mitochondriaaya | Graduation and beyond

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

sliceitwithwind

"You look beautiful, Aya." Braig promised her, smiling lopsidedly.

From:

mitochondriaaya

"Well, that works too." She grinned and turned to hug Dilan. "Thanks! Beautiful is probably better than grown up."

From:

sliceitwithwind

Dilan hugged her, "You really do...but that's mostly you. The hair is just pretty."

From:

mitochondriaaya

"Alright, I'm dressed, your dressed, Braig is dressed and brushed...time to go? What time is it?"

From:

sliceitwithwind

"Yup! We can stop and get food, then go straight to graduation!" Braig said, standing and offering her a hand

From:

mitochondriaaya

"Sounds like a plan." She grinned, accepting his hand up and tossing her hair. It was essential to adjust to the odd feel of it now! "I was kind of afraid you were going to tell me it had only been twenty minutes or something and we still had hours to kill."

From:

sliceitwithwind

"Nope." Dilan stretched, "Grab my bag? I've got tissues and stuff 'cause you know mom's gonna cry since the last of her kids is graduating."

From:

mitochondriaaya

Aya eyed her hands (one attached to Braig, the other on the far side of the room from said bag) and...stretched sideways, leeeeeeeaning as a matter of course. Braig wouldn't drop her after all! "Sure, as the kid with the smaller reach..." she teased. "And...yeah. She will, I know. Don't remind me though okay? Because it's weird when Elcy cries."

From:

sliceitwithwind

"Hey," Dilan said, laughing, "I did your hair!" He was teasing, though, and if she couldn't do it he'd get it himself.

"Mom's proud of you, monkey." Braig assured her.

From:

mitochondriaaya

"Yeah, yeah, I know, you're over worked." Aya was able to just barely touch the strap of his bag! She spent several careful moments teasing the strap close enough for a grip with her fingernails then triumphantly hauled it over!

"And I know she is. The world is still weird when Elcy cries. It's like seeing you guys cry."

From:

sliceitwithwind

Dilan opened the door for the others, "Well...don't look?" was all he could think to say.

From:

mitochondriaaya

"Might try that. See if I can just kinda stare straight ahead at the podium or something..." she'd end up scanning the crowd anyway. She knew from practice the event was going to get boring.

From:

sliceitwithwind

"Not gonna happen." Dilan said, opening the car for her, "You get too bored."

From:

mitochondriaaya

"Yeah, I know." She slipped into the seat and scooted over as a matter of course. The bench seats in the old car were the best factor! No fighting over front and back when everyone could squeeze in! "You think such an exciting day wouldn't end up so boring right? We need explosions or something."

From:

sliceitwithwind

Dilan slid in next to her and habitually checked her seatbelt. He never had gotten over that.

"We could arrange for that..." Braig said thoughtfully.

From:

mitochondriaaya

Aya held her hands out of the way so Dilan could check and reassure himself. It was just easier that way! "Are you offering to blow up the bleachers or something?"

From:

sliceitwithwind

"Nah. More like the football lockers." Braig said cheerfully.

From:

mitochondriaaya

"...well...it isn't our arena and lockers." She admitted after a moment of thought. The one in the next town over was bigger!

From:

sliceitwithwind

"Ah, well." Braig said, laughing and heading for the restaurant.

From:

mitochondriaaya

"I was going to say that it's not ours so we're less likely to get caught but..." Aya laughed and tugged on Dilan's belt as they started rolling. Checking the checker was important to! "Any explosions and they'd suspect you on general principles."

From:

sliceitwithwind

"So they would, so they would." Braig agreed cheerfully.

From:

mitochondriaaya

"That's what I get for having genius brothers," Aya snorted. "Can't escape the blame when there's explosions. Why couldn't you guys have a rep for being weird fungus hunters or something?"