The Angels

[Figwit]

Aw, thank you Chrissie.  I am glad you are enjoying it. 

[Asleep]

Ahw, it didn't work?

[Figwit]

Finally, she could stand it no longer.  She had to go and find out what was happening.

Quietly she tiptoed down the stairs.  The second floor was in darkness and silent so she continued down to the ground floor.  Perhaps they were in the lounge room watching TV.  She could fetch the laundry from the hamper in the connecting bathroom.  That would give her an excuse.



The lounge room was deserted and the TV switched off.  She heard voices though.  They were coming from the dining room.  She couldn't believe they could still be eating.

The voices were rather loud and rather male.  She recognized Gabriel's chuckle.  Of course.  Her other brothers would be home from work by now.

The dining room was different from how she had left it.  The vases of flowers had been carelessly moved to a shelf and the cake was nowhere to be seen.  Gabriel and Raphael had indeed arrived home and were tucking into her cobbler dish.  Raphael was making happy little noises as he ate.



Michael had changed into his swimming trunks.  Duh!  Lucy had not thought of the hot tub.  The hot tub was VERY romantic, Lucy grinned to herself.  Full marks to her brother for coming up with that one.  There was no Aisha though.  She must still be soaking.  Lucy hoped she didn't go all pruney from the water.

Lucy helped herself to a slice of cobbler, realising she was quite hungry.



Raphael was rambling on about an explosion at the plant and how busy they had been at the hospital, but as his working life was usually one drama after another, Lucy barely listened.  When he paused to draw breath, and incongruously, clap his hands (were all her brothers weird?), Lucy asked about the cake.

'Oh over there,' Michael gestured absently towards the shelf and Lucy saw the cake, untouched, partly hidden behind the vases of flowers.

'I never was much one for cake,' Michael shrugged.

'Too sweet,' agreed Gabriel.

'But this is good', chimed in Raphael, helping himself to another slice of cobbler.

Lucy turned to Michael.

'Um, why don't you ask Aisha inside?'  She queried. 'She might be hungry too.'

'Aisha?' Michael looked blankly at her for a moment in confusion, his mind still on cobbler, but then he remembered.  



'Oh Aisha left hours ago.  Just after you went upstairs actually.  She got a call from the hospital because of the emergency at the plant.'

Lucy's heart sank.  Stunned and disbelieving she could only sit and stare.  

'Is she coming back?' Her voice sounded small, fragile, child-like to her ears.

'I think Aisha will be thinking of a good soak in the bath and then bed, just as I am,' yawned Raphael.  'After I eat one more slice, that is.'

Lucy stared unseeing at the patterns on the plate in front of her. It was all for nothing. Without a word she pushed away from the table and left to go to her room.  Let them do the dishes.  If she stayed she would cry.

She didn't see the warmth of Michael's expression as he thought about her a few minutes later.

[Asleep]

Ahw, it didn't work...

[TallStar]

All that planning for nothing? How terrible!

[Figwit]

Well maybe not entirely for nothing.   

Lucy awoke next morning sadly disappointed that the world hadn't ended last night and she would have to face the day ahead. 

It was going to be a bad one too.  Every girl in her class was going to be going on and on about the prom and she would have to sit in silence. 

She hadn't told anyone yet, apart from Aleta.  She didn't think she could bear the looks of pity from her friends and the whispers and giggles from her enemies.



So far, she had been living on hope but now that was gone.

She looked at her rumpled bed. She had tossed and turned last night when she had finally managed to get to sleep and now she just wanted to climb back in, pull the covers up to her chin and sleep the day away. 

Well she would sleep until Gabriel found she was still at home and came upstairs to yell at her for missing school.

It would almost be worth it. She moved to stare moodily out of her window.

Andy? She blinked, rubbed her eyes but he was still there.



Andy was downstairs on the front lawn talking to Michael.  Whatever could he have to talk to Michael about?

She threw on some clothes and took the stairs two at a time but it was too late.  Andy had gone and so had Michael. 

Her mind was abuzz.  She suspected that Aleta had finally told Andy that she, Lucy, would not be his date for the formal.  Lucy had resisted telling him and Aleta had argued with her over it.

'I will tell him when I have to. Please Aleta.  I don't want him to think he has a loser girlfriend.'

Aleta had been disappointed in her for this decision.  Andy was her brother and they were a close family.  She felt he deserved to know what was going on. 

He had probably come by to dump her, Lucy thought.  And who could blame him?  She sniffed back a tear and trudged to school.

[Asleep]

Ahw, poor Lucy.

[TheChronicR]

Wow, awesome updates - I loved each and every line! I'm so sad her plan didn't work, it was truly marvelous. I do believe you when you say that it wasn't for entirely nothing. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

[xFezIsAFreakx]

This is such an awesome story! You write brilliantly! I do hope Andy hasn't dumped poor Lucy.

