Chapter 8 is here, hooray hooray! This one is considerably longer than the last several that I've uploaded, so enjoy! A special thanks to Plumboob, ZenGarden, and Tasia714 for the wonderful comments. The feedback means so much to me!

BROKE

Little Carter Long burst into toddlerhood with a blast of confetti. The son of Brandi and Benjamin Long looked at his father and smiled. His toddler mind wasn’t quite sure why, but he knew this day must be special. After all, his whole family was crowded around him cheering and clapping. The tot chewed his fist contently while his father carried him to bed.


After the birthday festivities settled, the family sat down for a macaroni and cheese dinner. “It’s too bad Dustin couldn’t make it.”, Beau declared sadly before sitting down. His family nodded in agreement, but ornery Henry had a different opinion.
“He could have come but he’s too busy kissing Angela!”
“Oh hush, you!” Brandi scolded her son playfully. “He’s a busy boy at college. He would be here if he could.” Benjamin chuckled and shook his head; Henry always had something slightly inappropriate to say.


With the whole family gathered around, Benjamin thought it would be a good time to announce his proposition. Although Benjamin loved raising his sons, he was tired of being a stay at home dad. As a knowledge sim, the bottle feedings and toilet scrubbings were getting to him. His true dream was to work in the medical field and eventually become chief of staff. “Well family, I have an announcement to make; I found a job opening at the hospital. Now I know you are all used to me being Mr. Mom, a job I love very much. But, if I take this job, we’ll have a lot more money for nice things, a bigger house, maybe even private school! But I want to make sure everyone is in agreeance with me taking the position. This means a nanny will have to stay here while mom and I are at work.”


Brandi smiled excitedly; she was well aware of her husband’s lifetime want. “Well isn’t that wonderful! I know I think it’ll be better for all of us. What about you, boys? Can you handle a nanny?” Brandi looked to her sons expectantly.


Beau gave his step father a reassuring look. “Go for it, Dad! We want you to be happy! You’ve taken such great care of all of us.”
“Yeah and besides, I’ll show that nanny who’s boss around here!” Henry piped up, grinning wickedly.


With his family’s support, Benjamin felt accepting the position was the right thing to do. He emailed the hospital director right away and started working the very next day.


“So enough about me, what’s going with you?” Brandi Long subtly urged her friend to talk about her problems at home. She knew something was wrong with Kaylynn; she’d been acting quite withdrawn and blue lately. Kaylynn and Brandi had become close friends while working together at the police station. After getting off a long shift, they decided to go out to Center Drip Coffee for some caffeine therapy.


“What do you mean?” Kaylynn played dumb and gave Brandi a weak, half smile. She wasn’t in the mood to talk about her marriage issues.
“Oh c’mon. I know something is up. Talking about it might help, you know.”


Kaylynn gave in. She trusted Brandi, and thought maybe she could help. Kaylynn explained how her husband Don treated her and their son, Lorenzo. She shamefully told the story of visiting her ex lover, Daniel, and how strangely it seemed to fix things for a while. “But now he’s distant again. It’s like when I try to be close to him, he pushes me away. Then when he thinks I’ve lost interest, he’s the most charming, dedicated husband around. I just don’t know what to think or do.” Kaylynn threw her hands up in exasperation.


As a mother of four and a wife of two, Brandi felt like she had a lot of experience. She felt sorry for Kaylynn and genuinely wanted to help her. Although the two were close in age, Brandi felt like somewhat of a mother figure to Kaylynn. “You know, that’s not an uncommon way for men like him to act, and it seems to me like you’ve figured him out pretty well. You’re a smart woman Kaylynn; you know he isn’t the most faithful man in Pleasantview. He’ll always want what he can’t have, and you don’t deserve to be treated like that! I hate to say this…but I think you need to leave him.” Brandi sighed; her inner family Sim cringed at those final, marriage dooming words.


