prequel stories #3: young loves

So I've gotten kind of carried away with these, lol! Looking back through two years worth of pictures, and I've found so many stories I'd like to tell! Most of those stories will have to wait for another time, but I've come up with three more, for now, and then I promise we'll start round 2082! And I want to start round 2082, because I have some good stuff planned, but I figure we'll get these out of the way first.

The "young loves" theme ended up being really huge, so I've broken it in half, loosely divided between the couples who worked out, and the couples who didn't. So part 2 will be prequel story #4: the cutest couples never meant to be. Which in turn inspired prequel story #5: what ever happened to Samantha Bradshaw?

But first, prequel story #3: young loves :)

And we're starting way, WAY back here...

Tad and Tosha Harris

Tosha Harris might like to complain that Tad is never lovey-dovey anymore, but we have photographic evidence that this was not always the case.

In fact, Tad was quite amorous in his younger years. But then, maybe they all are at eighteen and after senior prom.

And in college when they're living in the same dormitory, he couldn't keep his hands off of her!

These two were crazy about each other. And well, you know what happens when people get stupid-sappy-crazy in love...

Tosha never made it very far past her freshman year of college. In fact, these two spent the last three years of Tad's undergraduate degree commuting to see each other between Lakeside Heights and Sim State University, which did not have a family living plan back in the day.

But all's well that ends well. They both wanted a big family anyway, and they got one. Three children and five grandchildren. And at age seventy-three this year, they've been together for fifty-five years! And yes, Tad is still lovey-dovey sometimes, as much as Tosha likes to complain otherwise.

***

Take that, Jeremy Nova, indeed!

Meadow Thayer was pretty, sweet, and enjoyed showing off her trim, youthful little belly. What more could a teenaged boy ask for? It was more than enough for Jeremy Nova.

He was quite smitten, and after dating through high school, he asked her to marry him in college. In sickness and health, richer and poorer, slimness and fat?

They were perfectly happy until Meadow put on a little more than the standard "freshman fifteen," and it was just one simple comment, that he may have thought she was a little bit prettier without the extra weight...

But Meadow wasn't having that! She couldn't help it! She's been battling her weight on and off her whole life, and she wanted someone who loved her for her heart and soul, not the size of her ass! Which was still a perfectly fine ass, if she might say so herself, and what man doesn't like a little junk in the trunk if it comes with bigger boobs???

So take that Jeremy Nova! She lost the extra weight, AND she met Brady Lind, who loved her equally, both big and small, which she would continue to fluctuate between her whole life.

She and Brady are still quite happy, with two brilliant children, and three beautiful grandchildren. And Meadow is looking gorgeous and slimmer than ever in her golden years. Take that Jeremy Nova, indeed!

But Jeremy wasn't left out in the cold, not yet anyway. Soon after, he met Trista, whom would become mother to Riley and Patrick, though this marriage only lasted a short time. Trista became sick and died when Riley and Patrick were just five years old. (ROS roll)

But no, not "take that, Jeremy Nova" in this case. That just wouldn't be nice.

*Trista is wearing a shirt in that picture, by the way, just a light pink one ;)*

***

Sophie and Micah Phoenix

Sophie and Micah were eager to start exploring the wonders of kissing as soon as they could, which ended up being when Sophie was thirteen and Micah was twelve.

But they kept a casual relationship through high school, though they loved each other very much, they were never very serious about defining the status of things, boyfriend, girlfriend, or whether or not they should see other people - they both did.

And even into Sophie's first year of college, they both dated other people. One of Sophie's romancers, apparently, was Cody Bradshaw.

But none of that mattered once Micah joined her at college. They made good use of that hot tub! They never thought of it as settling down - there was just no point seeing other people anymore. What was the point? Nobody else could have possibly come close.

So they finally got around to defining things, as husband and wife. They made it official soon after they both graduated.

Sophie and Micah Phoenix have been very happily married for over thirty years now, and have two sons and three grandchildren. Sophie would like twenty grandchildren, but we're pretty sure that's not going to happen.

***

Bryson and Madison Riley

Madison and Bryson were as sweet a teen couple as you could even imagine. Madison was much loved by everyone, and the only daughter of the fine Bradshaw family. Bryson was heir to Lake County's wealthiest business empire. If there was such a thing as royalty these days, they would have been betrothed to each other!

And they were very much in love. But let's just say, Bryson has always had his heart in the right place, even though he's prone to making huge blundering romantic mistakes...

He might have been heir to Lake County's largest business fortune, but that certainly didn't make him Prince Charming. And unfortunately, this wouldn't be the only time Bryson broke Madison's heart. Teenage boys can be lame, and he thought kissing this two-bit hussey at his graduation party was a perfectly acceptable way to let Madison know he thought they should explore their options a little bit in college.

