Complications
Chapter Eight – On the Rise
Loki grins as he steps into the suave and elegant Room 332 on Monday evening. Everything about the smooth, wooden décor screams success. Loki takes a seat at the front table, which resembles more of a grandiose dining table than a science lab table. Loki sighs, taking in the crisp, autumn aroma from the open window. A few minutes later, the other three members of the physics team arrive and join him at the front.
"So, is this everyone?" Loki asks, scanning over his teammates. Craig nods. "Great. Let's get started then-"
"Hey guys, sorry I'm late!" Pascal greets, carrying a large stack of textbooks in his hands and pushing open the door with his foot, "I had to pick up some new dry erase markers!" Pascal sets the textbooks down on the surface, now noticing the four students staring at him strangely. He shifts his eyes from side to side, "What?"
"Pascal, what are you doing here?" Loki wonders, a hint of irritation in his voice.
"What do you mean 'what am I doing here'?" Pascal repeats, the smile not leaving his face, "I'm the coach and moderator of this year's physics team!"
Loki face falls, his mouth in a line, "Of course you are," he groans, "You know you could've at least mentioned that before I agreed to be on it!"
"True, but then you probably wouldn't have shown up!" Pascal states in a surprisingly cheery tone, "Besides, you seriously didn't think I was just going to tell you guys to come to this room to practice without any instruction whatsoever, did you? Someone needs to be here to moderate you guys and teach you how this competition works," he adds, looking over his students, "Now, are there any questions before we start our first meeting?"
"Yeah," Craig replies, raising his hand, "Why didn't you arrive here with Vidcund?" he wonders, clearly puzzled.
"Huh," Pascal begins, holding his hand up to his chin ponderously, "I don't know," he responds, glancing back at the empty door frame with brevity. He clasps his hands together and turns back to the others, "So, let's get started. Everybody stand up, please," Pascal instructs. Astonishingly, everyone does what they are told with only one eye roll from Loki. "Perfect! Great job!" Pascal smiles. "Now, the first thing every team member must know is how to think on your feet. Vidcund, think fast!" Pascal shouts, grabbing one of the physics textbooks and tossing it at his brother.
"What?" the textbook flies across the room and hits Vidcund square in the stomach. He falls to the floor, "Oww! Damn it, Pascal!" he yells.
"Man, I like this exercise," Loki smirks, folding his arms.
"Circe-" Pascal begins, turning to the young woman and picking up another textbook.
"Don't even think about it," Circe growls, shooting daggers at him.
A chill runs up Pascal's spine as he slowly backs away from her. "Alright then, moving on," he says, setting the textbook back on the table, "The second thing every team member must know is how to spontaneously answer difficult questions," he continues, rubbing his hands together, "Loki, what is the meaning of life?"
"To achieve the highest scientific honor the world has ever seen while sparing no one in the process and decorating your giant mansion with your enemies' broken dreams!" Loki cries, holding his fist up in triumph.
"Uh…partial credit," Pascal responds, a disturbed look on his face. "Now, the third and most important thing every team member must know is how to look out for their fellow teammates," Pascal announces, moving back over to Vidcund, who has just gotten himself up from the ground, "Trust fall!" Pascal yells, tilting backwards and falling onto Vidcund, knocking him onto the tile for the second time that day.
"Oh God," Vidcund cries, "You know you could've warned me about that!" he barks from beneath his brother.
"No, I couldn't have done that, because you never know when your teammates are going to need you," Pascal explains as his younger brother rolls his eyes, "Well, I think that's it for today, everyone," Pascal flashing a rather large grin as he stares up at the others, "Meeting adjourned."
…
Loki sighs as he approaches the front porch of his residence later that evening, the sun setting on the horizon behind him as he scrounges for his keys. Loki groans as he turns the doorknob, his head still throbbing from all of Pascal's characteristically loud instruction. He steps forward, turning on the hall light and walking into the living room.
"Hey sweetie pie!" a springy voice chimes out a few feet away from him. Loki screams as he turns towards the couch, finding himself face to face with his mother. She smiles and waves at him.
