or whatever?"

"You betcha! I think I'm gonna find her in Sunset Valley."

"Yeah, good luck with that. I think the McDermott's pigs are gonna start flying before you find a girlfriend."

"Laugh it up now Trigger, but you'll be feeling mighty dumb when I got a pretty girl hanging off my arm and you're still alone!" Bob exclaimed, hand on his chest. Trigger's older cousin Ruby came out of the house now, bandana on head and sunglasses on her face.

"Trigger, Skip's in his crib inside. Can you watch him while I'm out?"

"Sure, but where are you going?"

"With some friends. We shouldn't be home too late this time." Ruby said. A car honked in front of the small trailer park, and Ruby quickly made her way over to it.

"Well, should we go inside then?" Trigger asked, wiping his wet legs off before throwing the towel over at Bob.

"Yeah. Maybe we can watch something on TV." Once they gathered their stuff, they headed inside. Bob immediately flopped down on the couch, sighing happily as the air conditioner blew a frosty breeze into the small room. Newborn Skip Broke was asleep in his crib nearby, stirring a little as Trigger rummaged around in the freezer for some ice cream. Bob thought little Skip was a miracle. Trigger's aunt and uncle Flo and Flat were pretty up there in age, and their daughter Ruby had even recently graduated college! 

Bob was torn out of his thoughts by Trigger, who had set down two bowls, two spoons, an ice cream scooper, some toppings, and a huge tub of vanilla ice cream on the coffee table in front of them.

"Find anything good to watch?" Trigger asked, taking his iconic baseball cap off his head.

"Nah, not yet." Bob replied before finally settling on some cheesy action flick. Before they served themselves some ice cream, they both took turns spraying the whipped cream into their mouths. The adults didn't need to know about that, nor the fact they piled their toppings so high they couldn't even see their ice cream anymore.

"Y'know, I'm gonna miss this." Trigger said, pouring more sprinkles and chocolate sauce into his bowl, "Sunset Valley ain't that far from here, but I'm not gonna walk through forests and hills just to see you."

"You'd have to walk even further than that. I reckon my family's gonna move us somewhere close to the cliffs near where the rich folks live."

"Man, what if you catch a glimpse of the infamous Altos and Landgraabs?"

"I'll probably be doing more than glimpsing since we'd be going to the same school and the same hangouts. Maybe Holly Alto's gonna fall madly in love with me." Bob joked, setting his empty bowl on the table.

"As nice as you are, I doubt she'd date you of all people."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Bob asked in mock offense.

"You burp loud, you can't keep your feet off the table, and you got one ugly looking mug." 

"If I'm ugly, you're horrible!"

"If I'm horrible, then you're horrific! I swear, you don't even need a Halloween costume this year." Trigger snorted. The boys looked at each other for a moment before bursting out into laughter, still making sure they didn't accidentally wake up Skip.

"How is it that we're able to insult each other like this and still be friends? I mean, our parents don't like us doing it." Bob asked, leaning back.

"Cause we're never serious. And if we really were fighting, I don't think we'd be talking about social bunnies and tragic clowns."

"Speak for yourself, Trigger! I think I have the right to fight you if you don't think the tragic clown is cooler than the social bunny."

"Luckily, you're right about something for once." Trigger said. The boys made more jokes about each other after that, only stopping when Trigger's dad Buck quickly came in to change out of his work clothes. Apparently he had a date tonight with some woman from Sunset Valley named Tamara Donner. Both Trigger and Bob gave him some unneeded advice, and they could tell he desperately wanted to get away from the two of them before they started cracking jokes about him . They never did, however. Trigger didn't want to ruin the man's newfound confidence, and Bob really couldn't say anything considering how barren his own love life was.

Trigger's little sister Susie came in soon after with her friend Tatiana Ivanov and the Lobos twins trailing behind her. They headed straight towards Susie's room only to grab her new jump rope, and left just as quietly as they came in. Both teens decided to leave them alone as well. Skip still hadn't woken up at that point yet, so Trigger and Bob were plastered onto their seats for a while.

It surprised the both of them. There was usually a lot going down at the Broke trailers, yet today it looked like the Watcher decided to leave them be.

Chapter Text

Last night, Holly Alto couldn't sleep at all. There was something bugging her, but she couldn't quite figure out what.

Was it Michael ignoring her? No, she was over it at this point. Candy Ashleydale (probably) wasn't telling lies about her, and she noticed Michael's dad hadn't glared at her at all lately.

She hardly touched her breakfast that morning, and only their butler and her uncle took notice. Her parents were fussing over Vita's upcoming campaign party, and how the Goths somehow caught wind of it and had started to run for mayor as well.

"Are you alright, Holly?" Bert asked, flipping through a newspaper as the butler served him some fresh coffee, "You hardly touched your pancakes. I know that they're your favorite."

"I guess I'm just not that hungry today.." Holly mumbled, fiddling with the apples on her pancakes.

"Why don't you put it away for later and take a small walk?" Bert suggested, finally setting down the newspaper to take a sip of his coffee, "You might feel better with a little fresh air."

"Maybe you're right. See you later, uncle." Holly excused herself from the table, throwing a quick goodbye at everyone. She didn't expect a response, and she certainly didn't get one.

Rather than calling a taxi, Holly simply walked down to the park. Her attention was soon captured by yet another moving truck that was parked in front of a house that was usually empty. She could fondly remember the time when she, Bebe, Parker, and Michael snuck into that house while it was being remodelled. They left letters in the walls, in the flooring, and in any nook and cranny they could find. They thought it was hilarious at the time, but the new house owners would probably be a little creeped out if they found them.

Speaking of the new owners, she could see them pulling up in a car. As much as she wanted to see who they were, she didn't want them to see who she was just yet. If they knew the Altos lived just above them on the hill across from the Landgraabs and next to the newly built equestrian center, would they get right back into their car and go back to where they came from? The brunette shook her head-- she was just being silly. They had already come this far. They wouldn't go back just because she lived there.

The walk to central park wasn't that eventful, and central park itself wasn't either. In fact, it was relatively calm for once.

Justine Keaton, Marty Keaton, and their newborn son Keith were having a nice little picnic by the small pond and so were Yumi Sekemoto and her son Leighton, along with Leighton's young son Sam. That weird house consisting of a bunch of roommates that reminded her of some kind of TV show were also present, though they were off doing their own things.

"Lovely day, isn't it?" A friendly voice asked. Holly looked around to see one of her mother's associates, Morgana Wolff.

"Hello, Mrs. Wolff!" Holly smiled as the woman came to sit next to her, "Yes, it is pretty nice."

"Have you seen all the moving vans lately? Little Sunset Valley's starting to grow."

"I have, and I'm excited to meet everyone! I know that some people are coming in from Riverview, which makes a lot of sense since it's so close by."

"I think that one family from there's already moving in. I saw them when I was leaving the house; there was a man, a woman, and a teenage boy."

"They must be pretty well off if they can afford to move so close to us."

"I plan on greeting them later. I know your mother would want me to."

Of course. Holly looked up to Morgana a little-- though she didn't understand how she could willingly follow her mother around like a dog. 

"By the way, congratulations."

"For what?" Morgana asked, confused.

"On the baby?" Holly could see Morgana's smile drop and her eyebrows furrow.

"What baby? I'm not pregnant."

"Oh! I just thought.." Holly trailed off. If Morgana wasn't pregnant, then…

"What made you come to that conclusion?" Morgana asked calmly. Holly didn't like how she sounded at all, "My husband doesn't like children, and I certainly wouldn't trick him into having one either."

"I saw Thornton leaving the store earlier.." Holly said in a sort of daze, "I could see baby supplies stuffed inside of plastic bags, and he had a certain look on his face.. as if he had done something wrong."

"He did do something wrong." Morgana said coldly before shooting up from her seat. Holly wanted to stop her, but she didn't. Maybe it was for the best? If the baby things weren't for Morgana and her husband's non-existent child, then who were they for?

Best not to dwell on it for too long, Holly thought to herself. She'd end up getting more questions than answers.

She made her way back home after that, and she could hear a woman giggling in the sitting room for some reason. It was too high-pitched and young sounding for her mother-- and Vita never giggled. She always insisted on cackling like some witch or a deranged hyena. Maybe Uncle Bert had some company over or something. She might as well let him know that she had come home safely.

As Holly stepped into the living room, she was taken aback by what she saw.

There was a woman on Uncle Bert's lap. She had long, platinum blonde hair and she also wore all black, as if she were on her way to a funeral. She could smell the woman's thick flower scented perfume from where she was standing, and her suspicions were confirmed when the woman turned to look at Holly in surprise.

"Uncle Bert… y-you and Ms. Crumplebottom are-?" Holly stammered. Her family was supposed to despise the Goths, not make out with them!

Agnes quickly climbed out of her lover's lap as Bert tried to explain himself.

"Holly, It's not what it looks like.."

"I didn't see anything!" Holly quickly said, rushing into her room and locking the door.

Her heart was beating fast, and she was sweating like a sinner in church. Why was she so nervous anyway? It was her uncle falling in love with a Goth, not her. Why was she vouching for them anyway? Sure, she didn't care about a petty feud like everyone else did.. but Holly knew that this would cause trouble if anyone else were to find out about her uncle and the widower's secret relationship.

She feared for her uncle, and she feared for Agnes Crumplebottom as well. If their families were to find out about this.. it wouldn't end well for them or anyone else at all.

Vita angrily paced back and forth in front of Kurt Shallow's desk, her husband sat on a couch nearby finishing up some work on his laptop.

"I can't believe those gloomy freaks!" Vita growled, slamming a hand on Kurt's desk. Kurt, who was sitting in his chair behind it, jumped a little in surprise, "How did they find out I was running for mayor anyway? I haven't even announced it yet!"

"Perhaps they truly didn't know. Calm down a little, Vita." Kurt said, trying to get the woman to cool off before she made dents in his brand new flooring and shiny mahogany desk.

"How do you expect me to calm down when my dreams are about to be shattered completely?"