But the thing of it was, they ended up going to the same college, sharing the same dormitory with their friends, Sophie and Micah. And Madison would come down from her bedroom in these little tiny pink tank-tops, barely covering her luscious new womanly curves, while Bryson just drooled into his cereal. Well, he wanted to see other people...

So she did! And let us just say, Madison was a fine, classy, Bradshaw woman, and had men lining up from all over to date her. She was not hard up for attention. She didn't need to play desperate. She didn't need to act sad, or lonely, or heartbroken.

And it wasn't long before she had Bryson trying to corner her in bathrooms to win her affections back. Bathrooms? Well, we've already established that Bryson is no prince charming.

But hard-working and persistent he is! And maybe he might have won her back sooner if he had chosen a more romantic place, but the bathrooms worked out. And before graduation, he'd won her forgiveness, and a kiss.

They got engaged soon after college, but their engagement was a long one. Bryson was working on taking over his father's business empire, and Madison was very busy in her political career.

But when the did marry, it was the biggest, richest, most romantic wedding anyone had ever seen. Bryson did not plan it, for sure!

But there must be something to this union, even despite Bryson's blunders, they're still going strong, with two beautiful daughters, two grandchildren on the way, and hopefully many more to come. Maybe it's the kinky hats?

***

Claire and Andy Bradshaw

And some couples are just perfectly boring, like Claire and Andy, who met in high school, fell in love, and never needed to think twice about it. She had always been a take-charge kind of woman, and he was a willing puppy in her hands. They were made for each other.

They were perfect and refreshingly normal. They kept a faithful long-distance relationship while Claire studied for her law degree. Andy stayed behind in Lakeside Heights to join the military.

And he asked her to move in with him just before she graduated, and as you might have guessed...

It was mind-numbingly romantic and perfect.

As was their wedding, perfect and huge, joining two of the biggest families in Lakeside Heights, the Bradshaws and the Deppiesses.

Happily ever after.

Andy and Claire Bradshaw are still happily married, and love to show it (to their daughter's dismay). And of course, their daughter, Amelia, is beautiful and perfect as well. Well, some of them have to be perfect, right?

***

Adrian Jackson and Aurora Miguel

Aurora Miguel and Adrian Jackson spent their first date getting one thing good and stright - neither of them EVER wanted to get married. Adrian was in the prime of his young manhood. And Aurora was a strong, independent, budding young feminist, and she didn't want to be owned or promised to any man!

But then, they just liked each other so much!

So they decided to break the rules a little. They could share their lives with each other, and with other people occasionally, right? There's nothing wrong with that.

And everything was going splendidly until life threw a little hiccup into their plans.

Adrian says, "You do know how this happens, don't you?"

Aurora says, "I hope you don't think I'm going to spend my days barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen!"

It ended up being two hiccups, to be exact, Beau and Tyler. But they made it work their own way - Adrian stayed home with the babies, and Aurora was certainly never barefoot or pregnant in the kitchen. For Adrian and Aurora, it ended up being a case of not knowing what you need until you get it. They might not be your average traditional family, but they're a happy family just the same.

***

Orion and Violet Deppiesse

Orion knew of Violet in high school, in the way a shy boy knows of everyone but is invisible just the same. He never dared speak to her until she followed him home one day to work on a school science project. Orion being a shy and awkward young man was only the start of his many predicaments. The only way he could explain his unusual heritage was to tell everyone he met that he had a "pigmentation disorder" which caused his pea green skin and opaque black eyes, because being diseased in high school is apparently much better than being what he really is, which is half alien. And to top it all off, he lived with his step-mother and siblings in a trailer because his father was in jail!

Surely that would be enough to scare off a sweet normal girl like Violet, right?

Nope, not at all! She continued to keep calling him after he went away to college, and so Orion relented and asked her out on their first date. Only he was SO scared to be out on a date with an actual girl (and a pretty one too!) that he invited his sister along. Even Claire thought it was bizarre.

But Violet persisted. We won't say that she brought Orion out of his tragically shy shell, because she didn't. It was more like he allowed her into it.

And invited her to stay forever.

Orion started wearing contacts after college, which allowed him to finally cut his long shaggy hair and show his eyes. He went through many pairs, some better or worse than others.

And he eventually had skin lightening treatments as well, which made him look kind of albino - but albinos are human, which was the point of it all.

But none of that ever mattered to Violet, because she loved him before any of it, and she'll love him still after. He is half human too, after all, and that's enough for her.

They've been married twenty years now, and have three brilliant and beautiful, partially alien children.