Day Danui (daywind) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2009-06-18 20:00:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2009-06-05 |
Graduating!
Who: Day and Tilly
What: Waiting to be called for Graduation
When: Afternoon
Where: at the Graduation Ceremony
Tilly was happy. Oh, she was happy, so much so she couldn't quite stop grinning. It would be silly, if it wasn't a tiny bit appropriate. Her family was there, Hawk was there (she had seen him, and waved, but she hadn't gone to him and he would probably understand - she was busy!), and she was sitting next to her very best friend, who seemed rather happy himself. All good things.
She kept tapping her feet nervously, only it was a good kind of nervous; and if she hadn't begun biting her nails, it was probably going to stay that way. Looking to her side at Day, she smiled excitedly at him again, until something occurred to her. "Day, is your dad here? And Chris? I haven't seen them." Tilly looked behind her, but with so many people there she was lucky if she could see anyone familiar at this point. Shrugging, she turned back around.
The reason Day was happy was, really, quite different from what one would expect. Yes, he was graduating, and yes, that was exciting, but much more important were three unrelated things: Lacy was back from the dead, literally; his father had actually made it to the graduation, rather than missing it for a surgery like Day had been afraid of; and Tilly was sitting next to him, and not blabbing on about Hawk. It also tickled him that he was holding a simple illusion of a smily face on his stupid cardboard hat, rather than something painted on with nail polish, or something, like some had done.
The question made him grin. "Dad did make it." Thank god. Or else he would be faking the smiles and cheer, not feeling them genuinely, like he really wanted to be. "He and Chris are near the back, on the right-hand side of the gym."
She looked up at his cardboard hat and giggled. "Oh, if only I could get one of those for myself, that's so much cooler than nail polish!" Tilly whined, remembering her own smiley flower. At least she had painted it with bright orange cardboard-appropriate ink, that even included a bit of glitter in it.
With a bright smile, Tilly hugged Day's arm. She knew how important it was for him to have his dad present, and she was happy that he could make it. "Oh, good." Looking at her friend's face more attentively, Tilly changed from a smile to a mischievous smirk. "I didn't take you for the overly happy about Graduation type..." Which was, of course, code for 'spill it'.
"You could always have asked," Day reminded her with a grin. She knew perfectly well what he could do. Though honestly, he wasn't sure he could hold two at once, not two "long term" ones like the one on his hat. But he could act like he could.
Michief made him look at her sidelong and withhold the information she wanted. At least at first. "Well, maybe you took me wrong," he said instead, "and I am so excited about graduating that I could burst?"
Tilly giggled and rolled her eyes. "Well, too late now. I like my flowery smiley. Not as special as yours, but then again, I'm not as special as you, so it fits." She winked. The look she gave him next let him clearly know she wasn't buying it - especially because Tilly was extremely sure she knew Day, and her Day wouldn't show anything above appropriate excitement about this kind of thing. His outbursts were saved for bigger things.
"And here I thought we had no secrets..." She muttered in a purposefully audible voice, looking away from him.
Rolling his eyes, Day elbowed her lightly and grinned. "I'm just teasing you, brat. Don't turn into my brother and take everything so seriously." Not that he thought she really was, but he could joke. "As it happens, I ran into an, mm, old friend this morning." Okay, so he was still teasing. He was gonna make her ask for little bits of information.
In turn, Tilly stuck her tongue out at him, wrinkling her nose in the process. "You're just stalling." She accused, laughing, before opening her eyes broadly as Day spoke. "Indeed?" She asked simply, rolling her eyes because she knew he was just teasing, and she also knew he knew she was very curious at this point.
"An old friend who we thought was dead," Day said, voice lowered dramatically. Then, normally, he added, "You remember Lacy, right? She and I dated in the first half of sophomore year, and she disappeared near the end of that year." In a bloody, unsolved mystery.
As soon as Day mentioned the thought was dead part, Tilly gasped audibly and put a hand over her mouth, her eyes opening widely with shock. "Oh my God." She said, voice muffled by her hand, which she hadn't removed. Of course she remembered. Lacy's disappearance had been extremely sad and shocking, and the fact that had failed to appear - ever - made the whole thing a very sad and unfortunate event. "She's alive? She's alright? What happened?"
