When the Day Met the Night

Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends. ~Richard Bach

“Ahh! My little girl is growing up!” Solara screamed as she walked into my room and headed straight for my closet. “Okay so what were you planning on wearing?”

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and tried to think. “Jeans and a T-shirt I guess. The gown is gonna cover me anyway.” I glanced at the clock, 9:30. “Why are you waking me up so early anyways? I don’t have to be there till noon, and the ceremony starts at one.”

“I just need to make sure you look beautiful. Since it’s your graduation I won’t make you wear a dress, but you are going to wear a nice top, and some heels.” Solara said as she continued to look through my closet until she found a simple, yet pretty, lavender top. “Be right back.” I nodded sleepily and fell back onto my pillow. “Get up sleepy head. Go take a shower so I can curl your hair. Solara pushed me out of bed and into the bathroom.

I was much too tired to resist but it didn’t stop me from asking, “What’s wrong with my hair?” I tried to drag my fingers through my knotty hair and grimaced. “Although I do need to brush it…” I didn’t even notice that I was in the bathroom until I looked up from my hair. Eventually I dragged myself into the shower and was about to tell Solara to pass me my clothes, but then I saw them on the counter. “What a creeper…” I got dressed and managed not to let my wet hair touch the shirt.

An hour later and I was all dolled up. My hair was in little spiral curls, I had vibrant red lipstick on that contrasted my skin, and a little bit of eyeliner and mascara.

“Solara, am I 18 again?”

“You’re not old enough to be wanting to look younger.”

“Trust me, I don’t want to look younger, but I feel like I have more makeup on than a prom queen.”

“You do not! All you have is some lipstick and light eye makeup. You don’t have any foundation, bronzer, or blush.”

“Fine, but I still don’t know why you did this.”

“You’ll see!” Solara said and skipped merrily out of my room.

“Are you making me meet some dude? You do realize I’m leaving tomorrow?!” I yelled after her.

I fell back onto my bed and looked at my room. My walls had been stripped from my multitude of posters, when we started taking them off I was shocked. ‘I have purple walls?!’ I screamed out. That day we filled about an entire garbage bag with duct-tape. All my personal belongings except my clothes were away in boxes. Just with books alone I filled up 6 boxes. I also had 3 boxes with video-games, 4 with random crap that I had collected over the years, and 1 box with pictures and posters. That was probably going to be the first box to be unpacked; I was already prepping myself for the emotional assault it would bring.

I hadn’t cried since I talked to my dad. Since then I tried to fill my days with as many laughs and smiles as possible. Every time I cried I felt weird; for so many years I would never cry in front of people. I remember always running to my room, or somewhere else that was convenient. Especially as a teenager, I found it a weakness for one to show sad emotions. I remember always trying to put on a smile, even when I wanted to punch a wall, or just drown in my own tears.

I glanced at my phone. “Shit it’s already 11.” Right on cue my stomach grumbled and I went to the kitchen. “Shut up, I’m about to feed you.” I mumbled.

“Billy being all grumbly again?” Solara asked as she munched on some peanuts.

“Yea, he’s so goddamn loud when I don’t feed him.” I said as I grabbed a bagel. I patted my belly. “I guess it’s partly my fault for not paying attention.”

“As long as you eventually feed him, everything will be okay.”

I nodded. Everything seemed okay now, but high school was a nightmare for me. Billy was our nickname for my stomach because during our junior year he spoke a lot. Solara was naive; she didn’t take what was happening for more than face value. I forgot my lunch that day, I didn’t have enough money, nothing interested me, I was too sick to eat. That all happened about a month or two before I found out I had a thyroid problem that was messing with my weight. What made me stop was when Solara saw me passed out on the jogging track by school. Thankfully she had some food with her and she woke me up. After eating the food I felt so much better, yet my head was still ringing incessantly. I begged her not to tell my parents. She nodded and made me promise to eat.

Of course me, I’m a goody two-shoes so a week later I told my parents. They were shocked at first because I always made sure to eat a little something when they were around. They were also sad that I was so desperate. That was when my mom made an appointment that changed me. After the doctor gave me some medicine, it took a while to take in effect, but eventually I noticed improvement in my weight. I remember being so happy that after a year; I was at a healthy weight. Ever since that very unfortunate year, I never relapsed. At times I couldn’t wait until my high school reunion, because for once, I wasn’t going to be the fat nerd. I was going to be the some-what pretty author.

I left at 11:30 and didn’t see my friends and family until 1, except for Colton who is a year older than Solara, Emma, and I. Lily’s the youngest at 20, but she skipped a grade so Solara and Emma were pretty much on track with her.

“Colton, we’re actually graduating!” I was so giddy. We hugged each other and he spun me around in the air.

When I got on stage to be handed my diploma, I glanced over at the section my family was sitting at. I smiled and waved at them. I saw 10 people wave back. At first it didn’t register that more people than should have, waved back. I sat back down and waited for the 20 other people after me to be called. Meanwhile I looked back at my friends. The second I did I slumped down in my chair.

That’s why she wanted me to dress up!

I peeked at them again and saw them looking at me and laughing. I felt heat rise to my face as I sent them a short wave and faced the front again. Brendon and Spencer had come to my graduation.

