Imagine my surprise to find the boy in the hot tub…with a girl! And not just any girl, but Alicia Pfefferle! Shock! Bafflement! How does she even KNOW him?
I mean, they don’t go to the same school. She doesn’t work for his mom. Thatcher isn’t allowed to leave the house or talk to people. Not much, anyway. And yet there they were, sitting amongst the bubbles, chatting away like best friends.
My surprised confusion soon gave way to plain old confusion: Why on earth did Ms. Ambassador insist that I keep her son company when he clearly already has company? Did Alicia sneak in when Her Hoity-Toityness wasn’t looking? And since when did the pool have a deck over it? That’s definitely new.
As I stood there in my plaid and ruffles with my mouth hanging open, Thatcher spotted me and hopped out of the hot tub.
“Fran! Nice underwear!†he laughed, zooming over to meet me.
This time, when he reached out for a hug, I was still too befuddled by the whole situation to draw away. He was nice and warm from the hot tub, whereas I was already starting to goosebump a little. Our bare bellybuttons almost touched, which freaked me out a little. For some reason I’m terrified of bellybuttons.
“You’re just in time. Alicia and I were going to try out the slide.â€
“Cool,†I said, waving to Alicia. “Hi!â€
She glared at me, much like Rayna did at the record store the other day. She didn’t even bother to say “hi†in return. My dread-o-meter started rising. Gah, not this again!
Thatcher dashed over to the slide like a happy puppy, cried “Come on, Alicia!†and flew down the slope, splashing before he even hit the water (the slide has little jets of water built in, so you really fly).
It looked like FUN.
With a pained smile on her face, Alicia climbed up and scooted down the slide. Unfortunately she spun around a bit and ended up smacking into the water face-first. Ouch!
“Uh, well…better luck next time! Now you, Fran!†yelled Thatcher. “Make sure you stay feet-first if you can!â€
Alicia rose out of the water just in time to hear him say that and shot me a Rayna-style death-glare. I pretended I couldn’t see her as I climbed up the ladder.
SPLOOSH! Down I went, sliding too far forward and hitting the water back-first, my head almost bumping the edge of the slide. Yipes! Those things are dangerous, man! At least I didn’t end up face-first. (Sorry, Alicia, but that looked PAINFUL.)
“Not bad!†cheered Thatcher. “Let’s go again!â€
We had two more rounds of sliding, with Alicia being nice to Thatcher but completely ignoring me (when she wasn’t glaring at me, that is). After that, we splashed and lazed around for a bit, which was heavenly.
Despite my klutziness, I love swimming. It’s too bad it’ll be winter tomorrow and I won’t be able to swim for…10 days.
Wait a second…10 days??? 10 whole days?
Aw, man. By the time I’m able to swim again, I’ll be an ADULT! I’ll have to get another new swimsuit! So why on earth did I bother spending money on this one? I should have just gone in my undies! Frammit.
When it started getting dark out, Thatcher decided to put some TV dinners in the oven. I hadn’t planned on staying for dinner, but I figured, why not? It’s not like I would miss a birthday party back home or anything.
“Do you guys want Salisbury Steak or Mac ‘n’ Cheese?â€
“Mac ‘n’ Cheese sounds good,†I said.
“I’ll have Salisbury Steak,†said Alicia, smiling sweetly at Thatcher before he disappeared into the house. Her smile dissolved into an angry frown as she turned to face me.
(continued on Page 4)
Fran returns, and she’s as sassy as ever! I loved her commentary, it’s always so whacky and funny. Awesome job, Jen. I really loved the shots, too!
Fran tickles all my funny bones. “They are ALWAYS HAVING PRIVATE MOMENTS!” Classic.
I don’t think I read this blog in the past, but glad i’m reading it now. I really like Fran. You’re really good with this writing style, very entertaining, and of course keeps a person wanting more. ;)
Thatcher just hasn’t a clue. I wonder if Alicia only wants to be his girlfriend, since Thatcher doesn’t seem to be paying her nearly as much attention as he was paying to Fran. Looking forward to the next entry ;)
Franchesca!! How I’ve MISSED you! *tackle-huggles* I guess I’ve missed you, too, jenba. ;O)) Hehe. SO … what got you posting again? I must know?! :O)
I wonder how sassy she’s gonna be as an adult. Teehee!!! And what IS Ms. Ambassador up to I wonder? :O)
That was so great ! I discovered your old-Fran the other days, and I am so happy that you continue with her. She’s such a funny character. I wondered, will she go to university or will she became an adult instantly ? And I hope we’ll have news about Wheezy whom I love so much ! Bravo !
I’m so glad that Fran is back! I hope her boss isn’t trying to brake Thatcher up with Alicia using poor Fran…And yes Fran as an adult would be quite interesting..:D
Franchesca returns! Yay! I’m glad she’s still as sassy as ever. Hmm, I wonder what Ms. Ambassador is up to?
Horray for the return of Fran!!
I don’t like Alicia. Fran hasn’t done anything, so she shouldn’t be so nasty to her. But, I guess a girl can’t help it when the green-eyed monster takes over. Fran is made of awesome!
I love the Fran stories, their always so interesting!
I’m so glad shes back!
A new Fran story! I needed to do some remembering, but I know who everyone is again! Thatcher is adorable, and I love Fran’s little outfits.
Yeah! Fran is back! I love her swimsuit and believe it she look nice in her new outfits! Alicia and Thatcher? Not so matchy!
I didn’t know Fran before, but I love her now. She has a great inner commentary and her vintage…I mean, retro…style is adorable.
Ah, dads are, beyond a doubt, the strangest beings on the planet, aren’t they? Still, Fran’s seems kinda normal compared to mine! Welcome back Jen and Franchesca!
Yes!
Fran is back, and with a splash! :D
Can’t wait for more, she always seems to get in sticky situations!
Jen!
This is Mieko.
From a loong time ago.
I missed your stories, I’ve been reading the old ones for something to do/inspiration.
I actually started my own blog – though it’s not the most unique thing in the world.
But I do like Fran’s stories. :P
Yikes – I never read Franchesca back on your old blog (what a shame ;) – but since you now updated it here, I just went back to Mt Geneva and spent 2 hours yesterday reading it from scratch ;).
And I liiiiike it! Fran ist definitely cool (and *whoot*, I’d fall for Joel too) and I’m extremely excited to see what will happen next!
SO good work, as always!
Welcome back Jen! I’m so glad to see you back to simming and writing your fabulous stories. The pictures look great as always, and I love the Fran stories! Can’t wait for more.
Hey guys, thank you for all of the kind comments! It’s good to be back. :-)
YAY! I love Fran. She’s probably my favorite of all your stories.
The concept, commentary, visuals, and characters are so unique! I can’t wait for your next post. :D
This is hilarious! So glad I found it. I can’t wait to read more about Fran :)
Wow! You’re writing again! HOORAY! There must be something going around… or it must just be that time again… I’ve been bitten by the writing bug as well. It’s so great to see Fran, and even better to read your witty stories that inspire me so.
YAY! the Fran Chronicals are back for good. great update.
Will there be new chapters of Fran soon ?
Yes, soon, hopefully. :-)