1 thing

Round 16: March 2025

Zach Whitfield is 21, Josh Cooper and Lilly Fielding are 20.

(Max is 69, Regan is 61 and Dawn is 21.)

Narrated by Lilly

It's been a bit awkward living under the same roof with Josh since the break-up. Zach sometimes tries to be some sort of buffer between us but other times he's so distracted with his studies that he barely notices other people.

It was Zach's idea that I could become Eve's roommate when Kaitlyn moves out. It's sort of a win-win situation for everyone and I'm pretty excited about getting out of the dorm and into the real world.

Zach and Josh aren't exactly friends but they get along. We don't hang out as much as we did earlier anyway because we're all pretty swamped in school work. The never-ending stream of lectures, assignments and term papers makes sure that the wildest thing we do is watch TV. We go out maybe once a month which probably makes us look like old folk to all the new students who party all the time.

Mom and dad insist on seeing me on regular basis so I try to go home every now and then. This time they came to Brixton instead. It's been decades since mom studied here and she wanted to see all the changes. They took a walk around the campus (and down the memory lane) and we met at Betty's Diner.

My parents were kind of heartbroken when Josh and I broke up because they really liked him. They ask about him every time we see and it's obvious that they miss him. I understand them because I kind of miss Josh's family too.

Dad thinks I should try to meet someone new. Mom says I shouldn't start dating until I'm ready. I'm not opposed to going on dates if I meet someone but I'm not rushing into a relationship. I haven't had any action at all apart from kissing one of the guys from our dorm right after Josh and I broke up. It was just a childish rebound kind of thing that didn't lead into anything.

I told mom and dad that I would move off campus next year and live with Eve. They were a little disappointed that I didn't even consider moving back home - especially dad who protested loudly - but mom said she understands.

"Of course you want to live on your own, I know you're not a little girl anymore. Just remember that our door is always open if you need anything" she said.

It's nice that my parents are starting to see me as a grown-up woman and they let me make my own decisions. I'm so used to being treated as the baby of the family that it took me by surprise that they didn't try to force me to move back home.

Josh is really trying to make amends. He's been such a huge part of my life that I really missed hanging out with him. We're not spending much time together but I'm starting to think that it is possible to be friends with your ex.

Josh never said anything but I know the main reason he broke up with me was Madison, one of the girls that live in our dorm. I guess the grass wasn't greener on the other side because I haven't seen them together at all since the beginning of semester. The rumours around the campus say that Josh has turned her down and she's gotten back together with her ex-boyfriend who happens to be my rebound guy. Talk about life imitating art, except in my case the is a freaking soap opera.

Dawn's been a really great friend not that I expected things to be any different between us anyway. She came over one evening just as Zach was coming home from a date with Hazel.

I was pretty surprised when Zach introduced Hazel to Dawn. He usually keeps his lady friends away from anyone he knows so that they don't get the "wrong impression". I don't know how he does it but his dates simply adore him and they always go out with him again even though he makes it perfectly clear that he's not looking for anything serious. He seemed pretty relaxed about Hazel meeting Dawn though so I started thinking that maybe there's something there.

I wouldn't want to date a guy like Zach but on the other hand I think there are worse. He's quite honest about everything, he never deliberately hurts anyone's feelings and he genuinely just doesn't want to settle down with one girl. And I think he's going to fall really hard when he finally finds the right girl.

I don't even want to think about the whole dating game at the moment. I have so much stuff on my plate right now.

The other day I went to the faculty and the professor wanted to see me. I thought maybe I'd messed up an assignment or something but he just wanted to let me know that I'm doing an awesome job!

It doesn't mean that I get to take things easy. Now that I know I'm top of my class I want to keep things that way so I work even harder. It doesn't make boring lectures any less boring either.

I have a computer and loads of books at home but sometimes I love to stay at the faculty after everyone has left and work on a paper or just read. I think I'm going to love teaching but I'm still a bit of a bookworm and an introvert so working alone is a real treat for me sometimes.

Spending time at the faculty and focusing on my studies also helps me keep my head clear of other things. Josh hasn't exactly said it out loud but he's made it pretty obvious that he wants to get back together. I just don't know if it's the right thing to do. One thing's for sure though. Whatever happens between us I know that I'm going to stick to my own plans anyway.

Grades, spring semester 2025
- Zach: pre-medicine (physics), A+, GPA 3.7
- Josh: photography (art), A+, GPA 3.7
- Lilly: education (literature), A+, GPA 4.0

Notes:

• Title reference: 1 thing by Amerie.
• Madison (the dormie) made moves on Josh all through this session but he turned her down every time. Then he rolled the want to flirt with Lilly and at the same time she rolled the want to be flirted with. They seem to be taking it slow though. They're just talking or telling each other jokes etc. but not doing anything else. I love it when my sims act like this. 
• Zach hasn't really changed his ways at all so he's still flirting with pretty much anything that moves. Hazel is just so darn cute that I'd love for them to get together for real.
• I'm almost finished with the Faculty of Social Sciences and I'll post the tour once I'm done. The tour is up here.