Thursday, January 2, 2014

Chapter 2.44- Surrender



          She had no idea how she’d managed to get on top of him, much less any idea if she’d even managed to injure him or not. For all she knew she was the injured one but she couldn’t feel it if she was. She also didn’t know quite where she was or who exactly the small knot of kids surrounding them were or how many of them had come over to watch. She only half registered that technically Roger was standing just out of bounds and that made her angrier.





          That twit would probably get in trouble for being out of bounds while she was the one pounding on Andre because Benji and Andre were picking on him again. For the thousandth time this month picking on him while he stood there and took it, holding his tears in until they went in from recess and she had to sit next to him hearing to his quiet sobs while trying to listen to what the teacher said. It wasn’t fair and she’d had enough.





          “Geez, Andre,” Benji’s voice floated to her from somewhere far away. “You’re getting beat up by a giiirl. I thought you said you beat up your sister all the time.”

          “Leave him alone, Benji,” Kelci’s voice had the same through-a-tunnel sound for Mariah. “He’s trying not to hit her since you don’t hit girls. Not that she should count as a girl. She’s just a freak.”
          Fueled by the disdain of her classmates Mariah finally landed a punch with enough force that Andre gasped while the surrounding kids groaned.
          “What on-” And Mariah felt herself lifted off of Andre, arms and legs still flailing in an attempt to injure the boy.

 

          When Mariah finally decided to stop swinging she found herself facing Andre with a very angry Mrs.Byrd at her side. The other kids had all fled. All except for Roger, who Mariah took no notice of.
          “Alright,” Mrs.Byrd began. “Alright, who start-”
          “-She did.” Andre interrupted, glaring.
          “I did not,” Mariah spat.
          “Uh, yes. You did.”
          Ears starting to burn, Mariah balled a fist and gritted her teeth. Stupid little-



          “You are the one who always gangs up with-” Mariah snarled. She even surprised herself with the force she put behind her words.
          “-Am not.” Andre interjected.
          “Mariah! If you don’t calm down-” Mrs. Byrd added as Mariah made to lunge at Andre.
          “-that stupid Benji-”
          “-We do NOT call names Mariah-”

          “-to be mean to Roger”-

“-we’re not being mean-”

“Andre? Roger?”

“-you’re about to learn what happens to people who are mean! I’ll kill you, you PlumbBob damn-”



          “You’d kill me just over-”
          “Shut up, you evil- If you don’t watch out, I bet you’ll find your shoelaces undone one day and you’ll trip and break your leg!”
          “Enough! Enough enough enough! Watcher.That’s.Enough!”

          Andre and Mariah stopped when Mrs.Byrd finally managed to make herself heard over their squabbling. However, they did not stop glaring at each other.
          “Andre, take a hike. Recess is half over and I think you ought to be playing and getting some of that energy out.”
          At that, he turned, sticking his tongue out at Mariah once he was behind the teachers back.
          “And as for you Mariah-”
          “-Yeah, what about me?”


          Mrs.Byrd sighed, her expression hardening slightly as she tried to hide the pity in her eyes.
          “We all know this is a very sad time for you after your losses, but it’s not an excuse for you to beat up on your classmates, or to threaten their lives. You’ve got to keep your temper under control.”
          Mariah swelled slowly, anger coloring her vision and rendering her speechless.
          “I mean it Mariah,” Mrs.Byrd added, seeing the red face in front of her. “I really don’t want to call your grandmother again.”
          Eyes suddenly slits, Mariah hissed between her teeth.
          “My mother returned home this weekend. You don’t ever have to call my grandmother again.”
          “Well then,” Mrs.Byrd narrowed her own eyes in response. “I’m betting you really don’t want me to call her.”
          The two glared at each other for a few minutes until Mariah finally deflated a little and lowered her gaze.
          “Good,” Mrs.Byrd rolled her eyes and sighed. “Now go play. And please keep your temper!”

          Slowly, heavily, Mariah made her way to her favorite recess haunt, the picnic table farthest from the playground. So long as she didn’t turn her back the teachers didn’t seem to mind her sitting there. They seemed to think she used the time to be grieve, or ‘sort out her emotions.’ Usually she used the time to plan on that days escape from Abuella Sabria. Today she used the time to calm herself down.
          She had no idea what had come over her. Since the first time she’d gotten into a fight on the playground she’d done her best to keep her emotions in check and her temper in control. She landed in a foster home for a week when the school had called the social worker assigned to her.
 

