Strangetown, Season 1 (Spring & Summer) - Part 3
“Hey, Dad?”
“What’s the matter, son?”
“Jill’s mom was saying at dinner last night they’re going to have another baby.”
“They are, huh?” the general snorted. Just what they needed! Those alien loving freaks were so obsessed with reproduction, it bordered on the grotesque.
“Will you ever have another baby? I’d love a little sister. I could style her hair.”
“I doubt it, Buck. Maybe if your Mother ever comes back to us.”
“You think she won’t?”
“I… I don’t know. Maybe.”
“But you said you doubted it.”
“Yeah, I suppose I did.”
It was usually Ripp who started the fights, with some rude comment or other, but Tank was always quick to escalate things.
Look, dancing Buzz! Loving this picture.
There’s still tension in the family, though. Sometimes Buzz’s sons all sit down for dinner on the other table, as far away from him as possible, and he can’t help but wonder why.
Being “just friends” with Ophelia sucked sometimes, but maybe it was better that way. He could hang out with her as much as he wanted, without having to worry about screwing things up. They’d hang out a lot, too, since Johnny was so often busy with some after-school club or other.
“In the photobooth, huh? Kinky.”
“Shut up and get in, stupid! I want to get some pictures together before graduation.”
Ah yeah, graduation. Johnny and Ophelia were going to be leaving him behind, soon. At least he still had Lilith and the gang. Until they headed off too, anyway! Being the youngest in the group sucked.
In the meantime, he’d make the most of the time they’d got.
When her aunt Olive was out doing her party-guest thing, Ophelia would often invite Ripp and the rest of the gang over. It was a creepy house, but the ghosts seemed a lot less scary and a lot more cool when she had her friends around her.
Ophelia dreamed of joining the police someday, but for now, she was working in law, which was, well, kind of related? With all her work on the job, maintaining her grades, the ghosts bothering her at all hours, and getting ready for college, she was exhausted! But she was happy.
With some of her bonus money, Ophelia bought Ripp that MP3 player he’d been after wanting. She knew he wasn’t making a lot of money at his shitty job, so why not? It was a sort of goodbye present.
Olive was a little too protective of Ophelia sometimes.
Johny found it a little bizarre. So many people in town were afraid of this woman but she was just wacky, not scary! Her ridiculous pranks were so annoying, and he could tell she didn’t like him. Not that she ever yelled at him, or said anything sharp. But he got pelted with so many water balloons whenever he came over, it was insane.
Olive’s pranks weren’t just limited to people she disliked. Poor Ophelia was frequently joy buzzed! She could never tell whether her aunt liked her, or found her a nuisance. She’d help her with her homework, but when Ophelia came home with perfect grades, Olive told her to “keep your voice down, girl, and get in the house.”
The truth was that Olive cared about Ophelia, but wasn’t sure how to express it. She tended to keep people at arms length. Anyone she got close to ended up dead, and she was convinced she was cursed. She didn’t want whatever darkness it was that hung over her to touch her niece.
Ripp making friends!
The Smiths were definitely one of those happy families that never needed to play pretend.
Jill adored her older brother, and had always looked up to him. It was going to be sad, him leaving for college!
Johnny’s future at college was a hot topic around the dinner table that night.
“Have you decided where you’re going yet, bro? Buck said Académie Le Tour has a great arts program, and it’s really beautiful! It’d be so romantic!”
Jenny laughed. “What’s a boy Buck’s age know about all that for?”
“Tank was looking at them and trying to decide where he was going, and he showed Buck the brochures. But their Daddy said fancy colleges were a waste of time, and he was going to Sim State, and that was final.”
Jenny sighed. It was so like Buzz to make decisions for his sons, without consulting them on how they felt about any of it.
“You’re not particularly interested in the arts, though, are you Johnny?” P.T. interjected, keen to steer the topic away from the Grunts, “what about La Fiesta Tech? It’s closer to home, and very alien-friendly.”
“Don’t write off Sim State just because Tank’s going there, though,” added his Mom, “I went there, and had the time of my life!”
“I’m still figuring it out. Ophelia really wants to get out of the desert and go somewhere greener.”
“You don’t have to go to the same college as Ophelia, sweetie. What about what you want?”
“I know that. But I’m not sure what I want career-wise yet, and staying close to the girl I love is definitely something I want to factor into the decision.”
“But son, you must have a dream!”
“Yeah! Didn’t you want to be a prince on a white horse?”
“I think I’m a bit old for that now, Jill!” he laughed.
“It’d be cool to save people, though, yeah. Maybe I’ll be a doctor or cop or scientist or something. But as far as dreams go… I honestly just want to grow old with Phi. Is that wrong?”
“Nothing wrong with that,” Jenny smiled. Her son might be a popularity sim, but he was still a family man at heart.
She stood up from the table, feeling a little queasy. She hoped it was a good sign. She and P.T. had been trying for another baby for a few weeks now. With Johnny talking about leaving, her urge to grow their family was stronger than ever.
Those Land kids are always popping over to play chess! River is one of Jill’s best friends.