"Mom?! What the hell? How did you get in here?" Loki cries, his hand on his rapidly-beating chest.
"You left the window open, sweetheart," Gundrun replies, saying this as if climbing through someone's window is a normal, everyday occurrence. "So, how's my little muffin doing?"
Loki tilts his forehead, a perturbed look spread across his face, "Mom, can you please cool it with the nicknames?" he asks, taking off his backpack and setting it next to the couch, "Some of them are getting kind of creepy. Why are you here anyway? I keep telling you everything's super now."
"Which is strange coming from you," Gundrun adds, voicing her concern as she gestures Loki over to her. He sits down at the opposite end of the couch, "You know your father and I are so proud that you're doing so well here," Gundrun begins, "But I'm starting to worry about your life being balanced."
Loki scrunches his face at his comment. "What do you mean?" he wonders.
"Well, it's just you've spent so much time on your studies, sweetie, that I'm worried that you may be missing out on the other aspects of college."
Loki sighs and rolls his eyes up at the ceiling, not wanting to hear this lecture again, "Mom, I already told you a million times, I'm not dumping Circe-"
"I know, honey. Believe me, I know," Gundrun reiterates, moving her hands down at this reply, "But you need to go outside of here and the lab and have a social life," she says, motioning towards the front door, "Don't you want friends?"
Loki shakes his head, "No."
Gundrun looks down at the carpet and sighs. "Loki, someday you may need other people," she adds.
"I have Circe," Loki reminds her.
"I mean dependable people," Gundrun clarifies, glaring at her son. "What about the Curious brothers? They're nice, and you have a lot in common with them."
Loki sticks out his tongue, "Eww! No, I don't. Those guys are dorks!" he cries, "I hate them so much!" Loki continues, crossing his arms in a pout.
"Uh-huh," Gundrun nods, though her expression suggests that she doesn't believe him. She scoots towards him on the couch, "You know, Loki, hate is not too far off from love."
"I don't love Pascal, Mom. That guy is a moron!" Loki states, immediately shooting down the thought, "I got a headache from just listening to him talk! Besides, the connection between love and hate has never been proven," he rants on, his arm waves getting more and more exaggerated, "It's all a bunch of nonsense anyway. No one ever pretends to hate someone they love!"
"True, most sims don't," Gundrun nods, "But you, Loki, are not most sims."
The pair sit in silence for a moment, Loki tapping his fingers against his kneecaps as he anxiously stares across the room. He quickly stands up from the couch and turns to his mother. "Mom, look, I appreciate the concern…I guess," he quietly adds, "but for once things are actually going well for me. And I'm not going to let anyone screw that up."
"Alright, fine," Gundrun caves, standing up from the couch and staring down at him, "But if you don't wake up soon, sweetie, you're going to miss out," she warns.
"Okay, great, I'm going to miss out!" Loki exclaims sarcastically, "Now please leave," he groans, gesturing towards the door, "Goodnight, Mom!" Loki says, giving an exasperated sigh.
Gundrun's gaze trails to the carpet. She sighs defeatedly. "Goodnight, Loki."
…
Later that night, Loki is fast asleep on his four-thousand-dollar, queen-sized bed, a pleasant dream racing through his mind…
"Thank you, thank you!" a dream thirty-year-old, fancily-dressed Loki states from the stage as he holds up his Nobel Prize in Physics in front of a large crowd of impressive, though scientifically inferior, colleagues, "I would like to thank myself for this prestigious award because, let's face it, my scientific successes were a result of me alone!" he gloats, staring down at the crowd, "Oh! But I'd also like to thank my sexy and mentally-stimulating partner!" Loki reveals, turning to the left to gaze in their direction.
Vidcund comes up behind Loki and wraps his arms around him. "Thanks, baby!" a twenty-nine-year-old Vidcund beams, kissing him on the cheek.
"AHHHHH!" Loki screams, clutching his blankets in his hands as he sits up in his bed. Loki frantically scans the area, his heart beating a mile a minute as sweat trickles down from his forehead.
He stares down at his mattress. "Shit!" he shrieks.