Seems they were afraid she had “social adjustment problems” that were exacerbated by recent events. Once she was allowed to go back to her grandmother she’d carefully kept her temper in check. She might have hated having Abuella Sabria taking care of her, but the foster home had been worse.
          Of course, now that her mother had finally been released from prison things weren’t too much better.



          Layla had kind of snapped, broken, once she’d pulled the trigger on that pistol. And of course, there wasn’t anything anyone could do to bring back her daddy. Uncle Raul had already killed him. Layla had only killed Uncle Raul.
          At least the DA had agreed it was all self-defense. If he hadn’t her mother would probably still be in prison. Probably forever. And she couldn’t slip up again. She couldn’t let anyone ever take her away from her home. Her mother needed her too much now.

          If the bench boards hadn’t shifted due to the added weight Mariah probably wouldn’t have noticed that she’d been joined. She stiffened, nostrils flaring. None of the other kids had ever bothered her here before. They all counted her as a freak whose mother had killed her father and uncle. She’d allowed them their ignorance in return for her peace. She didn’t much appreciate the intrusion even now.


          They turned to each other at almost the same instant. Both wide eyed, both still silent.
          If she weren’t afraid he’d spend the next hour crying in class she’d have sent a sharp rebuke his way to frighten him off. That method had proved most effective so far.


          So she sat quietly, waiting to see what Roger wanted, not even daring to blink.
          Her eyes burning, Mariah finally blinked.
          “Pleasedon’tkillme,” Immediately, Roger’s hands flew up in surrender and Mariah frowned at him.
          “I’m not going to kill you,” she answered sternly. She knew all the other kids also thought that since her mother was a murderer that she could be one too if she wanted to be.
          “I just- I just- I- just- it’s that- I just-” Roger spluttered.
          Shaking her head, Mariah sighed. Usually, she wanted to be feared so the other kids would leave her alone. With Roger though, she wasn’t sure if his fear of her would make his crying worse or better.

          Roger’s hands lowered slowly and his stuttering slowed to a halt. Mariah turned back to him to make sure he was alright.
          “You’re not going to kill me?” Roger’s voice squeaked in disbelief.
          “No. I’m not going to kill you,” Mariah answered. “I don’t kill people. But no one believes that.”

          “You said you’d kill Andre,” said Roger, a hint of fear coloring the curiosity in his tone.

          “Roger, I was really angry. Have you ever said something when you were angry that you didn’t really mean?” The counselor used that line a lot during Mariah’s sessions.

          For a few minutes he sat next to her silently and Mariah relaxed a little bit. She wasn’t sure if he was really contemplating her words or if he was just trying to figure out how to run away from the freak. Then his face lit up and he turned to her with a bright smile.
          “Yes,” he said proudly. “Yes, I have said things when I’m angry that I don’t mean.”

          Mariah stifled a giggle. According to the counselor it was natural to do that, but not something to be happy about.

Now that he’d established that she didn’t really intend on killing him he’d run back to the other kids to establish her as a liar, cementing her epithet and ensuring her solitude for another few months. So she turned away from him and lapsed back into the silence she found most comforting.
          But he didn’t leave. Instead Roger sat there beside her and intruded on her thoughts. And the more she thought of him, the angrier she became.

          Unable to take it any longer Mariah turned to Roger abruptly, startling him.
          “Why do you let your brother and Andre pick on you every single day?” she demanded. “You should stand up to them! Or tell someone. Why don’t you tell your mom if you don’t want to tell Mrs.Byrd?”

          Rogers eyes widened and he blinked at her intensity, but he didn’t answer her immediately, making her temper rise all the more.

          “Roger!” Mariah cried. “Roger this is not something you should stand for! I can’t believe you plan on just letting them bully you day in and day out for the rest of your time in school!
          “This is not something where you can just stand by! Did you plan on perhaps spending the rest of your life crying every afternoon? Do you ever want friends?”
          “But I have a friend. I thought.”

          Mariah snorted. “If you thought Andre was your friend you are sadly mistaken.”

          Mariah adopted the same tone her counselor used when Mariah dared to voice her actual opinion on things. It was an exasperated tone used slowly as you explained the reality of things.
          “Roger,” Mariah began. “Roger, Andre is never nice to you. He makes fun of you, threatens you, and will sometimes use you as his ‘escape goat’  when Mrs.Byrd catches him doing something wrong.
          “A ‘friend’ is someone who will stand up for you, and who doesn’t make fun of you and who is nice to you and you like them. Has Andre ever been nice to you?”

          “I wasn’t talking about Andre,” Roger answered. “I was talking about you.”

