Author's Note: Here we go, folks! Chapter 2, all wrapped up and shiny.
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Wolf. Duh.
Reviews/Flames: Gimme, gimme, gimme!
Additional: There's a link on my profile page to the Polyvore set I made to show you Delia's outfit. "Meeting the Counselor"
Daydreams & Nightmares
Chapter 2
A few days later...
Delia leaned against the side of the house, breathing hard as she came down from her runner's high. The rain had let up yesterday, so she was able to go out and enjoy her morning run again. It was a habit so ingrained into her daily life, she felt odd when she didn't get to lace up her sneakers and get her blood pumping. She could do exercise in the house, of course, but it didn't give her the same thrill that running did. It let her pound out her frustrations on the pavement, and always made her feel better. Today, though, she didn't think her mood could get any better than it already was.
You see, today her mother had woken her up at 7:30, like normal. While she was pulling on her running jacket (she wasn't about to get caught in the rain again) her mother had casually thrown out that they had an appointment later that day with the counselor at Beacon Hills High. The appointment, her mother went on as Delia looked at her as though she had grown two heads, one arm still out of the jacket, was to determine where she would be placed in the upcoming school year. Delia was pretty sure the neighborhood dogs could all hear her squeal of joy as she tackled her laughing mother in a tight hug.
She had been pleading for her mom to let her go to public school since she hit puberty, and now it seemed her mother finally thought she was ready. She had kissed her mother on both cheeks, bounded down the stairs, stuffed her other arm into her jacket sleeve, give her bewildered but smiling aunt a quick squeeze, and then ran out the door. She had run so far and so fast out of excitement, she felt like she were flying. The extra speed and distance had really pushed her, probably giving her a personal best. She hadn't cared enough to pay attention. All her thoughts were on making a good impression and how she was finally, finally, going to be a normal kid. She even had two new friends that went to school there, so she wouldn't be the weird new girl eating by herself.
Scott and Stiles had kept their word and picked her up for burgers the day after what she had dubbed 'The Best Blackmail Moment,' and had even paid for hers like they promised. They turned out to be really great guys. Scott was so sweet she thought she might have to check for cavities later, and Stiles had her giggling uncontrollably at his antics. Once she had assured them, many times, that she had forgiven them, they had done their best to make her feel welcome to their little group. They'd been friends since diapers, so she felt strangely honored to be included in their friendship.
By the time they had dropped her off later that day, she'd put two new contacts in her phone: 'Puppy Eyes' and 'The Weird One.' Scott texted her occasionally, though it was Stiles that blew up her phone everyday. He seemed just as excited to make a new friend as she was. He had even admitted that he was glad he was friends with a girl now. If he wanted girl advice, though, he was out of luck. Delia had zero experience with other girls, boys, or any kind of social or love life. Stiles teased her about it constantly.
Now, only two days later, she was pulling out her phone to text them the good news. Almost immediately, Stiles replied with a 'oh great, now you can stalk me at school. jk, congrats!'
'Oh please, like you're stalker worthy. Thanks! Super excited!' She was coming out of the shower ten minutes later when her phone chimed with a text from Scott.
'omg, cool! It's gonna be so awesome. Hope you're in our class!'
'Me too! Meeting with the counselor today to take some tests and figure out where they want to put me. Wish me luck!' With an answering text of 'good luck!' from Scott, she started getting ready.
She had no idea what one would normally wear in the situation, but she was fairly confident in her dress sense. She pulled on a light blue skater dress, spaghetti strapped and spattered with small white butterflies, slipped on a cute pair of white lace flats, then headed over to her vanity. Quickly drying and straightening her light honey blonde hair, she pulled it into a low pony.
