Chapter 3.12 - Jubilation and Frustration

“Please, Amanda, I need you to tell me what you think you’ve been seeing.”

Amanda remained recalcitrant. “I don’t think I’ve been seeing anything.”

“That’s not what your mother tells me.”

“Well, if I was seeing things, do you really think I’d tell you about them?”

The therapist took on a sympathetic tone, apparently under the impression that she’d made a breakthrough. “I think you know you need help, Amanda, but I can’t help you unless I know what the problem is.”

“I don’t think you can help with my problems.”

“Can you at least tell me what they are?”

“No, because you can’t possibly accept that we aren’t the only sims out there!”

“Are you seeing aliens?”

Amanda returned to monosyllables. “No.”

The therapist sighed again. “I know I can’t make you want to talk to me, but if there’s no one you feel like you can talk to, I would suggest journaling. I really think you need to get your feelings out somehow.”

Amanda nodded, standing to leave. She was just going back to the waiting room until someone could come to pick her up, but she was fine with that. She knew perfectly well that she wasn’t the most important thing in her parents’ lives.

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“Another toast?”

John laughed boisterously, a sign of his growing intoxication. “Maybe just one more.”

His wife, Jane, was frowning. “It’s awfully late, don’t you think? We should probably be getting home soon…”

John scowled down at her, suddenly turning glacial. “The kids will be fine. And besides…” He turned back to Alaric, and the megawatt smile was back on. “We have something to celebrate!”

Madeline butted in, attempting to smooth over the growing tension. “To the new President and Vice President of Simnation!”

John beamed at her, turning on the charm that had won him his voters. “May our names always be remembered!”

They all clinked glasses, although Madeline noticed that Jane barely sipped at hers. A little belligerently, Madeline wondered what that woman could possibly have to worry about. Her husband had never brought his affair child into their home. Her kids didn’t need therapy. Her husband had just been elected president! What could she possibly have to be perpetually nervous about? She didn’t even have a job!

As soon as their glasses were finished, Jane took John’s arm. “We really do need to be getting home now. We’ll send your kids right over when we get home. Thanks so much for celebrating with us-”

John threw off his wife’s hand, but wrapped an arm around her shoulders, gripping her to him tightly. Madeline could have sworn she saw Jane wince, but her face smoothed out when John began to speak. “Of course, it was great to have your kids over, but don’t imagine we’ll make this a habit. We wouldn’t want any of their bad habits rubbing off on our little angels.”

Madeline stiffened and Alaric looked ready to physically attack someone, but John was already propelling his wife out the door. When he finally got out, they relaxed a little. Now they could get down to cleaning up the mess he’d made.

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A few hours earlier, at the other Does’ house, Willow was feeling a little left out. Jonah and Jenny were hanging out upstairs, and Willow didn’t want to think too hard about what they were doing. Amanda had holed herself up in a corner somewhere, talking to herself or maybe writing in her new journal, Willow didn’t really know. Serena was being monopolized by Jenny’s brother, James, who thought she was just “absolutely adorable”.

Willow scowled at that. No one ever thought she was adorable. She was too angry to be adorable. So instead of hanging out with the older kids, she was stuck babysitting Felix and the Does’ toddlers.

Willow sighed and looked at Felix. “You won’t ostracize me for being angry and generally not adorable when you’re older, will you?”

Felix looked a little confused. He definitely didn’t know what ostracize meant, but he could guess what Willow wanted him to say. “No?”

She smiled. “I know you have no idea what I meant, but I’m going to hold you to that.”

“Ok.”

Willow nodded. “Yeah… it’s going to be you and me against the world, baby brother. Just you and me.”

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Serena was super excited to be starting school. She loved seeing new places, and talking to people, and especially making friends. She wanted absolutely everyone to be her friend. Willow rolled her eyes whenever she heard Serena say that, and Amanda always laughed at her, but Serena really thought it was possible.

And she knew just where she wanted to start.

“Hello!”

The boy with the sand-colored hair looked at her cautiously. “... Hi.”

“Do you want to be my friend?”

“Not really.”

Serena frowned. She’d never gotten that reaction before. “Why not?”

“Because I don’t know you. Doesn’t your mother tell you not to talk to strangers?”

Serena sighed a little. “My mother doesn’t really tell me anything. And my name’s Serena, what’s yours?”

“Alphonse.”

“That’s a weird name.”

Alphonse just shrugged. “Well, you have weird hair. Does it really matter what my name is?”

“It does if we’re going to be friends.”

He gave her a strange look. “You aren’t going to give up, are you?”

Serena grinned. “Never.”

Author's Note: There isn't really any discernible difference between this chapter and the next one (I got them done at the same time and everything), but if I didn't split it up somewhere it would have been a seven-page, 75-picture extravaganza and I didn't really want to do that. I didn't really want Serena and Felix to both become children in the same chapter, either. So here's child Serena:

She is now excitable. You can see Felix next chapter, which is just a click away!