That was totally awesome! I really loved the SimBook post. I have no idea how you did that but it was amazing. 
Thank you! I'm glad you got a kick out of it. I made it with a fake Facebook post generator I found online, and used the in-game online dating profiles from my save to get screenshots for the thumbnail pictures of the sims commenting.
I've just discovered this and I love it! The attention to detail, the screenshots, the writing, and all my favourite Sunset Valley sims. What's not to like? 
Thank you so much! I love hearing that other people like these sims as much as I do, and enjoy reading what I write about them. Thanks for commenting!
Man I wish financial aid went that smoothly in the real world. 
Nice to still see updates here.
Yeah, the sims don't know how easy they have it as far as that goes! It's almost ridiculous how much money the sims can make if they go for the financial aid every day and keep their grades up.
I agree with Magz--that Simbook post was super-clever.
Looks like Blair and Cycl0n3 are having fun. Their relationship is too cute! I love geeky romance...
Thanks! I had a lot of fun making it.
I'm glad you're enjoying Blair and Cycl0n3's romance. He's far from suave, but he's endearing in his way.
Aww! Such a cute, geeky couple! I wonder if Blair will end up pregnant.
Oh, I wouldn't be surprised if Blair and Cycl0n3 get to that level at some point down the road...
Chapter 12
Bright and early, Boyd and Susan headed off to their first day of class. They barely had time to grab their coffee at the crowded java hut before the lecture started.
They arrived on time and took a seat at a double table together. The lecture was not as interesting as they hoped, however. The professor spoke in a monotone, and while they could tell he knew his subject material, as veteran researchers for Landgraab Industries, they viewed him through a more critical perspective than most students.
“This is so redundant for us,” Susan muttered, scribbling something down. “I thought we were supposed to be learning something new.”
“Yeah.” Boyd blinked to try and stay awake, since the professor’s droning voice was putting him to sleep. “I hope the lab half of this class is better.”
Twenty minutes later, and despite drinking an Organic Red Rocket brew before class, the professor’s sleep-inducing tone proved victorious over the caffeine and Boyd’s interest, and he dozed off. When Susan noticed, she gave him a gentle kick under the table.
Boyd shook his head groggily, but if the professor noticed his impromptu nap, he did not acknowledge it.
Susan wrote in her notebook and nudged Boyd to look over at what she wrote: “Have a nice nap?”
He gave her a sheepish look and a nod, and whispered when the professor went to write on the white board. “Did I miss anything?”
“Not really,” she whispered back. “If the rest of this class is this basic, we’ve got it aced already.”
Their other classes were better. In the next session, Susan attended an advanced chemistry class, while Boyd went to a science field study. The first session was just a lecture, but as the term progressed, he and the other students would be able to go out and collect and analyze organic and inorganic samples found in the wild, even if the “wild” was pretty much the campus grounds and surrounding public areas.
Their third class was a practicum limited to a small number of students selected to work on one of Sims University’s largest projects. It involved a complicated machine run by several computers, and was overseen by nearly every department at Sims U. Both Boyd and Susan had read about it, and they were thrilled to have gotten slots in the class that allowed students to do hands-on work on the project.
“Wow! You have to check out the stats on this thing when you’re done over there,” Boyd called over to Susan after he logged into his assigned work station. “Hands down, this is the coolest machine I’ve worked on. Ever.”
“I know!” Susan was almost giddy with enthusiasm. “The interface on this is unlike anything I’ve ever used before, and I think I can actually feel these impulses while working this node. It’s almost like a direct communication of sorts, but not with any one individual or intelligence in particular.”
“It’s like a collective,” Boyd mused as he brought up several different windows on his console. “Incredible. I’m reading data from both direct and indirect communication here. A good number of these are passive. I wonder what the range on this thing is…”
After their classes were over, Susan and Boyd checked out Keith’s Komics. Boyd had wanted to go there ever since Cycl0n3 told them about it that day in the park, and when they arrived, it did not disappoint. They both found interesting things to look at and books to browse. Boyd almost bought the mint-in-box Mechacodzilla figure, but Susan reminded him that he did not need yet another dust collector on his already cluttered desk back home. He countered that his desk at University had barely anything on it, and promised to “make a place for it” when they went home, but the three-digit price tag and Susan’s obvious disapproval won out, and he put it back on the shelf. It took the distraction of the shop’s old school Fire in the Skies arcade machine to get Boyd’s mind off of trying to change Susan’s, however.
