Note: I'm not quite sure how the American schooling system works- so tell me if something's factually incorrect.

I Should Never Have To Say No To You

In Holidays of Future Past we learn that Lisa is/has had an affair with Nelson. This is her thoughts on their relationship. Ignoring Future Drama

He had never picked on girls, which was...a little sexist, but it wasn't as though Lisa was angered by not being robbed of her lunch money. She hadn't been impressed by the fact Nelson Muntz deprived smaller, weedier kids of their lunch, but she'd just taken bullies as part of school life, and had never really payed him much attention. Frequently flanked by his fellow thugs, Lisa wouldn't have risked being noticed by them for all the tea in China.

Even then, he had never gone out of his way to make her feel bad, and in second grade she'd decided she was the only boy who had any substance to him, and had become intrigued. Their first romantic encounter hadn't lasted long, but after that he'd always made sure to speak to her, and keep her company when she looked especially lonely at lunch. One time, he came to sit by her, without any lunch, and Lisa learned the only reason he robbed the weaker of their money was because his family couldn't afford to give him his own. That day, all of his victims had ganged up, and he'd decided that the risks far outweighed the benefits- strangely wise for one so brutish. He was different from all the other bullies- taking pleasure in the discomfort of others purely because it was the only way he'd learned. Respect and recognition was something he craved, and if the only reason people knew his name was because he'd given them a black eye, then so be it.

Nelson was a funny character, but the two became closer over time. He wasn't quite like a big brother to her- simply an extremely supporting and understanding...something. What the pair shared was more than a friendship, but both were coy about recognising the fact. She'd occasionally help him to study, and he returned the favour in many ways. Sometimes- if his mother was particularly intoxicated- he'd come round to the Simpson household, and though the plan was "To hang out with Bart", in those days both were wary of each other, and Lisa often wound up sitting in her older brother's tree house, talking to Nelson all night.

In his last year of Elementary school, they'd gone to the Christmas dance together- "because they both had no one to go with". It'd been fun- but Milhouse had refused to pick up Lisa's books for several days, which was a shame.

Then, Nelson had gone away to high school, and they didn't see each other so much. Those two years apart were the loneliest of Lisa's childhood. One day, they'd bumped into each other in the park- Lisa discovered that Nelson loved ducks, which somewhat clashed with his other personality traits. They did make more of an effort to see each other after that, but she missed how easy it had formerly been to meet up with him.

When she'd got to high school, Nelson had been great. He'd often escorted her to her next class in the week she'd been settling in, which had been a great help. Unfortunately, Milhouse had the same idea, which had caused tension between the two. Invariably, Nelson won every confrontation, with Milhouse trudging away to lick his wounds. Lisa hated to hurt him- to hurt anyone- but it was so much easier with Nelson, knowing he wanted no more of her than she was ready to give. But, overtime, she had begun to give to Milhouse's pathetic proposals, and had eventually agreed to go on a date with him, simply to end the unbearable whining. When she'd told Nelson he'd given her a pat on the back, and grunted: "Little Lis is all grown up."

But he'd minded. And Lisa minded that he minded- she hated to hurt him. If life had gone the way she'd planned it, she'd be sitting atop the hill that overlooked Springfield, having a picnic with Nelson Mandela Muntz, rather than sitting at the back of a cinema watching a crummy animation with Milhouse. Sometimes, Lisa and Nelson had gone up to the observatory during particularly stressful times together, and they'd chat, undisturbed.

Once she'd made the mistake of saying yes to Milhouse, she couldn't get rid of him. No matter how hard she tried, he dogged her like a loving golden retriever, shadowing her where ever she went. Nelson didn't make a move to beat him up- Lisa suspected that he was unsure if Lisa actually liked Milhouse, but wouldn't risk hurting her- and kept his distance, watching from the shadows to make sure no ill came to his ex-lunch partner.

Eventually- realising there was no way she'd be able to speak to him alone at school- Lisa had gone round to his house, and been shocked. His mother was a drunken wreckage, eyes wildly rolling in a stupor. Nelson had been in his room, and the first thing Lisa's eyes were drawn to be a small framed photo of...herself? Blushing a little, Nelson quickly explained that with the only person who actually liked him for himself gone, a photo of her was the next best thing. She'd gone to sit beside him on his bed, and explained the Milhouse issue. She couldn't dump him- Lisa knew his expression would be a thousand times more pained that the one she'd imagined in her head- but that he just wasn't right for her. Too clingy, and actually, not that bright. Nelson had kissed her then. It had just felt so right, that when it'd ended, it seemed as though only seconds had passed. Without saying anything, he'd slipped an arm around her waist, and she'd leaned her head on his hard shoulder. They'd stayed like that for who knows how long, before Nelson had grunted: "It must be your dinnertime. A little thing like you needs to eat, huh?"

Lisa had nodded dumbly, before murmuring: "See you tomorrow?"

Giving a saddened sigh, Nelson muttered: "You know you will. I'll always be there."

The next day at school, Milhouse had been off (It was getting close to Christmas, and his allergies were kicking in) and so Lisa had been able to eat lunch with Nelson. They'd fallen back into their easy banter, and Lisa relished it. She knew that he knew how much she wanted to be with him, even though it wasn't possible at the moment. They went up to the observatory that evening, though as the sun was setting, Nelson couldn't restrain his signature "Haw haw!"

The next day, Milhouse had returned, clingy as ever.

Over the years, Milhouse had backed off a little, as his fears of Lisa leaving him shrunk. It became easier for her and Nelson to spend time together, meeting behind the bleachers to talk, and help each other out.

Lisa had graduated two years early, and attended the prom with Milhouse. Nelson wasn't there. He'd texted her before, telling her he'd be absent, explaining: "It just wouldn't seem right going with anyone else." So, while he was beating up some poor kid, she was there, swaying lifelessly in the arms of someone she didn't truly love.

At the age of 17, Lisa found out she was pregnant. One little line on a detector ruined her life (though she refused to see Zia as negative) of ambition. Knowing she would not be able to terminate the pregnancy (it wasn't ethical), Lisa had collapsed in tears. Then, she'd phoned Nelson.

He'd been understanding, telling her to meet him at the park. They talked for a while, and eventually came to the agreement she'd have to drop out of college. They both hated the idea, but Lisa agreed the life she was carrying inside her had to take priority. Nelson held her hand, whilst she phoned Milhouse to tell him. Naturally, the blue haired teen fainted on the end of the phone, but recovered in a while, phoned back and told Lisa that if her parents kicked her out, she could move in with him. She had told him she didn't think it would be an issue.

Lisa had wanted to provide her unborn daughter with a stable life, and so when Milhouse proposed to her, she had forced herself to accept. Nelson had been at the wedding, of course, and had even managed to steal her for a dance (which was a little risky). It was the highlight of her day.

He had set up his own garage, and one night, he'd called her around. She'd been heavily pregnant, but they had still talked all through to the small hours, and he'd kissed her goodbye.

Gradually, they dared to embark on an affair- with her "going to the cinema with some girlfriends" every week. Milhouse was her suspicious- he worked at the nuclear plant, and was as much as a bore as ever. Nelson was her rock- he was always there to talk, a pair of arms to give her a hug in her lowest moments.

And so, as Lisa clicked: "Ignore", she thought: It shouldn't have come to this. I shouldn't have to say no to you.