Ding-ding. A glowing image of Summer-fucking-Phoenix showed up on Vicky’s phone, sandwiched between two hot movie stars at some kind of a fan signing. Of all the things Vicky never needed to see in her life.
Then, to make matters worse, her phone rang. She answered it. Vale's voice, snickering, "I think I found your Summer."
"Fuck, she’s not mine," Vicky said. "What gave you that idea?"
"I wouldn’t have known her face, but her name—Summer Phoenix—because you wouldn’t stop talking about her. What kind of a person names their kid Summer Phoenix anyway?"
"Shut up, your name is Vale," Vicky said.
"So she’s in some movie? Fighting some demonic looking buffalo with a sword. She’s signing posters here at the arcade."
Vicky sighed. "I heard about that. It figures that my mortal enemy would end up becoming some big movie star. Fuck my life. Is Gladiolus there?"
"Who?"
"The big beefy one."
"Seems like it."
"Can you get me his autograph?"
"I’m not standing in that long line to talk to some beefcake for you. Sorry. So that’s your type then? The big beefy ones?"
"Maybe." Vicky thought of her old flames. Of Matteo. He was pretty well built. On the other hand, Dallas was not. Vicky had no idea whether she had a type. "Why, are you jealous?"
"What? No. So who took a worse beating, you or that buffalo?"
"Buffalo? It can't be too hard to defeat a green-screen buffalo. Beating an angry teenage girl, on the other hand. And I've always had very nice, strong fingernails. Did I say she beat me up? I’m pretty sure it was the other way around. So she’s a big movie star now? Good for her, she was always a shitty drummer anyway."
Vale cracked up. Her vicious bitterness amused him profoundly. He wished he could see her face as her emotions bubbled up under her tense eyebrows. It was always delightful, although it made him worry for her health, that she might give herself an aneurysm or a stroke.
"I’m not supposed to be such a terrible person," Vicky said.
"What kind of person are you supposed to be?"
"I don’t know, sweet and kind, feeding the homeless and cuddling some puppies or something."
Vale laughed. "Seriously, you hate puppies? You’re a monster!"
"I'm kidding, you know," he added. His voice was almost tender. "Why do you think you’re supposed to be the kind of person who likes puppies?"
"I don’t hate the idea of puppies," she said, "just that they piss on everything and lick your face. Why? Why... I don’t know."
Why? Maybe it was because Lucy was the kind of girl who fed the homeless and rescued puppies. Vicky stopped pining over Dallas years ago, yet she’d forgotten to let go of the whole image. If she wouldn’t be with Dallas, why bother trying to be the kind of woman Dallas liked? What kind of woman should she try to be instead?
"So, when are you coming to meet your new nephew? Do you hate babies?"
"Geez, hate? No. But it’s not like he’ll remember me anyway."
"He’s super adorable."
"Takes after his uncle," Vale said.
"You wish. So, did you call me all the way across the country just to tease me about Summer?"
"Nah, I have some exciting news for you." Vale paused for dramatic effect. "I just thought you should know that I got a phone call. They want me to headline the Solstice Night dance party at the Copper Island Summer Solstice Festival. Boom."
"And you needed me to know this? Why?"
"You, above everyone. How’s that real music for you?"
Great, he’s famous now too, Vicky thought. So her first love was getting married to the perfect woman, her mortal enemy was a superstar, Vale was a dance party star. George and Blossom were married with an adorable baby, Blair and Amy were married and would probably end up with a baby soon enough. Meanwhile, Vicky had about one third of two part time jobs—two thirds employed combined—and no idea what to do with her life.
"You still there?" Vale asked.
"Yeah. So, you just needed to hear my voice so you could gloat?"
"It’s more satisfying that way," he said.
"Well, I have heard of that festival before," she said. "It is a rather big deal. I suppose some congratulations are in order."
"What was that? I didn’t quite hear you."
"Congrats, idiot," she said.
