Complications
Chapter Twelve – Parents Weekend Part 1
Loki groans as he slowly creaks open the door of his bedroom and steps into the hallway, strange, unfamiliar sounds waking him up early on an uncharacteristically dry Saturday morning. Loki yawns as he walks into the living room, giving his arms a stretch before properly surveying the scene. His parents are sitting on the couch with Pascal, versing him and Lazlo in the classic video game, SSX. Lazlo is situated on the carpet in front of the trio with Stinky positioned on his lap.
Across the room, Vidcund is pacing near the kitchen island, glued to his phone. Vidcund sighs as he continues his conversation. "Come on, Dad, it's Parents Weekend," Vidcund cries, staring up at hanging pot rack attached to the ceiling, "Don't you want to come by and see us?"
"Vidcund," Glarn's voice blares out from the other end of the line, "you're kid number five. Do I still have to fake an interest in these things?"
Vidcund stops suddenly, tilting his forehead in puzzlement. "Don't you mean kid number three?" he asks.
"Right…that's what I meant," Glarn responds, barely able to push out this statement without stuttering, "Gotta go!"
"Hello? Hello?" Vidcund repeats once more, pulling his head back slightly when he hears the dial tone. Vidcund shrugs and sets the phone back on the table. He turns to Loki. "Sometimes I wonder if my dad is keeping things from me," he states.
Loki crosses his arms and rolls his eyes as he leans up against the back wall. "Believe me, I wish my father did that," he remarks, redirecting his attention to the couch. "Mom, Dad, what are you guys doing here anyway? Everyone knows Parents Weekend is only for freshmen and transfer students!"
"We came to spend time with you, sweetheart," Gundrun answers, staring adoringly at her son, "We never see you anymore."
"I just saw you three days ago."
"Of course, honey, but I didn't have my glasses on," Gundrun reminds him, before tossing her controller onto the couch. She jumps onto the piece of lavish furniture and starts doing cabbage thrusts as the victory music plays for her character. "Whoo yeah! Fifth time in a row, baby! Who's your Mommy now?" Gundrun quips, teasing the television. Loki groans and locks himself in the bathroom.
Pascal sets his controller down and stretches out his arms, sitting up from his place on the couch. "Phew! That was a fun three hours, but I gotta get going now. Those quizzes aren't going to grade themselves!" Pascal exclaims, reaching down and patting his youngest brother on the shoulder, "Come on, Lazlo. You and Stinky can help me pick out which scented stickers to use."
"Sweet!" Lazlo beams, holding Stinky in his arms as the pair race out the door. Vidcund sighs as he watches his brothers run across the front lawn, suddenly feeling quite lonely.
"So Vidcund, what are your plans for this weekend?" Gundrun wonders, sitting back down on the extravagant piece of furniture, "You know, Parents Weekend only comes once a year."
Vidcund sighs, his eyes trailing to the floor. "Try telling my dad that," he mutters, "He used to come out to see Jenny and Pascal, but you don't get much when you're kid number three."
"Then you should spend the weekend with us!" Bjorn chimes in, Gundrun quickly nodding in agreement.
"Gee…I don't know," Vidcund begins, nervously scratching the back of his neck, "I wouldn't want to intrude-"
"Nonsense! I'm sure Loki would love it," Gundrun smiles as Loki steps out into the hallway, "Hey, sweetie? Vidcund's father couldn't come in this weekend, so Vidcund's going to spend the whole two days with us!" she tells her son, "How does that sound?"
Loki instantly stops in the hallway, his eyes widening like saucers at this atrocity. His stomach starts to rumble. "Ugh…I think I'm going to throw up," Loki states. The trio watches as Loki races into the bathroom and slams the door shut. A few moments later, retching noises ring out from the other side.
"See? He loves it! We're going to have a great time!" Gundrun proclaims as Bjorn sports a gigantic smile next to her, "And this'll be the perfect opportunity for me to show all of you my favorite spot on campus!"
…
"Really? This is your favorite spot on campus?" Loki groans, still holding onto his queasy stomach as the four of them stand in front of Gundrun's beloved campus destination, Sim State Grocery, twenty minutes later, "Mom, I gotta say, the more I learn about you, the less I want to know."
"Aww…honey!" Gundrun coos, finding Loki's comment more adorable than insulting as she wraps her arms around him, getting rather strange looks from the college students who are walking by.
Vidcund steps forward and adjusts his glasses, finally getting a good look at the sign that is plastered on the front of the building. "452-498 University Way?" he reads, "Hey, I've been here before."
"Me too. I was just here at five in the morning!" Bjorn adds, turning towards his wife, "Now come on, let's go show the kids some pool tricks!"
"Dad, no!" Loki calls out, racing through the entrance door after him. Loki treks up the staircase and eyes his father standing in front of his physics professor. "-Oh no."
