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

[sliceitwithwind]

"Yeah." Braig grinned and pointed out his grandparents, too. "You've met them, of course." Tiny, very old, but still kicking!

[mitochondriaaya]

"Of course! They haven't changed much have they?" She giggled kicked her feet gently, a habit she'd never lost. "They don't look happy at the boyfriends do they though? I bet Nana wanted to push that one off the dock..."

[sliceitwithwind]

"Probably!" Braig agreed. Dilan laughed softly, "Momma said that mom had awful taste in men...hers weren't bad, but mom couldn't get a good date for the life of her."

[mitochondriaaya]

"I bet Nana did," Aya decided. "She's not above pushing I think. Better if they drown. And it's okay, a lot of girls have bad luck with men."

[sliceitwithwind]

"Yeah." Braig reached over to ruffle her hair, "Be careful, okay?"

"And here's the picture of dad proposing."

[mitochondriaaya]

"I try. Dating sucks." All the boys outside the territories were brothers of the girlfriends or afraid of the boys. And she sucked at the long distance thing. "Oh wow! Yinsi was amazing! Look at him! That's romance huh?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Yeah, but you're going to college." Dilan pointed out, "New boys."

"Yeah...I hope that if I ever propose I do it that well." Braig said quietly.

[mitochondriaaya]

"Yeah, there is that!" Aya grinned and bounced a little. "You guys have the hard part with proposing. Girls can propose, but we don't have to!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Yup." Braig said, touching the picture gently. "Well, we'll see!"

[mitochondriaaya]

"Yeah, we'll see if any of us end up married!" Aya turned the next page and caught her breath. "...whoa. I didn't know there were that many flowers near here. Where did they get all of them for the wedding?!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Dad said that they denuded all the hothouses around." Braig said, laughing, "And had things shipped in."

"Doesn't mom look radiant?"

[mitochondriaaya]

"They had to!" she laughed, trying to count flower arrangements! "And yeah, they're all smiling so big there's reflections off their teeth! Yinsi just looks so proud! Look at him! Did he puff his chest?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"I think he did." Dilan said, peering in.

[mitochondriaaya]

"We should ask him...because that's so..." Young male as opposed to Yinsi! "He must have been very proud."

[sliceitwithwind]

"Well, yeah." Braig laughed, "Look at mom."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Elcy is perfect," AYa grinned. "She's like the magazine model for a wedding you know? I bet no one else got married that year so they didn't have to compete!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Heh, probably." Braig agreed. Dilan smiled, "They're all so happy."

[mitochondriaaya]

"People are suppose to be happy at weddings!" Aya laughed and bopped Dilan's shoulder gently. "That's why you get married!" Because you're happy with a person and wanted to keep them!

"And to be fair, Elcy and Yinsi are still that happy around each other."

[sliceitwithwind]

"Insanely so." Braig said, with a hint of jealousy, "I want that for all of us."

[mitochondriaaya]

"It'd be nice?" Aya admitted. "Though I'd be okay as long as you guys didn't mind me hanging out at your family stuff. I'm not picky!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"You'll always have a place with me." Braig promised.

"Me too!" Dilan agreed.

[mitochondriaaya]

"See? So I'll help with your weddings and if I get married that's a bonus!" Aya grinned. "I don't need other people to be happy as long as you guys are!"

[sliceitwithwind]

Braig just smiled and turned another page.

"Sounds good to me." Dilan said.

[mitochondriaaya]

"Good!" she laughed happily. "Hey, who caught the bouquet? I can't see in the mass of dresses there..."

[sliceitwithwind]

"Dad's sister." Braig said, "She got married about the time I was born, so quite a bit later."