Chapter 7

Writer Notes: Puns may be intended.

Warnings: Thar be romance sims in this chapter…so…romance-y stuff like: woohooing, pixelated nudity, sexual themes, adultry, cheating, upsettedness, tears, teasing, aspiration failure, doctor/patient confidential slightly broken, burnt cheese, jealousy, several split scenes, and one really awesome Fanny.

Donna Cove had lived in her car for far too long.  She promised herself it would change nothing in her plan.  She was going to live out her dreams and no one was going to stop her.

She wanted to be a star.

It was a lot of work and expensive.  You had to meet certain requirements with headshots, some type of “business” background, and you had to be “pretty.”  You could start as a Hand Model and make your way to being a Super Model!

Donna just hadn’t caught her big break yet.

In the meantime, she had to eat.

She liked working for Red’s Famous ’50s Diner, but it was just temporary.  Maybe one day someone important would stop in and notice her.  It was a “famous” diner after all.

But Donna longed for companionship, someone who could share her worries and maybe one day her wealth.

So when she saw the ad for this “Singles” household, Donna pounced on the opportunity.

“And these are the girls.” Lola Curious said. “Don’t let them gang up on you.”

“Wow!”

“Did anyone ever tell you, you’re out of this world?” Chloe inquired.

“No,” Donna smiled.  “But they certainly told me I could rock theirs.”

“She’s going to fit in here nicely.”

Donna would make sure she did.

Chloe was easy.  She craved attention and wanted to be important to someone.  Donna needed an assistant, someone to find her auditions and take her photos.  Chloe was more than willing to help her out.

Things were going great.

And Donna felt it was time to show Chloe how much she appreciated all her help.

***

Lola was not her sister.  She wasn’t desperate, but she did need someone to talk to, which was ironic for a therapist.

She had many clients ranging from narcissistic chefs, woohoo crazy teens, to extreme grilled cheese lovers.

But none of them were more serious than the case of General Buzz Grunt.  She may have broken a few rules by talking to Donna, but Lola needed someone’s advice.

The situation was a tricky one.  Buzz Grunt was actually the Singles’ neighbor.

He was a newly single dad with three boys.  The tragic loss of his wife had sent the man into self destruct mode.  He couldn’t function at work or home.

But to the Singles’ household, it was something more.

Buzz hated Aliens.

After a couple of incidents with their family, Buzz’s superiors thought it fitting for him to work on his issues with Lola.

Except that it wasn’t working.  He would come to his sessions and sit there in bitter silence for the whole hour.  When his time was up, he marched away.  Lola had tried everything, but she couldn’t move the man.

Lola was afraid that if she couldn’t help Buzz that he might hurt someone.  It was easy to think her family might be in danger, but Lola was more afraid for Buzz’s sons and what he might do to himself.

Donna helped Lola relax and between the two of them, they would figure it out.

Erin Beaker was next on Donna’s list.  Chloe hated the girl, but after spending time with Lola, Donna was sure she knew the underlying cause.

Erin was a popular girl and loved by many.  She was closest to two guys.

One of which was Lola and Chloe’s little brother, Lazlo.  He adored her and although her was seeing another girl, it was apparent that Lazlo would do anything for Erin.

But she was in love with the other.

Donna couldn’t make Erin fall for Lazlo.  However, if she could get Chloe and Erin to be friendlier to each other, it could help things.

One of Chloe’s foremost complaints about Erin was that she didn’t do anything around the house.  So Donna devised a brilliant plan of teaching Erin how to cook.  They would start with the simple grilled cheese and make their way up.

“Okay.” Donna swallowed.  “Maybe we should start with cold lunchmeat sandwiches first.”

Donna had made excellent progress in becoming officially apart of the Singles’ household.  She just had one obstacle left and Kristen Loste wasn’t going to be easy.

She was one of the finest athletes on SimWorld, but it was her mental toughness that Donna feared.

Donna tried to be proactive in Kristen’s life, but the only sport she knew was golf.

Kristen thought golf was overrated.  It wasn’t a “sport” to her.  It was something doctor’s told patients to do to relax.  Perhaps, Kristen was a lost cause.

She wasn’t going to like Donna no matter what.

And Donna could deal with that.  For the first time in her life, she was rather happy.

How long would it last? Donna feared any “consistency” in her life would bore her.  She needed excitement.  She needed drama, attention, and a spotlight.

Anyone that noticed her needed to love her.

She would never truly love them back, but she would love everything they gave her.

“Have you seen Donna?” Chloe asked. “I swear she was right behind me.”

“I’m sure she’s fine.” Kristen mumbled.

“We need to find her.”

“Why? I’m sure she can find the exit.”

