Strangetown: Chapter Twenty Two - part three
Warnings: language, sexual situations
Chapter Twenty Two
Part Three
Ripp went into the bathroom, to find Johnny already inside. They both let out a yelp.
"I locked that!" Johnny shouted.
Ripp couldn't help it. He was looking.
"Excuse me?" Johnny said, as he did up his pants.
"Errr..." Ripp turned away.
"What exactly are you doing?"
"Oh, Come on, Johnny! It's no big deal. We're friends, right? Who gives a fuck?"
"Okay," he said, "Then, go right ahead."
"What?"
"We're friends. So go ahead and take a piss."
"Umm..."
"Isn't that what you came in here for? Go ahead."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Johnny, this isn't fair."
"I'm just calling your bluff, Ripp. You we're all for it a minute ago, and now you're suddenly shy?"
"I don't want you to see it."
"Oh, like you just saw mine, you mean?"
"I didn't see anything, Johnny!"
"You looked."
"I didn't mean to. It was an accident."
"Right."
"Okay, so I was a little curious... I guess. I didn't plan to do it."
"Curious... You seem to be that a lot lately."
"Well..."
"What exactly did you expect to see, Ripp?"
"Well, Johnny, I heard that aliens might have... different parts."
"What?! And you believed it?! What the fuck, Ripp? Since when do you believe shit like that?"
"But, it's..." It's true, Johnny. He could go ahead and say it and save himself. He could do it. But then, he'd have to admit that he knew from firsthand experience. Johnny would know all about it. And then he'd have to deal with the fact that Johnny clearly didn't know about his father yet. Wasn't that his father's secret to tell?
"You're right. I should know better."
"Well, you sure as hell do now, then, don't you?"
"Look, I really didn't fucking see all that much, Johnny. I wouldn't even be able to tell you how big it was." But was it bigger than his? Dear god, Ripp thought. It really might have been. Tough call. Was it? Well, he knew one thing for sure. It really was green.
Johnny laughed. "Only you would care about that." He paused, thinking something over.
"God, Ripp. Don't you think I might say something about that, if it were true? I mean, yeah, it's none of anyone's business, but I'm not hiding some big alien conspiracy in my pants. This really makes me feel like you don't trust me. Like I'm this malicious alien with something to hide."
Johnny looked really vulnerable. It wasn't something Ripp saw everyday. And he never talked about his fears about being an alien like that.
"You know I don't think that, John."
"Well, then go ahead and take a piss, Ripp," he said, "I promise I won't look. You trust me, right?"
Ripp just stared at him. So that's how it was going to be. He could do that, right? Like he said, they were friends. He could take a piss with Johnny in the room. It was Johnny. Just Johnny. It wasn't so bad.
"I'm just going to wash my hands here," he said, "You know, like most people do after they use the toilet. Like a normal person..."
Ripp approached the toilet, reached down and unzipped his pants, and took it out, praying that it wouldn't take long to get it over with. He kept his eyes on Johnny, who was being true to his word. Just washing his hands.
Then Johnny stepped towards him and looked him straight in the eyes. He didn't even so much as glance downwards.
"See? It wasn't that hard, was it?"
While maintaining Johnny's gaze, Ripp wrestled himself back into his pants. He didn't say anything.
"Besides, I've seen it before," Johnny laughed, "Remember? In the bathtub. Not that I really looked that closely. It wasn't such a big deal then, was it, Ripp? You actually seemed like you might just trust me."
"I do trust you."
"Good," he said, "Now, please... just wash your hands." Johnny left the room. After he ran some water over his hands, for Johnny's sake, Ripp left the room himself.
"Ripp! You're fucking holding up the line to the bathroom, I see," Jaxy laughed, "Typical."
"You had a friend in there too," Zoe smiled, "A green friend."
"Yeah, that was Johnny. We were just having a chat."
"I'll bet." Zoe grinned.
"Yeah, sure, honey - people are always having fucking conversations in the can like that," Jaxy smirked, "It's not what I would have fucking gone in there for."
"Well, we did see him, Ripp, so now we know that he's not your imaginary friend, at least." Zoe laughed.
"Look, Ripp. We're going to take off before the bullshit dance music kicks in. I've been pretty fucking good about it. I even said hi to D.J., but I'm not going to stay to watch her spin."
"Okay. Well, I'm going to stick around."
"Oh right. You fucking need to feed your sausage to one of these bitches before you can leave." He thought back to Stella's bedroom and the quick and dirty romp they had there earlier in the night.
"I'm way ahead of you." He grinned.
"Ripp, you dirty, dirty boy." They turned to leave.