          That took the wind out of her sails. Stunned, Mariah turned away from him once again.
          “You’re always nice to me in class,” Roger continued. “You talk to me. No one else does. And you stood up for me today when Benji and Andre started making fun of me. So that makes you my friend, right?”

          Mariah’s jaw dropped slightly. That booger. Using her own arguments she’d gotten from the counselor on her.

          “Fine,” she said. “Fine, I’m your friend. But don’t expect that to mean anything. Ok?”
          Roger’s face split into a huge grin as he nodded happily. “Alright.”

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

          I’ve actually had these pics for about 2 weeks now, but life, the universe, and everything. You get it right?

          Raul had already beaten Ignacio to a pulp and he just didn’t survive that. So Ignacio was already beyond reasonable help when Layla pulled the trigger on Raul. She wasn’t aiming for anything vital on Raul but being drunk and a first time shot she missed spectacularly and killed him. Ignacio was the only thing keeping Layla together and the awareness that she probably had a hand in the events that led up to his death was more than she could handle.

          While generation 2 is still in charge (and in game- Ignacio is alive. Rules yo.) we’re going to go ahead and shift focus to Mariah in story. So this is still Generation 2 until Mariah hits YA. She’s going to prove a very interesting heir with a really… interesting… roll and I’d like her story to get going so here we go!

24 comments:

  1. Oh wow. F Krazy Kaity, if Mariah moves to SV all Kaity's pap worries will be over! Haha!
    She obviously has serious anger issues, and I think we can assume the shooting has most everything to do with that?

    "Her mother needed her too much now." - She seems to feel very responsible. Poor girl. And I'm glad Layla only killed Raul, even if Iggy died too. At least she didn't kill her own husband.

    Hehe "Fine. I'm your friend." Love it. I hope Rogers friendship helps her a little. He's clearly very different from her and it wouldn't hurt either of them to rub off on each other a little...

    Ooh. Hel-lo Mariah! Pleased to meet you, looks like your generation will be loads of fun!
    What does Tibi think of all this? Why does Mariah hate Sabria?

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    1. Lol. She's not always going to be quite so explosive. Note that she keeps going over how she can't "slip up again." She's found out that losing control of her temper doesn't lead to anything worth while for her. And yes, she also feels very responsible for her mother now. We'll see why that is next time, but Mariah has some terribly big shoes to fill for a child. And yes, the shooting was a big part of who she is right now.

      She needs someone her own age to relate to. A girl probably would have been better, but beggars can't be choosers.

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  2. Oh poor Mariah, on top of everything she witnessed she has to put up with the other kids thinking she's going to kill them? *hugs her*

    I'm glad Layla killed Raul not Ignacio, it's bad enough that Ignacio's dead and I have no doubt Layla feels responsible for that but at least she doesn't have to live with having actually killed him.

    Roger is so sweet and lovely - I hope he sticks with Mariah and keeps on being her friend even when she pushes him away.

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    1. Yup. Kids hear gossip and interpret it without understanding it and a stigma is born! A very unfair one.

      Layla felt incredibly responsible for the entire mess. But we'll see how she's handling it next time.

      I like Roger a lot too. He's kind of doofy, but he's sincere and sweet and Mariah needs a little bit of innocence in her life. We'll see a lot of him. Hence why we've been to his birthday too. ;)

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  3. Wow Mariah. I feel for the girl. She had to witness two deaths in one day, her mother shot someone, and her mother taken to jail (thank god not for long though) so I understand her getting into the fight with Andre, although justifiable for the little punk picking on Roger.

    I liked how she spoke to Roger and I laughed when she got stunned at Roger saying they were friends, that was cute. Little miss Mariah sounded all grown up in that conversation. :P

    Can't wait to see what happens with her!

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    1. She's always been a little bit fascinated with the darker aspects of life, but yeah. She had to grow up a little too quickly. And yeah, Andre is a punk. Very very punk. I already don't like him. lol

      She was regurgitating what's been pounded into her head lately is why she sounded so grown up. Does she actually know what half of it meant? Probably not. But it was also a little bit of a ploy to see if Roger would stick around or if he'd run off.

      She's got a really interesting story to tell, and a lot of facets to her personality. I can't wait to let you all get to know her and I hope it all comes out okay.

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  4. D: Mariah! That is eerily similar to what she witnessed her uncle doing to Iggy. Why is she mad that Roger is out of bounds? Who is she beating up? Her lack of awareness is a little disturbing too. Don't think I've forgotten about the violent imagination she had as a bitty little thing.

    Why would Roger get in trouble for being out of bounds?