"After a fashion," Day shrugged, and lowered his voice further, leaning over against her shoulder. "You are not to tell anyone, not yet. There was some kind of attack on her house, on her, to get at her father." Who Day was wondering, now, whether they were actually related by blood or not. "In order to save her life, she had to be-- well, turned. Into a vampire. She's actually here, hiding in the crowd somewhere." He hadn't been able to spot her, though he'd looked.
Tilly leaned her head over his, still frowning as she listened to him. "Who on Earth would I tell this to, Day?" She asked. She wouldn't even tell Hawk, if that was what he was afraid of. It wasn't something to talk about, and just because there was now a boyfriend it didn't mean she'd betray her best friend's trust. Her frown only grew deeper the further into the story Day went. "Oh my God. Oh my God...I don't even...Know what to say!" She exclaimed, though she had been whispering from the moment Day lowered his own voice. "She is?!" Tilly fought the urge to raise her head and look for Lacy. "Where did you find her?"
To be honest, Day hadn't had anyone in particular in mind when he'd said not to tell anyone, he just wanted her to be sure he needed this quiet until Lacy made her own re-introductions, if she did. "I was wandering around campus this morning, around eleven? And I wandered in here, and there she was, napping in a corner. That corner." He pointed unobtrusively to where the bleachers met the wall, leaving a little hiding place beneath and beside them. "She said she'd wanted to watch the graduation."
Tilly could hardly wrap her head around what he'd told her. Well, she supposed it took time. "She was just napping there? Poor thing. What's her living condition, what...Can we help?" She hadn't seen Lacy in quite some time and until just recently she was a distant sad memory Tilly didn't think of too much, but knowing what had happened, it broke her heart. Tilly genuinely wanted to do something for poor Lacy.
"She has a house, or something," Day admitted, shrugging. "She's living with her father-- her, uh, maker? I guess? Mr. Dawn. I'm taking her home after the graduation, so she doesn't have to walk back in the sun, so I'll let you know what it's like." He didn't actually imagine Lacy was badly off. Those two had always lived well, and he couldn't think Mr. Dawn would have lived anything less than well while they were away.
Tilly nodded, still frowning. It didn't seem to be going away, the whole thing was just so sad and unsettling. "Oh, you're a good person, Day." She said, and meant it, which was easy to notice by yet another hug to Day's arm. "Yeah, just tell me if she's okay, if you guys made it okay. I'd love to see her, but I'll leave that for later."
"She'll be at Gabe's party tonight," Day shrugged, leaning over to lean his head briefly on hers when she hugged his arm. "Kind of hanging around on the outskirts. I'm picking her up and driving her out, so she doesn't get lost or anything. So you can look for her there. I told her about Katie's, but I don't know if she's going to that one. I'll share her livejournal with you when I get home, at least."
Suddenly Tilly remembered Gabe's party. She had completely forgotten, and she didn't know if she had told Hawk either. After a moment of silence in which she balanced her options, Tilly nodded. "Okay, then, I'll see her there." Tilly had never been one to party a whole lot, but this was a special occasion. She wanted to go to every party. "She has one? I haven't posted in mine in ages, now that you mention it. Not much I want to share with the world at large, I guess." She snickered. "But yeah, do that. I want to at least leave her a message saying I'm so glad she's mostly okay."
"She does have one! She gave it to me this morning, and I'm going to friend her as soon as I get home." Day felt smugly pleased that he'd run into Lacy, quite honestly, and it had managed to help get rid of the glum mood he'd had the past few days. Having an old friend come back from the dead was definitely invigorating. "Did you have plans tonight? I thought you knew about Gabe's party. I fully expect my own plans to be over with by nine or ten, at the latest."
"Cool, me too when you link me to it." Tilly looked at Day confused. Was she that transparent that he'd noticed from her silence she had forgotten? Ah, well. "I might have plans, but I am definitely going to Gabe's party. The night is young. And long." She smirked.
When one actually had to pause and think before announcing they were going to a party they would otherwise have been excited about, then yes, Day was going to assume someone had alternate plans or had forgotten the party, or both. "What plans?" he asked curiously. "Are you going out with your family?"
She was distracted, apparently. Tilly looked away before answering, smirking sideways. "Not exactly. We had a very big family lunch because they know us crazy kids will be busy tonight..." She explained, and finally looked at him, broadening the smile. "You know where this is going." She finally said, not wanting to bother explaining further.