Susan continued to browse while Boyd plunked quarters into the arcade game, but soon she started to feel like she should study to keep the material fresh in her mind. Since Boyd was well ensconced in his game and close to an expert at it, considering he’d held the top score for years in the old Sunset Valley arcade, Susan knew that he’d be a while. She settled into a comfortable chair and pulled out her textbook to do the assigned reading out of her
Green Genes: Planting Information textbook.
It wasn’t long before Boyd’s marathon Fire in the Skies session caught the attention of two university students hanging out at Keith’s.
“Hey, Mahmoud, I think that old guy’s going to annihilate your high score. So much for the two year reigning champion that ‘no one could ever beat in this lifetime.’” He used a mocking tone as he quoted his friend.
“Kiss it, Ludo,” the other student retorted, although he frowned a little as he looked at Boyd’s screen.
Hearing himself referred to as “that old guy” only made Boyd more determined to beat the high score, which was what he had been trying to do anyway.
I’ve been playing this game since before you were born. I’ll show you ‘old.’Mahmoud and Ludo watched Boyd play for a little while longer, and then Ludo let out a low whistle. “Oooh, what was that high score of yours again? Because I think it just went down in flames.”
“Yeah, yeah. Rub it in,” Mahmoud muttered.
The spaceships came faster and faster, and Boyd managed to keep up for a few more levels, but finally they got the best of him. The screen lit up congratulating him for getting the highest score, and asked him to put in his name. Feeling smug, he entered “SpaceInvader” and turned around, pretending to only then notice that he’d had an audience.
Mahmoud nodded to him. “Congrats, man. Nice job.”
“Very gracious, Number Two,” Ludo quipped before acknowledging Boyd. “Good job. You kicked him to second. Congratulations on unseating the fraternity’s reigning nerd.”
“Remind me why I put up with you again?”
“Because I’m an evil genius, and you’d never get anywhere without me,” Ludo replied in a way that seemed only half-serious.
“Thanks,” Boyd told the students.
“Are you a new professor here?” asked Mahmoud.
“No. I’m a student. Continuing education. I’m here to finish my degree.” He extended his hand. “Boyd Wainwright. Nice to meet you.”
“Same.” Ludo shook his hand. “I’m Ludo Vicco.”
“Mahmoud Yavari,” Mahmoud said, shaking Boyd’s hand next.
“So, continuing education, huh? Aiming for a better job?” Ludo guessed. “Can’t blame you there. That’s why I’m here. I don’t want to start in a low-paying job.”
“Trust me, you don’t,” Boyd agreed. “Sure, I’m a scientist now, but I started washing glassware and volunteering to sell my plasma for cash to the facility I work at. Not how you want to start if you can avoid it.”
“Hey, you’re a science and med major? Me too.” Mahmoud gave him a high five, which Boyd returned.
“Yup. I’ve been taking classes online and at night back home for years, but my wife and I got kind of a double or nothing offer from where we work to finish out our degrees this semester. If we knock out the last 18 credits and graduate, we’ve been offered a promotion. If not, well, it’s possible we could lose our jobs since the company’s aiming to cut headcount by 10%. Needless to say, we’d rather not be chopped.”
“Your wife? Is she here with you, too?” asked Mahmoud.
Ludo glanced over at the other side of the shop. “I’m guessing she’s the redhead sitting over there. She’s older than we are, and wearing a wedding ring. Am I right?”
Boyd nodded. “That’s her.”
Mahmoud gave Boyd an approving nod. “Nice looking lady.”
“I think so, yes.” Boyd smiled as he looked at her.
There was a beep from Mahmoud’s pocket, and he checked his phone. “Speaking of hot ladies, that’s the one I’m meeting tonight. Catch you later, Ludo. Boyd, it was nice to meet you.”
“You too.”
“It’s somewhat unusual to see a couple like you two here at University,” Ludo remarked. “Enjoying it so far?”
“Quite a bit. I’m fascinated by the group project. We just came from a class working on it.”
“You got into that, huh? They’re pretty selective. You two must’ve impressed them. Mahmoud and I are the only ones in the fraternity that got accepted to work on it. I’m on the tech end of it, though.”
“Nice. I’d love to brainstorm with you sometime about that. The potential in that thing is just, well, it’s incredible.”