"Where's your ambition, Vita?" Nick asked, looking up from his work, "You're an Alto, you know. We Altos always find a solution no matter how dirty and rotten it may be."

"Hm.. you're right." Vita thought for a moment before slamming her fist into her hand, "We should move up the campaign party. If the Goths are just starting to run, then we still have an advantage over them. We'll just have to cut a few things."

"See, I knew you'd figure it out." Nick nodded approvingly.

"Call up Scribonia Capp and General Rock Grunt. Their aid may just turn the tides."

"I was under the impression that you disliked them." Kurt said.

"It's more so we don't get along that well. We all have different ways of thinking, after all. Now chop chop!"

Nick pulled out his cellphone while Kurt picked up the telephone on his desk. Vita told them what to say to the two people, and they managed to earn their support in no time.

"Scribonia would like to arrange a time to meet up in the near future. What should I tell her?" Nick asked.

"Same with Mr. Grunt." Kurt spoke up.

"Tell them both to meet up with me next week. We'll be at the Little Corsican Bistro near the park."

Once their phone calls were over with, Nick tucked his laptop away and stood up.

"Now, is that all you needed, Vita? I'm ready to go home now."

"Yes, yes, that should be everything. Thank you for everything, Kurt."

"Of course. I am always in the Alto family's corner. Do remember that."

"We will, believe me." With that said, Vita and Nick made their way back to Sunset Valley. It was a rather uneventful drive back minus the fact they nearly hit one of the neighborhood children when they passed by the park. In their defense, the little girl shouldn't have been running across the road!

Once they got home and greeted Bert and Holly, Nick and Vita noticed how jumpy and on edge the rest of their family was. It normally wouldn't bother them in the slightest, but it was starting to get extremely irritating. They tried to ask them what had happened, but they only got more questions than answers. The few answers they got were so cryptic, they couldn't understand a thing.

Oh well, they had bigger things to worry about right now anyway.

Chapter Text

That morning, Bebe and Parker broke into Michael's house, shoved some clothes into his hands along with a bouquet of flowers and a slice of toast in his mouth.

No, that wasn't quite right. Michael had been peacefully sleeping in until noon. That's when he heard his bedroom door open and close. Someone had opened his curtains too. It was probably just Bella being irritating, so he turned on his side and covered his head with his comforter. That's when he suddenly felt a weight flop down onto his side and crush him.

"Jeez, Bella! How'd you get so heavy overnight?" Michael groaned, trying to roll over and pull his blanket off.

"Good guess, but you're not even close to the right answer." The person chortled. Michael managed to get his hands free, and shoved Parker off onto the floor.

"How'd you even get into my house?" Michael asked, looking down at the teen who was now rubbing his sore head.

"First, ouch . Second, Bebe and I shattered one of your windows and climbed in." Parker said in a matter of fact way. Michael stared at the boy blankly before Parker sighed, "Fine, your mom let us in while she was leaving to run some errands."

"What are you two doing here so early anyway?" Michael ran a hand through his messy brown hair, trying to make himself look just a little presentable, "You guys know I'm never up before twelve-thirty."

"The early bird gets the worm! Or something like that. Nah, me and B think it's time for you to make it up to Holly." Parker sprung up from the floor, and started going through Michael's closet before throwing a shirt and some pants at him, "Put these on."

"I'm fine with that, but what do you guys have planned?" Michael asked, looking over the clothes. It was more formal than his usual style, but it wasn't too pretentious or too Sunday's best. He honestly had no clue that Parker had a pretty good sense of style considering he always dressed like he just grabbed the first thing he saw on his bedroom floor.

"You'll see. Now get ready and meet me and Bebe down in the kitchen! Don't take too long either, we've got a busy day ahead of us."

Michael finally got up, wincing at his popping bones. He took a quick shower before getting dressed, and brushed his teeth as well before sliding down the stair railing. His landing was a bit shaky, but luckily Bebe and Parker were too busy chatting with each other to notice.

"So, what's the game plan?" Michael asked, stepping into the kitchen.

"Here, eat." Bebe said, shoving a plate of bacon, eggs, and pancakes along with a glass of orange juice at him, "Your mom left that for you, by the way."

As Michael ate his breakfast, Bebe and Parker explained what he would do.

"You'll give her this bouquet." Bebe said, holding up a bunch of very yellow flowers wrapped in paper and tied up with a pretty golden ribbon, "Sunflowers are her favorite, the tulips mean hope, the roses are for friendship, and the marigolds are passion."

"I had no idea you were into botany." Michael said with his mouth full of food, causing Bebe to recoil in disgust at this display. Then she shrugged.

"I'm not that into it. I wouldn't be able to tell you how to grow and take care of them or anything, I just know what some of the more popular ones stand for if you give them to someone."

Michael nodded in understanding as Parker spoke up now.

"So, we're gonna wait for Holly to show up to the park, right? Then boom! You'll drop down on one knee, say sorry, and hand her the bouquet!"

"Uh, am I proposing to her or am I apologizing?"

"Why not both?" Parked grinned.

"Gee, I never thought I'd get married at age fifteen." Michael said dryly.

"Saves you time from doing it right after college, y'know? Now stop talking and start eating. We're not getting any younger, and Holly's being lost to the dark side!"

"Oh, so now we're calling him the dark side? What is this, War of the Stars?" Bebe snorted, rolling her eyes.

"Pretty much, yeah." Parker nodded. Once Michael finished his breakfast and washed his dishes, they were off. Bebe handed him the bouquet as they made their way down to the park.

"So… did you guys go and wake Holly up too?" Michael asked.

"Are you kidding? She wakes up way earlier than the both of us." Bebe said, "You know I don't use an alarm, and Parker's just… Parker."

"Honestly, she'd be waking us up if the roles were reversed!" Parker exclaimed. Finally, they were at the park. They could see some of their friends and acquaintances lounging about, but there were also new faces that they hadn't seen before.

One in particular was extremely close to Holly's face, and Holly looked quite uncomfortable. As they quickly approached the strange boy and Holly, they could pick up pieces of their conversation.

"So, Holly Alto." The boy said in a voice that was somewhat deep, accented, and yet extremely boring at the same time.

"We've.. established that was my name, yes." Holly replied, stepping back as he took a step forward.

"Tell me, Holly. Have you ever wanted to rule the world?"

"Not… particularly?"

"It's a shame, really. You and I could do wonderful things together, Holly."

"Is that right?" Holly looked at her friends who were standing behind the strange boy, mouthing the words 'Help me'. They did just that. 

"Who are you?" Michael yanked on the stranger's shoulder to face him, and the stranger looked at his hand in disgust.

"Just who do you think you are?"

"I asked first." Holly quickly made her way over to Parker and Bebe, who immediately stood in front of her protectively.

"Jeffrey Castor. Now, your name." Jeffrey rolled his eyes as Michael finally let him go.

"Michael, one of Holly's friends."

"You're one of her friends?" The boy's demeanor changed considerably at this, "Tell me what she likes, why don't you? I'm not as bad as she thinks I am."

Bebe marched in front of Jeffrey now, jabbing a finger into his chest, "Not happening in a million years! You're seriously sketchy, and you're seriously creeping her out too."

"Am I? I didn't mean to." The boy's face contorted into a very creepy grin. It could probably scare off VJ, Candy, or even Lisa Bunch.

"Well, you did! Now scram before we make you." Parker cracked his knuckles after saying this, which did make the dark haired boy back off. Before he left, however, his eyes fell onto Holly.

"This isn't over, Holly. It's far from over." With that said, the boy finally left the park and Holly let out a deep breath.

"I thought he'd never leave. I couldn't get Lisa's attention either because she was busy with her cousin over there." She pointed over to the aforementioned blonde, chatting with a boy who looked and dressed very similarly to their Ethan Bunch and of course, VJ Alvi. Ethan in particular was hanging out with River McIrish and a very pale boy wearing a black hoodie. 

"I think you should've slapped him." Bebe grumbled, still glaring holes in the back of the departing boy's head.

"I'm sure that I'd get in trouble for it, or worse; he'd like it or something weird like that." Holly shivered, "Enough about him, however. Who are those flowers for, Michael?"

In all the excitement, Michael nearly forgot he was holding them. He quickly thrusted them out to Holly, shyly averting his eyes and scratching the back of his head. It was clear that he had never done something like this before.

"They're for you." Michael said in what he thought was a casual way. Bebe and Parker had backed off at this point, choosing to watch from a nearby bench in order to give them some sort of privacy.

"Gee, thanks!" Holly took the flowers with a smile, smelling them, "What's the occasion?"

"I've been acting like a total jerk lately."

"You were supposed to say asshat, Michael!" Parker shouted, causing Bebe to shove his shoulder. Holly and Michael chose to ignore him.

"You really did hurt my feelings, Michael. I thought I had done something wrong, and it bothered me a lot. You know I never intend to hurt you guys."

"Yeah, I know.. it's just my stupid feelings kinda blinded me. I wasn't thinking straight, y'know?"

"I get it, don't worry. I've done rash things because of how I was feeling as well." She let out an awkward laugh at that, scratching at the back of her head like he had done not too long ago.

"Can we be friends again? Or.. can you find it in your heart to forgive me? It's fine if you--"

Holly had pulled him into a tight hug all of a sudden, causing him to freeze in surprise. Eventually, he did hug her back.

"Michael, we never stopped being friends. Not once. All I ask is that you never do something like this again."

"I can do that, don't worry."

"I'd like you to tell me if something is wrong next time, okay? I'm not going to bite your head off."

"I know, it's just… a little hard for me to try and find a way to speak to you."

"Am I really so intimidating?"

"No! It's not because of you specifically, I just second-guess myself sometimes. And of course, we haven't known each other for our whole lives either."

"Well, next time don't feel so afraid to speak to me as freely as you do with Bebe and Parker. I don't appreciate being left out of the loop on things."

