Raven

Chapter 2

    The end of her junior year came and went so quickly that before she knew it she was in the gymnasium watching her brother Declan receive his diploma.

The thought of him not being at school worried her because he always had her back. Without him there she had a feeling that high school wasn't going to be the same. Not that she would let him know that she was concerned, especially since today was his day and she wanted him to celebrate. She stared off into the crowd lost in her thoughts.

She definitely wouldn't miss the girls drooling over her brother like he was a Greek God or something. Frankly, that grossed her out and made her roll her eyes every time one of her friends made a comment about what the M.A.S.H. Results were. She was just as guilty of playing the game to see who she was going to marry and what her future life would be like too.

It didn't seem that weird when she and her friends got together and made a sheet for each other. They had been using the game to determine their future lovers since they were nine. She and her friends never outgrew it either. Sometimes, the results were just hilarious and it was a nice little game to play during class. The teachers thought they were diligently working on their homework and fortunately never caught them passing the folded-up pieces of paper between one another. Each of them would make a comment on the results and circulate it between them. Man, would she have been mortified if a few of those were ever read aloud as the teacher was fond of doing with notes he caught.

Riley caught a glimpse of Declan making his way out of the crowd of blue and white gowns which brought her train of thought back to the present. He had lost his graduation cap to the shifting sea of bodies behind him during the hat toss. No doubt one of the girls had claimed it as her souvenir. It didn't seem to bother him at all, much never did anyway.

She gave him a quick hug and handed him the light brown teddy bear that wore a similar cap and gown to his own she had gotten him. "Congrats Dec! I'm glad you didn't trip and fall going across the stage. I would have been so nervous and tripped over my feet if I were you."

He chuckled at her and looked over the bear with a smile. She knew stuffed animals weren't his thing but she honestly had no clue what to get him. She had to admit the bear was cute though with its tiny diploma between the paws.

"You'll get your chance next year. I'll make sure to have my phone set to record so we can laugh it off later."

"Hey! If I fall it's going to be your fault since you said that you know." Riley laughed and tried to sound casual as she said, " It's going to be so weird with you not around."

"Ah, you'll be fine but if you have any hopes of living up to your big bros standards you better actually study next year." He jested.

"I know." She said again forcing her lip to make a pouting face at him.

"You know that never works, right?"

"Can't blame me for trying! You know how much I hate studying. It's soooooo boring. I could be at the football games with Emma and Holly watching the hunky guys instead!"

Declan bonked her on the head. "Don't make me threaten the guys before I leave."

"You're no fun." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Alright, I guess we should get outta here huh? Mom should be ready for the not-so-surprise party. Wanna ride with me or go home with dad?" He asked.

"I'll let you hang out with your friends a bit longer and go with dad this time. Mom is probably about ready to pull her hair out with all she's trying to get ready. Give us another half an hour mkay?"

"You're probably not wrong about that. Later sis." He waved her off. "Oh, hey wait. While it's cute and all, could you take the teddy bear home and put it in my room? Mike and Eric will have a field day if I walk over there with a stuffed animal."

"Hmmm" Riley grinned. "Okay fine, would hate for them to think their team captain is a sissy!" She snagged the bear and ran off toward their dads blue Ford pickup where he was chatting with another parent.

"Hey!" She shouted. "Ready to go pops?"

Her dad scratched his beard and turned to the man he was talking with to say goodbye. "Yeah, I guess we should get back to the house kiddo."

The drive home was short since they lived in such a small town. It wasn't the time of the drive that had her raising her eyebrows in shock. Though her dad could be a lead foot, mostly when mom wasn't in the truck. What shocked her was the spectacle that laid before her inside the house.

To say her mom had gone overboard would be an understatement of the century. No, not century, Millennium more like it! Their house had turned into a party planners' worst nightmare with the overabundance of blue and white colors.

Two bundles of balloons were placed on either side of a blue and white cake at the center of the table. The table was covered with a white plastic table cloth from the local dollar store, while similarly textured blue table cloths had been fashioned into chair covers that were held on by matching ribbons around the back.

Blue and white streamers were twisted together and taped to the front of the table, around the door frames, and wound around the banister of their staircase. Honestly, she thought a group of Pinterest using Smurfs had a ball making every DIY project they could find.

She thought she was going to be nauseous from the over abused use of their schools' colors. She walked to the kitchen where her mother was to see if she needed any help before everyone showed up. On the kitchen counter were the start of more of the same color filled items. There were champagne flutes of two toned M&Ms near her mom who seemed to be working on some paper crafts.

"Whatcha making mom?"

"I'm working on toppers for these glasses. They look like graduation caps." Her mom put a finished cap on top of a glass and turned to face her. "Isn't it cute?" She exclaimed.

Riley laughed. Her mom was pulling out all the stops for her brothers' big day.

"Yep it's cute for sure, mom. You're really getting into this, aren't you? Is there anything you want me to do?"

"Of course I am, I'll do the same when you graduate too!" Her shoulders sagged from their tense state briefly then shot back to place. "I have so much to get done, everyone will be showing up in less than an hour. Can you make the fruit punch and then put the cans of cola in the cooler in the dining room? It'd be a huge help."