Before, After & In-between

Chapter 10 - Before

It's Graduation Day, and if I had to guess a day my mom has probably been waiting for my entire teenage life. A day of dresses and makeup and fancy hair, she's hired a photographer and catering, the house is strung with streamers and balloons. She must have gotten up at the crack of dawn to have all of this done and it's only 10 am. What started out as a small get together for the track team turned into my parents so generously offering to host the after party for the entire graduating class.

"Katy, hey can you head out back and show the guy from the party rental place where he can set up the volleyball nets."

I shake my head, "Volleyball nets? Mom whose going to be playing volleyball at an afterparty?"

"You never know, I want there to be enough for everyone."

Enough for the majority of graduating seventeen- and eighteen-year-old's would be an unsupervised party with free booze and food. I'm already mortified that my parents will be here let alone the circus she's arranging.

"Mom, please don't embarrass me tonight?"

My comment takes her aback, and I instantly feel guilty because I know it's all coming from a good place it's just...a lot, "Sorry, just don't worry okay, I'm sure everything will be perfect."

When I walk into the back yard, I cringe at how overboard she's gone, there is a life size chess board in the far corner, a photo booth, DJ stand, a dozen massive white tents lined with tables and chairs and silky white tablecloths...she even got a dance floor...a friggen dance floor.

"Isn't it great," she walks up beside me and puts her arm around my waist, "I even hired a few lifeguards to standby in case anyone wants to go for a night swim."

"Mommmm!"

"What? It's been unusually warm for May, and I want" ...she pauses, lifting her face to the warm morning sun and closes her eyes, I hear her inhale deeply and a smile pulls at the corners of her mouth, "I want this to be a night to remember."

After a two-hour ceremony and what felt like a paparazzi photo montage, I'm finally back at home changing into a more practical outfit before everyone arrives. I don't even see the point of having worn this dress since it was covered up by a long gown the entire night.

I put on a white tank top and a pair of baby blue linen wide leg pants, and I instantly feel more like myself.

When I walk downstairs Leah is already here, she's wearing her second dress of the night. A short little white thing that hugs all the right places, maybe if I had a body like her I'd consider it but there is nothing for the material to cling to.

"Okay that's cute, I guess I approve," she says.

"Oh Katy, I wish you didn't have to change, or at least change into a cute dress like Leah's" my mom sulks.

"Mom, I made you a deal,"

"Oh, I remember, no pink and a no more than three hours," she says mocking me.

I don't know why it annoys me so much, maybe because I am already bothered by her overbearing grad party takeover but I can't stand to watch her gawk over Leah any more.

"So sorry I can't be more like Leah," I whine childlike, then walk out to the back yard where my dad is helping the caterer put out the trays of food. I will admit, but never to her that the backyard does look pretty, I try to remind myself she did this all for me and I shouldn't act like such a brat.

"If this is what she does for your graduation, wait till you get married." Jake says squeezing into the doorway beside me and laughing.

"I know I can't imagine."