“Oh, yeah. Sometimes I think about the mayhem it could cause once it gets working, and…” Ludo laughed. “Well, I’m sure you get the picture.”
Boyd grinned. “Absolutely. Earlier I was telling Susan about the passive data collection and—oh, you know, let me get her in here so I can introduce you.” He opened the glass door to the room where she was still studying. “Susan? Come here. There’s someone I want you to meet.”
“Hey, honey. This is Ludo. He’s a tech major that also works on the group project. Ludo, this is my wife, Susan.”
“A pleasure.” Ludo shook Susan’s hand.
“Likewise.”
The three of them then discussed the group project, with Ludo offering some insight into the design of it and ideas that the tech department was tossing around. Boyd and Susan told him their impressions, and thoughts about scientific applications. The conversation lasted for the better part of half an hour before Ludo had to leave.
“It was great meeting you both. We should hang out again. I thrive on intelligent company like you two.”
“Well, thanks,” Boyd said. “I’ll see you around. Too bad we don’t have any classes together. I think Mahmoud’s in one of ours, though. Now that I’ve met him, I remember seeing him there.”
“If you ever want to chill, stop by the Urele-Oresha-Cham house. Mahmoud and I are both brothers there. We throw some great parties and, well, we know how to have a good time.”
Susan chuckled. “Thank you for the offer, but I think we’d be painfully out of place at a fraternity party at our age.”
“Not as much as you might think. Professor Lovelace lives with us, and parties harder than half the guys in the house, and he’s way older than you. Around seventy. He’s awesome. He hangs out over at the Grotto with us a lot, too. You should check it out sometime.”
“Heh. Maybe we will,” Boyd said. “Thanks.”
“See you later.” Ludo gave a wave and left, and Boyd and Susan went to the burger joint next door to Keith’s Komics to grab dinner.
“So what did you think of Ludo?” Boyd asked. “I like him. He seems like an interesting guy.”
“I agree, although I’m not sure what to make of him inviting us to party at the fraternity with him.”
“Partying is a favorite pastime of students at Sims U,” Boyd said wryly. “Why does that surprise you? Take it as a compliment. We’re not too old and boring to party with.”
Susan gave Boyd an incredulous look. “Oh, my Watcher. You’re actually considering it, aren’t you?”
“Maybe,” he admitted.
She let out an amused chuckle. “I think your friend Ludo might be a bad influence on you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I’m reminded of when you went to that symposium in Bridgeport right after your last birthday, and came home wearing a three hundred simoleon snakeskin jacket you picked up in some trendy shop because it made you feel young and rebellious.”
“Hey! I love that jacket,” Boyd protested. “I still wear it.”
Susan patted his arm as they sat down. “I know.”
Back in Sunset Valley, the Wainwrights’ daughter went in to work and was surprised to find Hank already there. She was usually in ten to fifteen minutes before him on a given day. “Hey, partner. I’m not used to you making it in before me.” She noticed that he looked a little worn.
“Well, I didn’t sleep well anyway, so I figured I’d come in and get a jump on things.”
“Is everything all right?”
“Just stupid stuff. Pauline and I had an argument last night, and I ended up crashing on the couch. That thing makes these chairs look comfortable after a few hours.”
“Oh, no. I’m sorry.”
Hank shrugged. “It happens. You know how it is. Sometimes that special someone knows especially how to drive you nuts.”
Blair offered a sympathetic smile. “Well, if you need a friendly ear, you’ve got me on patrol with you for the next six hours to listen. We can stop and grab a coffee on the way.”
Hank got up from the desk. “Thanks, but unfortunately, we’ve got a stop to make before patrol duty. Justine just told me about a last minute change to our assignments. I don’t think you’ve had to deal with this kind of stop yet, so sorry it got sprung on you today. These almost always suck.”
“What is it?”
“A domestic case. A child support deadbeat, repeat offender. We’ve got to go and bring him in.”
“Oh. That’s terrible. What kind of parent doesn’t want to see their child taken care of?”
“One who doesn’t give a flying plumbob about anyone but themselves. At least, that’s the impression I’ve always had of Jared Frio. I’ve dealt with him before. He’s a neighbor, and he’s got a record for petty stuff, including a previous child support delinquency from back when his kid was still practically newborn. This time, he’s two payments behind and late on a third, so his ex filed charges.”