Kaylynn was taken aback. “Leave him?! I could never! I…we…he’s my husband. For better or for worse.” Brandi frowned. She understood exactly how Kaylynn felt.
“Well, if you really don’t want to leave him…then you have to play hard to get. I’m not saying his behavior is justified, but you’re the one who wants to fix your marriage. Tease him, and he won’t need to go hunting around. Get what I’m saying?”
Kaylynn blushed. “Oh…oh I don’t know about that.”


“C’mon Kaylynn! You married him, and if you want to stay with him, you have to be spontaneous! Remember how well it worked when you wanted a baby? You can’t be clingy and predictable. Loosen up; have fun!” With that, Brandi hopped up from her seat and bounded over to the coffee shop karaoke stage.
Kaylynn was mortified. “Brandi! Brandi what are you doing?! Get down from there!”
Brandi just laughed and grabbed the microphone. “This one goes out to my best friend, Kaylynn Lothario!” She began to sing loudly and horrendously. The coffee shop visitors all stared at her, slightly annoyed.


Brandi only stopped belting out the cheesy love song to make a shout out. “C’mon little lady! Don’t make me come drag you up here!”
Kaylynn covered her face and hurried onstage, hoping it would get Brandi to calm down. After a lot of prodding and teasing, Brandi convinced Kaylynn to sing a song and the women ended up on the floor laughing. The friends left the coffee shop with a closer bond and new confidence.

DREAMER

The Goth-Dreamer family was gathered in their small kitchen to celebrate baby Eden’s birthday. The only family member missing was Dirk, who was away at college. Eden cooed and gurgled at her family; how silly they looked shouting and blowing noisemakers. Cassandra rocked her daughter and then blew out the blazing candles, sending her off into toddlerhood.


After everyone had their share of cake, the girls of the household made their way into the living room to relax. “I’m gonna getcha!” Cassandra watched as Destiny tickled her daughter relentlessly. Destiny was happy to have a little playmate to dote on. Eden’s little belly shook with laughter. She tried half heartedly to get away from Destiny; the tot’s unruly, black curls bounced around her head.
“Stop it, sissy!”, Eden squealed.


Destiny ignored her niece's slip up; it actually made her happy to think of having a little sister. The baby didn’t know any better, after all.
The situation, however, caught Cassandra off guard. She laughed uncomfortably. “Eden, Destiny isn’t your sister. Call her Aunt Destiny, or just Auntie.”


Suddenly hurt, Destiny stood up abruptly. “Jeez Cassandra, it doesn’t matter!” With that, Destiny stomped upstairs leaving her sister surprised and slightly upset.
“Dessy mad, mommy?”, Eden questioned worriedly.
“No sweetie, everything is okay.” Cassandra plucked her small daughter from the rug and carried her up to her crib.


Destiny went into her room and shut the door; she wanted to be alone. Mad at herself for overreacting and mad at her sister for pointing out the obvious, Destiny flopped into her bed and began to cry softly. “I know she’s not my sister. I don’t belong in this family.” The child crossed her arms and pouted.


A knock on Destiny’s door broke the silence. “Destiny, it’s me, Cassandra.”
The girl quickly wiped her eyes and nose on her pajama top sleeve and murmured, “I know. Come in.”


Cassandra walked in and pulled Destiny’s bear chair up to the bed. She took a seat in the undignified pink plush, sinking down a bit. The sisters sat in silence for a long moment, looking around the room and occasionally at each other.


“Okay, what’s wrong?”, Cassandra questioned. “What happened down there?”
Destiny heaved out a shaky sigh and looked down at her feet. “I’m an orphan. I…I don’t belong in this family.”, she whimpered.
Saddened by her kid sister’s answer, Cassandra shook her head. “Oh Destiny, of course you belong here! We all love you so much. You know Darren and I fought to get you and Alexander. You may not have mom and dad, but neither do Alex or I. We’re all in this together, you know? I’m not your mom, but I am your big sister and I will always take care of you.”