"Oh, wait..." Something had occurred to him.
"Yeah?"
"I have a proposition for you. It might be a good solution for your open relationship dilemma."
"This better be fucking good."
"You know that green chick in the funny hat..."
"Stella, I've hooked you up."
"Pardon?"
"I found you a girl to sleep with. Girls, even... maybe."
"Two of them?"
"Yeah, they're a couple. But they're interested in a guest star, so to speak."
"Well, that's very helpful, Ripp. Thank you very much."
"It's those girls in my band. You know, the ones you asked me about before."
"Oh, excellent. The lesbian and the "adaptable" girl."
"Exactly. So keep that in mind, and act accordingly," he smiled, "When in doubt, just ask."
"You're so sweet, Ripp. Thank you."
"No problem, Stella. You can thank me later." He winked at her. She puzzled a little at the gesture.
"I did thank you..."
"I mean, we can have sex again sometime."
"Well, yes. I thought we already agreed to do that." He patted her shoulder and laughed.
"Have a good night, Stella."
Downstairs, D.J. was getting the party started.
"Johnny! I love this song! Want to dance with me?" Jayne turn her dark eyes towards Ophelia. "You don't mind, do you?"
"Not at all."
It wasn't completely true, but she trusted Johnny. She didn't see any harm in it, and she didn't want to be jealous and possessive about it. This would also give her a chance to analyze the situation further.
Ophelia watched them.
There wasn't anything overt that would indicate that they knew each other in a intimate sense, and she really didn't think that Johnny would have done that, but there was something. She could see it. Just a glimpse. In the eyes, or the slightly familiar smile. It was more than just the alien thing, she was sure. Johnny knew that girl. He knew her better than he had let on.
Ripp entered the room to find Ophelia standing there, alone.
Ripp couldn't explain it, but next to Ophelia, none of these other girls mattered to him at all. Nothing mattered at all. Everything seemed rather meaningless. All the pointless banter, and thoughtless interactions. All the stupid, careless things that he found himself doing. The mess he made of it all. All the searing mistakes, and the fleeting pleasures. Seeing Ophelia like that made the task of finding someone to get off with that night seem completely trivial. It was something he could easily do without, if he needed to be there for Phi instead.
And to see her standing there, alone, with that look on her face, well he couldn't stand for that. She deserved better than that. If nobody else was going to dance with her, then it would have to be him.
"Do you want to dance with me, Phi?" He asked. "I know you like this song..."
She smiled.
"Come on, Phi. Let's show these fools how to dance."
"Some people work very hard, but still they never get it right.
We'll I'm beginning to see the light."
"Here we go again, playing the fool again. Here we go again, acting hard again. All right!
Well, I'm beginning to see the light!"
"I met myself in a dream, and I just wanna tell you - everything was alright. I'm beginning to see the light.
Here comes two of you. Which one will you choose?"
"There are problems in these times, But, woo!, none of them are mine!
Oh, baby, I'm beginning to see the light."
"Baby, I'm beginning to see the light. Here we go again, I thought that you were my friend. Here we go again, I thought that you were my friend.
How does it feel to be loved? How does it feel to be loved?"
The music changed, and a slow song came on. They laughed and shrugged, and Ripp made a motion to leave, but Ophelia grabbed his arm.
"Wait... I love this song too." He knew that. She smiled at him.
"It's okay. We can still dance, right?"
"If you want to."
If Ophelia wanted to dance, then he wouldn't be the one to refuse her. He would do anything that she wanted him to do. All she had to do was ask. He took Ophelia's hand and pulled her close to him.
"I'll be your mirror. Reflect what you are, in case you don't know. I'll be the wind, the rain and the sunset. The light on your door to show that you're home."
"When you think the night has seen your mind, that inside you're twisted and unkind, let me stand to show that you are blind. Please put down your hands, 'cause I see you."
Ophelia pulled him closer still, and suddenly, it seemed to Ripp as if they were together in an empty room.
He was there, close to Ophelia, and everything else melted away in her perfect glow. Her calmness. Her quiet beauty. He felt happy. Really happy. And that didn't just happen every day. At least, not without some sort of chemical assistance. But with her, he didn't need that. He already felt high, without any of the adverse effects. She was like the perfect drug.
But it only lasted a moment, and then it was over.
"Can I cut in?" Johnny asked. What was Ripp going to do? Say no and then punch him in the face? He did what he had to do.
"Go right ahead..."
He watched as Johnny took his rightful place next to Ophelia.
His best friends. He wondered if they have any idea how much they meant to him. They were everything to him. He watched them dancing together, looking so perfect together, and so happy. It made him happy to see them. To be near them. He was happy for them, wasn't he?
