Chapter 4:
Nothing in this can beat the power of emotions. As a matter of fact emotions are probably the driving force for humanity.
As Oscar Wilde once wrote:
"I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them."
Emotions like love have the power to make a seemingly strong person weak or give strength to an otherwise weak person. Despite being only a set of chemicals it's kind of scary the way these set of chemicals that are usually unintentionally 'emitted' by our system can have such a strong effect on us.
Sid looked on at Rhonda from the café across the bridals shop the as she walked off with her friends. He didn't mean to be a creepy stalker, he just missed her so much.
He's dated so many girls after Rhonda but none of them came close to her. God knows how much he longed to be with her again. But she could never forgive or believe him after what happened that day eight years earlier.
.
October, 2005
It's been a tough summer for Sid. His mom got diagnosed with breast cancer and he's been working two jobs just to be able to pay for her treatment, leaving little time to spend with his girlfriend. But Rhonda being the wonderful girlfriend that she is has been understanding and supportive of him through it all.
"Hey boyfriend." A pretty, tall, short-haired brunette came in and sat at the counter of Bigal's café where Sid was wiping the counter.
"Hey doll-face." Sid returned a tired smile.
Waiting tables at Bigal's was something he'd do on weekdays after school. Sid's second job was moving boxes to the warehouses at the dock on weekends.
"My shift is over in fifteen Ron, where do you wanna hang to finish our paper?"
"We're just having dinner tonight." Rhonda gave a cheeky smile as she proudly handed him a stapled stack of papers.
"What's this?" he asked eyeing the papers.
"Our paper. I thought I'd finish it myself- you already have so much on your hands. I just wanted to help." She pouted and held both his hands in hers.
Sid sighed and pulled his hands away, "I'm already putting you through so much Ron."
"Don't you dare say that ever again Sid!" She cut him off. "I'm your girlfriend and being the good girlfriend that I am, I'm helping you out."
Sid regained his composure and leaned in to Rhonda, "I'm sorry babe, I was wrong to say that. You are an awesome girlfriend."
Rhonda grinned and leaned in for a kiss which was interrupted by the sound of the café's front door bell as a couple entered. It was Lorenzo with a girl the couple didn't recognize.
He looked at them darkly and slowly turned away as he and his date headed to one of the tables at the back of the café.
"Wasn't the girl he was with last week blonde?" Rhonda asked Sid.
"He comes in with a different girl every week. He changes girl like he changes cars … literally." Sid replied averting his gaze away from Lorenzo and his girl.
Ever since their fight a year earlier Sid and Lorenzo's friendship has come to an end. It wasn't even Sid's fault but Lorenzo has had enough of Sid's shenanigans and the latter feeling betrayed decided they'd rather go their own separate ways.
Sometimes Sid felt the reason Lorenzo sometimes brought his dates to Bigal's was to just get on his nerves and try and humiliate him since Sid waited tables there.
"Can we get some service here already?" Lorenzo called out from his table as the girl beside him giggled.
"I'll be back babe." Sid sighed picking up a pen and notepad.
"Ok." Rhonda gave a warm smile and checked on the messages in her phone's inbox.
"What's it gonna be Lorenzo?" Sid asked getting his pen ready.
Lorenzo smirked at him as he slowly took his arm from his date's bare, freckly shoulders and scanned the menu.
"I'll have the Fettuccine alfredo and some orange juice and Brandy here wants a tuna salad and a lime-mint soda."
"Lime-mint soda," Sid repeated as he jotted the orders down. "You know Brandy, that's exactly what the other girl ordered. Your orders will be ready in twenty minutes." Sid smirked as he walked away hearing Brandy ask Lorenzo who the other girl was.
He coolly took off his apron and gave the couple's orders to the kitchen before leaving Bigal's with his girl.
"Nicely played." Rhonda chuckled complimenting her boyfriend.
The next day at school while Sid was getting dressed for soccer practice at the boys' locker room, Lorenzo waited for all the boys to leave before approaching Sid.
"That was pretty lame joke you tried to pull on my date yesterday, Sidney." Lorenzo taunted.
"You know Lorenzo," Sid said as he finished tying his shoelaces and stood up to face him. "I've always wondered why you never took your dates to those fancy restaurants your dad's money can afford to pay for."
Lorenzo narrowed his eyes at Sid, "It's a free country is it not? I believe I have the right to take my dates there whenever I want."
Sid shrugged coolly, "Just asking." He told him and got ready to leave the locker room before Lorenzo stopped him.
"How is your mother's treatment going by the way?"
Sid froze in his tracks, "It's really none of your business Lorenzo."
"What if I told you I can find you a better paying job than the one you have at Bigal's?" he proposed.
"What's the catch?" Sid asked suspiciously.
"No catch, I'm just getting really tired of this rift between us." Lorenzo extended his hand. "Truce?"
Sid looked suspiciously at Lorenzo's hand; as much as he wanted to be friends again he had his doubts about it.
"Guys, coach Roberts is looking for you two." Arnold came in interrupting the two boys.
"I'll give you time to think about it." Lorenzo told Sid before leaving the locker room.
"What happened Sid?" Arnold asked the remaining boy.
"He just offered me a job." Sid replied suspiciously.
I was passing by Hillwood on the weekend to pick up Miriam for Phoebe's bridal shower Rhonda was throwing at her parents' house.
"Your father fell down the stairs and broke his back … again." Miriam announced when she greeted me at the door. "I should've called but I figured you're probably already halfway here, and you were driving I'm not supposed to call you."
"When did that happen?" I asked.
"Just a few minutes ago." Miriam replied as she led me to Big Bob's trophy room where Bob was sitting on his armchair groaning in pain.
"Where are the pediatricians Miriam I'm dying here!"
"Calm down B, they'll be here in a few." Miriam went over to check on him. "So I'm sorry Helga I don't think I'll be able to go with you the bridal shower. Tell Phoebe and Reba that I'm sorry."
"Oh come on Miriam you're already dressed up, go on without me."
Miriam chuckled, "Oh B, listen to yourself, go on without me. I'm not good at these kind of gatherings, I'll get bored easily."
I looked on at my parents at what I used to describe when I was younger- their best behavior. I actually started to feel like this house was really a home when Big Bob finally let Miriam attend AA meetings. With Miriam all sobered up and back to her independent self, things finally lightened up at home.
Author's Note: I'm on a roll and I'm loving it and I'm sure you readers love it too from the comments and follows after the last chapter I posted. Thank you so much! Hope you'll enjoy this chapter. Tell me what you think of my portrayal of Lorenzo here. I thought it would be fitting for him to be a little bit of a player in his teens. That's what I love about these characters, it's so fun to formulate a background story for them.
So drop by and drop some lines, let's talk! I wanna know my 50+ readers.
Sandra Strickland: Yes, I think Sid stalking is a little less scary than when Curly does it. And personally I love the Sid x Rhonda pairing more than the Curly x Rhonda pairing. They're the perfect kind of 'opposites attract' case in the show. My story explores the gang's lives eight years after they last seen each other so there's so much that went on in between and it's all coming in the next chapters. Thanks for your feedback.
Nep2uune: We'll have to see how things progress between our favorite blonde couple, right now Helga's only neutral towards him what with all those years of separation and her hitting her mid-twenties. She's definitely toned down a bit like most adults do.
LeDawn: That's definitely our Arnold ;)