    That's sweet that she's taking up for him, but the way she's experiencing it is a little scary. There is a little poetic justice, though, her beating up the bully. Andre doesn't sound like a nice guy. Maybe even worse than a bully, if he brags about beating up his sister.

    Wow. Mariah got off exceedingly easy for all that.

    Whoa, a foster home? A social worker? Just where exactly did Layla return from? PRISON!?!?

    Ugh. I only wish Layla had shot Raul sooner. It's terrible that he killed Ignacio over that. Well, it would have been terrible in any case. So bittersweet, that Mariah feels Layla needs her that much. I'm sure she does.

    Roger. Bless his little heart.

    Mariah sounds like she's had to do a lot of growing up really fast. She has a very acerbic tone. This is definitely going to be an interesting generation. Roger seems like he's going to be stuck to her side whether she likes it or not, and because she has to take up for him, she's going to probably feel responsible for him too. I'm very curious to hear more about the legal situation and what effect that has on her. As we know, Mariah was already a little different when she had both her parents and life was all hunky dory. And I'm betting that's not the last we see of Andre, either.

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    1. She's mad that Roger is out of bounds because she's really going above and beyond the call of duty for him here. So if he gets in trouble for something stupid she's going to be pissed. lol

      Yeah, she's got a temper and that's right. Her obsession with some darker things is coming out 100% right here. She has a temper and doesn't hesitate to see others get hurt, or even care what others think of her hurting others. Only her motives have changed.

      Andre's bragging is just that. His little sister is a toddler in game. lol. But he's got a bit mouth and a whole lot of ego.

      The teachers all feel really bad for her and are trying to help her through a tough time. Note that the teacher's patience is wearing quite thin though.

      Yup! Prison! You don't think she killed someone and got completely off did you? I like sim torture a little too much for all of that. ;)

      Acerbic... Yup! That pretty much sums up Mariah at this point! lol. She might learn some more discretion as she grows and matures, but she's still a kid and the filter is off. lol

      Roger is for sure going to stick by Mariah's side through thick and thin, whether she likes it or not. Ha!

      We'll get a better sense of home life next time, and it might even help explain a little of what's going on better.

      Of course that's not the last we see of Andre! His ego is too big for me to get rid of him that easily. lol. And note that while it was Andre and BENJI picking on Roger, Andre is the one she choose to attack. *waggles eyebrows.

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    2. D: I can't believe you really put Layla in prison! You big meanie!! Haha, that figures that Andre's sister isn't even old enough to beat up and he's just running his mouth. Hm, that's true, why IS she going after Andre and not Benji?

      I still don't get what you mean by out of bounds :-/

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    3. Oh, Of course I put Layla in Prison! Just because her last name is killer pretty much cements that I have to. lol

      We shall see... :heyhey:

      Ah, the kids are over by the very edge of the fence, on the side of the building where they can hide from teachers. So I'm saying the fence is the boundary, but there isn't a gate. And Roger starts out standing on the other side of the fence. Sorry, in my schools we didn't have fences around our playgrounds and you had to learn what was out of bounds. If you strayed out of bounds you got in trouble for playing where you shouldn't have been. (But the ditch was so cool! There was all kinds of stuff to find in it and we'd get wet and then our mothers would have to bring us fresh clothes.) Does that help any?

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  5. Happy New Year y'all!! It's been forever, I did a marathon catch up session and HOLY CRAP!! Amazing story that keeps on getting better! Not having been overfond of Layla when she failed to truly grow up/move beyond her innate selfishness doesn't stop my heart breaking for her, Mariah, Tibi, and Sabria. *sniffles loudly* I'm also very glad I didn't start this catch up a week earlier and therefore would have had to wait on the cliffhanger of the shooting!! ;-p Totally loving Roger in all his sweet, awkward, timid glory!!! Just want to hug him and Mariah, make them cookies and hot cocoa, and tell them everything will be okay!! I was totally the kid that stood up to injustice so I feel for Mariah though I know her anger is sky high dealing after losing what no child ever should, witnessing what nobody ever should. Andre....well, I hope he gets his ass beat enough to wise up and learn how to treat your fellow sims-doubtful, but it could happen!

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    1. Hey! Happy New Year to you too! *hugs! Great to see you again! How is everything going?

      Yeah, Layla made her own bed in a lot of things, but still. That kind of sucked. And lol. That was really mean on my part and I do admit to feeling bad for leaving it hanging for that long.