“I know.” Destiny sighed. “I didn’t mean that. I just…I wish I knew them. I wish I could hug and kiss them.” Cassandra wanted to tell her sister that she was lucky she didn’t remember them, that they weren’t good people. She wanted Destiny to know that their father never really cared about her. She wanted to explain how their mother would have controlled her her life until she was miserable. She wanted to tell Destiny how she should be her's, and that she is twice the mother Bella would have ever been. But, she knew she couldn’t. That would break her heart. She was too young to understand anyway.


So instead, she just gave her a big hug. “I understand, sweetie. It’s perfectly normal to feel that way. Just believe me, you have just as much love here as you would have had with mom and dad. So please, don’t be so sad, honey.”
“I believe you Cassie.” She kissed her sister’s cheek. “Thanks.”


Cassandra tucked her sister into bed, turned off the lights, and sang her to sleep. Cassandra never imagined she would have to deal with a situation like the one that had just unfolded. She looked at Destiny sleeping soundly. She was jealous of the girl and yet pitied her at the same time. Destiny had so much love for the parents she would never know. Indeed, she would never know how disappointing they really were.

PLEASANT

Daniel Pleasant stood alone in his silent kitchen. The man had grown into an elder by himself, his family all gone. He bought a cake hoping they would show up. Instead, there was only one slice missing from the dessert. He sighed and held back a few salty tears. He’d never had such a lonely birthday with such little fanfare before.


Just as he was getting ready to put the leftover cake away, Daniel heard the door bell ring. His heart leapt for joy and he hobbled over to the front door. “I’m coming Mary-Sue!” When he reached entrance he was disappointed to see his sister, Jennifer Burb, standing and smiling at him. Still, happy to have some family to keep him company, he smiled through the glass and let her in.


“Hey big brother, happy birthday! Gray is a good color for you!” Jennifer winked slyly at Daniel and chuckled.
“Hah. Well thanks, Jennifer.”
Jennifer could tell there was something off in Daniel’s voice.“What’s wrong? Where is everyone?”
“They uh…they’ve been living at Mary-Sue’s parents' place for a while. They…they didn’t come.”
Jennifer’s heart broke; she was suddenly very glad she stopped by. “Oh Danny…” She hugged her brother even tighter.


The siblings filed into the dining room and sat down, each with a big slice of sweet cake. Daniel looked up at his sister with a big smile while she pulled out the sturdy wooden chair. “I’m really glad you stopped by, Jen. I’ve been so lonesome over here in this big house by myself.”


“I bet!”, Jennifer cried. “And to be honest I’m pretty pissed off that everyone left you alone on your birthday. This is a big one too! If I’d known, I would have brought over the rest of the Burb clan. You wouldn’t be lonely anymore. In fact, you’d be pulling out what’s left of your hair, ready to kick us out!” Jennifer laughed at her joke and Daniel smiled, his mouth full of cake. “But in all seriousness, what happened? Mary-Sue must be pretty ticked to leave you alone on your birthday.”


Daniel explained the whole story. Mary-Sue saw Kaylynn and him talking, assuming the worst. He tried hard to assure her it was not his fault and nothing happened, but she wouldn’t hear it. She packed up her things and took Felix to live with her parents. He hadn’t seen them since. “Wow.” It was all Jennifer could say. “I can’t believe she doesn’t believe you. You two were doing so well!”
“I thought so too. But now, I don’t know what to do.” Daniel sighed, finishing off his cake.


“Well you’ve got to get her back of course!” Jennifer exclaimed, practically knocking Daniel out of his seat. “I can’t stand the thought of you moping around here alone day in and day out. Prove to her that maid chick is old news! Profess your love to her!”
“But how?” Daniel was confused.
Jennifer sighed, exasperated. “Oh I don’t know Daniel. Use your imagination. Just get your family back. I don’t want you to miss out on Felix’s life. You know better than me they don’t stay babies for long.”