“Wow. That’s pretty low to not pay it for that long.”
“To put it nicely and in workplace-friendly terms,” Hank agreed. “So, since this is your first time on something like this, Justine wanted you go to the door and serve the warrant, do the talking, and all that, while I serve as backup if there’s trouble. Are you okay with that?”
“Sure.”
“Fair warning, sometimes these cases can get uglier than you expect. I know you haven’t had much worse than an irate speeder throw coffee at your feet before, and you handled that well, but when family and ex-lovers and children are involved…”
“I get it. I’ll be careful.”
They turned on to Sun Song Avenue and headed toward the far end of the beach. “Jared Frio’s got an attitude and a chip on his shoulder. The ex lives over there, across the side street.” They pulled up to the Frios’ home. “She’s a bit of a hot-head herself, but we shouldn’t have to bring her into this today.”
“Thanks for the heads up on what to expect.” Blair took a deep breath and picked up the warrant. “Here goes.”
“You’ll do fine. If anything starts looking sketchy, I’ve got your back.”
“I know.” Blair went and knocked on the front door of the Frios’ home. She heard some muttering, and then a door slam. A moment later, the front door opened, and a man in his mid to late twenties, wearing nothing but the shorts he had slept in, came out. “Police?”
Following procedure, Blair showed her badge. “I’m Officer Wainwright with the SVPD. I’m looking for Jared Frio?”
Jared gave her a dubious once-over. “Oh? Heh. They’re making better looking cops all the time. That’s me. What’s up?”
Blair maintained a professional tone. “I’m here to serve you this. You’re delinquent in your child support payments, and your child’s mother, Claire Ursine, has filed charges.”
Jared’s face hardened, and he glowered in the direction of Claire’s house. “For real?
Claire called the cops on
me? What a load of—” He slammed his fist against the side of the house. “She’s a crazy llama. She’s just trying to screw with me because she hates me. Look at that house. You think that kid’s not living just fine? And she pulls this?”
“Mr. Frio, our records show that it’s past due and not the first time. I need you to take this and—”
“You can take that and shove it!” Jared ripped the warrant out of Blair’s hands, threw it onto the porch, and stomped on it. “It’s bull. Claire can take her court papers and shove them, too, right where the sun doesn’t shine. Overdue child support.” He sneered. “You know what I do for a living, honey? I’m a cook. You what they pay cooks? Beans. But Claire? You know what Claire does?” Jared let out a bitter laugh. “Oh, I could tell you lots about what kind of job an
outstanding citizen like Claire has. Maybe you should ask her. I seriously doubt she reported her income to the judge on the up and up.”
The rising note in Jared’s voice and his aggressive demeanor made Blair uneasy. “If you feel that there’s some kind of error, we can arrange for a meeting with your attorney and a judge. I do need to ask you to please come downtown with us, though, either to pay the overdue child support, or to contest it legally at the bench.”
Jared’s glare hardened. “Are you saying I’m under arrest?”
“I’m saying you need to come with me and settle this at the station. You can cooperate and go voluntarily, but if you refuse, I’ll be forced to take you in.”
“Are you for real?” He sneered at Blair. “You’re going to arrest me. You? That’s cute, babe. I’d love to see you try.”
Not being taken seriously made Blair feel both angry and humiliated, but she refused to give ground or lose her composure. “Mr. Frio, you need to come downtown.”
“I’m not going anywhere. You’ll just have to cuff me and haul me in,” he taunted. “But that might be fun from a cute little thing like you.”
Blair reached for her handcuffs. “You have two choices. Come in agreeably, or come in cuffed in the back of the squad car.”
“I’m not going anywhere!” he argued. “I’m not paying a simoleon, and I’m not going to jail. So you just better drop it and leave.”
Blair heard someone else inside the house hurrying down the stairs to the porch. “Jared? What’s going on? Why are the police here?”
“It’s bull, Connor. Just Claire pulling something funny. Don’t worry about it.”
Blair frowned. “This is serious, Mr. Frio. Child support delinquency isn’t a joke, not to the court system, your child, or her mother. This is your last warning. Get in the squad car, or you’re under arrest.”
He stared her down. “Make me.”
“Jared, no!” Connor forced his way between Jared and Blair. “Don’t make it worse, and for the Watcher’s sake, don’t mouth off to the police!” He turned to Blair. “Officer, I’m sorry…” His voice trailed off as he and Blair simultaneously recognized each other. “Blair? Blair Wainwright?”
