Chapter 17: Assuming

Did you feel comfortable having a friendship with someone outside of The Compound?

It was a bit of a double edged sword. I loved hanging out with Absolon, but the lesson of 'The Strangers will act nice to suck you into their danger' was still in the back of my mind.

---

I'm looking up at the chandelier attached to the ceiling. I'm in a room with a chandelier. I still can't believe my good fortune. Verona and Charles are the nicest people I've ever met. I'm in awe of their unconditional kindness and the way they didn't pass judgment. I wonder why they were so eager to help me because I doubt that they let just anyone into their home. There's a knock on the door and I can see that it's Verona because the door is partly made of glass.

"Hi Absolon, did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thanks."

"There's some breakfast downstairs if you're hungry."

"Thank you again, Verona, for letting me stay here. I have a question, though, how were you so unafraid of letting me into your life, especially when you know about my past?"

Verona smiles at me and lays down at the foot of the bed. 

"I should tell you a story." 

I sit up on the bed and give her my attention.

"I knew that you were homeless already, long before I offered you that job. I noticed you with your guitar in that park plaza across from the bookstore. I knew you slept there because I'd often see you asleep on the bench when I drove home from work. Not to sound creepy, but I kept an eye on you, and you seemed like you were just a guy down on his luck. I've seen other homeless people before in this town, and they don't do much. You stood out because you had a guitar, and I sensed you weren't homeless because you were lazy. Then when you started playing in front of the store and I heard how good you were, I saw your potential. It takes dedication to play the guitar that well."

"You knew, and you still let me stay here."

"Everyone deserves a second chance, Absolon."

---

It's class time again and Camo and Titanium's minds are wandering, filled with thoughts of their new friends.

"Hello class. I cannot stress the importance of not getting in too deep with The Strangers. We have had some residents in the past who have made this mistake and ended up miserable, or worse, dead. If you are talking to The Strangers, your sole intention should be to guide them here to this house where we can help them."

When the teacher talks about residents who have died, it makes Titanium nervous and intrigues Camo. Zinfandel doesn't seem to be affected.

"Whoa! Who died?"

"Well, Camo, we had a resident once who broke our rules and developed romantic feelings for a Stranger. She started seeing this boy regularly. Eventually, she became addicted to heroin because of him, and she died of an overdose. If she had heeded our warnings and not let the relationship go that far, she would never have gotten hooked on heroin and she would still be with us today."

Zinfandel raises her hand.

"Did this resident try to guide The Stranger to this house?"

"No, she did not. She foolishly let her guard down and exposed herself to all of the dangers that The Stranger had to offer. We would have helped her had we known she was involved with him, but she kept him a secret, and she died because of him."

---

I told Kalya that we were going to be letting one of Verona's friends stay in our guest room because he had nowhere else to go. She was reluctant, but she trusts me. It's not like I'm running a homeless shelter or anything, it's just that Absolon reminds me of myself at that age, a young boy trying to find his way in life and I wanted to help him.

I grew up poor, in a small house on the outskirts of Silicon Shores. My parents were nice people. They were just unlucky and a little unmotivated. My dad was on unemployment and my mom kept trying to take welfare checks from the government instead of finding work. I wanted to get out of poverty and do well for myself.  I had the ambition and the drive that they didn't, so I got two part time jobs to try to help my parents. With some of the money I made, I went out and partied, while the rest of the money went to pay the bills. Partying was good stress relief until I got sucked into cocaine. It started out as a casual thing, but before I knew it I was hooked, and I kept needing one more hit. Doing drugs and having no money didn't really go well together, so I stole stuff from my work and pawned the items to get money for drugs.

Even though I was a good thief, I got caught eventually and put in jail for shoplifting. The court couldn't prove I had stolen as much as I had, so I got a light sentence. Being in jail gave me time to think and I was pretty sure this was not the way to get myself out of poverty. I also went through some serious withdrawal and was court ordered to go to rehab after I had served my time. Knowing where I've been and seeing where I am now makes me believe that a horrible past does not have to define the present.

---

Did the teacher's story about the resident who died affect you in any way?

Yes. I was scared of Absolon because he was a Stranger, and I held onto that label for him even though I wanted to be his friend. The 'what-ifs' always freaked me out.

---

Titanium and Camo are in their room chatting with each other.

"Wow, can you believe that girl died?"

"It scares me, Camo. We could get killed out there."

"Yeah, we could, but we could also die of boredom in here. Besides, I doubt Absolon will do anything to you. Have you seen the way he looks at you?"

Titanium blushes when he thinks of Absolon's sparkling pink eyes and how much they stand out when he wears that sexy eyeliner.

"He'd probably kick the ass of anyone who tries to touch you."

"You're probably right. He is pretty built. Do you ever get scared of Verona?"

"No. She likes me."

"Yeah, but don't you ever get scared of what she might do? Like what if she tries to hurt you with a weapon or drugs?"

"Maybe. But what's to say you won't attack me with a weapon? I'm not going to judge her and think she's bad, just the same as I don't judge you and think you're bad. I'm going to believe that she's a good person, just like I believe you're a good person."

Titanium ponders what Camo says. He's confused because he still thinks of Verona and Absolon as The Strangers, since they're not part of The Compound. Titanium thinks that they're nice people, but he still separates them from him and Camo. Titanium does admire Camo because he always makes him think differently.

---

There's a knock on my motel room door. I find this weird since I didn't tell anyone where I was staying. I open the door and see Andromeda standing there. Her eye has started to bruise. I feel really bad for punching her and take her into the room. She pulls away from me and rolls her eyes.

"Where is she, Enigma?"

"There's no one here but me, Andromeda. You can look around, you can check my phone, do whatever you need to."

I calmly sit down on the bed. I am just so tired of fighting with her. She runs around the motel room, checking the bathroom and even the shower. She opens the drawers on the nightstand and checks the closet. When she's done and hasn't found anything, she sits down next to me. She sticks her hand out and glares at me.

"Phone."

I take my cell phone out of my pocket and gently put it in her hand. She looks at me a little surprised that I'm not mad at her, I guess, and searches the call log.

"Wow, you really haven't called anyone in months, have you?"

I shake my head and look down.

"I told you there was no one else."

"Enigma, I'm sorry. I just assumed that since you didn't want to be with me, that you..."

"Who says I didn't want to be with you? We've got our problems, but I do love you, Andromeda."

If I was surprised before, I'm even more surprised now when Andromeda puts her head on my shoulder and actually hugs me. I put my arm around her and hold her close. I don't want this moment to end.

---

CREDIT: Mypalsim's Poses for Sims 3