As much as he wanted to tell her everything, he couldn't. Not right now, and not as long as she was dating Davy. He knew that Bebe and Parker were probably happy with this turn of events, but something kept eating at him as he rested his head on Holly's.

As soon as he pulled away from the girl, Davy Linnell was striding up to them with a grin. Michael could feel his sour mood return to him, so he backed off to give them some space to talk. Holly seemed upset by Michael leaving, but she didn't make a move to try and stop him.

"Foiled by Davy again, huh?" Parker asked, whistling.

"Nah, I apologized to her. She accepted."

"And now you're all snippy again." Bebe sighed, "Seriously, what happened to confident Michael Bachelor?"

"If you must know, he's in the same place as 'party girl Bebe Hart'." Michael sighed, "Locked inside the school until Sophomore year starts."

"Okay, touché, but don't start pushing her away again. Your beef is with Davy, not Holly."

"I know, but.."

"Keep this up, and you're probably going to end up like that Jeffrey kid!" Parker said, wrinkling his nose.

Michael shivered at the sound of the boy's name. He definitely didn't want to be as creepy or as pushy and forceful as Jeffrey. 

"Alright, alright. I'll actually leave them alone for now. If they stay together forever.. then I guess that's how it's gonna be."

"You're admitting defeat already?" Bebe asked, "I'm actually surprised."

"It's like Parker says. If I keep this up, I'll be no better than that Castor kid. Now can we please drop it? Let's talk about something else."

Bebe and Parker shared a look before shrugging. It pained Michael to just give up on the girl he liked like this, but he didn't want to tear himself apart over this anymore either. 

Chapter Text

Michael had finally given up on Holly, Parker went off to find Kaylynn to bring her to their father after she said her goodbyes to her friends, and Holly went somewhere with Davy Linnell when Bebe wasn't watching.

That left Bebe alone in the park to get lost in her thoughts. She wasn't particularly close to anyone here like Lisa Bunch or River McIrish, and she hadn't spoken to either of them since the Summer Festival.

"Hey, is anyone sittin' here?" Bebe looked up to see a boy with light brown hair and a plain white t-shirt gesturing to the spot next to her.

"No, I was about to leave anyway."

"Wait, don't go. I'm kinda new here, and my parents aren't gonna let me come home until dinner so…"

Well, this boy did seem nice. Way nicer than Jeffrey anyway. She didn't see any harm in getting to know him. The boy smiled at her, and she noticed that he had dimpled cheeks as well. If she weren't with Parker, she might've thought that he was cute.

"So, I'm Bob Newbie. Junior."

"Bebe Hart. Where did you move from?"

"Riverview, it's not too far from here."

"I know that place. Is it true that you all race tractors?"

"Ha, yeah!" Bob laughed, "The McDermotts had a lot, and we were allowed to drive 'em as long as we didn't ride over the crops."

"You know, that kinda sounds fun.. but only kinda."

"I could bring you with me next time if you wanted." Bob said casually, "People are starting to move outta Riverview, but I bet the McDermotts'll stay."

On one hand, she could make more friends thanks to Bob. On the other, that's more people who could gossip about her and her family.. After thinking about it,  she nodded in agreement.

"Sure, it could be fun. Do you mind if my friends came along?"

"The more the merrier!"

"Speaking of more, who is this?" Holly had returned and was walking up to Bebe and Bob. Davy was following behind her with a goofy smile. Both Bebe and Bob stood up to greet the two teenagers.

"Holly and Davy, Bob. Bob, Holly and Davy."

"Nice to meet you, Bob." Holly smiled at the boy as they shook hands.

"Yeah! It's great meeting new people." Davy added, shaking Bob's other hand.

"So." Holly turned to Bebe now, "Where did Michael and Parker go? I didn't know that they left."

"Ah, Michael had to go home and Parker had to pick up Kaylynn."

"I see…" Holly frowned at this, but said nothing else.

"So, you're Holly Alto?" Bob asked, causing Holly to look over at the boy apprehensively.

"I am. Please don't ask me to help you take over the world. I'm not going to."

"Now why would I go and do that?"

"There was this creep earlier who kept bugging her about it." Bebe said, rolling her eyes, "His name is Jeffrey Castor."

"Oh, him! Yeah, he rubbed me the wrong way anyway."

"Thank goodness." Holly visibly relaxed, and rested her head on Bebe's shoulder, "I think I saw you earlier, Bob."

"You did?" He asked, tilting his head like a puppy would.

"Yes, when I was coming down to the park earlier. Your family moved quite close to mine, you see."

"Oh, nice! I'm glad that I have such a cute neighbor." Bob winked at Holly, causing her to laugh and shake her head. Bebe noticed that Davy had begun to glare at Bob, and she really couldn't fault him for that.

"Listen, Holly. There was something I needed to show you." Davy quickly said, beginning to pull Holly away.

"Oh, okay! Bob, why don't you come over to my house later? I'd like to get to know you a bit better. My house is to the left when you come up the hill."

"It's a date, Alto." Once Holly and Davy were out of earshot, Bebe turned on Bob with an amused look on her face.

"You do realize Davy's her boyfriend, right?"

"...Shit." Bob looked embarrassed now as he rubbed the back of his neck, "That's why he looked like he wanted to kill me then. I thought he was just a protective brother or something."

"It's fine, our friends don't really trust Davy like that anyway. He's nice and all… but no one here really knows him that well. He could be a total dick like Candy."

"Still, I don't like flirting with taken girls. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

"I get it, don't worry. Still, if you're looking for love there aren't many options for it in Sunset Valley. Everyone's either dating someone, or they've got a crush on someone."

"It was kinda the same thing in Riverview, except hardly anyone dated. I only see Betty and Laurel as good friends, and MaryKay Shallow's not exactly the best girl when it comes to relationships, romantic or not. Her brother Dallas is a player, and he loves to break hearts more than anything."

"My boyfriend Parker was like that once. He doesn't really have commitment issues or anything like that, and he certainly didn't like hurting his exes.. He just falls in love super easily." Bebe was looking up at the sky now, folding her arms, "I don't want to admit it, but.. I'm kinda waiting for the day he breaks up with me too." The girl shook her head once she was done venting, looking back at Bob, "Wow, sorry about the personal information dump. I don't usually do stuff like that."

"It's fine, don't worry." Bob shrugged and grinned, "Everyone needs to vent sometimes, yeah? Sounds like you should probably bring up your concerns to your boyfriend sometime."

"Yeah, but he's currently going through a lot right now and I don't want to give him any more trouble. You'll know what I mean if you stick around here for a while. People here like to gossip a lot."

"Something tells me he'd still listen to you regardless, honestly." 

"Maybe.. anyway, enough of that. How would you like a tour of the town? Maybe we'll run into some of my friends."

"I'd love to! But first, can I get a snow cone or something? I'm practically boiling ." Bebe nodded and waited for Bob to purchase a snow cone for himself. In the end, he ended up buying one for her as well to thank her for being nice to him. As Bebe told him about the buildings and all the local hangouts, Bob began to tell him about his friends from Riverview. There were his best friends Trigger Broke, Betty Simovitch, and Laurel Grisby, farmer Maximus McDermott.. and there was the bitchy MaryKay Shallow and her horrible brother Dallas. All in all, Bebe could tell that he was pretty popular in his town among his peers. It wasn't really surprising seeing how small and rural it was, but she was still quite impressed.

"By the way, Bebe, is there anyone who'd make fun of someone based on their appearance here?" Bob asked, causing Bebe to look at him weirdly.

"That's.. an interesting question. But Candy Ashleydale would, though we ignore her most of the time. Why do you ask?"

"Y'see, Laurel's a pretty shy girl. She was bullied by Dallas and MaryKay because of her appearance, and we're still trying to help her build up her self-esteem."

"That's nice of you guys! She can hang out with us too if she wants. We'll keep Candy away, promise."

"Oh, good. Betty was telling me that she was super nervous to come here since she's moving next week, and she's afraid that Holly's like MaryKay."

"Please, Holly couldn't hurt a fly. She's the nicest girl I know besides River!"

"Hey, I wasn't worried about that. I could tell that she was nice the moment I saw her."

"Well, tell Laurel that she has nothing to worry about. She's already got allies here." The sun began to set, so Bebe offered to walk Bob home. He cracked a joke about how he's supposed to do that, but then she reminded him that he still doesn't know his way around Sunset Valley that well. She had met his parents in the process, and she quite liked the fact that they knew nothing about her or the rumors surrounding her family. They asked her to stay for dinner, but she politely declined seeing as Bob was going to head up to Holly's mansion on the hill soon. As she walked home, she couldn't wipe away the small smile on her face.

Maybe having new people in town wasn't so bad after all.

Chapter Text

Lisa's unlit cigarette hung loosely from her mouth as she listened to her friends, brother, and cousin chat with each other. She was leaning against VJ, who had his arm wrapped around her waist almost protectively.

Tristan's acoustic guitar, River's bongos and the rising and falling tides of the Old Pier beach made up the background noise, and it was quite calming.

"Emelie, you and Tristan are vampires, right?" Joseph asked, tracing shapes in the sand with a twig.

"You would be correct. I thought that you already knew about it?" Emelie replied. Her usual parasol was resting in her lap, and she had finally let her hair down so that the others could stop mistaking her for Lisa all the time.

"How do your powers work anyway?"

"Well, Tristan and I are only fledglings at the moment. We don't have our full powers just yet. That comes when we're adults and our immortality kicks in."

"Immortality?" Joseph looked interested now, and Lisa could see a glint in his eyes as if he was planning something.

"Mhm! We live forever-- though we can die in other ways, obviously. It's really no different from being a regular sim."

Joseph had mumbled something under his breath before launching into another round of questions. This bored Lisa, so she turned her attention back to VJ.

"Light me, babe? My aunt took mine." VJ complied, taking out his lighter to light up Lisa's cigarette. 

"I can't believe you let them take it, Lise. You don't let anyone touch your stuff."

"I didn't let her do anything. She just wouldn't shut up about Darlene and I not being prim and proper, so I handed it over to get her off my ass. Honestly! Not everyone can be as perfect as Jenny."