"No, actually, I d-- oh." Day's smile kind of sank into realization. She was spending the evening with her Very Special Boy. Of course. And he was definitely not asking further. "Right, I do know where that is going." Not somewhere he wanted to go, not even in thought, though probably now he wouldn't be able to help it. He wanted to stay happy today, dangit.
Tilly paused, looking at Day with her mouth half open. "Um...That's not what I meant." Was he thinking what she thought he was thinking? Well now that would be awkward to get out of. Not that she wasn't thinking it, if she hadn't been, she wouldn't have made the connection. But not thinking as if she wanted that to happen. Hell, she couldn't even bring her own mind to form the words. "You don't think...?" And what if Day did think what Tilly thought he was thinking? That was a normal thing, right?
One of Day's brows went up over at her. "You're not spending the evening with Hawk, then?" He hadn't actually assumed she meant sleeping with him-- though he supposed it was actually a possibility; he would be very disappointed in her, though-- just that she'd be off being lovey-dovey with him. Which was enough to get him a little down, sadly enough, though now he had it safely shoved down and his droll expression.
Tilly sighed and looked away. "Forget it." Foot in mouth moment. It happened to the best of people. For a moment Tilly thought it was best to focus on the ceremony, but she hated awkward silences, so soon enough she was back to Day. "So anyway, I'll see you and Lacy at the party later, then?" It had been established, but she needed something else to talk about.
New subject for the win! Day didn't want to think about Hawk any longer, thank you. "Definitely. After I brave meeting her father, knowing that he is also... like she is, and that he is very protective." He gave a dramatic little shudder. Because, well, all right, he was a bit apprehensive. He had definitely decided he didn't like being bitten, he definitely didn't like over-protective fathers, and combining the possibility of biting with an over-protective father who was probably predisposed to not like him? Yes, he could admit it made him nervous.
Tilly seemed to be on the same wavelength as Day, because as soon as he spoke she turned to him and frowned. "Are you sure you should go alone? I mean, obviously I don't think Lacy's father will attack you but...um...You know..." She was worried. She was allowed to be worried. He was going to drop a vampire off at her house where another vampire lived. And Tilly knew how daring Day could be sometimes, and she knew he probably saw no big problem in this. Not that she had reasons not to, either.
"If I bring someone with me, it would have to be someone like Christian, or else it would make Lacy uncomfortable," Day said apologetically. "And I don't want to subject Christian to that. If he's even going to the party, which he honestly might not be. So...." He shrugged and gave her a little smile. "I'll be all right. I'm not expecting worse than a threat or two and twenty questions, really. Lacy wouldn't let him do that, she seemed very happy to see me. She'd genuinely concerned people are going to be afraid of her, now."
Tilly shook her head dismissively. "I didn't mean me, don't take me, okay, I get it, but I'll still be worried and you will promise to text me with half-hourly updates." She said seriously. "Won't you?" Then her mind moved on to Christian. "Why won't Chris go? You know I thought he looked lovely with that girl Hayden." She smiled proudly. Scratching her chin, Tilly went back to frowning. "Let's hope it's only that. And if you think it'll help, you can tell Lacy I won't be afraid of her. I just want to know she's okay."
Day managed to smother his snort at her opinion that his brother and Hayden looked "lovely"-- another topic he'd rather not think about, thank you-- and shrugged. "He doesn't like parties. He doesn't like crowds or drunk people or dancing or loud noises. So, basically, he doesn't like parties. So he might come just for Hayden, or he might not."
Luckily for Tilly, Day had no intention whatsoever of bringing her along. He wasn't even apologizing for not considering doing so-- he was apologizing for not being able to really bring anyone, for fear of bothering Lacy. "I'll try and text you when I get back to the car after I talk to him," he promised. "Will that help?"
And Tilly managed to simply roll her eyes at yet another snort, and nod. "Fair enough. In all fairness I'm not very much into drunk people myself." But she was willing to let them be for one fun party. Now dancing - that Tilly loved to do. And she was going to. She wondered if Hawk was the dancing type. Maybe not; his loss. She was dancing anyway.
She looked down but didn't speak, until she finally shrugged, though you could see very well she wasn't exactly happy with the arrangement. "I guess. But don't forget. I will do bad things to you if you do."