"Hey, Loki, look! It's that guy who says he's your college professor!" Bjorn announces, pointing right at Professor Irma, instantly catching everyone's attention. "What are the odds of this?"
"Knowing my luck, one million to one," Loki mutters as Vidcund walks up the staircase behind him.
Professor Irma stops in place, his face immediately falling when he sees Bjorn. Ben swiftly turns away from the father-son pair and shakes his head. "Damn Parents Weekend," he grumbles, "So, Bjorn," Ben states, turning back to face his clueless rival, "To what do I owe this calamity? I thought Parents Weekend was only for freshman."
"And I thought community lots were only for college students and their parents," Bjorn replies.
Ben stands there in disbelieving silence, aghast that Bjorn has actually outsmarted him. "Touché."
"-But to answer your question, we came here because Gundrun wanted to show us her favorite place on campus," Bjorn says as Gundrun walks up the staircase, carrying a bag of oranges in her arms.
"Ooh, I love college! Can you believe they were just giving these away for free?!" Gundrun grins, hugging the fruit to her chest; Ben opens his mouth slightly and steps back, instantly smitten by her arrival. Gundrun walks over to Loki and places the bag of oranges in his arms, "Here, honey. Give these to your friends," she instructs, "Oh! And Bjorn, they have that coffee you like next door. I would've gotten you some, but I ran out of hands to carry it."
"That's okay," Bjorn claims, waving it off, "I'll just get some before we leave."
Behind him, Vidcund jumps, his ringtone blaring from his pocket. Vidcund quickly takes out his phone and glances down at the screen, scared speechless when he spies Circe's named spelled out on it. Vidcund quickly steps out into the courtyard and holds his phone up to his ear. "Hello?"
Two minutes after Vidcund leaves the premises and Bjorn races down the stairs for a frantic coffee run, Loki finds himself alone in the corner of the game room holding onto the enormous bag of oranges. Loki groans as he gently sets the bag of oranges down on the floor. He sighs, throwing his arm over the bag in exhaustion as he stops to catch his breath. Loki perks his head up a bit as he hears a set of familiar voices across the room. He cocks his head to the side, intently narrowing in on the conversation.
"Come on, Gun, it's been twenty years," Ben states, his voice in a whisper, "When are you finally going to leave him?"
"Leave him?" Loki's mother repeats, "Ben, I don't know what you're talking about-"
"Oh don't give me that!" Ben whisper-exclaims, "You were all set to leave him. Then you-know-what happened, and you kissed our future goodbye!"
"Ben, why does it have to be like this? Why can't you just be happy with our separate lives?" Gundrun questions in a pleading tone, "I can assure you, I love mine."
Ben sighs, "So, you don't want me?"
"No."
"Fine, then you've made your choice," he hisses, Ben's demeanor doing a complete 180, "But don't come crying to me when you're not satisfied with Bjorn!"
"I won't," Gundrun assures him, "I never have!" she shouts as Ben storms off the premises, leaving the woman seemingly alone.
Across the room, Loki is hiding behind the bag of oranges, struck with shock as to what he just heard. "Well, that explains the creepy enamored looks," he mutters as he watches his mother walk down the stairs and embrace his father on the first floor. "But what the hell was you-know-what?" he wonders as he racks his brain for an answer.
…
A few minutes earlier, Vidcund is pacing the center of the courtyard, talking on the phone with someone he thought would never speak to him again. Circe sighs on the opposite end of the line, "Vidcund, I'm sorry," she says.
"What?" Vidcund chimes, unable to believe that these words are even a part of Circe's vocabulary.
"I'm sorry," she repeats.
"Circe, are you feeling okay?"
The young woman exhales, giving a small chuckle. "I'm fine," she assures him, "Come over now so we can...make up," Circe states.
Vidcund blinks a few times, clearly puzzled by her request. "I don't get it. Am I going to be getting a makeover?"
Circe groans. "Just get over here before I change my mind!" she hisses.
"Okay-" Vidcund stops suddenly and turns to the side, eyeing Bjorn and Gundrun, who are singing cheerful songs with a homeless sim across the road. Vidcund steps backward and sighs, his stomach filling with guilt. "Uh, actually, I'm going to have to pass on that," he states, "I kinda promised Loki's parents that I would hang out with them this weekend."
"What?!" Circe cries, her volume three times louder than usual, "You have got to be kidding me! Vidcund, you're a moron-"
Vidcund quickly hangs up the phone, not wanting to hear another one of Circe's infamous rants, especially one at his expense. He slowly places his phone into his pocket, his heart rapidly beating in his chest, unable to believe that he has just said no to Circe. Vidcund turns back towards the road, now finding Bjorn and Gundrun freestyling in front of a pile of trashcans, Loki burying his face in embarrassment behind them.
"On second thought, maybe I am a moron," Vidcund mutters.