Stoneybrook Ayr

That's it, they've GRADUATED!

The students sat in their seats, playing with their navy and white caps and gowns. Some turned to wave to friends and family, some whispered with classmates sitting near them, and some slouched in their chairs, ready for the ceremony to start.

It had taken four years, some felt like the time had passed in no time at all, others felt it had dragged out forever. All the winter lodge trips, boy toy auctions, homecomings, proms, dances, parties. The trips to Disney World, California, Australia. The hook ups, the break ups, the scandals. This class had been through a lot together, and this was it. The end. Graduation.

The ties were tied, shoes were shining, dresses were flowing and the coursages left the lingering scent of freshness in the air. It was Senior Prom, four years in the making, and the excitement was palpable.

"Prom!" Amelia read happily, locking her phone and looking up at Kara happily. She knew Kara would think she was crazy for being happy about Prom, and Brock and Ty probably would too.

"It's so close. Just another sign that we are almost out of here!" she said, shaking her whole body happily.

The drinks are flowing, the guests are mingling, so lets party like its the end of the world!

Wednesday evening, Mia was tidying the house for Brock's visit. He'd told her at school that he wanted to come by and see her and Charlie, and she'd agreed. They hadn't been spending as much time together lately and she kind of missed him. Running a dust cloth over a few surfaces, she decided the house looked neat enough. No place with a toddler was ever totally spotless.

She was in the middle of fixing Charlie's hair into pigtails when the doorbell rang. "Come on in!" she called, able to see through the window that it was Brock outside.

Amelia had gone to Ty's at night more times than she could count. But she had never, not once,  felt like she did right now. She was going there for a reason, a purpose. And that purpose was about to change things. She wasn't one of those soppy girls who thought your first had to be someone you loved, or that she'd feel any different after. But it was kind of a big deal, and that made her nervous.

She knocked on his window like she did when she didn't want his parents to know she was there, and waited, playing with her hair.

Brock had been in almost a catatonic state all day, he was so tired. After leaving Shannon's the night before, he'd gone home and crashed, but school had come too quickly, and so had the thought of facing Mia. He was, therefore, spending his lunch time outside with Ty, which wasn't unusual.

"Man, you wouldn't believe the night I had last night," he told Ty, lighting up his second smoke. He just couldn't stop smoking.

Amelia had woken to a massive crash, and a loud string of cursing.

Her Dad was home, and it wasn't pretty. Without thinking, she grabbed her jacket and boots, and snuck out her window. She knew better than to stick around. She did what she often did on nights like this, and made her way to Ty's. she rapped gently on his bedroom window, hoping she didn't wake his family.

"I need cash," Amelia said flatly, ashing her cigarette against a railing, looking at Ty. They were in Ty's normal hidden smoking spot, and even the fact they were away from school wasn't helping Amelia's anxiety.

Luckily Sabrina was able to have her Halloween Bash as planned. None of her preparation had been foiled by Sandy for which she was grateful. Her home had turned into a spooky mansion. Halloween and regular party music played throughout the night.

Three different drink stations were set up. One on the far left of the property for alcoholic drinks, one on the far right for non-alcoholic drinks, and one in the middle for both. By all drink stations were tables filled with all kinds of food imaginable. The entire lower floor was open for guest as were a few rooms on the upper half for those who wanted a little privacy. Anything valuable that could be stolen had been moved to another location off of the estate so that was one thing Sabrina didn't have to worry about.

Everybody who showed up got a Halloween inspired goody bag filled with candy and other Halloween treats. Those who brought a donation of some sort received an additional bag containing a camera and a $100 Washington Mall gift card. People who didn't show up in a costume was given a mask and weren't allowed to enter until they put it on.

As soon as Amelia saw the announcement about school being cancelled the following day, she grinned. For once her d*uchebag father wasn't home, wasn't even in the state, and she didn't have to worry about him. She'd decided to take advantage of it, and invite some friends over. Ty, Brock and Kara had all managed to come, and Miranda might be coming later. Still, the three of them were enough to make Amelia happy, and very happy she was as she passed out some refreshments.

"Here's to no school tomorrow!" she said, holding up a plastic cup.

Brock had had a really lousy weekend, thanks to Shannon. It really p*ssed him off that she thought she knew him, when she didn't know anything about him. Not really.

He needed to relax, and he only knew one way of that happening. So he called Ty to come over, glad he didn't have to worry about his buddy coming to his place.

He'd started to convince himself the whole Shannon thing was a massive mistake, and he knew Ty would agree with him, which was another reason to hang.

"Hey man," he said, opening the door when Ty knocked.

"Beers cooled and ready," he said, nodding at them on the coffee table.

Amelia's Dad had actually managed to make his first sale of the week yesterday, which in most families surviving on commission, would be a cause for celebration. In the White family, it was something that kept Amelia out of the house as much as possible, as her Dad spent a fair chunk of his commission on gin. 

It was stuff like this, Amelia thought grimly, that made her want the job at Hooters that Kara had suggested. That, and she knew she could bring in the tips. 

She didn't bother knocking on Ty's front door, she'd hadn't really done that since eighth grade. She found her way to his room without seeing any of his family, and knocked on his bedroom door.

Miranda grabbed a Coke from a vending machine and headed outside as soon as the lunch bell rang. She snuck out through the gym door and leaned down to check her boot. Sliding her hand in her boot, she felt around, but could only feel her ankle.

"Sh!t," she cursed as she straightened up. She was deciding whether she wanted to go all the way back to her locker or just have a Coke for lunch when she spotted Ty turning a corner.

"Yo, Ty!" she yelled just loud enough for him to hear. "Wait up!"

In Ty's opinion, it had been far too long since he'd had actual guy time. Every time he and his friends had attempted to hang out, the presence of a girl or two had completely ruined it. They'd complain about the stories and jokes told, act disgusted at the belches, and it seemed that every other word out of the guys' mouths earned them a punch on the arm.

This evening was going to be different, though. Ty had invited Brock over, with the strict understanding that no chicks were to be tagging along with him. Pulling two beers out of the mini-fridge in his basement, he lounged back in an arm chair and propped his feet up on the coffee table, waiting for Brock's arrival.

Dinner at the Waterfront Restaurant http://waterfrontrestaurant.com.au/

Brock passed Ty a beer, and sat down at the crappy table he and his Dad used to put their stuff on. He cracked it open, and drank.

"You know, I can buy all the beers I want when we get to Australia," Brock told Ty, holding out his can for a clink. He'd looked it up. Yep.

Let the drama continue!

Let the Junior Prom of 2012 begin!