“Connor? I didn’t know you lived here.” She and Connor were the same age, and had been in the same high school graduating class in Sunset Valley. They were barely acquaintances, however, and only knew one another by name and face. Both had always been introverted and the limited social circles they had hadn’t overlapped. Blair never knew that Connor had a brother, let alone that he was the man she was sent to arrest that day.
“What in the flying plumbob? You know this crazy cop chick, Connor?”
“She was in my class in high school,” Connor said, obviously upset. “And no, I didn’t know she was a cop. What I’d like to know is why the cops are here for you not paying child support! You haven’t been helping Claire with Gretchen?”
“Claire doesn’t need my help,” Jared snapped. “She’s doing just fine. It’s not like she even wants me around Gretchen anyway. She wouldn’t act like such a screaming psycho every time I try to go over there if she did.”
Maybe paying your child support would help with that, Blair thought, although she kept it to herself in order to stay professional. “We’re here to serve him a warrant for child support in arrears,” she explained to Connor. “It needs to be paid today, or he faces jail time.”
Connor let out a beleaguered sigh. “Oh, wow, Jared. Really?”
“You’re my little brother, Connor. Not Mom. Don’t harp on me. Besides, even if I did owe the money, I don’t have it. Like I told you, officer,” he said the title with heavy sarcasm, “I’m broke. Most of what I make gets pooled with what he makes to pay the taxes and bills on this place. We aren’t living it up like Miss Ursine and all her sweet ‘work bonuses.’”
Connor looked at Blair. “I know you don’t know me that well, and the Watcher knows Jared didn’t leave a good impression here, but please don’t arrest him,” he pleaded. “I’ll pay it off. He’s telling the truth. He’s broke. But I can cover it, at least enough to get Claire off his back and keep him out of jail.”
Hank, who got out of the car once Connor showed up, frowned as he approached. “Everything okay here?”
“Officer Goddard? Look, we don’t want any trouble. I just told her, I can pay Jared’s back support. Nobody needs to go to jail.”
“Jail, huh?” Hank regarded Jared with disgust. “You wouldn’t just get in the car and come downtown to pay it off and be done with it?”
Jared looked from Hank to Blair. “Oh, I get it. This is your backup. I knew you couldn’t handle me solo.”
“Shut up, Frio. She could handle you just fine,” Hank retorted. “I sent Wainwright because after dealing with you last time, I thought maybe the most patient and reasonable officer on the force might be able to talk some sense into you where so many others have failed. Now I realize that’s probably beyond anyone. So how about you do the right thing, get in the car, and pay your child support, and not leave it up to your little brother to clean up your mess?”
“I would, but like I said, I’m broke. Next week, maybe?”
Connor sighed. “I said I’ll pay it. Claire needs the money for Gretchen now. You can pay me back later, Jared.”
Blair looked at the Frio brothers. “You’ll both need to come in to the station, then.”
“Okay. I’ll get my stuff, Jared will get dressed, and we’ll go,” Connor said.
The ride back to the station was filled with bouts of tense silence broken up by Jared complaining about Claire. Although Blair had never met the woman, after meeting and dealing with Jared, she had a feeling that Claire could probably say a few choice things about him herself. All in all, it left Blair feeling depressed rather than satisfied about a job well done. Even though it looked good on paper to resolve it without an arrest, knowing that Jared got away with shirking his parental obligations left a bad taste in her mouth.
They escorted the Frios to the clerk’s office to take care of the matter, and then stopped to grab a coffee in the break area. “Good job out there today, partner,” Hank said to Blair as he handed her a cup.
“Why doesn’t it feel like it, then? All we did was stick that kid’s uncle with a bill her father should’ve paid, and let him off the hook.”
“Yeah, but if he’s willing to pay it, what can we do?” Hank shrugged. “I don’t like it, either, but it’s his choice.”
“It’s a shame Connor isn’t that little girl’s father. He seems to care more about her than Jared does.”
“Connor’s a good guy,” Hank agreed. “So, you know him?”
“Barely. He went to high school with me. He was in a couple of my classes, but we never hung out or anything.”
“Ah. Right. Because you were having your first whirlwind romance with Tornado back then,” Hank teased.
“That’s Cycl0n3. And did you have to use the storm pun?”