"I wonder how she'd feel about me, honestly. Can I get a drag?" Lisa took one last puff of the stick before handing it over to VJ.

"They'd hate you. Despise you even. They only like goody two shoes like Ethan."

"Lame. I'm glad they're not your parents then. We'd never get alone time."

"I dunno, there's something exciting about a bad boy-good girl romance." Lisa said, leaning up to plant a kiss on VJ's jaw.

"You're far from good. Even if you were in their weird nuclear family, you'd still be the same."

As VJ leaned in to kiss Lisa, Ethan made his way over to the two and flopped down next to his sister. Lisa quickly turned her head, causing VJ to nearly get a mouth full of hair and ribbon.

"May we help you, brother dear?" Lisa batted her eyelashes in a way she must've thought was innocent. Ethan was surprised she even responded, considering she was hellbent on ignoring him lately.

"No, I don't really need anything. I just wanted to sit." The blond boy said, drawing his knees in towards his chest.

"How come you're not over there with Tristan and River?" VJ asked, somewhat miffed by his intervening.

"I don't want to bother them while they're playing their instruments. I feel like Tristan would tear me to shreds, honestly."

"Nah, he's pretty chill." Lisa said, "His super speed really came in handy when we were running from the police."

"You ran from the police ?!" Ethan's jaw dropped, but VJ wasn't surprised.

"Me, Joseph, Emelie, and Tristan. It was the night we met, actually! When Joseph stormed out of the house."

"Do I even want to hear this story?"

"I don't know about you, but I definitely want to hear this." VJ said, putting out his cigarette in the sand, "Go on, Lise."

"Alright. So, this was a few days ago…"

It had been a few hours since Joseph and Lisa's heart to heart, and they soon found themselves at the park. As it was getting darker outside, there weren't many sims out and about in the park anymore.

Because all the children in town were either at home or out with their parents, the two of them had free reign of the playground. Of course, they made a beeline towards the swings. They simply sat there for a while, basking in the cool summer evening's air as they watched the sun go down and the moon start to come out.

"I've been thinking of holding a protest." Lisa suddenly said, twisting the chains around the swing.

"A protest?" Joseph asked, clearly confused.

"Like, why is it that we get arrested for doing street art but art on an easel is perfectly fine?"

"Because street art looks kinda trashy and unappealing?"

"Definitely not true! Have you ever seen a mural before? That's street art! Sure, some sims do weird stuff with their spray cans, but not me."

"You do street art." It came out as more of a statement than a question.

"Duh. It's usually around the sidewalk at my house, but I scrub it off afterwards so that the police don't bitch and moan about it."

"Well, I certainly think that street art is most amazing!" A new voice said. Lisa and Joseph looked up to see a blonde girl wearing pink striding to them with some sort of umbrella resting on her arm. Behind her was a boy with brown hair wearing all black. His jacket seemed to have a hood. They both had pale skin that was quite sickly looking, and their eyes were practically glowing! There was no doubt about it; they were vampires.

"What do you think, Tristan?" The girl asked, looking back at the boy behind her. His only response was a shrug.

"I have no opinion. You know that I prefer sounds rather than paint."

"So very boring of you, brother!"

"Anyway." Lisa said with a small glare on her face, "Are you going to apologize for butting into our conversation?"

"Oh, we're sorry! It's just that hardly anyone our age seems to be out here now that it's becoming night." The girl awkwardly laughed before straightening up, "I am Emelie Van Gould! This is my slightly older brother Tristan. He doesn't like to say much, so please don't think that he's trying to be rude."

"Right. I'm Lisa. Lisa Bunch."

"And I'm Joseph Doe. What are you guys doing out so late?"

"It's the only time we can be outside without any worries! You see, we burn quite easily when the sun is out. The moon is our friend."

"Essentially, we're vampires and we don't take to the sun that well as you may or may not already know."

"Ugh, you're so boring Tristan! I was trying to make us sound mysterious ." Emelie complained, childishly stomping her foot on the ground.

"You're making us sound crazy. You don't need to make everything you describe sound so flowery."

"Yes I do! How else will we gain allies of our own? Sims eat drama up! They live for adventure!"

"Yeah, we don't do a lot of that here." Lisa said, finally letting the swing's chain go, "The older adults here are kinda boring and like to stifle us and our creativity. The ones fresh out of uni aren't so bad though."

"Well, are you seeking adventure right now?" Emelie asked, eyes glinting with something dangerous. Tristan seemed to know what she was planning already, and began to mouth the word 'No'.

"Sure, why not?" Joseph shrugged, standing up, "I don't really want to face our family right now anyway."

"I'll come too, I guess. I'm supposed to be comforting him or whatever."

Emelie grinned, flashing her fangs at the two. She held out her hand as well, clearly intending for one of them to take it, "You'll want to hold on tight for this."

Reluctantly, Joseph took her hand. She grabbed his other one, placing them on her shoulders. Without even breaking a sweat, Emelie was holding Joseph. Both Lisa and Joseph were surprised, but Tristan simply rolled his eyes.

"Show off."

"How is she doing that?!" Lisa exclaimed. She had read stories about vampires once, but those were just fiction!

"We're far stronger than any sim. Faster as well. I suppose our weakness to the sun somewhat lessens our ability seeing as most sims don't come out at night." Tristan held out his hand to Lisa now, who took it in a sort of daze. He had effortlessly hoisted Lisa onto his back as well, "You're far lighter than expected."

"Did you think I was fat?" Lisa asked, amused.

"Of course not. It's just that the few others I've carried were not as light as you."

"Are you two done flirting? I wanna get this show on the road already! They're not getting any younger, and the night isn't gonna last forever." Emelie complained. Tristan locked eyes with his sister silently. Emelie looked back at him, a smirk slowly forming on her face. Without any warning, the two vampires were running and both Lisa and Joseph hung on to them for dear life.

The journey wasn't long thanks to the super speed, and they had ended up on the hill overlooking the beach where all the rich folks lived.

"Hey, what time is it?" Joseph asked cautiously, "I don't want curfew to sneak up on us."

"It's only like, ten!" Emelie said, checking her phone, "Don't tell me you're scared of the police?"

"This would ruin my family's reputation."

"I thought you didn't care about any of that." Lisa said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes, "Besides, no one really cares about us being out past curfew. Me and Riv did it all the time because she says it's the best time to draw."

"Yeah, well, that's you guys. I don't need to give them another reason to compare me to Ethan, you know."

"Ethan isn't the golden boy everyone thinks he is, and it really gets on my nerves when people put him on a pedestal!" Lisa confessed, "He's flawed like everyone else, but no one allows him to fuck up."

"That's how he really feels, huh? Now I feel kinda bad for hating him." Joseph said.

"I mean, I don't really care if you dislike him or anything. Just remember that he's just faking it until he makes it like everyone else is." Lisa turned to their new friends, "Sorry about airing our family's dirty laundry like that."

"It's quite alright! Our family is quite.. violent as well."

"She means our feud with the Wolffs. The real reason we moved here was because we caught her making out with one of them."

"Waylon is a very sweet and thoughtful werewolf, thank you! I would very much appreciate it if you called him by his name rather than 'one of them' because there are multiple Wolffs!."

"Jeez, your whole family got pissed off 'cause you kissed one guy?" Lisa asked, "I'd lose it if they told me I couldn't hang with VJ anymore. He's the only one in this Podunk that gets me."

"Same with my friend back in Midnight Hollow. That.. might've been because there weren't many teens there in the first place though." Joseph said.

"O-M-W! You lived in Midnight Hollow?" Emelie exclaimed, "I enjoyed my family's visit last year! It was positively charming, and I long to go there again someday!"

After that, the teens chatted about any topic that came to mind. They only stopped upon hearing sirens, and realizing that they were out past curfew. 

"What are we gonna do?" Joseph asked, worried, "If I come home in a cop car.."

"It's not the end of the world, y'know. They don't even come inside to tell your parents."  Lisa said.

"Besides, Waylon and I never got caught when we snuck out." Emelie and Tristan stood up, "I'm not sure how they figured out we were out here though. We didn't have any lights on or anything, and we weren't talking loud…"

Like before, the cousins climbed onto the vampire's back. With a yell, the vampires ran past the cop cars in record speed. As they passed the park, they could hear sirens behind them.

"Sunset Valley police sure are persistent!" Emelie giggled, "In Midnight Hollow, they give up as soon as they realize they're chasing vampires!"

"Tell us where you two live so we can drop you off. We'll lose them afterwards." Tristan said.

Lisa and Joseph were a bit worried about their new friends, but they complied either way. Who knew a couple of vampires would get them into trouble tonight? Lisa didn't mind at all, but she wondered how her aunt and uncle would react.

Chapter Text

"I'm going to be coming home late again, Morgana." Thornton announced right after tonight's dinner of goopy carbonara. As he got up, Morgana quickly rushed over to the front door with a small smile.

"Oh, but Thornton. Wouldn't you prefer having a romantic night with me instead?" Morgana asked, "It's been some time since it was just you and I together."

"As much as I want to, I have very important business to attend to tonight. Perhaps tomorrow?" Thornton replied, smiling. Morgan couldn't help but notice how strained it seemed tonight-- was it always like that? Thornton tried to push past Morgana, but she stood her ground.

"One more thing, darling. You.. dislike children, right?" Thornton paused and looked down at Morgana, clearly confused.

"You know that I'm not fond of them. Why?"

"I find it very interesting that you were shopping for baby things not too long ago. I'm certainly not pregnant, and I'm sure that you'd tell me if any of your friends or family were having a baby shower. I know I would."

"I have no idea who put that notion in your mind, Morgana." Thornton said carefully, "I've been doing no such thing."

"Someone saw you, Thornton." Morgana's face went red with anger now, "Someone saw you with baby supplies, and they told me you looked suspicious."

"They weren't baby supplies. Now can we please continue this conversation tomorrow?" The man looked down at his watch, and angry tears were forming in the woman's eyes.

