Disarm

Round 26: Spring 2024

last update/Adrienne's next update/next update

Augustin and Hanna Novak are both 69, Naomi is 49, Owen is 47, Adrienne is 17 and Malcolm is 14.
(Matilda is 18, Susannah is 14)

Narrated by Adrienne Novak

As well as babysitting, I've been working with Mum at her boutique. She was running it by herself for a while but she says she can't run the store and man the cash register at the same time.

I think her main problem is she can't work the cash register at all!

It's better for everyone if she's off the register though. She gets frustrated, gets in a foul mood and then she ends up bitching out the customers. This time it was just Uncle James, but next time, it could be someone really important!

I run the register now and I've had to admit that it's more complicated than it looks! I'm getting the hang of it but it is hard, especially with impatient customers waiting behind the counter.

When she's in a good mood, it's really great to watch Mum while she works. I still don't really know what I want to do when I finish college but I could see myself running this place one day. It's mine if I want it; it's not really Malcolm's thing.

If I did follow Mum into fashion, there might be awesome money in it for me! Mum recently got a bonus of $32,000 when she managed to get a spot at Fashion Week. Dad took her away to their vacation house to celebrate.

They asked me and Malcolm if we wanted to join them but I get the feeling they were hoping we'd say no, so they could have some alone time. I feel like I'm a little too old for family vacations now anyway.

So while Mum and Dad are away, it's just me, Malcolm and our grandparents in the house. Even without our parents around, Grandpa is very insistent that we eat dinner together every night. He and Grandma like to know exactly what we're getting up to.

Not that we really need a family meal for that. I talk to my grandparents all the time, especially Grandma. Just the other day, I was complaining to her about the lack of cute boys around this place and how I hoped the situation would improve once I got to college. That was her cue to launch into a lecture about being "safe".

I could have died, I swear. Gross. I get where she's coming from, because she got pregnant with my mum and Uncle James in college but that's the last thing I want to hear about from my grandma.

It is kind of scary to think about ending up pregnant at my age though. My grandparents are doing pretty well for themselves now, but they had a lot of help from Grandpa's parents.

I still want a boyfriend though. I'm in severe danger of becoming bitter and twisted here, at the tender age of 17.

I haven't even kissed anybody yet and my 14 year-old brother actually has a girlfriend!

The giggling is one thing but when they start with the nuzzling and the making out, I could throw up. Who would want to make out with Malcolm?

Thank God Lost Generation is right around the corner from our house. Malcolm goes there a lot with Susannah.

There's not much for underagers to do around Sullivan, so unless you can drive or your parents are cool with you using public transport at night to go out to Exeter, your choices are Lost Generation or the skating rinks. I got over those places a long time ago!

Since Matilda left for college, I usually don't have anyone to go out with but she's been home visiting her dad, so it's been like old times!

Matilda took me to this bar that a lot of students hang out at, just to see if we could find any guys for me. The DJ was cute but he didn't seem to notice me anyway, which was pretty much the story that night.

So it ended up being more of a girls' night out, with just karaoke and dancing.

Which was fun. Matilda and I are both excellent performers when it comes to karaoke.

Karaoke was actually the only time all night that I got checked out and it was by a girl.

Lack of boys aside, the night was going so well that I decided to go to the bar and see if I could get a drink. I shouldn't have pressed my luck though.

The bartender asked me for ID and as soon as I couldn't show her any, she was pushing me out of my seat and ordering me out of the club.

So we headed over to The Greasy Spoon instead, where we came across Matilda's boyfriend, Ethan. As soon as we pulled up outside, Matilda spotted her boyfriend Ethan and asked me if it was okay if he joined us.

She was practically begging and he was standing right there, so what was I supposed to say? I've got nothing against Ethan but I just didn't feel like being the third wheel.

I was a bit worried Matilda would ignore me for Ethan but it didn't turn out to be too bad.

They kept the lovey dovey stuff to a minimum. I think Ethan's too shy to go too crazy with that sort of thing.

It was so great to see Matilda again! I've really missed her this year and I can't wait to get to university so we can hang out more often.

College is only a few months away but it feels like forever right now! At least I know I'm definitely going. Mum and Dad have already paid my first semester's tuition and I'll be living at Novak Hall (named after Grandma, by the way!) I'm so excited to finally get started!

Notes:

• Title is from Disarm by Smashing Pumpkins. 1994 - rock!
• Naomi's shop is now at Level 3 but she seems to be making a pretty nice profit anyway. And I've learned that a Sim can get more than 10 of those business benefits if they open a second business. I don't think I've ever had a Sim own more than one business before (to refresh your memory, Naomi used to own the salon than Kimberly Carmody owns now).
• Another thing I learned this session: I can ban teens from my lots (which is how this club is set up) but still take playable teens there. I wasn't sure what was going to happen when I took Adrienne down there. So, yay!
• Adrienne is off to college next year. Her grade was A- and she earned 5 scholarships, so it'll be the standard $2000 per semester tuition fees for Owen and Naomi. They can well afford it - they have about half a million dollars!
• All through high school, I couldn't find a single guy Adrienne had anything more than one bolt with. But as is usually the way with me and my Sims, I've got someone in mind for her who she actually has amazing chemistry with. So hopefully, their paths will cross sometime in the next few years.