      Lol. I was that kid on the playground too, and it's tough to be the outcast just because you think the other kids are doing something they shouldn't, or that's mean. Mariah's anger may be sky high, but the biggest thing is she's already realizing that she shouldn't have done it, that two wrongs don't make a right. But she is just a kid, and kids can't be that responsible all the time. lol

      Ah Andre. Well, Andre will eventually learn a lesson, but it's going to take him a while. lol

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  6. Oh, how I hated school. The teachers are blind to the daily bullying and torture that goes on in front f them, Then finally one kid snaps and fights back, and that kid is the crazy one.
    Poor Mariah, she's taking a lot on her shoulders.

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    1. She's stuck with that label for sure. And as you'll find out next chapter, she's also doing something that's making her even more the target of that label from her peers.

      And she's got even more on her shoulders than you know. Where Layla never had to take any responsibility, Mariah is voluntarily shouldering hers really early on. She's a much stronger person than I'd anticipated. But she's also going to have to be.

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    2. As a child of an alcoholic/drug addict, I immediately empathized with Mariah's burden. When the adults can't or won't be responsible, the child has to grow up fast, and maybe too much. She will definitely need strength going forward.

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    3. She's certainly grown up far faster than most any other character I've had yet. Hopefully, her strength will hold out also. She's got a very fine line to walk to be able to hide just how grown up she's had to be. Actually, with your past you'd probably understand that better than I do. Putting myself in her shoes has been difficult in some ways since her mind is already both childish, but not very childlike at the same time. I'm used to just my kids and their innocent wonder. Mariah lost many childish illusions very early on.

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    4. You are doing a great job capturing what goes on in a kid's head in that situation. I recognized it right away in the way it effects how Mariah relates to other children as well as in how she handles adults.

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    5. Aw, thanks! Hopefully I can keep that up. lol

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  7. O.o Prison! I know Layla has been selfish and all, but poor girl, she's also had a rough ride. Goodbye Iggy. *sniff, sniff*

    Mariah. Wow. She sure has a lot of things to deal with, and cope with, especially at such a young age. I'm glad she has a friend, she's going to need one, and one that will stick with her. A good friend is a treasure indeed, I hope Roger turns out to be one for her. =)

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    1. A rough ride indeed.

      Yes. Mariah is taking on a lot very early on. And I think Roger is going to stick by her whether she wants him or not. Ha!

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  8. I hate Raul. I'm glad Layla killed him.
    Sabria lost two sons.
    Would Ignacio still be dead if he hadn't have tried to get out?
    Why were they fighting?
    I still can't believe he's dead! Make ambrosia or something!
    And their last real discussion was an argument about the gun. Great. -.- :(
    :'(
    In my sims 4 legacy with no official rules, I switch generations when I feel the next one has taken over the reins of the story. Right now, my heir is a teen, but I understand you have to wait for her to age to YA before she can officially take the throne.
    I really feel bad for Layla. At best, she'll lose her mind.
    And ditto everything Misty said.

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    1. Exactly, Sabria lost two sons. In all her time worrying and obsessing about one event with one outcome she overlooked the other possibilities.

      No. I probably ought to have found a way to slip this in, but with Ignacio he had nothing to offer on his own. Ignacio also had others sell their goods to Raul at cut rate prices and with Ignacio and his charm out, Raul couldn't have made it work.

      Raul was just pissed. He decided to blame Ignacio for the Lee's inevitable death since there was no way he'd head back over there empty handed and get himself killed. He's far too precious don'tcha know?

      Yup. Their last real convo was her freaking out about a gun.

      Exactly. When it's time for the next generation it's time. Age or no. lol

      You'll get to see how Layla handles it shortly.

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  9. NO. How could you do this to me?! Toying with my emotions like that?! So very cruel...

    At first I couldn't stand Ignacio, then he slowly started to grow on me until he finally became one of my all time faves in your story. AND NOW YOU TAKE HIM AWAY FROM ME?!

    Though it does make me feel a little better that sim Iggy is still alive.

    Okay, calming down a bit for a proper comment now...

    I really liked this chapter! The way we got to learn what happened and saw the effect it had on Mariah. I really love that girl! Beating up boys while wearing her cute flowery dress? She's such a badass.

    Alrighty then, Imma go cry in a corner now. See ya.

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    1. Yeah, sim!Iggy lived a nice fulfilling life off camera. You can always pretend that he's one of those actors who retired very quietly after a full career. ;) Yeah. It was a really tough decision to do that to him in the story, butbutbut... rolls.

      I love Mariah. She (or her roll, whichever you prefer) drive me nuts sometimes, sure. But she's got a spark that keeps things moving forward at least. Layla just broke then things got tough.

      Oh! No tears! *hands tissues. *pats back. *gets wine *HAS CHEER-UP PARTY!

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