Day rather liked dancing, himself, though he was likely to spend more time mingling and listening than dancing, anyway. "I won't forget," he promised, smiling warmly at her. The row in front of them was standing up to go get in line to get their name called. Day fingered the little card they'd given him to put his name on, so the announcer could read it.
"I actually put 'Day' on my name card," he said. "Dad will be pissed."
Tilly gave Day an equally warm smile and nodded. "Okay, hope not." The time was approaching, and Tilly shifted nervously on her chair, only to be amused and calmed down by Day right after. She cracked up reading his card, then pointed to her own. "What do you think I wrote in mine? If people call Matilda Jenkins up there nobody will know who that is, and neither will I!" She hugged him again, grinning. "Sometimes I think we're so overwhelmingly awesome!"
"Your parents don't actually call you Matilda, though," Day told her, smirking and hugging her, back. He liked "Tilly" much better than Matilda, his own self. "Not unless they're angry with you. Dad thinks going by 'Day' is Silly. With a capitol S. But it's my graduation, so he gets to deal with it, and we can be overwhelmingly awesome even without his approval."
"True. They started this whole thing, in fact." She nodded, smiling. "Good, because it's my best friend Day who's graduating, Day is awesome and I love Day. Not David, Day." She joked, still hugging Day. They hadn't talked about it, but she was beginning to sort of feel how much she'd miss him later when they stopped seeing each other every day, every class break. Which explained the clinging now occurring. "We're high school graduates, and we're legally adults. We don't need anyone's approval to be awesome."
"Because David is some boring kid who reads too much and doesn't wear exclusive Tilly originals," Day grinned at her, arm still firmly around her shoulders. He wasn't going to complain if she was clingy, just now. It was reassuring, because he already was unhappy enough she wasn't moving on to college with him; throw in the Hawk thing, and clinginess was actually pretty welcome. "I'll have to have you lecture my father sometime, and maybe change his mind about how much more awesome this Day person who gets to have an amazing best friend is than that boring David person who doesn't get to."
Tilly grinned back at his mention of her 'originals'. It was a great thing that he wasn't eager to let go of her just yet, because she was feeling quite good hugging her very best friend, and she would like to do it a bit longer. "I'll be glad to lecture Mr. Danui about the wonders of his son Day Danui and list every single reason why I love his son so much since I was about knee high. If I can see it, everybody else should be able to."
"I'll see what I can do, then," Day laughed, giving her a squeeze. "I'm not going to turn down someone wanting to boost my ego. You should at least say hi after the ceremony." It was so rarely his father managed to come to things like this, or even be home, and he kind of felt like he wanted to show it off, introduce him to friends-- or reintroduce, since Tilly had actually met the man before, being Day's longest and most constant friend. But others never had.
Tilly laughed. She knew that all too well, a confidence boost was a confidence boost, and no person in their right mind would shut it down. Well, unless you were Hawk and had to refute it a bit twice before accepting that someone liked him just the way he was. She'd have to work on that.
"Oh, I will, of course I will. I expect to be here about an hour saying hi and thank you before I go." She said, grinning. "Your dad's on the list."
"I'll have to make sure he stays around long enough," Day chuckled. The usher had come up to their row, now, and Day leaned over to see him waving at them to stand. "Time to go," Day said, smiling. "Let's go graduate."
"He better!" She said amused. When she saw the usher, and Day told her to get up, Tilly felt a million butterflies letting loose inside her stomach, but instead of being nervous, she smiled back. Standing up, she offered her hand to Day, as a way to tell them to go together, even though they obviously couldn't climb up to the 'stage' both at the same time. "I am going to applaud you so much my hands will fall off and I will lose my voice." She told him.
"That would be silly," Day laughed, taking her hand and standing, as well. "Because then how would you shake the principal's hand or receive your diploma?" Not that they'd be getting diplomas now; they'd be getting certificates without names, and the diplomas came in the mail. "Keep your hands where they are, Tilly," he suggested, following the rest to get in line.
"You're no fun sometimes, Day. Seriously. I am clapping, and I don't care." She told him stubbornly, keeping the smile perfectly in place; obviously she wasn't serious about him being no fun, if anyone was fun was her best friend. "Now let's get you graduated." She urged from behind him.
"I'm going, I'm going!" He laughed, gave her hand a squeeze, and off they went.