LCU, unattainable

LCU, spring semester, 2077

Jason calls and says he wants to take Bella to Lost in Love Hedge Maze. She should have known something was fishy. He knows she's not the lovey-dovey type.

Jason says, "I think we'd be really good together."

Bella says, "Um, what are you doing?" He doesn't even get as far as to ask the question.

Bella laughs. She says, "Oh my God, are you serious?"

"Oh come on! No need to cry about it!" she says. "Seriously, do I look like the marrying type?" He might not look mad, but he is. How could he not be?

***

Her name is Ally, and Alon met her a couple months ago while playing basketball at Lake City Center. He neglected to tell anyone this, but he's been chatting with this girl for a couple months now. She calls to invite him out with her friends. Charlotte says, "You're meeting up with some girl?"

"Yeah, so?" Alon says. So he wont mind if she tags along then, after all, she did promise Amelia she'd keep an eye on him. "Tag along then," he says. "I don't care."

"Oh my God, I'm allowed to have friends," he says.

It might not have been so weird if she wasn't so pretty. And if it wasn't so obvious she liked him. "Don't play dense, Alon, she likes you!"

"Whatever," he says. "I can't help it if I'm hot."

Later that night, he's watching the game. Even Charlotte misses Amelia and Alon never says anything about her. Who knows, maybe it's just a guy thing. Charlotte says, "Do you even miss her?"

He says, "Don't be ridiculous, of course I do."

***

Piper is in heaven. She landed a job as a trash talker in the gaming industry, making more than she made in the library, and it even works around her classes this semester. Gaming... literature... gaming... literature... can you even major in gaming?

But my goodness, Piper! What has gotten into this girl? Maybe she's offended that Alon didn't remember their old run-ins. She needs to prove her womanhood! How could she be forgettable?

Alon says, "Seriously, back off! I mean it! You're supposed to be my friend!"

(lol at Bella and Jeremiah in the background)

And then some girl named Eleanor comes and yells at him for no reason all. Alon's not having a very good time with women this semester.

Charlotte has coffee with her old high school friend Leila Watts. Leila got married right out of high school and moved to Bluewater Township to live on the farm with her beloved Matthew. She feels bad they haven't seen each other in so long. It's weird to think that some people from her high school class are already so settled in life. She can't believe it's been four years already.

Charlotte is starting to think about what she's doing after college. She'll probably move into the lofts where Marisa lives. George has been dropping hints lately. She thinks he probably wants to move in together after graduation.

***

Jeremiah is in love, and has always been. But Bella Bradshaw is so absolutely unattainable. Even if he can grab her attention for a minute, there always seems to be something else on her mind, and she's running off somewhere. He wonders if there's even any point.

And then he doesn't even know how it's happened, but Jeremiah has missed work two days in a row. Too much thinking about Bella. (Do you see what she does to men???) He's been kicked out of the Military's work/tuition program, and will have to find a different way to pay for school. Oh man, that's tough!

He's feeling really crappy about it. What else to do but grab your roommate and go down to the pub? Drink it down, Jeremiah, drink it down!

And then he sees Bella, and she makes him feel better. She always makes him feel better.

***

Amelia doesn't know what she wants to do after college but just hammers away at that piano and her dancing. Unlike her cousin, Amelia has her work ethic down pat. She even meets a real live ninja! And it's crazy the kind of things you can learn here.

She can get around places a little quicker now, which scares the crap out of her roommates.

Amelia has really had a great time here, but she's homesick and anxious to get back.

***

Bella's been spending a lot of time with Cameron lately. She can't get enough of him. They like to play dress up together - he likes her in a dress, and she thinks he looks hot with his hair dyed dark. It's silly, they know. The top hat is just for fun. She loves this about Cameron - he's the kind of guy who's up for just about anything!

One night she and Cameron are wandering around downtown Lakeside Heights and they stumble into Dr. Monif's office. Bella says, "You're a doctor, right? I think there might be something wrong with me." And she goes on to tell him about how she thinks she's boy-crazy, and she can't focus on her studies. And she wants to be a big star some day, but can't seem to focus enough to work at it.

He says, "I'm a plastic surgeon, what do you even think I can do for you? "

So Cameron goes with in with her and she ends up getting a consultation for plastic surgery. She wonders if it will help her get better dates. Somehow it always comes back to that...

"So what do you think?" Bella says.

Cameron says, "Why mess with perfection, Baby?" Yeah, getting cut open didn't really sound like fun anyway.

Only after she and Cameron spent most of the semester in bed did Bella Bradshaw finally decide she'd had enough romance. For one single moment, she actually wanted to sit down at the piano (in her underwear!) and practice for her music theory class. Maybe she's not so messed up after all?

***

Charlotte and Piper went to The Field one night to watch Alon's basketball game, and his new friend, Ally, came along too. Charlotte actually got to talking to her during the game, and she was pretty nice. She's even into environmental issues! Maybe there's nothing to it after all?

Even Bella tries it on with him, and he isn't about to go there again. Wow, what a strong willed young man!

In the weeks before graduation, George wants to talk to Charlotte about what's happening after college. They've been dating for a while now and he's wondering where this relationship is going, if anywhere. She thought he was just going to ask her to move in with him, but he pulls out a ring and asks her something else instead. She starts to babble. "It's just that we're young... and I'm not sure what I want yet... and it's not you.. it's me, really... Can I think about it?"

"No, you can't," he says, and storms away from the table. Wow, talk about throwing a hissy fit! She thinks he's being pretty harsh about it. And suddenly she's very glad she didn't say yes.


Congratulations Graduates! LCU Class of 2077!

Charlotte Centowski: B.A. Philosophy.
GPA: 3.5
Employment: Conspiracy theory writer for Paranormal Magazine
Plans: moving into Rhondal Loft Apartments in Lake City. Working for a conspiracy theory magazine, pursuing a career in the culinary arts.



George McCarthy: B.S. Political Science.
GPA: 3.6
Employment: Junior Executive in the Lake City Business Corporation
Plans: moving into Lake Circle apartments in Lakeside Heights. Working in business, but still pursuing a career in law.





Report Cards for 2077, Spring

Piper, junior, literature: C+
Alon, junior, drama: C+
Amelia, junior, drama: A-
Bella, sophomore, drama: C+
Jeremiah, sophomore, political science: C+

***

notes: holy crap, I didn't expect George to be so mad about it either. Jason took it like a champ compared to George. George is pissed! I canceled out all kinds of shoves from him, because you know, shoving girls is just not nice!

And LOL, Alon was beating them off with sticks this semester! Not really sure how much that had to do with Amelia though, since he didn't roll one single want for her the whole year she was away...