[cathyknits]

This has become one of my favorite stories. I can't wait for more.

[Figwit]

Thank you everyone.  

Lucy didn't see Andy at school at all that day.  That wasn't unusual.  They didn't always share classes together and she didn't bump into him in the hallways or the recreation rooms every school day.  Her paranoia though, made her wonder if he was avoiding her on purpose.  It was fine, really, she told herself, because she was avoiding him too.  If he was going to break it off with her she didn't want it to be today. 

She stayed away from all her friends that day.  Even at lunch time, she chose a secluded spot under a tree in the far corner of the school grounds, out of sight of everyone. She didn't even want to talk to Aleta.  The worst of it was that, as bad as today was, tomorrow was going to be a whole lot worse.

Eventually the day ended as even bad days must. Home at last, Lucy plonked herself onto the lounge chair and switched the TV on. There was nothing much to watch but it put off doing her homework.

'Lucy, I would like to speak to you.' Michael had entered the room and stood now by the lounge.  He was clearly waiting for her to acknowledge him but she didn't feel like being polite.  She shrugged her shoulders and kept on watching the show.



He was probably just going to whine at her about something she hadn't done anyway.

She felt the lounge give as Michael took a seat next to her but infuriatingly, he said nothing.
 


It was obvious he was going to wait until she gave him her attention.

She sighed dramatically, made a show of switching off the TV and then turned reluctantly to hear what he had to say.

She expected a frown but instead his expression was benign, bordering on friendly.



'I have decided,' he said ' To let you off your punishment. You have shown yourself in a very different light this week and ...'

'I can go to the formal?' Lucy squeaked, her heart leapt into her mouth and she hardly dared to breathe.  Surely this wasn't some cruel joke, but no, Michael wouldn't be that mean.

'Yes, you may.' He smiled. 'Do you want to know why I changed my mind?'

Lucy nodded, not really taking it in and knowing quite well he would tell her anyway.

'I have been paying particular attention to your behaviour this week.  You know that Gabriel and Raphael have both spoken up for you but I wanted to see for myself.'

He held up his hand and counted off each point on his fingers. 'You have shown a discriminating taste in your choice of beau.  When young Andy Farsley asked me personally to let you off this morning -'

Andy!  He had been asking Michael to let her off. He wasn't going to dump her at all.  Lucy felt a warmth course through her that made her toes tingle and her lips curl into a happy smile.

She had the best boyfriend.  Could life get any better?

'- especially in comparison to that awful Capp boy and that Dustin Broke is too smarmy for words.  I like Brandi.  She does her best, but those children of her's-'

She was going to the prom.  She couldn't believe it.  If only Michael would stop talking so she could go ring someone.  Who should she tell first?  Aleta or Andy, Andy or Aleta?

-'and then when I got that phone call from Athol telling me that he had seen that Capp boy trying to provoke you and you just walked off without behaving like a harpy, well I was proud of you for that.  That can't have been easy-'

Oh yes, the cake.  Maybe ring Aleta first, tell her quickly.

-'You impressed me with all that study you have been doing lately too.  You were in your room for hours.' 

Then she could talk to Andy and not rush through the call.  She was so happy with him.  She wanted to tell him so much.  Oh hurry up Michael.

'But the best of all was cooking Raphael's favourite meal the other night.  That was so thoughtful.  We all know he is a workaholic anyway but that was an especially difficult time for him at the hospital and he was so happy that you thought of him like that.'

Huh? Oh the cobbler.

'I am pleased to say that you are growing into a very nice young woman, Lucy.'



At last he seemed to have stopped.  Lucy could sit still no longer.  She hugged Michael quickly and leapt to her feet.  She had so much to plan.

A sudden thought hit her and she frowned. 'I need a dress to wear.  Can I take some time off school tomorrow?  I need to shop.  I hope there is something left after every other girl has picked over the clothes.'

Michael just smiled happily. 'Taken care of.'  He said smugly.

Why did that sound so ominous to her ears?

[Asleep]

YAAAY! I'm so happy for her~!
...
Wait, what's Michael up to?

[TheChronicR]

Oh yes! That is so cool. She does have the best boyfriend in the (Sim)world. Yay for Lucy, Michael, and Andy of course.

Hm... I too am wondering what Michael is up to. But knowing him, maybe something good.

P.S. - Would you mind PMing me "about" Michael's ears if it is not done by a mod? Thank you.

[Sophie98]

Aww, yay for Andy!
Oh dear. Her dress is 'taken care of?' That sounds worrying to me too.

[xFezIsAFreakx]

Aww. Yey for Lucy! I do wonder about this dress, though..