"No, I'm not letting you meet up with Jamie !"

That certainly got the man's attention.

"I'm not meeting up with Jamie."

"Do you think I'm naive, Thornton? I always smell her perfume on your clothes! I can see her lipstick on you when you come in late at night when you think I'm asleep."

Thornton wasn't speaking, so Morgana continued. Her tears were more upset than angry now, and her voice began cracking.

"Am I really that repulsive to you? You'd rather have a baby with my boss than with me after you told me you didn't want children. All those times you told me you loved me, were those lies?"

"Morgana, I--" As Thornton reached out to caress Morgana's face, she smacked his hand away.

"On second thought, I really don't want to hear it. I just can't believe you'd stoop so low." She shook her head in disgust before shoving past the man, "Just go, Thornton. I promise I won't wait up for you."

Thornton looks like he wanted to say more to his wife, but gave up and left anyway. As soon as she heard the door shut, she wiped her tears away. She knew what she had to do now, because it was clear that staying here would only make her more and more upset. First things first, she needed to get this ring off her finger. She'd fill out the paperwork later, of course, but for now she couldn't bear to see it. After removing it, she set it down on the kitchen table so she was sure he'd see it.

She marched into their bedroom and grabbed two large suitcases and began to shove most of her stuff into them. Any picture of her and Thornton that she saw was promptly tossed to the side or placed face down. Once she was done with that, she grabbed her black peacoat and suitcases and left her former home without looking back. She didn't know where she was going to stay now. She didn't doubt that Vita would let her stay with them, but she had heard that her brother-in-law had recently moved in not too long ago. She doubted that Vita just happened to have five bedrooms just waiting. She could always stay in a motel that wasn't too far from the town limits, but those were gross and she still had some standards.

In the end, she decided she could always crash on Vita's couch. The woman would complain, but she wouldn't just kick out Morgana when she needed help. Grabbing her suitcases, she left the house as it began to rain a little. A little rain didn't bother her one bit. What did bother her was the fact that it started to pour down. She couldn't use her suitcases as an umbrella either, so she was becoming soaked to the bone until--

"My my, what have we here?" A deep voice asked. The rain wasn't pouring down on her anymore, as someone was holding an umbrella over her head, "What are you doing at this time of night, Mrs. Wolff? And without an umbrella no less. You'll freeze."

"Please, it's just 'Miss' now, Mr. van Gould." Morgana replied, "I'm leaving Thornton. He clearly doesn't want a future with me, and I'll respect that."

"That mangy mutt doesn't know what he's missing out on." Ayden scoffed, offended on the woman's behalf, "Well, where are you headed?"

"I was going to Mrs. Alto's house to see if I could stay with her temporarily."

"Why don't you come to mine instead? We have the room, and I'm sure Emelie and Tristan won't mind either."

She might as well take the offer. His house was far closer than Vita's, and she was sure she was interrupting his walk or something. In an instant, she was whisked away to his house and was told to change into something far more comfortable so that her clothes could be washed. After changing into a simple t-shirt (Thornton's, she noted) and purple sweatpants, she sat on a couch. Ayden returned with blankets and pillows in his arms, and sat them down next to Morgana.

"I would offer you my bed, but vampire beds are quite different from human ones. For one, they're made of stone."

"It's fine, I don't think I would've taken it anyway." Morgana said with a shaky smile, "By the way, why are you helping me? I'm married-- or rather, I was married to the child of one of your enemies."

"Enemy or not, it would be quite rude to allow a lady to freeze to death. And besides, you were not born into the family. I have nothing against you."

"I see.. well, thank you. I mean it, Mr. van Gould. I don't know what I would've done if Vita refused."

"Something tells me that even she's not that cruel. In any case, are you hungry? There isn't much human food in the fridge, but as my daughter refuses to drink blood she has some fruits and vegetables in the kitchen if you do decide to eat."

"I'm good for now, but thank you." Morgana placed her pillow down and got under the blankets, "I think I'll rest for now though. It's been a long night for me. I'm quitting my job tomorrow, and joining the political career instead.

"But of course. Sleep well, Morgana." As Ayden left the room, he turned out the lights.

It was funny how things were working out in Morgana's life. Just a few weeks ago, Morgana had told Vita that she would never consider a job in the political career, and here she was about to do just that. She was sleeping on the couch of the enemy, and she found herself unable to care about that. It was her life, and she wouldn't simply cry over someone who clearly wouldn't do the same for her.

Thornton had never meant for any of this to happen, but in the end he was relieved. Maybe deep down inside him somewhere, he was happy that Morgana seemed to want to break things off with him.

He was giddy as he drove down to Jamie's house that night, and pulled her into a kiss as soon as she opened the door for him.

"What was that all about?" Jamie asked, still trying to catch her breath.

"Jamie, she knows about us. Morgana knows about our relationship." Jamie's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped in surprise.

"But… why are you so happy about this?"

"We can be together, Jamie! I know that she'll want a divorce, and I will allow it."

But Jamie didn't seem to share his joy. In fact, she seemed rather upset by this turn of events.

"This was a mistake, this was never meant to happen. I never wanted to become a homewrecker, and I definitely didn't want to steal the husband of someone who works under me!" Jamie exclaimed, walking further into the house.

"But Jamie, Morgana and I rushed into the marriage without even getting to know each other first. We didn't love each other.

"Maybe you didn't love her, but Morgana loved you. She spoke about you all the time when asked."

"Why are you so torn up about this? What's done is done."

"Because I feel awful, Thornton. We should've never let our affair last this long, and now we're in an awful mess…"

"Now you can live with me in my house. I'm sure that Morgana's not going to stick around any longer."

"You're cruel, Thornton Wolff. Extremely cruel." Jamie shook her head, "I can't say that I don't want to live with you, though. I'm glad that I don't have to leave Sunset Valley."

"And I am also glad that you don't have to leave either. Now come, why don't we pack up some of your things?" And so they did. They packed up Jamie's items (including the baby items that started this whole mess) in a comfortable silence, only asking whether or not she should keep or toss away an item. As she didn't need to pack much, they were done within an hour.

"I can't believe this is happening. I never thought I'd end up living with you so soon." Jamie said, carrying her bags out to Thornton's car.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Thornton asked, opening the passenger door for Jamie, "I'm sure that you'll love living here."

As they entered the house, Thornton's eyes were drawn to the kitchen table. While Jamie took her bags to her new room and changed into some pajamas, Thornton inspected the table. There was a wedding band on it, and he knew it was Morgana's. His name was engraved in the band, and hers was engraved in his own band. With a sigh, he pocketed Morgana's old band and took off his own. Well, no matter. Morgana wouldn't be returning, so there was no need to dwell on this any longer than he had to. Thornton walked to the bedroom now, noticing Jamie holding a picture frame. Upon closer inspection, it was a picture of his and Morgana's vacation to Roaring Heights a few years ago. They were on the boardwalk, and Morgana had been wearing the loveliest white dress.. Thornton in the picture looked happier and far younger, while Morgana had a serious expression-- Thornton remembered that she was faking that look because she, in her own words, wanted to swap roles with him.

Jamie sat the frame back down as Thornton moved to sit next to her on the bed. 

"Why don't we get some rest?" Thornton suggested. Jamie nodded, silently climbing under the covers with Thornton. She wouldn't face him, and because of that he didn't notice how upset Jamie looked. He could, however, hear her sniffling and felt her shoulders shake.

Chapter Text

Holly tapped her fingers against the car door as her and her family made their way through the maze known as Roaring Heights. She was squished in between Davy and her Uncle, who seemed deep in thought. Her mother sat in the driver seat, while her father helped her go over her speech for tonight from the passenger seat.

Holly would've been texting Bebe, Michael, and Parker about everything that was going on tonight but Bebe and Michael were going to hang out with Bob while Parker hung out with his sister one last time. In all honesty, she wished that she was able to bring one of them as her plus one rather than Davy.

"Excuse me," Holly said, trying to get her family's attention, "I think I can see the building." She pointed towards a rather fancy building up ahead, earning her an approving nod from her parents.

"Good eye, Holly." Vita simply said, causing the girl to smile. It was rare for her mother to praise her, and she would take what she could get.

Once they pulled up to the building, they handed the car over to a valet.

"Don't scratch it. It costs more than what you make in a year." Nick said, walking ahead with Bert and Vita.

"Sorry about my father, he's not a very kind person." Holly said to the valet apologetically, slipping him a tip. With that done, Davy offered Holly his arm which she took. As soon as they entered the building, she could hear her parents laughing with someone.

She approached them and saw a woman with brown hair standing with a little girl with pale blonde hair. The woman was chatting with her mother, while the girl was staring at a strong looking blond man wearing a military beret and a little boy with brown hair standing behind him shyly.

"You must be Holly! That's a very lovely dress you have on. I've seen it in the Superstar Report once." The brown haired woman said, trying to make conversation.

"Oh! Thank you, Miss…" Holly trailed off, face turning red. It occurred to her that she didn't actually remember this woman's name, despite the fact she had heard of and seen her before.

"Scribonia Capp. You may call me Scribonia." She said, now gesturing to the little girl with her, "And this is the apple of my eye, Contessa." Contessa waved and grinned up at Holly. She noticed that Contessa was missing one of her two front teeth.

"And I'm General Rock Grunt." The blond man said quite seriously before gently nudging the boy with him.

"...Chip Grunt." The boy mumbled. Rock frowned at this, but said nothing to discourage or encourage him.

"I'm Davy Linnell." Davy spoke up, and both Vita and Nick looked just about ready to kill him. Maybe they were worried he'd embarrass them. Scribonia noticed this, and clapped her hands together.

"Well, now that we're all acquainted with each other, why don't we go and find our seats?" She suggested, and the group agreed.

"Wait just a minute!" A voice called out to them. Holly turned to see a girl with black hair in pigtails, black glasses, and wearing a simple blue sailor dress running up to them with a notepad and pencil in her hands. Trailing behind her was a blonde girl who wore her pigtails higher than the first girl. She wore a pink dress that matched the first girl's, and Holly noticed a camera in her hands.

