the infamous Bella Bradshaw, and those unfortunate souls in her wake

May 2075 - Cody Bradshaw is 56, Kendal Bradshaw is 54, Cameron Gibson is 23, Marisa Wilson is 20, Bella Bradshaw is 18.

The Rhondal Lofts are owned by the Riley Estates Company, and are expensive high-rise apartments in downtown Lake City. Current residents include 24 year-old Cameron Gibson, a recently graduated directionless playboy and aspiring actor, and 20 year-old Marisa Wilson, who did finally decide to ditch the college life after last semester in favor of her budding music career.

Cody Bradshaw and his family have had a bad run of luck in houses lately. This is their third move in five years, the last being a terrible house fire (a.k.a., glitched lot) in which they lost everything from heirloom furniture to Bella's baby pictures. So with Bella going off to college soon, they've decided to just cash in their insurance money and rent for a while.

They move into the penthouse apartment of the Rhondal Lofts in Lake City, which just happens to be owned by Cody's brother-in-law and local real estate tycoon Bryson Riley, and he gives them a nice price on their rent. The location is perfect, downtown where Kendal works as a Senator. In the fall, they'll have Bella nearby at LCU. Cody and Kendal settle into their nice new problem-free apartment. Sure is a nice view of the city from up here.

Cody was also laid off of from his business job in the midst of all his recent housing mess, and Kendal is trying to find the most encouraging way to say, Honey, I think it's about time you look for some work and stop mooching off your sister's husband. Hmmm, how might that go? Problem is after spending nearly twenty years at the top of his game in the business world, now all he's finding in the job listings are aerobics instructor and dish washing positions. He would actually like to start up a small business of his own, and he's just waiting for that perfect brilliant idea to come along.

Bella Bradshaw's reputation sometimes precedes her. How might so much trouble come from one single girl, and from such a fine upstanding family as the Bradshaws, no less? So she's living with her parents in the Rhondal Lofts now, but she's not going to be there long since she starts college in the fall.

She meets some of her new neighbors in the building. She finds Cameron interesting. He likes to talk about money and he has a bad attitude - just her kind of guy. Though he mentions that he knows her cousin Amelia, and the last thing Bella needs right now is to get involved with another one of Amelia's boyfriends. And just when she didn't think her life could get any weirder, she realizes that Marisa is dating a guy named Roland, and that Bella actually hooked up with him about a year ago. Talk about awkward! Good thing she's not staying here long.

But anyway, being that she still is actually in high school for the time being, she needs a date for the lame-ass prom. (And just the thought of prom brings back disastrous memories of last year's prom, and Alon Hutchins). She is dating a boy named Alvin, and not dating Jeremiah. She and Jeremiah gets along really well, and she doesn't understand how she can be so attracted to someone so unattractive. But since that's kind of important to her, as superficial as that is, they're just friends for right now.

Her school rents out Kokubo Karaoke for the night. She takes Alvin as her date. Bella's cousin Mariah Riley is there too with her boyfriend (pictured behind them in the pink dress). Mariah has no personal beef with Bella, but none of her cousins really like her much.

Even though she and Jeremiah are both there with other people, they still manage to sneak in a dance, a friendly one of course. And Alvin finds out that the good thing about going out with Bella Bradshaw is that you're almost guaranteed to score, and Alvin does during the evening in a photo booth.

But the thing is, after both of their dates leave early, Bella spends a little time with Jeremiah and invites him home with her. Even as it's happening she gets the feeling it's probably a bad idea, but she does it anyway. Maybe they'll keep it a secret, friends with benefits or something.

Man, Bella, two in one night? I told you this girl was trouble!

All in all, it was a much less dramatic night than last year. But then again, last year's drama would be kind of hard to top. Bella's stellar grades and social achievements earn her a total $3500 in scholarship awards, and that's on top of the money her parents already set aside for her education. Needless to say, she's pretty well set. Watch out LCU, here comes Bella Bradshaw.



note 1: First of all, yay for the upcoming Apartments EP! I've been playing apartments in some form for as long as I can remember. An easy way for the tenants to pay their rent is to summon the landowner (Bryson Riley is the real estate mogul in Lakeside Heights) and everyone pays their rent by putting stuff in his inventory. Then when you go back to the landowner's home, he sells the stuff for cash. Voila!

I may have to keep doing this even once the Apartments EP comes out, because from what I've heard, we wont be able to have playable sims as landlords.

note 2: Since I play entire rounds in the same season, fall in this case, sometimes weird seasonal discrepancies end up happening, like a senior prom in October. All I have to say about that is, oh well :)

note 3: Bella's debauchery is courtesy of her genetic disposition, and ACR, of course.