He couldn't deny it. He envied Johnny. Maybe he always had. He envied them, together, without him. He envied their closeness. Sure, most of the time it was the three of them, and it didn't matter, but there were some things that he just couldn't be a part of.
He couldn't turn to Ophelia during the long, lonely nights, burying his face in her neck, cradling her in his arms, and holding on for dear life. He couldn't hold her close to keep the nightmares away. He couldn't sing her to sleep, telling her that she was safe, free from all of her fears, and that she was beautiful in every way that a person could possibly be. He couldn't do that.
Johnny could get that close to Ophelia, and he couldn't.
And he wanted to.
Outside, a bolt of lightning struck down in front of the step, and Ripp turned his head just in time to witness it. The shock of seeing it jolted him back to his senses.
What was he thinking?
Across the room, he spotted a girl that he had previously slept with, and decided to head over there to see what he could do for himself.
It wasn't like he couldn't find someone to be close to.
He could be close to any number of girls, again and again, in a bedroom upstairs.
Jayne was watching it all. Ripp and Ophelia. Johnny and Ophelia. The look on Ripp's face had really said it all. It was brief, but unmistakable. He didn't think that anyone was watching him, did he? And then, brushing it off, and going about his business, or so he thinks. Throwing himself at that other girl. She could see what was really going on here.
This might be useful to know. She really didn't want to have to meddle with, or manipulate, the situation. Not really. But it might be necessary. P.T. No. 9 was counting on her. Stella was counting on her. And, for Stella, she would do it. Stella was risking so much for her cause, possibly even death, so it only seemed fair that she do some minor scheming to achieve that end. It's not like she'd have to do much. Not even push. She'd just have to pull. Pull Johnny away, just a little, and then Ripp would fall right into place.
Ripp would handle the rest of it all by himself.
It wasn't a very kind thought, and she really did hope that it wouldn't come to that, but it seemed to her that Johnny was making a decision about it, even if he didn't realize it yet. And his decision was not the right one.
She turned away from the dance floor, pondering the gravity of the situation.
Johnny held Ophelia close.
He thought about his father's plans. How cold and practical they were. As if he, and his future wife, were just genetic units. Like they were pieces on a genetic chessboard, to be played accordingly. It wasn't fair to think of either of the girls in this way. How was that more important than the people that they were? Their feelings?
Johnny thought about the future. He was standing at a crossroads.
He could go down the path that his father had set out for him, and marry Jayne. He could have a large family, like his father would want him to. But then what about their hopes for themselves? Jayne's art career, and everything that he wanted to become? Would they even have time for that? What if they didn't even love each other? How would they cope with raising a family together? It was all so untested.
Jayne was a nice girl, but he just didn't know her that well. What if he couldn't be a good husband to her? What if he failed?
Ophelia, he could easily imagine having a family with. He knew that she'd make a great mother, and it was something that she had always said that she wanted, even if just in an offhand manner. He could picture her with their children, green or not, and him coming home from work to her loving embrace every day. He would cook dinner, and then the whole family would sit around the table, talking and smiling. They would be happy. That was the most important thing, wasn't it?
So the children wouldn't be ideal, in his father's opinion. They would still be loved. They would be very well loved.
How could they not be loved, when there was so much love to go around?
He dipped Ophelia back into a tender kiss.
On the other side of the room, like two seasoned wallflowers, Tank and Frances had been talking.
"Tank, I'm going to get out of here, I think." Frances said. "I'm ready to leave." There was a saying that dictated that you should leave a party while you were still having a good time, and this seemed like as good a time as any. It hadn't been ideal, and some of it had been downright devastating, but at least he had been able to chat with Tank for the last little while.
"I'll go with you, Worthington. I've had just about enough of this too."
Frances smiled.
Soon, Tank and Frances were walking home together, and had nearly reached the house.
"So, who was that girl, anyway, Tank?" Frances asked it casually, as if he was only slightly interested, rather than desperately concerned.
"Oh, nobody, really. Just a girl I went to high school with, like I said." Tank brushed it off.
"Oh. She... seemed really nice."
"She wasn't always nice."
Frances didn't say anything. This revelation was of interest to him, but he didn't want to let on too much.
"She... we kissed." Tank continued. "It was the first time that I ever kissed anyone, and then she turned around and kissed my brother. She kissed Ripp, that same evening. And not just kissing him, either... she was making out with him."
"That's awful." What the fuck was Ripp's problem anyway? Frances really couldn't get his head around it. It was like he didn't even realize that half the things he did were really hurtful. Like he didn't think about it at all until it was too late.