"Frances Picard." The girl said once she was sure they could hear her, "This is my assistant Helen Jones. We're junior reporters with the Roaring Heights Review, and we wanted to be the ones to interview you before the others get here if you have the time. It'll only take a second."

"I don't see why I can't. I'll take any interviews I can." Vita said, smirking, "You all go on ahead. I'll answer Miss Picard and Miss Jones' answers for a moment."

The group went on ahead without Vita and Nick and Bert (They joined her for moral support! Their words, by the way). They soon were joined by Morgana, who seemed quite upset about something. She had already told them about her divorce and her joining politics with Holly's mother a few days ago. Vita was so angry, she ended up cutting ties with Thornton and banned him from coming to the event. Scribonia, Rock, and their respective children went on ahead to let Morgana and Holly have a little privacy.

"What wrong, Morgana?" Holly asked clearly worried about the woman, "Did Mr. Wolff manage to find a way to sneak in? Do I need to call security?"

"Yes! Well, not for Thornton. I just saw the Landgraabs and Goths enter, but I haven't told anyone else yet because causing a scene would certainly hurt Vita's campaign."

"I'll let her know when she comes in, don't worry. She'll know what to do about them."

"Speaking of Vita, where is she? I haven't seen her yet, and she wanted to go over her speech with Mr. Shallow and I."

"Being interviewed by some girls. They said their names were Frances and Helen, and they're with the press."

"Oh, them? I was the one who called them here." Morgana said with a grin, "Vita was telling me about how no one had come to interview her before leaving Sunset Valley, so I got in contact with an agency here. They're relatively small right now, but I'm sure they'll be far more famous since they managed to interview Pleasantview's future mayor."

"Pleasantview?" Holly asked as Morgana shook her head.

"Ignore that. I'll explain it later once we're free to mingle, or your mother will mention it in her speech."

"Speaking of Holly's mother, where is she?" Kurt Shallow was walking up towards them with a teenage boy who had a girl on his arm. She looked quite bored and as if she wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Speaking with the press outside with my father and uncle." Holly said.

"I think I'll go join her." Kurt said, "I need publicity for my own campaign, and I'm sure Vita won't mind. You two, stay here." The man said to the boy, who only rolled his eyes. Kurt narrowed his eyes, and walked out to join Vita. Morgana went with him.

"So, now that that old man's gone.. what's your name, gorgeous?" The boy said flirtatiously.

"Don't call me gorgeous. My name is Holly." The blonde said simply. This boy rubbed her the wrong way already, just like Jeffrey Castor. His girlfriend looked annoyed as well.

"Don't be like that, babe. I'm Dallas Shallow."

"Maggie Flynn." The girl with him said somewhat forcefully, glaring at him.

"Davy Linnell, Holly's plus one."

"How… quaint." Dallas sneered at the boy as if he just crawled out of a radioactive dumpster.

"Dallas. We should find our seats." Maggie said, trying to pull the brown haired boy away from Holly and Davy.

"But we're having so much fun, right?" Dallas asked Holly, who was currently trying to escape with Davy. They managed to get lost in the crowd of people milling about near the stage, all while Dallas searched for them.

"Can you say desperate?" Davy asked with a small laugh. Holly shrugged, clasping her hands together.

"He was pretty desperate. I feel bad for that Maggie girl, however. She looks as if she was forced to come or something like that. Worst of all, Dallas blatantly flirted with me in front of her! I'm certain that his actions have forever ruined any chance of me trying to befriend her."

"Ehh, I doubt it." Davy replied, "She seemed more annoyed with him than anything. It's not like you can control what that douche does anyway, so there's no point in getting mad at you."

"Still, jealousy is a very fickle thing. It can drive even the nicest person to do awful things."

"I don't think you could do that, Holly. You're the nicest person I know!"

She had wanted to say that he didn't know what she was capable of, but figured that would sound far too rude. Which would completely defeat the point of her telling him that in the first place. Instead, she simply nodded in agreement.

"We should find our seats." Holly finally said, walking towards a table at the front, "Mother should be making her speech soon, and I'm ready to get this day over with."

"Alright." Davy offered the girl his arm again, which she took, "Can you meet up with me outside after the meal, please? I.. really want to show you something." Davy asked nervously. Holly was somewhat wary of his suspicious attitude, but saw no reason to refuse him. It could be important.

"Okay. Did you want to meet at the front door or something?"

"Yeah! We should have a bit more privacy that way.." He mumbled that last bit under his breath, and Holly got the feeling she wasn't supposed to hear that.

They eventually did find their seats. Holly and Davy sat next to each other near Vita's place at one end of the table. Across from them was Dallas and his date, along with another teenage girl and her date (Who Holly recognized as Shark Racket, a boy whose family her mother worked with in the past). Next to Holly was her uncle who was clearly trying to sneak a peek at Agnes Crumplebottom. Across from him was her very annoyed father, and at the other end of the table was Kurt Shallow. There were other empty seats around them that had yet to be filled.

Conversations around the room slowly went silent as Vita Alto took to the stage, narrowed eyes sweeping across the room. If she noticed the Landgraabs and Goths she said nothing, but there was a small scowl on her face. Then again, that was how she usually looked.

"Citizens of SimNation!" Vita began, shuffling some papers on the podium, "I, Vita Alto, intend to run for mayor of Sunset Valley."

There was murmuring around them now, until one of the girls from earlier, probably Helen because she didn't sound as nasally as Frances, raised her hand. "Mrs. Alto! What are your plans for Sunset Valley? Why are you running in the first place? The Altos typically stick to large cities, so why a small suburb?"

"I'm so glad that you asked that, Ms. Jones. The answer is simple; I want to watch the town grow and prosper. It'll be easier to do that if I am in office."

"And there's a rumor that you intend to merge the nearby town of Riverview and Sunset Valley going around. Is that true?" Celebrity report Renee Littler asked.

"The rumors are true. As useful as a farming district nearby is, I'm concerned about the state of the buildings located there. When Kurt Shallow gave me a tour of the place, I noticed how some houses and public buildings were falling into disrepair. The school especially wasn't up to standard. The textbooks date back to when I was a student myself!"

Another murmur. That's when Dallas Shallow and the unfamiliar girl stood up.

"What she says is true." Dallas said, trying to look and sound innocent.

"My brother Dallas and I both live in Riverview. Our family was planning on moving to Sunset Valley soon because it's so difficult for us to learn there!" The girl batted her eyelashes.

"But why the sudden interest? It's not as if you live there." Frances asked, pushing her glasses up on her face.

"Because I have a teenage daughter myself. How could I not care about her peers' well beings?" Everyone's attention turned to Holly now, and it took everything inside of her to not hide her slowly reddening face. Under the table Davy squeezed her hand to reassure her, and she appreciated it greatly.

A few questions later, it was finally time to eat. Since Holly was a pescetarian, she had fish rather than the steak everyone else was having. Since her portion was somewhat smaller, she finished rather quickly. She pointedly tried to ignore Dallas, and ended up stomping on his toes before she excused herself from the table. As nice as she normally was, he was really starting to get on her nerves. While she waited for Davy to finish his food, Holly found herself chatting with the teenage reporters who were currently wiping off their cameras.

"Mother wants me to quickly find a husband so that I can be taken care of." Frances said, wrinkling her nose in distaste, "I took this job to show her that I can take care of myself, man or no man."

"That's very admirable, Frances. I applaud you for that." Holly said with a smile, "I'm sure my parents would try to push me with Dallas or Shark had they not been dating other people."

"I wish marriage was my problem." Helen sighed, "My mom's always trying to push me into fashion. I mean, I kinda like it? But her getting on me and my brother about it is seriously irritating. I'm also convinced she's trying to get rid of us because she's mentioned more than once how she hates kids."

"She sounds awful, I'm so sorry." Holly said apologetically, "I wonder why she had two children if she doesn't like them."

"I wouldn't be able to tell you. All I know is that if I have to stay with her any longer, I'm sure I'll lose my mind."

"Hm.. well, you could come to Sunset Valley for a while? We have a foreign exchange program. While Roaring Heights isn't exactly foreign .. I bet I could get them to look the other way."

"You'd seriously do that for us?" Helen asked, surprised.

"My parents are evil too, Helen. I get how you feel. I'm sure that you want to get away from your mom pressuring you as well, Frances."

"You'd be right about that. You're alright, Alto." France said, cracking a small smile, "We'll be counting the days until we can join you in Sunset Valley."

With that said, Holly finally made her way outside. There were a few people standing outside smoking, but other than that it was quite private. Davy came running out of the building a few minutes later, panting.

"Sorry I'm late." He said, "I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long."

"It's fine, you didn't! Now, you had something to show me?"

"Ah, yeah!" He came closer to Holly, holding both of her hands, "The day I asked you out and to be my girlfriend was one of the happiest days I've ever had. I.. I think I love you, Holly Alto." He said, closing his eyes and leaning in closer. Holly panicked a little; he was moving just a bit too fast! They got together a month or two ago, so how could he be in love already? He also seemed to be wanting his first kiss right now as well, which Holly just wasn't ready for.

She gently pulled her hands away from Davy's, pressing a finger to his lips. He opened his eyes, looking confused and just a little bit hurt.

"Davy… you're moving so fast. You're a great guy and everything, but I'm just not ready for either of those things yet." She said, much to his disappointment.

"Oh.. well, I'm sorry. This is a little awkward then." He laughed dryly.

"There was something else too." Holly couldn't meet his eyes at this point, "I.. I would like to break up."

"What…?" His voice cracked, and Holly was already starting to regret her decision.

"It's just.. it's not you, it's me. It's definitely all me. I do love you Davy, it's just not in the way you want me to love you. You're a friend to me."

"But… I… why did you agree to go out with me if you didn't even like me like that? Was it out of pity?"

