smitten [s. clearwater]

and they had intertwined futures

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-CHAPTER SIX: AND THEY HAD INTERTWINED FUTURES-

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Delilah and Jillian were in the latter's room getting ready for the graduation ceremony. Delilah had finished her finals, and to her knowledge, passed them with flying colors. The last thing school related before summer officially started was Forks High School's graduation. The Albright girls had been invited to watch Angela walk in addition to her immediate family and an array of aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Jillian sat at a small vanity with makeup pallets spread out in front of her. "I should probably do something simple with my makeup, right Dee?"

"Right," Delilah said with an affirming nod. "Oh, hey there's this party at the Cullen's house. Bella invited Angela and Angela invited me. Can I go?"

She simply shrugged. "Don't get drunk or pregnant while you're there."

"Sounds like a plan."

They left soon after Jillian finished her makeup and Delilah finished tying the strappy heels she rarely ever wore. They parked and walked in under a light mist to a crowd of golden robes. It was hard to spot Angela, but the glasses that were too large for her face were a good giveaway. The only thing she could do was wave to her friend since Angela wasn't able to socialize until after the ceremony.

They found seats, trying to avoid Angela's parents, as they and Jillian didn't get along well. After finding a place to sit with a good view of the stage, the ceremony commenced with the principal saying a few words and introducing the valedictorian, Jessica Stanley. It was a shock to Delilah that she'd beaten Angela for the spot considering how hard she pushed herself for good grades. Delilah and Jessica never really got along well despite the fact that Jessica and Angela were very close friends.

Jessica took her spot behind the podium. "When we were five," she began, reading from a small stack of notecards in her hand, "they asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up. Our answers were things like astronaut, president, or in my case a princess. When we were ten they asked us again and we answered rock star, cowboy, or in my case, gold medalist."

She paused, looking through the crowd where her friends from school sat, Delilah and Jillian, the Cullens. Charlie Swan. Each person there was there for a reason.

"But now that we've grown up, they want a serious answer," Jessica continued with another look at her notecards. "Well how about this? Who the hell knows? This isn't the time to make hard and fast decisions, this is the time to make mistakes. Take the wrong train and get stuck somewhere. Fall in love... a lot. Major in philosophy because there's no way to make a career out of that. Change your mind and change it again because nothing is permanent. So make as many mistakes as you can that way when they ask us what we want to be we won't have to guess. We'll know."

People clapped and the graduates crossed the stage, receiving their diplomas with a handshake and a smile. The ceremony came to a close and the former students were left to regroup with their families or mingle about to congratulate their friends. Angela ran to Delilah before she did her family, pulling the girl into a tight hug.

"Thank you for coming," she said through Delilah's hair as she reached her hand out to pull Jillian into the hug. Moments later when the three were separated, Angela and Delilah started walking in the direction of her family. "You're coming to the party, right?"

Delilah nodded. "As long as I don't get drunk or pregnant," she said, quoting her mother. "We can drive you there if you want to get away from the overbearing family."