Next, she swiped on a light shade of brown eyeshadow, lined her cornflower blue eyes with soft black liner, and emphasized her long eyelashes with mascara. She stuck her Eos chapstick in her pocket for later. She didn't bother with foundation or concealer. Her daily runs, plus a healthy diet her mom insisted on and lots and lots of water had blessed her with blemish-free skin. She grabbed a jean jacket, put on her favorite bow necklace and matching earrings, then layered her arm with an assortment of bangles and a watch. Completely ready, and more nervous than she wanted to admit, she went downstairs to grab some breakfast.
Her mother and aunt were already in the kitchen, sitting on stools on one side of the kitchen island and chatting animatedly. When she entered, they turned identical mega watt smiles towards her. All the Collins women looked alike, but Lilian Collins and her sister Alice looked so similar, they were often mistaken for twins. In reality, Alice was older by three years. Taking her place on her usual stool and pulling a plate of still hot pancakes towards her, Delia tried to look unaffected by the butterflies flying around in her stomach. The grin on her mother's face told her that she utterly failed.
"So," Alice began, "excited for today?" It was an unnecessary question, but Delia was grateful for the opening. She felt like she was going to burst.
"Sooooo excited," she confirmed around a mouthful of pancakes and syrup. She washed down the bite with some water and reached for the bowl of blueberries. "Super excited, and super nervous. What if I don't do well on the tests?" she asked quietly, giving voice to her fear. Her mother reached over and gave her hand a pat.
"Don't you worry, babelet. You're going to blow their minds with your genius," she assured her daughter. Delia chuckled lightly, feeling a bit better. Her mom always had faith in her, and that helped her have faith in herself.
"Thanks, mom," she replied. After devouring her pancakes and blueberries (hey, exercising gave her the metabolism of a hyperactive mouse) she waited impatiently as her mother got ready. She was absolutely sure her mom was going slowly on purpose, just to mess with her. Finally, they were walking out the door, Auntie Alice waving at them from the study window. They hopped into the family VW Bug, green of course, and began the short drive to the school. The school being so close was a great bonus; she could bike it there no problem in good weather.
Less than five minutes later they were pulling into a mostly deserted school parking lot. It was the middle of the summer, after all. Delia was practically vibrating with excitement and nerves as they walked up the front steps. Standing by the doors was a middle-aged man in a casual button up shirt and khakis. His balding head shone in the sunlight, and his kind smiled immediately eased most of her butterflies. He shook her mother's hand, then hers when they reached him.
"Hello there! I'm Mr. Fletcher, we spoke on the phone." At her mom's nod, he continued. "You're Delia, right?" he asked, turning to her.
"Right," she affirmed, trying her best to appear confident. He smiled again and gestured to the doors.
"Well, shall we get started ladies? It shouldn't take too long, just some preliminary tests on a computer. Then we can get you all settled for the new semester," he explained as he lead them through the front doors and through the hallways. With every step, Delia could feel her excitement and determination grow. This year was going to be epic. She'd already made friends at the school, she knew she'd be placed in good classes due to her studious nature, and she was just so happy to finally get the chance to be around people her age. Now, all she had to do was get through these tests, and she'd be able to start a new chapter...
Later that day...
With the windows down and the music blasting, Delia and her mom were singing along, loudly and off key. She'd aced all the tests! She was right with other students her age, making her a sophomore. She was also going to be able to take a few advanced classes, meaning that eventually she'd be able to graduate early. She figured that would make her college application look pretty good. Once they had pulled out of the parking lot, waving goodbye to Mr. Fletcher, they'd dropped all pretense of politeness and started yelling and squealing with delight. She was pretty sure they had frightened the driver next to them at the red light, but she didn't care one bit. Suddenly, she was pulled into another one-armed hug by her mother.
"I'm so proud of you, baby girl!" her mother crowed with a huge smile. Delia felt pretty proud of herself, too. She had been so worried about not doing well on the test, but it turned out to be really simple for her. She had excelled especially in the English and Literature tests, as well as her French test. Mr. Fletcher had been impressed with her advanced skills in the foreign language, mentioning that the French teacher would be pleased to have a new star student. That had made Delia blush. Being home-schooled meant she was the only student, and as an only child there was no one to compete with the be the star of the class.