Hank grinned. “Yup.”
“Anyway, Connor was kind of quiet. I remember him being in the school library a lot, and sitting by himself reading.” Blair paused thoughtfully. “I guess I have more in common with him than I thought. I was kind of a loner, too. Just not in the same way. I liked to take walks or play chess in the computer lab.”
Justine ran up to them with a paper in her hands. “Sorry to bug you two right before patrol, but someone,” she gave Hank a pointed look, “forgot to sign his report here, and I need to turn it in to the chief. Can you fix that for me before you head out?”
Hank nodded, and Blair finished her coffee. “I’ll meet you out front, Hank.” On her way out, she ran into the Frio brothers, who were leaving the station. Jared gave her a smug smile as he sauntered by, while Connor lingered behind.
“Um, Blair? Officer Wainwright? I’m not sure what I’m supposed to call you, but…”
“Blair’s fine.”
“Okay.” Connor paused a moment. “I just wanted to say thanks for not throwing the book at Jared. I know he kind of had it coming, and I couldn’t even blame you if you did, but I appreciate that you didn’t.”
Blair felt that same pang of unpleasantness again. “Well, the law is satisfied with the payment made. It doesn’t matter who writes the check as far as that goes. The money’s being sent to Ms. Ursine, and he’s off the hook until the next bill is due.”
“I’ll make sure he pays it,” Connor assured her.
Blair just nodded.
Connor read the look on Blair’s face. “You think I’m letting him get away with it, don’t you? I’m not. I’m angry at Jared for not paying Gretchen’s support. She’s my niece, and I love her. But Jared’s my brother, and I love him, too. What was I supposed to do? Let him rot in jail for something he doesn’t have the money to pay, and let Claire struggle with the bills and the baby, when I could do something to fix it?”
The conflicted look on his face struck a chord with her. “I understand. You didn’t want to see your brother go to jail.”
“I don’t. Don’t get me wrong. I know how he is, and that what he did is wrong. It’s just… well, he’s my brother. Nobody knows Jared like I do. He’s not all bad. Honest, he isn’t. He’s made a lot of bad decisions, but he loves Gretchen. When things between him and Claire went bad, it went really bad, and… I know he’d never hurt Gretchen on purpose. He stays away and keeps his distance because,” Connor paused, unsure whether he wanted to continue, but then he did. “Well, suffice it to say we didn’t have good role models as parents. It’s not an excuse or a justification. Just an explanation. I’ve been trying to get through to him and help him be a good father.” He sighed. “I guess I have my work cut out for me. Anyway, I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t have dumped all of that on you. I just wanted to say thanks.”
“I’m just doing my job.” She tried to not to think about how Connor was likely going to wind up footing the bill for Jared’s irresponsibility for some time to come. “Take care.”
“You too.”
Connor had just taken a few steps when Blair called after him. “Actually, Connor, wait.”
He turned around.
“I just want to say that your niece and your brother are lucky to have you. What you did was really generous. I hope Jared appreciates it.”
“He does. Thanks, Blair. See you around.”
“Yeah, you too.”
Hank, now finished with his paperwork, caught up with Blair and overheard the tail end of her conversation with Connor. “Do you think he appreciates it?”
“I wish I could say yes, but I think we both know better.” Blair sighed. “It’s a shame Jared takes advantage of him like that.”
“Yeah. Unfortunately it’s like the old saying goes, ‘nice guys finish last.’”
“I never liked that saying.”
“Of course you don’t. You’re one of them,” Hank quipped as they got into the patrol car. “But you know what? The nice ones like you and him, the ones that try to see the best in everyone, yeah, a lot of times, you get burned, but still, you do a lot of good because you do care. Isn’t that why you said you wanted this job to begin with?” Hank patted her on the shoulder. “I knew today would get to you. Stuff like this ate at me at first, too. Try not to let it. Sometimes our job is crazy pickled freezer bunnies or coffee-chucking speedsters that you can look back on later and laugh about. Others, it’s like this. It’s not easy, but you have to try to not let the dirtballs, the Jared Frios, and other jerks like that take up your head space, you know? Otherwise, you can burn out real fast.”
Blair watched as Jared and Connor got into a taxi and drove off. “I know what you’re saying, but it’s hard. Does it ever get easier?”
Hank started the car. “Not as much as you’d hope.”