Once they let the graduates go Colton and I went to our families, which were seated together, along with our friends. I hugged Colton’s mom and sister, as well as my own family. I had a big group hug with my friends, but then I turned to glare at Solara. “You knew they were coming didn’t you?”

Solara nodded and smiled. “They’re your friends now too, meaning they need to be initiated into our family, which obviously means we need to meet them.”

I sighed and decided to finally look at Brendon and Spencer.

“Hey guys.” I awkwardly laughed. They probably thought that going to a graduation was lame.

“Aww my baby sister is all grown up!” Spencer said as he pulled me into a bear hug.

“Hey, she’s my baby sister!” Colton said jokingly. What I love is that my actual brother just smirked on the sidelines.

“How about I’m a baby sister for both of you guys?” I offered up, which maybe I shouldn’t have because I got squished in a sandwich hug.

“I don’t get a hug from our amazing guitarist, which is also the only one in the band to have a college degree?”

“C’mere Brennybear, you whiny baby.” I hugged him and couldn’t help but smile when he whispered.

“I missed you.”

“We missed you so much that we were just hoping for an opportunity to arise so we could visit.” Spencer said. “You’re just pretty damn awesome.” Spencer chuckled. His phone rang in his jeans, and the second he saw the name his eyes lit up. “It’s Haley.”

I nodded and smiled as he walked off; he became a different person when he talked to her, a person who was so in love that they became oblivious to the world. As I could tell by the fact that Spencer didn’t even notice when people started staring at him. “He’s such a cutie whenever he talks to her.”

“Yea, it’s incredibly weird.” Brendon said as we looked at Spencer, it seemed as if his smile couldn’t spread any further.

“It’s not. It’s just rare that someone loves someone as much as Spence loves Haley, and honestly, I think it is so sweet. I guess I’m just not wonted to it. So that every time I see someone act like that, I just get butterflies in my stomach thinking that maybe one day, someone will do that when they think about me.”

“What about that blonde kid?” Brendon asked as he glanced back at our group who were talking amongst themselves.

“Colton. Yea, I really doubt that. I liked him back in 8th grade. He didn’t like me back, we got over it and we’re still best friends.”

“Well maybe you haven’t noticed it yourself, but you have that with Sarah. When she called you back when I was in L.A., you had the same face as Spencer. You didn’t really even register me leaving, and that’s because you my friend, are in love.”

“I am.” Brendon said as he smiled. I knew he was thinking of Sarah.

“Man, you guys make me feel like such a little kid!” I joked.

“That’s because you are.” Spencer said as he ruffled my hair. Obviously he was done talking to Haley.

“I disagree, and how’s Haley?”

“Let’s agree to disagree; and right now Haley got off work early and is excited for you to move to L.A. so that she can hang out with you more. Apparently the Panic! Girls group needs another member, and you are just that one.

“Well I’m excited to join such a prestigious group, although I’ll still be the youngest.”

“Face it, you’re young, enjoy it. Although it was only like 2 years since I was 21.” Brendon said.

“I’m just happy I’m not the youngest anymore.” Spencer said.

______________________

“Bye.” I hugged my parents goodbye. My friends had gone back to Florida the day before. “I love you!” I yelled out after them as they entered the airport. They smiled back at me and continued on their way to Spain.

Once we got back home I was greeted by a small bear and a panther. That small bear happened to be my rotty Simba and my black cat Eclipse.

We were visiting my grandma in Columbia, when we were driving down one of the country roads. I had just finished watching The Lion King at the place where I used to call home. All of a sudden there was a puppy in the middle of the road. We took the puppy into the car and drove to the nearest farm. There, the farm owner said that she was from a litter that had ‘runaway’; I’ve always suspected that they let them out to fend for themselves; he also said that if we wanted to keep her we could. I think my parents thought the same thing about the ‘running away’ story; so they decided to keep her. I got to name her, and I really wanted a pet lion at the moment, so I didn’t think of gender or even appearances, I just automatically named her Simba. After that, we got her vaccinated and brought her back to the states with us.

When I was in my senior year at high school, my friend’s cat just had a litter, and they couldn’t keep them all, so if they didn’t give them all away, they would have to give them to a shelter; there weren’t any no-kill shelters nearby, so I knew what was in store for the kittens if they didn’t get adopted. After begging my mom, we got the one cat I had fallen in love with. They had already named her Eclipse, but for some reason that never stuck so we always called her either, Kitty, or Gata[cat]. She was the only pure black cat in her litter, she also had the most precious green eyes.

When we first brought her home, she was scared of Simba, and Simba was exceedingly apprehensive of the kitty. After about a day, they warmed up to each other. Within a month, Simba was acting like a mother to the kitty. We had her spayed, yet I think she always wanted to be a mother. It was spectacular how easily she took in a baby of an entirely different species. What I always found funny was that even though Eclipse was a cat, which are supposedly very aloof creatures, she acted quite a bit like a dog. She would follow you; always trying to get your attention and petting. What I found comical as well, was that if someone didn’t pet her while they were getting ready in the morning, she would turn bitch mode the entire rest of the day.

Both of them became my family. While at college, the apartment I was renting didn’t allow pets, but now that I bought a house I was allowed to be with them again. It brought me so much glee to know that I was loved so unconditionally. Pets make you feel as if you are the most important being in the entire galaxy.

With them by my side, I knew I would be able to survive in L.A.