"Oh, of course not! I thought I did love you romantically, Davy. I really, truly did. But as the weeks went by, it felt like I was leading you on. I didn't want anyone to get hurt so… can we still be friends?"

"Honestly, Holly? I am hurt. I'm hurt that you didn't tell me sooner, and I'm hurt that you let me believe that I actually had a chance with you."

"Davy, I--"

"Save it, Alto. I can't stand to see you right now, let alone be friends again. Maybe in the future, but not right now." He said, making his way back into the building.

With a sigh, Holly sat down on the steps of the building, running a hand through her hair. That did not go the way she wanted it to, and she felt like she deserved it. It was wrong for her to try and make herself fall in love with him, and it was unfair to him to let it last this long too. She couldn't help but wonder if she could've let him down way more gently than that-- she denied him his first kiss for Watcher's sake! They broke up in public, where anyone could see and gossip about it.

One thing was certain, however; the car ride home would be awkward now that they were exes and not on good terms.

Chapter Text

"So, where are you going to move again, Kay?" Bella asked, laying down in the grass in front of the house Kaylynn, her father, and her aunt were staying in while Kaylynn sat on the sidewalk. The two of them had been drawing pictures all day so that Kaylynn could leave her friends something to remember her by.

"Starlight Shores, for Auntie Zelda's music career. They say that all stars are born there."

"That's across SimNation, isn't it? We learned about it in class once." Bella asked. Kaylynn nodded in confirmation, sliding a finished drawing away.

"Yeah.. I don't wanna go, Bells."

"But you'll be living it up with celebrities! What's not to like?"

"As fun as it sounds, we were supposed to get famous together , remember? We both wanted to be in the movies! Plus.. why would I wanna be with them? If Dad can replace Mom, would he replace me and Parker too someday?"

"Aww, Kay… I don't think he'd just up and replace you guys like that!" Bella exclaimed, pulling her best friend into a hug, "If he does, Darlene and I are gonna go over there and bring you back."

"I'd like that, but it's a super long trip. We're taking a plane there."

"Maybe we can hide you in our house until they give up?" Arlo Bunch was walking up the sidewalk with Malcolm, who was hiding something behind his back, and Thomas Castor who felt very out of place in this group of close-knit friends, "There's a whole bunch of us Bunches! No one would bat an eye at us." Arlo continued.

"Mmm… thanks, but Dad's pretty perceptive." Kaylynn said, "I'm glad that you all came to see me. Even you, Thomas."

"Speaking of, where's Morty, Miraj, and Darlene?" Bella asked, standing up and dusting her pretty red dress off, "They said they'd be here to see Kaylynn off."

"Darlene's still picking out 'the perfect gift', but Miraj and Mortimer are on their way." Arlo said.

"Not anymore." Mortimer walked up the sidewalk with Miraj now. They both handed her some wrapped up gifts, "I'm giving you my lucky rabbit's foot. You'll need it if you're going to survive in a completely new environment." Mortimer said.

"And you can have my old puzzles! I know they're kinda messy, but I bet you'd love them. Y'know, since you hate mud." Miraj smiled.

"Thank you so much!" Kaylynn happily took the presents, setting them down on the porch, "I'll treasure them greatly." She said, hugging both boys at once.

"Since when was this a mush festival?" Darlene asked, running up to Kaylynn with a pair of boots in her hand, "Got you some rain boots so you can stomp around in the mud without ruining your cute little shoes."

"Oh, thank you." Kaylynn took the shoes, but was a little apprehensive at the idea of stomping in mud like her tomboy friend, "I don't think it rains much in Starlight Shores, but I'm sure I'll find some use for them."

"You better! Anyway." The blonde girl then turned around to glare at the Castor boy, "What's this lame-o doing here? I thought I said I didn't want to see his dumb bowl cut!"

"I invited him." Malcolm said, stepping up to the boy's defense, "Arlo, Mortimer, and I figured it would be best for him to meet Kaylynn. Now that we know she's moving away, it seems like this was a good idea."

Much to Darlene's chagrin, Kaylynn and Thomas shook hands and ended up hitting it off well.

"What does she even like about that nerd?" Darlene huffed, folding her arms.

"Are you jealous of their friendship?" Bella asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Duh! Some fancy new kid comes from some backwater town, and he steals my title, my friends, and even my dumb brother. It's totally unfair!"

"He didn't steal us away from you, Darlene. We're still your friends, we just wanna make him feel welcome." Bella said, throwing an arm around her friend's shoulder. 

"Well.. I still don't like him. He's a nerd. And his voice is annoying."

"I feel like you're just finding reasons to dislike him at this point." Bella said, giving her friend a more tired look.

"Oh, Kaylynn. I have a gift for you too, by the way." Malcolm spoke up, getting everyone's attention. He held out some flowers that had been hidden behind his back, and it was clear he had taken them from the landscaping around his house, "I made sure to get most of the dirt off, because I know how much it bugs you."

"Thank you, Malcolm!" She smiled brightly at this, taking the flowers from Malcolm. Bella could count on one hand the amount of times she had seen her smile like that. It was at their first ever slumber party, and the two of them stayed up all night to eat popcorn, watch movies, and watch TV shows they weren't supposed to be watching. It was at that sleepover they decided to be actresses to star in their own movies.

Arlo scrunched up his nose at this sight, backing away, "Malcolm and Kaylynn's got cooties." The two of the gasped, sharing a look as the rest of the children backed away.

"Ew, he's right!" Darlene exclaimed, "Run!"

And run they did. The children ran down to the nearby beach as Kaylynn and Malcolm chased them down, shouting about how they were the cootie monsters. Not being that active, Mortimer and Miraj were the first two to be caught by Kaylynn and Malcolm. Bella and Thomas hid together underneath the pier, while Arlo and Darlene hid behind some boulders. Bella and Thomas giggled, though Bella tried shushing the boy.

"Man, Twinbrook didn't have a beach like this one." Thomas said, looking out for Kaylynn, Malcolm, Mortimer, and Miraj.

"It didn't? I'm kinda surprised."

"Yeah, it was full of trash 'n rubble. Plus, Twinbrook was built on a swamp. Not exactly somewhere you wanna swim."

"Definitely not. When you said that you lived down south, I was expecting something more along the lines of Appaloosa Plains or Desiderata Valley."

"Nah, Twinbrook isn't as nice as those places anymore. Actually, we really weren't allowed to go down by the water anyway. Too many gators, y'know?"

"You guys had alligators? That's so cool!"

"Heh. Not when they want a chunk outta your sides."

Surprisingly, the two of them weren't caught by the cootie squad. When the group of kids were bored of their game, they headed back to Kaylynn's temporary home to relax under the cooling air of the air conditioner. Bella and Kaylynn were sprawled on a couch together, legs tangled up. Thomas leaned against Bella's end of the couch, while Malcolm leaned against Kaylynn's. Malcolm got a couch to himself while Miraj flipped through the channels to find something for them all to watch together. Meanwhile, Arlo and Darlene sat in front of the air conditioner, letting out obnoxious sighs of relief as their pink skin turned back to its normal shade.

It was nice to just sit back, relax, and to just act as though they were as 'mature' as the teens in town. They hung out in groups like this, and invaded their parents' houses like a swarm of termites. Naturally, the kids would do so as well. 

In the children's case, they rarely ever split off into their own groups so that everyone could feel involved. They just saw no reason to exclude anyone, besides Darlene and her personal vendetta against the Castors for some reason.

Chapter Text

Laurel Grisby was a simple girl. She didn't make waves, nor did she like speaking to unfamiliar people. In a way, the girl reminded Bebe of Holly when she first moved to Sunset Valley. Because of this, she tried to not push Laurel out of her comfort zone too much as she got to know the town.

Bob had Parker and Michael in stitches with laughter while Bebe sat with Laurel, asking her questions about her life in Riverview.

"We have two other friends." Laurel said with a small smile on her face, "Their names are Trigger Broke and Betty Simovitch."

"Trigger's an interesting name."

"A lot of the Brokes have strange names. There's his uncle Flat, his dad Buck, and his new cousin Skip." Laurel said, counting off their names on her fingers, "There's also his aunt Flo, older cousin Ruby, and his younger sister Susie.. but those are pretty normal names."

"I wish we had more people with strange names here in Sunset Valley outside of me and my mom."

"Parker's a weird name."

"Hey, I heard that!" Parker suddenly exclaimed, turning to face the girls. He scooted next to Bebe with a smirk, pointing at Laurel, "So, you guys are talking about me? I hope it's all good things."

Laurel went silent, looking down at her seat in shame. Bebe saved the situation with a quip of her own.

"Yeah, we're talking about how you still sleep with a teddy bear." Bebe said, shrugging. Parker became flustered at that, covering his face.

"C'mon, I already told you that it was Kaylynn's bear! I'm not that lame." He got up and sulked as Bebe giggled.

"He really sleeps with a teddy bear still?" Laurel asked, clearly dumbfounded.

"Yep, and it's the cutest thing ever! He says that he's too cool for them, but when his sister-- that's the Kaylynn he mentioned, gave him one of hers? He's still got it."

"He sounds like a great older brother." Laurel smiled softly, "Actually.. I still have a bear I still sleep with too. Well, he's more of a rabbit. He makes me feel better when Dallas gets me down."

"Dallas Shallow, right? He sounded like a real piece of work when Holly told me about him earlier."

"Holly?"

"Yeah, my best friend. The other day, she had to go to dinner with him and she hated him the moment he opened his mouth."

"He is pretty irritating, but I could never stand up to him.."

"Sure you could. Just raise your voice and shout 'leave me alone'. If he doesn't, then that's harassment."

"I don't think you understand.. Dallas' family owns Riverview. If he or his sister got in trouble, they'd be pardoned before they even got down to the station."

"Yikes. Well, if he ever moved here then just look for us! We'll help you out until you find the confidence to stand up to him."

"Thanks Bebe, I really appreciate it."