“Well, that’s a good idea! Maybe she did go outside!” Chloe said.  “I’ll check out front. You go out of the back.”

“Fine, but in the future, I’m not responsible for her.”

***

“Never fear! I’m here!”

“You’re late, Miss Cove.” Denise Jacquet scoffed.  “Next time you’re fired.”

“And, next time if you do show up without wearing your uniformed, you’re fired.”

Donna rolled her eyes and tightened her apron.  People like Denise were just garbage, one day she would get to throw them away and they’d be out of her life forever.

Maybe that day would be sooner than she thought.

“What can I get you?” Donna asked.

“My fiance would say ‘smooth talk my way into an argument about Herbert Walker and win,‘ but I don’t think that’s on the menu?”

“Oh my SimGod! Love in Bahdad, you’re Fanny Adore!”

“Are you sure it’s not Lisa Lennder?” Fanny rolled her eyes.  “But you are much more interesting.”

“Me?” Donna laughed nervously.  “I’m no one.”

“Well, no one yet.” Fanny said.  “This is no accident, girl. I’m actually here for a business proposition, but if Malcolm told me I’d be coming to the sticks, I might have protested more.”

“I’m not sure I follow…”

“I’m here to offer you a job, dear.” Fanny smiled.  “Don’t think we haven’t noticed you. Such a striking and most recognizable face you have. Malcolm wants you in his movie so I’m here to deliver.”

“Malcolm? You mean Malcolm Landgraab?”

“The one and only.”

“Tell me girl. Do you want to be a star?”

Donna had been nervous about meeting Malcolm Landgraab.  He was so intimidating, but Fanny gave her some advice.

“You always know when Malcolm is happy or angry.” she said.  “When he’s mad, he throws fits and repossesses anything that was his without cause, but when he’s happy…”

“Malcolm never stops smiling.”

***

Things moved fast in the movie making business.  You were bounced around from set-to-set, going through your lines, getting set with make-up and wardrobe.  Time never stopped, never slowed.  Everything was fast pace and for once in her, Donna wasn’t sure she had what it took to be in this business.

Especially when it came to her playing with others.  Her co-star, Woody Tutti, was to be her husband in this movie.  But she didn’t know him and was not attracted to him at all.

“How can I make it seem real then?” she had to ask her assistant, Kimberly Cordial.  “We have to act like we’ve been in love forever. How can I do that with a guy who doesn’t even notice me over a mirror?”

“It’s true. Woody loves his mirror more than anything.” Kimberly nodded.

“But I have a suggestion for you. Sleep with him.”

“Whaaat?”

“You’ll have to do it in this business eventually.” Kim said. “You want it to look real, don’t you? Practice makes perfect, they say.”

Donna shook herself then follow Woody to his trailer.  She was friendly and tried to charm him, but he flat out rejected her.

“I see you’re trying to break his mirror.” Robert Kim, the director, said.  “Don’t even bother. He’s destined to die alone with that thing.”

“Yeah, I got that much.”

“And I see what you’re trying to do.” Robert smiled.  “If you want, I can give you special…lessons on how to compensate intimacy into acting.”

She should have said no because of his wedding ring, but Donna looked at that handsome face and was stuck.

Didn’t Kimberly say she’d have to do it in this business eventually?  She never said with whom.

Time rolled on and Donna was no longer worried about her acting.  She was a pro without even trying.  By the time the movie was announced and the actors were introduced, millions of Sims were both excited and horrified.

Donna was just happy to finally be living her dream.

It was success.  The most anticipated movie of the year.  The most blogged topic on all sites.  And the most stunning front lady.  Malcolm had to emphasize the latter.

Donna had grown close to Malcolm, almost attached to his side.  He wanted to be involved all the way through her process.

He was a brilliant man and, in moments, very compelling.

So when he finally offered, Donna was more than happy to stay with him.

***

***

Donna had given it much thought.  She was too busy onset and it was so far away from the Singles’ house.  She had to move out.

It wasn’t going to be easy.  She really liked these girls, but her life was moving on, and unfortunately, without them.

 ***

“What are you doing?”

“I’m leaving, Chloe.” she said without even looking up.

“What do you mean? You’ve been gone. Why are you packing…”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not coming back.” Donna said.  “I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to be with Malcolm.”

“What do you mean with Malcolm?” Chloe shrieked.  “You promised me…”

“I know, but I can’t…”

She never wanted to hurt them.  They were her friends.

But she didn’t need them anymore.

And they definitely didn’t need her.

 ********

Additional: In each chapter, I will try to feature a career that Pat Newbie is working on to keep with the Bustin’ Out theme.  In this chapter her featured career was Fashion Victim.  You can find information about Bustin’ Out and the main story’s careers HERE.