Graduation and beyond

[mitochondriaaya]

Graduation was just before her birthday, so Aya was fifteen when she slithered into the graduation gown and tried her hat on. Walking with a tassel (as practice proved) was distracting. She wasn't katzu, true, but she still had the urge to bat at it. Instead she had to look calm. Sedate. Grown up.

Yeeeeah.

At least she wasn't Valedictorian, that would have added a whole new level of stress to her last year of school! And still she'd almost been swayed by the teacher who suggested she stay another year. Almost. Life didn't wait though and the boys were already so far ahead of her that it was a laughable idea to 'catch up' but hey, at least they could all be in college for some of the same years! Sure, not the same college but...yeah. She went out with her friends the night before graduation, a low key party out on a floating dock with a lot of silliness and loud music, but hey, they were all seniors, it was expected!

She made it home in the morning in time to toss back a mug of coffee and try to think about breakfast. "Have to be at the field at...four? Four thirty. Right. Yeah." More coffee. The message light on the answering machine was flashing so she hit the button and listened as her dad rambled cheerfully about it being the day, and he had his ticket to the graduation, and he wasn't going to lose it and what else did he need to remember? "Your head," she chuckled, listening. He'd been leaving messages all week as the day rolled closer. It was nice for Jerrig to be excited.

Granted, traffic was going to be hell with the town turning out to see graduation at the nearest sports field and tourists flooding in to see the surfing competition in the town nearby, but as long as everyone left early they'd be fine right? Right. It wasn't like she had to drive.

Maaaaaaaybe staying out all night hadn't been the best plan though. The coffee waqs sitting heavy in her stomach and she felt her hands tensing around the mug as REAL LIFE loomed up in her mind.

Ouch.

Yeah.

"What was I thinking?!" It was totally okay to ask these things of the empty kitchen, yep.

Comments

[mitochondriaaya]

"Yep, me, secretly paying someone to arrange an accident for you for minor insults, all the while never knowing those insults were actually given by your evil twin so I'd kill you..." or something. Sure. "We're never going to live that Halloween down are we?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Nope, never." Braig said, surprisingly cheerfully.

Dilan said, "Oh, man, I get to be in a coma as the only one knowing that Braig has an evil twin, right?"

[mitochondriaaya]

"Don't worry, you get to wake up and tear yourself from your sickbed just in time to save the real Braig's life then keep the evil twin from proposing!" Aya laughed and toasted him with her coffee mug. "You're the hero! And I get to feel horribly guilty about the plotting death thing and lead into the next story arc!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Yeah." Braig said, kissing her hair and pouring more coffee. Nom nom nom.

[mitochondriaaya]

Wasn't that suppose to be slurp slurp slurp? If the coffee was chewable she wanted to try some! "Hey, speaking of Halloween, want to do it at your campus or mine? I'm sure we can find someplace to dress up at!"

[sliceitwithwind]

Not the way they made coffee. "Lets see what parties are planned and go from there."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Eh, but parties might have themes," which meant they couldn't plan ahead until they knew! "Anyway, I guess there's time for figuring out costumes." Months and months of it anyway.

[sliceitwithwind]

"We'll figure it out." Braig said, kissing her forehead, "A lot of them advertise early, so we'll have time to figure out plans."

[mitochondriaaya]

"They do? Wow." She'd kind of assumed that colleges were like the town, the established party people could be expected to have a party but everyone else was last minute! "Obviously I have stuff to learn about campus life. Supervised visits apparently don't cut it."

[sliceitwithwind]

"You're going to do great." Braig said, flopping into a chair after grabbing a muffin, "You know that, right?"

"And we'll be just a phone call away."

[mitochondriaaya]

"I'm graduating today," she squeaked after a moment and finishing her muffin. "What if my teachers are right and I'm not ready?!" Because this was the boys and they knew she needed to flail sometimes.

And she was fifteen (okay, sixteen soon but still), she'd be doing things alone because she was an idiot sometimes and it was one thing to be young on campus with a Braig to watch your back, it was another to just be young. Cripes. Why had all this seemed like a good idea the past year?!

Yes, arm and hand flailing. Then it made more sense to grab another muffin.

[sliceitwithwind]

"Bah." Braig said, "You're totally ready."

Dilan hugged her while she was flailing, "You'll be fine. If you're really worried, you could work for a year?"

[mitochondriaaya]

"I already got accepted and my scholarships in motion," Aya admitted. That meant no backing out of college even for a year right? And Braig...Braig was no help! "Isn't that what you uised to say that one summer they had you trying to teach surfing to other kids?!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Well, yeah." Braig said, "But also I'm lazy."

[mitochondriaaya]

"I'm doomed," she nodded. "Ready to be doomed though I guess? We have moving in days on the same day I think so you guys can't help me move to the dorms but...get together that weekend if we're not swamped with homework?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Totally." Braig said, "Although we're mostly moved...we'll come help you settle on the weekend."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Shouldn't be too hard," she admitted. "It's only a dorm right? That's...half a room if I'm lucky. And I can mail my clothing ahead, or have Two Guys drive a box up just to make them laugh."

[sliceitwithwind]

"Yeah...you don't have that much, do you?" Braig said, laughing.

"Unlike him." Dilan groaned, "Such a clothes horse."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Nah, I tend to wear my stuff to pieces..." she pointed out cheerfully. "And it tends to come pre-worn. The good stuff will stay here, I shouldn't need to dress that high class at college, and major events will be back this way right?

[sliceitwithwind]

"Pretty much, yeah." Dilan agreed, ruffling her hair.

Braig stuck his tongue out at the two of them.

[mitochondriaaya]

"Whata re you sticking your tongue out for?" Aya laughed, ducking her head and letting Dilan ruffle as he pleased. "Do you want me to steal less worn out clothing?" She could!

[sliceitwithwind]

"Just because I like to wear different clothing..." Braig said, but he was laughing.

[mitochondriaaya]

"I wear different clothing! Because most of your stuff is pretty varied..." She grinned shamelessly and kicked her feet gently on the cabinets. "And I had to get a whole new outfit in white for under the graduation robe. Elcy vetoed the polka dot swimsuit under."

[sliceitwithwind]

"Well, yeah. Mom's like that." Braig agreed, "Gotta be at least a little classy."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Most the senior class won't be," she pointed out easily. "Polka dots was being reserved!"