"Thanks. Are you coming?"
"What, to see you play?"
"Oh, I mean, not me, but everyone, I guess. Are you coming to the festival? It’s gonna be rad. It’ll blow your mind."
"Wow, that’s quite the promise. Well, I might be coming. Blossom is going. I thought I might stay home to help George with the baby, but Blair will be here to do that. And I kind of like her druids group, so…"
"But you’ll be at the dance party, right? At the bluffs. After sunset."
"Well, I suppose it would be dumb to go all that way and not be at the dance party, even though dancing and loud music is not really my thing. Sure, I guess I’ll be there."
"Good, okay, good. Hey, I gotta go. I’ll talk to ya later."
Before he hung up the phone, Vale let out a subtle happy sigh. Somewhere in Potomac Heights, Vicky rolled her eyes so hard her eyeballs hurt.
—
footnotes: real music, part 1 // who won that fight back in high school anyway... (it was kind of a draw)
Ha ha, I love the last sentence of this update! classic! Hope we get to see this 'dance party' at the Bluffs. ;)
ReplyDeleteI just read the part 1 to this update and I understand their conflict now. So much playfulness and teasing between them, and obvious denial about how they 'really' feel about each other or is it Vicky still holding a grudge from years ago? Also I read the about the cat fight she and Summer had in high school-yikes.
I'm actually reading a book at the moment with two characters to Vale and Vicki and from the moment they met they practically hated each other. lol I find this sort of dialogue is always fun to read and you wrote Vale and Vicki's conversation so well!
Thank you! I so enjoy writing these two. Their conversations always have such a great spark. And as for how they really feel about each other, ha ha, I don't think I have enough words to define it! It's such a complicated feeling, full of both genuine dislike and insatiable attraction. I honestly can't say whether they're terrible for each other or perfect for each other, lol!
DeleteI do hope to share the Solstice Festival in scene. But, to be honest, it also sounds daunting! After the effort and staging and hundreds of pictures that went into Lucy and Dallas's wedding (that I still haven't even posted yet!), I've been eager to just play and keep things lowkey. I had planned the festival as a 3-day gameplay event, but I don't plan to stage and shoot every minute of the festivities. Maybe just a few interesting highlights.
Not gonna lie, I'm with Vicky on puppies. LOL
ReplyDeleteShe has some good points. I sure would love to cuddle someone's puppy and then give it back, lol! Kind of like babies. I look forward to becoming a grandmother some day... in the distant future, though, because my kid is only 12, lol!
DeleteMy kids are preschool aged so they DEFINITELY still pee on stuff and get in my face and so on like that. In another 10 years maybe I'll miss that enough to want a puppy!
DeleteI loooooove puppies...but as the current owner of a puppy, I get the licking thing! Arthur licks like he's on a mission to cover every inch of your body in his saliva and it's pretty disgusting, lol.
ReplyDeleteI think the fact that Vicky has realised she can be whatever kind of woman she wants to be now is a great thing for her. I don't see her as someone who is naturally inclined towards bitterness. She just got dealt some crappy hands early on in her life and is sort of stuck in a rut. Maybe Vale is the person to bring her out of it. :)
I actually would get a puppy if my dudes were on board with it, but I don't want to be the only one in the family willing to deal with the licking and peeing phase of the puppy-raising! In our new place, we finally have enough house and yard for a dog.
DeleteIt's fun and sort of overwhelming for Vicky to wonder now about who she wants to be and what she wants out of life. Having dropped out of school, she doesn't even have career direction to guide her. She's wide open! She was a family sim in her teens (TS2 days), and I don't think she's changed her mind about that, but marriage and children feel pretty far off for her still. But I think she often recalls some of her experiences on the island fondly (TS3 days), so I could see some of the hobbies and interests she picked up there turning into something.
Ha ha, I guess Vicky has lived a lot of life in the past ~10 years and between three games!