Hi Everyone!

Hi Everyone!

I just wanted to say thank you for all the love I've gotten on my Lovestruck posts! There will be only one post today to finish out the current scene, but Lovestruck will resume Monday afternoon. I hope you're enjoying the story as much as I am writing it! I haven't had this much fun with Sims in quite a while, so I'm happy that it's getting love! ❤️

welcome baby teddy!

The school day went on pretty much as normal for Oasis Springs High. Dina was happy, as it gave her a chance to not think about her mother or the situation. She wanted to be happy for her mother, but she just didn't trust this man. Something about him was off, and she couldn't quite put a finger on it. Still, she knew that it wasn't her place to dictate her mother's love life. She deserved to be happy after being alone for so long.

In her final class of the day, her teacher drew all their attention to a girl standing in the doorway.

'Ah, Miss Goth. Would you like to come inside?", Mrs. Coombs asked as a slender girl with dark hair walked into the classroom.

The girl didn't say anything, instead starring down at the floor.

Dina was intrigued, as it was a little late in the year to be getting a new student.

"Class, this is Cassandra Goth. She is a transfer from Willow Creek.", the teacher explained casually, as though she was reading from a script. "She will be finishing out the year here with us and graduating with your class at the end of the month."

Dina's eyes flickered over to her sister, who was sitting in the front row. Everyone knew who the Goth's were. They were as famous as the Landgraabs in Oasis Springs. She also knew that Cassandra was only fifteen years old, and should be a freshman - not a senior. She had heard that the girl was a genius, but that was a bit much.

Dina was curious as to why she would be transferred here, considering as far as she knew, she still lived in Willow Creek. But, she had heard from a very reliable source that young Malcolm Landgraab had been spending quite a lot of time at the Goth Manor as of late. Is it possible that could have something to do with it?

Nevertheless, Dina was sure that things were about to get very interesting for her.

Dina could see Cassie's face light up behind him at her compliment.

"She is great. I've known her for a long time.", Malcolm said, a protective edge to his voice appearing that she had never heard from Malcolm before.

He had always been rather cold and standoffish. Was Cassandra Goth the key to getting him to show some vulnerability? She wasn't sure, but she also felt that if she could get him to continue to open up to her that it would be her way in to the Landgraab fortune, and being set for the rest of her life.

"I actually should be heading home, Cole", Cassie whispered into his ear, getting up from the bar to give him a hug. He reciprocated, only briefly, as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "You two should stay and talk. If we're to be friends like Dina said, then she should know you as I know you."

"Bye, Cassie. See you at school tomorrow!", she beamed as Cassie waved back, making her way towards the door.

Now that she was gone, she turned back to Malcolm with a different expression. "Cole?", she asked, flicking hair over her shoulder as she leaned in, making sure that their knees rubbed against each other as she did. "That's a cute nickname. What's it mean?"

"She calls me Cole because my heart is as hard and black as coal, Dina.", he said with a smirk as he motioned for the bartender, slipping a card into their hand. "Get me and my lady friend here a beer. Imported. Now."

"I thought it was probably a middle name." Dina said, as the waitress sat the beers down in front of them. Dina wasn't much of a drinker; especially not beer, but she didn't even bat an eye that Malcolm was able to secure them so easily. His family practically owned the whole town. He could get away with just about anything.

"It is, but that's still the reason.", he said as he took a violent swig from the beer, the monotone voice that she had learned to expect from him had returned as soon as Cassandra had left. What was it about that girl that possessed him, and why wasn't he interested in her? It didn't make sense.

"I know you've been asking questions about Cassie and I, Dina, but for your own well being, I would stop. It's not safe for you, or for her.", he said, as he chugged the rest of the beer, standing up from the chair and throwing down a few meager dollar bills on the bar. "This is your last warning. If you do anything to hurt her.....I will hurt you."

Before Dina could stop him, Malcolm had made his exit, followed by the guard that was always lurking in the shadows. Dina was left with far more questions than answers, and while she probably should have headed his warning, she was going to find out what the connection was. If Malcolm Landgraab was engaged to Cassandra Goth, her plans would fall apart at the seams, and she couldn't afford that.

Katrina brought Don back to her place to find that neither one of the girls seemed to be home. She checked her phone to find messages from both saying that they would be spending the night with friends. Katrina was slightly relieved by this, as she wasn't exactly ready to have the conversation that she needed to have with them about Don.

"Look like we have the house to ourselves.", Katrina said softly, as she reached for Don's hand. "Why don't I go change in to something a little more comfortable?"

Katrina's nerves skyrocketed once she got in the bedroom. Her eyes roamed over her figure, scrutinizing every detail about it. She hadn't been with anyone in so long, and she was sure that someone as young as Don was wouldn't be happy with her cellulite and wrinkles.

After a few more agonizing moments, she heard a soft knock at her bedroom door.

"Mi amor, are you alright?", she heard his voice as she took a deep breath and opened it. She saw his eyes scrap over her body hungrily, but then stopped when he looked at her face.

"I'm not ready.", she told him, and found that she didn't need to go into more detail about the conversation than that as he swept her into his arms again.

"I understand.", he said, as he rubbed the small of her back. "I'm pretty exhausted, actually. School is taking a lot out of me. Do you want to just....call it a night?"

Katrina leaned up to kiss him softly on the cheek. "Yes, I would like that."

She held his hand as she lead him back to her bed. The two of them crawled in and cuddled up in each other's arms. It wasn't long before Don was asleep, but Katrina laid awake for a bit, memorizing every detail of her beau's face, before she drifted off to sleep.

Dina smirked as her sister so easily took the bait. It was simple. She would encourage her sister's little crush on their mother's boyfriend. If Dina was right about him, and she knew that she was, he wouldn't be able to ignore her sister's attention for long and he would slip. It could be a week from now, or a month, or a year; but he would eventually show his true colors by pursing Nina. And when he did, Dina would make sure that their mother was there to see all of it.

It wasn't that Dina wanted her mother to be hurt; it was quite the opposite. She was convinced that her mother's fascination with this younger playboy was because she was lonely. She couldn't seriously be interested in trying to pursue things further with him. And, in the case that she was, Dina would prevent it from happening by any means necessary; for her mother's protection.

The girls didn't talk about their father leaving them, but they both remembered how it happened and they remember everything that led up to it. Their father had been in and out of their life for as long as she could remember. He never stayed very long, even though her mother begged him to. He made it clear that he felt responsible for the children, but that it wasn't anything more than that. It wasn't love. It was obligation that he visited. But, eventually, the visits stopped, and their mother was left heartbroken over a man that didn't love her.

The last thing that Dina wanted was to see her mother go through that again. She wanted her to find peace within herself.

"I will leave you two alone to discuss the arrangements." Dina said as she hopped up from the chair and made her way back inside the market.

It was then that she spotted someone that she hadn't expected to see there. She smirked to herself as she followed after him down the stairs and into the bottom level of the market where the gaming hall was. She knew that if she didn't take the chance to speak to this person, she would regret it. "Mr. Goth. Do you have a moment?"