"Yeah, well what can I do about it? Nothing."
"Ripp shouldn't have done that. It's terrible."
"That's nothing! You don't understand what it's like. Ripp has done some fucking ridiculous things to me over the years... but it's only fair, since I've probably done things far worse to him." For a brief moment, it looked like Tank might cry, but it might have just been the urge to sneeze.
"We've left a lot of scars on each other."
"Is that what caused -" He had said it before he had a chance to think. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't pry."
"No, that wasn't Ripp." Tank surprised Frances by continuing to talk about it. "Ripp prefers emotional scarring. You can't see those, but trust me, there are plenty, and I've done my share too. And I was the one who basically tried to beat him to death on top of it all. God..."
He was silent for a moment, reflecting on all the years and things between them, and how he hoped they might be able to get past them.
"It was from a fight." He said. "I get into, or used to get into, a lot of fights. It was just a silly thing. I got knocked into something. I should have had a better foothold. It's so embarrassing."
"That's nothing to be ashamed of. I'm sure everyone fights..." It wasn't like Frances would know. "And everyone loses, sometimes."
"I shouldn't have lost!"
Frances stopped in his tracks. Tank was suddenly very agitated.
"It was that alien, Johnny Smith." Tank confessed, and Frances could see anger spreading across his face. "The one with the blond hair. You saw him at the party. I fought him and he won... It was Johnny." He frowned.
"I hate him."
"Hate is a strong word." Frances said.
"Not nearly even strong enough to describe how I feel about Johnny."
"He's unbearable. He thinks he owns the world." Tank said, quietly. "...and it's not even his fucking world."
Frances said nothing.
"They're trying to invade our planet, you know. They shouldn't be here - they have no right to be here. Who knows what they're really planning to do to us, in the end. They're already here, using force - abducting people, and impregnating them with their alien genetics. Impregnating males. It's so perverse. If they're willing to do that to us, who knows what else they might have planned. Don't you think that it's all a little frightening?"
"I..." Frances gulped. "I don't know. I've never given it much thought, Tank. I haven't been exposed to it that much." He thought about what Ripp had said to him, and here was some evidence that Ripp knew what he was talking about. A glimpse at Tank's idea of how the world ought to be run. And if Ripp was right about that, then he might be right about all of it.
Frances pretended to find his fingernails extremely interesting. "Well, I should go and get some rest. It's pretty late."
"Yeah." Tank said. "It's been a long night."
The sorority girls were cleaning up after the party.
"So, who did Ripp Grunt go home with?" Monica asked, as she picked up a cup. "I couldn't help but notice that he didn't hook up with you, Jessie..."
"Yeah, yeah. I went for that other guy in the band, anyway." Jessie smiled. "Drummers are so hot. Didn't you think he was hot?"
"Yeah, he was okay."
"Fuck you, Miss Priss!"
"Didn't he like pass out on your bed, or something?"
"Yeah, but that was afterwards..."
"Well, then. That's so much better."
"It's not my fault he couldn't handle it." Jessie laughed. "Oh, and I saw Ripp leave with that alien guy and the creepy girl."
"Really?! Both of them?"
"Yeah, really - I'm not entirely surprised."
"Well, no. Neither am I. He seems like he'd probably fuck anything that moves, but still... her? She was so quiet and weird."
"Well, I guess he has to screw everyone eventually. Even the weirdos."
"Yeah, I suppose... but still. Who even invited her? Remember when she came into the kitchen to listen in on our conversation?"
"Yeah, really."
"And the alien. God. He's from Strangetown, I guess. They're all a bunch of freaks out that way, anyway."
"Yeah, I've heard some pretty fucked up stories."
"That green guy was pretty cute, though, aside from that."
"Yeah, I agree." Jessie grinned. "I wouldn't mind watching him and Ripp go at it."
"Yeah, I know." Monica smiled. "That'd be pretty fucking hot."
Behind them, Sarah nearly coughed up a lung.
When they got home from the party, Johnny and Ophelia headed to bed, while Ripp lingered in the kitchen to eat some cookies and drink directly from the milk carton.
Upstairs, Ophelia had finally gotten up enough courage to confront Johnny.
"Johnny, I want you to be honest with me." She said. "I know that it's not always easy to be honest. I wasn't always honest with you. But I need to know..." She paused, and looked him directly in the eyes.
"Is there anything happening between you and Jayne? Are you more than friends? I'm right in assuming that you've know her for quite a while, right?"
And she looked at him. She wasn't angry. She wasn't accusing him in bad blood. She was simply offering him an opportunity to make it right. To tell her everything. She was so good to him. Too good. Her goodness knew no end.
