SSU - July 2008

Rashid Cunningham and Elmer Valdes are both 19. 

Not much has changed at Sims State University since the Founders were here many years ago. That goes for the Landgraab Dorms, as well.  It's still the same old boring place.

The only difference is there's new paint and wallpaper, new carpets, and it looks like the furniture's been reupholstered...oh, and somebody planted some flower beds outside.

Rashid made sure to grab the room that his Mom told him to get...it was her old room; right next to the exit/entrance doors.  "You can see who's coming and going..." She said. 

And neither of the boys brought much stuff from home.  They preferred to get their own stuff as time went on.  Rashid brought his clothes and his new laptop computer from Fiona Kent.  He needed it to link up with the college's website and email system for access to class assignments and notes from his professors. 

He sat there for a moment, whistling a tune, while he tried to think of which video game he wanted to play.  Classes wouldn't start until tomorrow.  He felt free and in control of his own destiny...like a true adult with no one breathing down his neck to do something productive.

Elmer took another approach after he unpacked his belongings.  He went to the gym and spent several hours trying to work off the extra weight he'd gained back home.  He didn't want to be the fat guy on campus with the chubby face.  He wanted to look good.

The next day he tried to 'get studious' and join some girl in an impromptu study group.  See, it's all about first impressions.  If his Dad taught him anything, it's that he needs to make a good first impression and sell himself. 

Too bad the study session didn't last long, he really didn't understand what the heck he was reading.  He just wants to study art, forget all this other logical, mumbo-jumbo, stuff.

He smelled the buttery-sweet pancakes and syrup from the cafeteria and excused himself to go grab a plate...

"Hey man, they got this 'student special' going on at the campus furniture store...double beds for reeeal cheap.  You wanna go over there with me?  Rashid asked.

"That place delivers...all you gotta do is call 'em."  Elmer responded.  "How you gonna fit a double bed into your room, anyways?"

"I'll do what I have to do....and you gon' help me.   I can't stand sleeping on a twin bed anymore, man...I've done it all my life and I need to be able stretch out.  Plus, what if we meet some girls?" Rashid smiled as he sat down.

"I'm not trying to date anybody but Sierra, dude."  Elmer smiled back at him.  "All I'm here to do is go to class."

 "Yeahhh...right.  Okay.  If you say so...Well, you gon' need a double for Sierra, right? Riighht?!"  Rashid eats like he hasn't had a meal in awhile, while Elmer realizes for the first time that he could actually hook up with Sierra now, without any interruptions...he gets up to go make the call to the furniture store. 

Rashid laughed as his childhood friend 'walked-ran' to the phone to order two double beds for their rooms.

***
Rashid has always been a little jealous of Elmer and Sierra's relationship.  She wasn't but a year older than Tyisha and yet her father lets her go out with Elmer with no objections.  Yeah, sure...the guy is a virgin, but it's not like I'M a player or anything...I've only been with one Sim!  He thinks to himself.

Poor Rashid...his love life is a 'blank' right now.  He's all over the map as far as his feelings go, so he dances it out, while he thinks things over.

Tyisha is on his mind...since he stepped foot on campus, he wants her to come to SSU.  S'Ahmisa has straight dissed him.  After the AB concert, she didn't have much to do with him at all; choosing to play with SayJ and Scot most of the time.  She confessed her love for Trevor Yates, and that was that.  He thought maybe she would be sad he was leaving, but when the day came, she just hugged him and said, "Bye." 

He's been feeling kinda homesick, but he's only an hour away.  He wanted to talk to somebody from home; didn't matter who it was, so he called them all...that didn't matter either, because no one seemed to miss Rashid quite as much as he was missing them.

-and-

Pretty soon his hip hop dancing incited a small party in the cafeteria.  It took his mind off things.  He's a great dancer, actually...to my surprise!  I'm like...'When did he learn how to do all that?!'  LOL!  He was jammin!!

He thought S'Ahmisa may have had a change of heart when she up and called one day, out the blue.

"Hey cutie!"  He said, kinda excited to hear from her.  "You got my message?"

                                                

His jaw almost hit the floor. 

Another night, the phone had woken him from a deep sleep.  He wondered, what the hell could she be calling Elmer for?  He couldn't even recall if they'd ever met!  It wasn't at graduation, she was with Tomika and SayJ the whole time. 

Then he remembered the girl downtown talking about Elmer like he was some kind of 'hot jock' or something. 

So, the guy can paint great pictures and he's working all over town with the newspaper and stuff, so what?...Rashid reminds himself again that S'Ahmisa is a girl who likes ambition, and ambition-minded Sims.

 - Or maybe she's just trying to make him jealous and he'll hear from her soon.

But, the calls didn't stop...She KEPT calling Elmer.

Rashid had had enough...he was getting frustrated.  But, he wasn't the only one...

Elmer soon sat him down in confidence, and told him that S'Ahmisa was a cool girl and all, but he didn't feel comfortable talking to her anymore...the conversation was starting to get a little too friendly...and he's in love with Sierra.  And it wasn't fair that the phone was always busy when Sierra tried to call...he wanted Rashid to tell S'Ahmisa to stop calling him.

The next time the phone rang, Rashid just hung up....

***

Grades:  Freshman, 1st semester

Rashid, (Majoring in Physics) finished with a B+

Elmer, (Majoring in Art) finished with an A-

Memory Lane pic:  Awww! This was taken so long ago!  *pinches their cheeks* 

***

I decided to let the boys tell me if they wanted to work towards their grades or not.  They didn't.   :P  However, they both rolled a fear of getting on academic probation.  I took that as meaning, they didn't want to work hard for the grades, but they didn't want to flunk out of school, either! 

So I let them go to class autonomously, and now I see that gets them pretty good grades...however, I played this semester for too long (darn near 4 days!).  If I had only played it for say...2 days (like I play the rest of the hood), their grades wouldn't have been so high.  Next time, I'll consider doing that...I just needed to get my pics shot, that's why it took so long!  LOL!

***

Erline Valdes, has the summer off to be with her baby, and won't start WilTech Community College until Fall 2008.  (I'm not sure yet how I'm going to present that update...I'm sure an idea or two will come to me by then.)