Zargon, Week 8Luthor had to stay a teen for a while longer, which meant that he had plenty of time on his hands. He started practicing yoga.
And he maxed the rocket science skill. It wouldn't be long before his rocket ship would be fully upgraded.
He also painted. "That doesn't look much like Rhonda," his mother commented.
"It's not anyone, Mom," said Luthor. "It's just a painting."
But Luthor did have someone in mind for the picture – his friend Yuki. For a while he had actually thought that she might be an alien in disguise. Her hair was the same color as his dad's and when she found out he was an alien, she had thought that was cool and hadn't become angry the way most people did.
One day he suggested that they meet in the park. They had a few laughs together, and just before they left, Luthor had the urge to tell her a secret. He'd planned to say something like, "I'm not really an alien – I'm a sim in disguise," but instead what popped out was "I love you."
Luthor was becoming obsessed. He hung the selfie he'd taken of the two of them on his wall and added a painting that he'd done in the square in Windenburg. He locked his front door so that his mother couldn't enter the house.
A couple of days later Yuki nudged him in class and suggested they cut out from school early and go to the Ruins.
"I came here once when I was a kid," he told her. "I was scared that maybe my people had bombed something and made the ruins."
"Aww," said Yuki, "that's sweet."
They lit a bonfire and danced a bit.
Then Yuki disappeared for a few minutes. Luthor felt nervous. Had he said something to offend her? Or had he not said something that she wanted him to say?
"Had to pee," Yuki told him when she came back.
Luthor nodded and then blushed. He'd heard that kids sometimes messed around in the bushes, too. Of course, now that Yuki had peed there, that was out of the question, but...
She stood next to him and put her arm around him.
"There's something I have to tell you," said Luthor. "As soon as I grow up, I have to get married – to someone else. I don't have a choice. I just wish it was you. I'd better go now." He hurried home.
Later that evening he began to feel really sad and he sent her a text. "Why don't you come over?" Yuki texted back. He met her in front of her house, just next to the clock tower.
"My sister Candy's out clubbing," said Yuki. "That's her room, with the DJ Candy doll."
"And this is my room. I have a Yuki doll." She went into her video game cube and started playing.
Luthor watched her for a few minutes, then went back downstairs. He'd had an idea of asking Yuki to move in with him and Rhonda and the baby once they were adults, but he realized now that he couldn't do that. His house was so small, hardly enough room for the child when it came, and Yuki had it good here.
He went home and blew out the candles on his cake.
With that done, he invited Rhonda over. He and Rhonda were good friends, so she agreed to move in with him immediately.
He gave her a rose and started flirting with her.
Inside the bedroom, the flirty painting that he'd put on the wall helped get Rhonda in the mood. It had an effect on Luthor, too.
The next morning Rhonda announced that she was pregnant. "It's going to be a girl," she said. "I can tell because I have a craving for strawberries."
Luthor wasn't sure whether this was true or something Rhonda had made up. It was hard to tell with her, because she was always saying something crazy.
After school let out, Yuki came over. "You don't have to age up," said Luthor.
"You think I want to stay a teen forever?" Yuki said with a laugh. She blew out the candles.
"I don't know how things will work out," said Luthor as he showed her to the door. "You might meet someone else, and if you do, that's fine – I want you to be happy."
"Don't worry," said Yuki. "I will be."
Back inside, he found Rhonda looking at the wall thoughtfully. "You have a lot of pictures of her," she said.
"Yeah," said Luthor. "That blue hair and orange headphones make a good contrast."
"You don't have any pictures of me," said Rhonda.
Luthor felt guilty. "I'll paint some," he promised. He started on a painting, but when he finished it, he realized he couldn't show it to Rhonda – it was too distressing. He sold it, quickly.
He'd start with a photograph, he decided.