Looking at Ophelia, there in her bedroom, made him realize that he could never leave her for Jayne. How could he?
"Yes, I have known her for a while. Quite some time. Since the beginning of college, actually."
She didn't say anything. She hadn't expected that.
"My father introduced us." He said. "He was hoping that we'd hit it off. The alien thing, you know. It's nothing against you, Phi, but he wanted me to... be with someone who was more like me."
"Why didn't you say something?"
"I really should have."
"Have you been involved with her? As more than friends?"
"No." He said, honestly. "I haven't." It was true. While Johnny may have been attracted to Jayne, and even considered it once or twice, he hadn't ever crossed that line. Ophelia looked into his eyes, and she could see that this had to be true.
"You should have told me."
"I know."
Ophelia turned away from him, and was silent.
"Ophelia..."
She didn't say anything.
"Ophelia, please look at me."
She didn't.
"I know you probably don't have any reason to believe me, but I promise you that it's the truth." He said. "I met her and got to know her because it was something that my father really wanted me to do. It was important to him." Johnny paused. "He wanted me to marry her, eventually, and have children. Children that were more like me. Like us."
Ophelia tried not to cry, though the idea of Johnny's father doing this just devastated her. She had always thought that he liked her. That he was a nice man, who saw no difference between sims and his own kind.
"I can't believe that your... your father..."
"I know." Johnny said. "I couldn't believe it either." He placed his hand on her arm, and she smiled, just a little.
"I always thought we were the same, Johnny."
"We are."
Johnny held her close. "We're exactly the same, Phi."
"Don't cry." He said. "You have nothing to worry about. I gave my father a chance with this, because he's my father, and he had his own reasons for suggesting it, but I could never do that. I could never leave you."
Oh, Johnny..."
"Never."
"I'm really sorry, Ophelia." He said. "For being dishonest with you. But I am being honest when I say that I haven't cheated on you. And I wouldn't. I never will. Not with anyone. You're the only girl for me, Phi." As he said it, he knew that it was true.
Ophelia just smiled.
"Now, let's get out of these clothes and into bed, shall we?"
She kissed him, enthusiastically. And that was enough to make him forget that he was an alien. That he had any troubles to worry about. That he'd have to face his father and tell him what he had decided. That he'd have face his disappointed father and all the guilt and trouble that would come with that.
Ophelia made everything seem like it would be okay. Maybe it really would be okay.
Did he even care if it would be okay? The world might fall apart at his feet, but if he had Ophelia next to him, then it might not be so bad.
The got into their pajamas, and continued to explore their feelings for each other on Ophelia's bed.
Ripp had gone to the bathroom to piss away all of the drinks he'd had, but then stopped.
He could hear something. Through the wall. He could hear them. Faintly, but he could hear them, and snippets of the conversation caught his attention.
He put his ear to the wall.
"Johnny, can we?"
"I don't know, Phi..."
"I want to..."
"I do too... but, I don't know." Ripp could hear her sigh.
Ripp couldn't believe his ears. She obviously wanted Johnny, and wanted him now, so what the fuck was his problem? She wouldn't have to beg Ripp to do it. Well, he'd obviously never find myself in such a situation, with Ophelia, or with any girl. They'd never have to ask for it like that. But he'd sure as hell give them what they wanted, if they did ask. Especially if Ophelia was the one telling him what to do. Did Johnny even realize what he was doing in there?
Johnny was a fucking idiot.
"Well then, how about this?" She asked. Johnny made a sound that clearly connoted agreement.
"Yeah, we could do that."
Ripp stepped back, as the noises clearly suggested what they were doing.
He knew that he shouldn't listen. He shouldn't listen to this, but he had a very hard time pulling himself away. The sounds. It was like he was right there, next to them. He could picture it all quite vividly.
But no, they didn't do everything together. There were limits. He shouldn't listen. He should go to bed. Yes, he was nearly asleep anyway. He'd get himself some water, and then head to bed.
So Ripp went to bed.
But first, he got himself that glass of water. And since he decided that it might be a good idea to drink two, he stood there and drank the first one right away. Then he decided that three glasses of water would be best. He didn't want to get too dehydrated, afterall. Three was always better than one, or even two. That made sense, right?
Yes, he went straight to bed, and didn't listen at all.
I only had time to either reply to comments on part two or to post part three, but not both, so I chose to post this last part of the chapter first. I will be back to respond to those comments tomorrow. Thanks for all of the great feedback!
The songs are both Velvet Underground songs again: Beginning to See The Light and I'll Be Your Mirror.