Soon after their conversation, Jennifer announced she needed to leave. Lucy wanted help with her college application and the twins, Tristan and Tabitha, needed a bath. They walked to the door and hugged goodbye. "Take care, Daniel. Oh! Before I forget…” Jennifer pulled out a small present wrapped in crisp white paper, topped with a perky red bow. “For you!”, she shouted.
Daniel winced at his sister’s loud voice. “A hearing aide, I hope?”
“Ha. Ha. Very funny.” Jennifer playfully punched her big brother's shoulder.
The siblings laughed and hugged one last time before Jennifer walked down the steps and got into her car. Daniel was again alone. He glanced at the clock, his birthday was officially over.

SIM STATE UNIVERSITY

Dustin Broke, Angela and Lilith Pleasant, and Dirk Dreamer were all roommates in the Pinenut Plaza dorms at Sim State University. The four worked tirelessly at their studies day in and day out, each with big career goals locked in mind. As freshman, they reserved little time for socialization and fun. Despite their academic focused minds, it didn’t take long for Dustin and Dirk became friends. Angela and Lilith, however, tried avoiding each other as much as possible.


The twins hadn’t seen each other since the day Lilith ran away from home. Their touching phone conversation was on the fore front of both their minds. Despite their violent past, both girls wondered if maybe they could actually get along, maybe even be friends. Still, both sisters were too stubborn to be the bigger person and apologize. Lilith finally decided she would be the one to try and break the ice. One morning when Angela was munching some pancakes in the cafeteria, Lilith sat down to make conversation. “Mind if I join you?” Angela nodded in response, her mouth full of hot cake.


“So…how are you enjoying the college life?”, Lilith questioned slightly awkwardly.
“I like it a lot. What are you majoring in?”
“Political science. I want to get a law career and boss people around. You?”
“Biology. I’m hoping to get a job in natural science or oceanography.”
“Cool.”
“Yep.”


The twins were quiet for a while, neither knowing what to say next. “Well…how are you and Dirk?” Angela was surprised to see they were still together.
“Oh uhm. Well, actually…” Lilith blushed and tried to hold back a smile. Angela raised her eyebrows; she’d never seen a look like that on her sister’s face before.


“We’re uh…married, actually. You know, we always joked about it when we were kids. Since we graduated, the joking got a little more serious. Then one day we were just stargazing outside and he said he wanted to get married right then and there. He even had rings! I couldn’t see a reason why not to…so we did.”


Angela was completely shocked. "Wow Lilith! Congrats!" She never would have guessed her sister to be the marrying type. Yet, here she sat, Mrs. Dirk Dreamer. After the initial shock dissipated, Angela grew green with envy. She’d always wanted a perfect storybook wedding. She refused to have her twin outdo her in any aspect of life. After their breakfast, Angela decided to go find Dustin and have a little chat.


When Angela finally found him, the look on her face made Dustin want to run for the hills. He knew that look well, and it never led to anything good. “What’s wrong Angela? You look…upset.”
“Did you know Lilith and Dirk got married?! Can you believe that?!”


Dustin played dumb. Dirk had already told him everything, he’d even been an accomplice in getting the rings. “Hmmm married? Wow, that’s shocking. I never thought they’d even make it this far.”
“Oh hush Dustin. I can tell you knew.”
“I do not know what you are talking about.” The young man grew nervous.


Angela glared at her boyfriend. Dustin sighed. “Okay you caught me. So what’s the problem?”
Angela’s eyes bugged out and Dustin thought her hair actually became visibly redder. He braced himself for the worst. “What’s the problem?! Dustin Broke, we have been dating for almost five years and I don’t even have an engagement ring on my finger! My rotten sister is married!”


Dustin started to panic while quickly searching his mind for the right thing to say. “Oh Angela, that’s because I’m planning something great, no, grand for you! Anyone can get married in college next to a dirty old tree. But our wedding, our wedding will blow minds. People will be talking about it for years to come!”
Angela looked at him skeptically. “Yeah. Sure. Well just realize this Dustin Broke, the clock has officially begun ticking.” She sauntered away while Dustin smiled at her cheesily.
He gulped. “Oh no”, he thought to himself, “What have I gotten myself into?”