"I'm not in town for one day, and I'm already replaced!" Holly approached the group, clicking her teeth. She wasn't mad at all however, and went to shake Laurel's hand, "You're Laurel Grisby, right? I'm Holly Alto."

"Um, yes.. it's nice to finally meet you, Holly." Laurel said softly, taking the girl's hand. Once they let go, Holly turned to face everyone else. Bob had some sort of dreamy smile on his face, while Michael was somewhat more neutral.

"I've got so much to share with you guys about what happened last night."

"Wait, one question." Parker said, "Where's Davy? He's usually attached to your hip around this time."

"That's coming later." Holly replied before clearing her throat.

"To start with, my mother wants to merge both Riverview and Sunset Valley." Laurel noticeably went pale at that, so Bebe placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "She's calling this Project Pleasantview because Pleasantview is what she intends on calling the two merged towns."

"That's pretty ambitious." Bebe said, surprised.

"Yeah, no kidding. I guess we'll be seeing a lot more tractor races, eh Bob?" Michael joked, causing Bob and Parker to laugh.

"Other than that, she's running for mayor. I've already told you all that before, however." Holly said. After this, Holly noticeably became a bit more sad, "As for the state of Davy and I's relationship? It's currently in shambles."

"As in…" Parker waved his hand as if to tell her to hurry up.

"We broke up."

The table went silent, and Parker and Bebe slowly turned to look at Michael. Michael looked surprised, before carefully asking some questions.

"Did he break up with you, or did you break up with him?"

"I broke up with him. I felt he was moving too fast, and he was already telling me he loved me and wanted to kiss me." She said, tracing patterns on the table, "It's fine though, I'm not upset. I truly can't see him as anything but a friend and leading him on any longer would've made everything worse."

"Are you still friends?" Bob was the one who asked this time, seeming hopeful.

"Mmm, I don't think we are. He specifically said that he couldn't stand to see me at the moment, and I respect that." She concluded. After her story, the teens split off into groups. Or rather, Holly hung out with the boys while Bebe hung out with Laurel.

"Oh, who's that?" Laurel pointed out a familiar boy with a brown bowl cut, lurking around. Bebe's eyes narrowed into slits as she replied.

"Bad news, that's who."

"But what's his name?" Laurel asked, eyes glued to his form.

"Jeffrey Castor, he's from Twinbrook. Moved in not too long ago, and he's a total creep."

"He can't be that bad.. maybe he's just misunderstood."

"Yeah, I kinda doubt that. He's so weird towards Holly, and you're better off not thinking about him."

"Well.. if you say so." Laurel turned to face Bebe again, but Bebe noticed how she would sneak glances at Jeffrey as he blatantly watched Holly. Eventually, his attention turned to Laurel. His brow was furrowed, and for once he was showing something other than glee or contempt. 

" Laurel . Why don't we go to the ice cream truck or something?" Bebe suggested, teeth grit. She wanted to tell the boy to 'scram', but she had a feeling her friend wouldn't appreciate it very much.

She was happy when Laurel agreed to this, and they both ordered strawberry cones. Bebe's happy mood was ruined when Jeffrey joined them at the ice cream truck.

"I don't believe I've seen you around before." Jeffrey said in that boring voice of his.

"I'm new to the Valley.. my name is Laurel Grisby." Laurel replied, face going red.

"Is that say? Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm Jeffrey Castor." Suddenly, the boy took Laurel's hand and kissed it. Bebe nearly vomited. 

Luckily, the boy didn't stick around for too long after his greeting. Laurel watched him go with longing in her eyes, and Bebe rolled hers.

"I should've gotten his digits…"

"You'll see him at school this fall, and I bet you'll see him around town."

"Yeah, but I can't see him all the time. I want to be able to talk to him at home too… oh, can you help me out Bebe?"

"Help you out?"

"You know, help me get his attention!"

Against Bebe's better judgement, she agreed to help Laurel out. Maybe if Jeffrey had someone else to obsess over, he'd leave Holly alone.

Chapter Text

The end of summer came without much fanfare. They were starting to pack up the summer festival to prepare for fall, and Lisa and VJ watched it go.

"School's starting up again soon. Ready to be a sophomore?" VJ asked, sitting on a bench.

"Hell no. If I have to go an entire school year watching Holly Alto's friends act like caricatures of themselves, I'll scream."

"I know exactly how you feel, babe. I wonder how things are gonna be with those new kids coming in."

"Speaking of new kids, we're supposed to be hosting some chick from Roaring Heights. Foreign exchange program."

"Roaring Heights isn't that foreign, but whatever."

"Lisa, VJ!" The two teens looked up to see River running up to them, smiling. There was something different about her..

"What did you do to your hair?" Lisa reached out to touch it. The artist had green highlights in her hair, and it was slightly curled.

"Emelie suggested I change up my look for the new school year. She thinks it'll help me get out of my shell."

"Is that right." Lisa looked and sounded unimpressed. It wasn't that she didn't like River's new look, it was the fact that it felt like Emelie was trying to steal away her best friend. First she comes to Sunset Valley with the same exact hairstyle and fashion sense, then she charms everyone with her vampish ways… her charm was starting to wear off on Lisa, but it certainly still had her cousin in its hold.

"You don't like it." River said, beginning to frown.

"You're right, I don't." VJ looked over at Lisa, ready to say something, "I love it, actually. Green really is your color." She said, smiling.

"I gotta agree." VJ grinned, "Your new look suits you. Should I get you a badass leather jacket to go with your new look?"

"Leather's not really my style but… you know what? Screw it. Hand it over." 

VJ hollered in excitement, patting the girl on the back, "Welcome to the dark side, McIrish. Now we just have to teach you how to do permanent tats."

"I'll pass. I might change my mind on a tattoo, so I'd rather do it in marker."

"I'm with Riv on this." Lisa said, "You'd look hot with them though, VJ."

"Are you two about to start making out?" River said in a teasing manner, "Get a room."

"Look at you being all snarky!" Lisa grinned, "Anyway, it's too early in the morning for that."

"That's not what you said earlier this morning." VJ said, causing Lisa to shove his arm and shake her head. She wasn't actually mad, however.

"Greetings, friends!" Emelie Van Gould was walking up to the three of them, holding her parasol in her hand loosely. Her hair was tied up in pigtails, and the ends were dyed pink on one side and black on the other.

"Jeez, is everyone in Sunset Valley getting dye jobs? Why wasn't I invited?" Lisa rolled her eyes.

"Because you never gave me your number, and River told me you were busy." Emelie said, moving to sit next to VJ.

"You were busy that day! You told me you were setting up for a protest." 

" Wrong. I was tagging buildings with VJ." Lisa said, "Still wish I went through. I want to dye my hair a very drastic color."

"I'll dye your hair for you, Lise. What color were you thinking?" VJ offered.

"Since Emelie has a monopoly on pink and River's got green… I'm feeling cherry red or a nice fiery orange."

"It's different. I like it." River nodded in approval.

"Enough about hair though, where's Tristan?" Lisa asked, "He's usually attached to you like a shadow."

"Why, you interested in him?" Emelie laughed at Lisa's glare, "I'm kidding! He's always brooding at this time of day. He really misses Moonlight Falls. Oh, and this chick he was really into named Bailey."

"Why did you guys move anyway?" VJ asked, and the girl shrugged.

"Father won't tell us squat. All he said is that he'd like to avoid further trouble with the Wolffs because he caught me kissing one of them!"

"Ooh, a Romeo and Juliet plot. How romantic." River sighed dreamily.

"Yeah, well, we didn't even get to the part where we fake our deaths." Emelie frowned, "It's fine though. It's time for me to move on, y'know?"

"Got your eye on someone?" VJ asked with a knowing look on his face.

"You bet. Joseph's cute, isn't he?"

Lisa pretended to gag, "Gross! Joseph's my cousin, so naturally I need to tell embarrassing stories about him."

"Tell me later, I'm actually meeting up with him soon. I asked him out the other day."

"You're such a go-getter, Emelie. I'd be way too shy to ask anyone out." River said. VJ and Lisa shared a look.

"There's no point in beating around the bush when it comes to these things. You people aren't getting any younger." Emelie shrugged, "Besides, I don't want anyone here snatching him up before I can."

"Don't have to worry about that. Half the girls in town don't even talk to him." Lisa shrugged.

"Still, you never know. Life loves to throw us curve balls every once in a while. He could be really into what's her face, um… Candy!"

"There's no way in hell she's his type." Lisa scowled, "He doesn't always listen to me, but he does know we all don't like her and why."

"Like I said, life likes to throw us curve balls." Emelie gripped her parasol tightly, "Anyway, I should get going now. Don't wanna be late for my date. Toodles!" Emelie waved, walking away from the three teens.

As soon as Emelie was out of earshot, VJ and Lisa burst out into laughter.

"Toodles? Seriously?" VJ asked in between laughter.

"What kind of whimsical wonderland is she living in?" Lisa snorted. River then stood up, dusting off her pants.

"I thought it was charming. Anyway, something Emelie said struck a chord with me?"

"And what's that?" VJ was starting to calm down now, finally.

"There's no point in beating around the bush, because we're not getting any younger." Lisa saw determination in River's eyes, a nice change from her usual shy self, "Lisa, where's Ethan?"

"Should still be at home. What are you going to do?" The blonde had an inkling of an idea on what her friend was planning, but she wanted to be sure.

"I'm going to finally ask out Ethan, that's what."

Lisa and VJ grinned at each other, standing up to clap River on the back.

"I'm so proud of you, Riv. Go get him." Lisa grinned.

"Our precious River's all grown up now." VJ pretended to wipe tears away from his eyes, and River couldn't help but smile a little.

"See you guys later. I'll let you know how it goes tonight." With that said, River was off to hail a taxi.

"So, think she has a chance?" VJ asked, turning to the blonde girl.

"Ethan's too nice to reject anyone. I wouldn't worry so much."

"And if she chickens out?"

"Something tells me she won't be running away this time. Call it a hunch." Lisa and VJ watched as River entered a cab, finally ready to let Ethan know how she really felt about him.