"Thanks, momma," she grinned, pulling herself back into her seat. "I can't wait to tell Auntie Alice and the guys." Her mother laughed and nudged her with an elbow.
"It's only been a few days and you're already so attached to those boys," she teased. "Does my baby have a crush on one?"
"Mom!" Delia exclaimed, blushing crimson, "They're just good friends! Anyway, I don't even know them well enough to crush on one," she said firmly. Her mom just chuckled and shook her head, obviously not convinced.
"Uh huh, sure," was her only reply, countered with a poke that made her mom yelp. "No poking the driver! No poking the driver!" Delia collapsed into giggles, waving a finger around threateningly. Her mom scoffed at her and gave her hand a swat, missing by a mile. They turned onto their street a few minutes later, turning down the music so as to not incur the wrath of the neighbors. Soon they were pulling into the driveway, Auntie Alice already outside and waiting for them. She was seated on the white wrought iron bench in the middle of the front yard garden, happily tossing some bird feed into the grass for the numerous little birds surrounding her.
The birds hopped out of the way as Delia and her mother joined Alice on the bench, but didn't fly away. Delia was willing to bet money that her aunt was the only human these little birdies liked. Animals always liked the Collins', especially her aunt. Alice turned to her to give her a warm hug, before pulling back and asking how it went. Delia launched into an animated explanation of the tests and how easily she breezed through them, occasionally reaching into the bag and tossing some feed to the birds. Soon, she had some bird friends of her own, one even so daring as to hop into her lap. She gave the little bluebird some seeds from her palm, stroking his head lightly with the other hand. It absolutely loved that, preening and chirping.
Suddenly, in the middle of Delia's recount of the chemistry test, all the birds took to the air in a flurry. Once she could see through all the falling feathers, she spotted the cause of the sudden upheaval. Her kitten, Mr. Toby, was walking proudly towards her, a few gray feathers clenched in his little jaws. She couldn't help but laugh even as her aunt started to berate the striped and spotted orange kitten. Mr. Toby just blinked owlishly at her, then jumped up into Delia's lap and spat the feathers out. He looked so pleased with himself, and she couldn't deny the little thing affection. His bright yellow eyes closed contentedly as she pet him, a loud purr emanating from his throat.
Once her aunt had calmed down, they moved to the living room couch so she could continue her narrative. At the end her aunt clasped her hands and beamed at her.
"I knew you'd do well, dear. I just knew it," she claimed, eyes gleaming. Delia grinned back, swinging their hands between them.
"She certainly did do well, and now..." her mother trailed off mysteriously, making Delia stick out her tongue and laugh at her raised eyebrows, "it's time to go... DUN DUN DUN... shopping!" Delia laughed gleefully threw her arms up in victory.
"Let's do this!" she cried, jumping to her feet and striking a superhero pose. "That mall won't even know what hit it!" She ignored her mom's sniggering and turned to her aunt. "Do you want to come with us, Auntie? It'll be lots of fun," she asked kindly. Her aunt shook her head and patted her hand.
"No, thank you dear. I'll be just fine here. You two go and have fun," she assured her. Delia couldn't help but feel a small twinge of disappointment and sadness, but she understood that her aunt wasn't comfortable in public places. She bent down and gave her aunt a kiss on the cheek, winking at her as she stood straight.
"Don't you worry about that, Aunt Alice. I'm going to shop the crap out of that mall." Her aunt chuckled in reply, and Delia plopped Mr. Toby into her lap before turning to her mom. "Ready, momma?" Her mom stood and laughed, putting an arm around her shoulder.
"Sweetheart," she whispered, "I was born ready!"
Yay! Shopping! What will Delia encounter at the mall, I wonder? Teehee, spoilers!
~Sam
