A/N: Before I get started, I have some shoutouts to do!
Lil Kimi: Thanks for all of the support! After all, it was your story primarily that made me think of doing a Rugrats story in the first place. Hugs and kisses! And yeah, Finally Seniors is the sequel name, and it's starting right after this one's over. I have a whole series, complete with crossovers and original works planned. Yep, I'm a loser.
Starry Nights: The other person who inspired me. I wanna write like you!
I Am The Bunny Slayer: Sorry, I am bad! But glad to know that you are still digging this. No, you won't have to wait until October for more Joe/Dil action. I'm not that patient myself!
The Energizer Bunny: Glad you love the phrases. "Dirty-dirty" is something that I use occasionally.
nanakiKeeper of the Atlantis: SHHS actually stands for Silver Heights High School, the fictional town I made up as the setting for this and some other stories that aren't published yet.
iluvcarmel: I can't wait for the next chapter either! lol
phildude: If you don't know what the secret is by now, there's no hope. (Kidding!)
fetch: Yeah, you know that I said that a Dil/Phil pairing would affect later chapters. But thanks for the encouragment!
Need To Know Basis Only: Excellent! Gonna make my head turn, you are!
Princess_Angelica_27: Glad to know that you're digging the Phil/Angelica romance. I like 'em, too!
redrose2310: Much love for the Joe/Dil idea, but I wanna keep my R rating, not go to NC-17!
Liyshanti: Thanks for the love, girl! Remember to write me when your story is up.
les: Guess what? I live near Purdue too! But I have a feeling that I'm not as close as you.
Jaded Rose: Don't worry, these chapters aren't going anywhere! And I'm sorry that you took your story down, but you had to do what you felt best.
Beloved: My buddy! So, you finally discovered what exactly I've been up to in the Rugrats section. C'mon, you knew there had to be slash somewhere. It's me!
ColbyWolf: You know what? I was just thinking how much I hate OC's, but I almost always add one in my own writing. Glad that you like Joe, 'cause that would suck. Thanks!
Spanishgoddess86: Your wish is granted!
So, big thanks for all who reviewed so far. Ya'll keep the story going!
And sorry if you reviewed after I posted this. I'll try to acknowledge reviews chapter by chapter after this. So don't worry- you'll get yours!
One last thing- so so sorry for the delay on this chapter. The original intent was to finish this story with the school year, but RL is kicking my butt. So, no prediction on when the last chapter's out, but hopefully it won't take me as long as this one.
On to...
May
Tommy:
"Why are we doing this again?"
I laughed at Phil's disgruntled expression. "Because we have, um, significant others that will kill us if we don't get tuxes."
We were sitting in the tuxedo shop, getting fitted for the prom. Actually, I don't know why Phil was grumbling, because Angelica had already called the shop, telling them exactly what colors he should get and everything. All he needed to do was get the right size. On the other hand, Lil had left my choice entirely up to me, telling me that she trusted my taste. That was good, but with so many choices, I was feeling a little overwhelmed.
"Um, I kinda like that one," I said, pointing to a futuristic-looking tux with no collar and one button. It was a deep blue, and since Lil had told me that her dress was black, there wouldn't be a problem with clashing. As the salesperson turned to go get the tux in my size, I went over to Chuck, who was studying the shoes intently. "Hey, you alright?" I asked him.
"I'm fine. Why couldn't we just wear jeans and t-shirts?" he answered only half-jokingly.
"I'm sure that would go over well with Susan."
"Well, whatever. She already told me what to get."
"Man, you guys have it easy," I groused. "Lil told me I was on my own."
"You know who has it easy? Dil and Joe. All they have to do is match each other. No fooling with corsages or junk like that."
"Don't let the girls hear you say that," I warned, laughing. "Are you about finished?"
"Yeah. I'll just wear the same thing I wore last year."
"I forgot about this being your third prom," I mused.
"Yeah. It's funny though, that all the prep is boring, but the actual thing is okay. The after parties are wicked, though."
"I know," Phil piped up. He had wandered over after the salesperson had finished with him. "Did you hear about Jeff's party?"
"Yeah, but it'll get shut down. He lives in a condo, so his neighbors aren't going to let him get away with anything." Chuck pointed out.
We started walking outside into the sunny day, when my mom pulled up with Dil. He leapt out of the car and turned a cartwheel. "I've been wanting to do that for six weeks now!" he yelled excitedly.
"Okay, Dil's not on the pain pills anymore, is he?" Phil asked me.
"Nah. Hey," I hollered out the window to Dil, "getting your stuff for the prom?"
"Yeah. I already got my tux picked out. I just gotta get it fitted."
"We have to go make sure that the girls' corsages are right, whatever that means. See you later."
"Bye!" Dil turned another cartwheel while Mom parked the car.
"So," Chuck asked as we got into the car, "What are we doing after the prom?"
"I was thinking that we could go to the official afterparty, but we know how fun that'll be. Punch and cookies, whoo-hoo!" Phil said sarcastically.
"I know." I fell silent and thought for a moment, thinking. "Well, I heard that the nerds were having a bowling party."
"Way to be PC there, Tommy," Chuck said dryly. "Anyway, they're not nerds. They're the Bowling Club."
"Big distinction there," I muttered, but dropped it before I pissed Chuck off. "So, does that sound cool?"
"Fine with me," Phil shrugged.
"Same here," Chuck turned into the florists' parking lot.
Lil:
"Well, what do you think about... this?" I emerged from the dressing room, this time wearing a long ball gown in a powder blue.
"Um, looks old. And way too goody-goody." Kim murmured.
"Ugh!" I went back into the dressing room and pulled the dress over my head hurriedly. I came back out to where Kim, Angelica, and Susan were sitting. "Why can't I just find a dress?"
"You should have just stuck with the one you had at first." Angelica suggested.
"The black one?" I asked, surprised. "I thought you thought that one was plain."
"Well, it is," Susan allowed, "but in a good way. See, it's very flattering, and you can wear jewelry with it without overpowering it."
"I see your point," I said slowly. "Okay."
I went over to the discard rack and took off the dress they were referring to. It was a black satin dress, sleeveless and short, but not overly so. It had a sweetheart necklace as opposed to being spaghetti strapped, which gave it the impression of being both daring and innocent.
"Well, okay, I guess I can go for this one." I went up to the counter, much to the relief of my friends.
"Girl, I thought you've have us here all day!" Kim exclaimed.
"Just because you've had your dress picked out since last year doesn't mean... oh hell, I lost my thought. Never mind."
Angelica gasped dramatically. "Oh my god, Lil said a bad word! Where's the soap?"
"I say bad words all the time!" I protested, blushing.
"Lil, you say things like heck and shoot, and occasionally darn, which makes you blush when you say it. Like now."
I wanted to growl and say something that would blister their ears, but instead, I just walked out the door with my dress. As we walked out the door, we spotted Tommy's car flying past.
"At least they're heading toward the florists'," Angelica commented.
I nodded in agreement as we got in the car.
"Well, at least we got our dresses taken care of. Now hair. I was thinking, I might get my hair ironed out and curled." Susan said, making Kim, Angelica, and I look at her.
"Okay, I'm thinking I need more ethnic friends," Susan muttered.
"I'm wearing mine in a half bun with chopsticks stuck through the bun," Kim said. "I painted the chopsticks to match my dress."
"I think I'll just surprise you," Angelica said wickedly. "C'mon girls, we have accessories to buy."
Kim:
Later that night, as I was getting home, I walked in the door to a ringing phone. Since everyone else was out, I dove for it before the answering service could pick it up.
"Hello?" I said breathlessly.
"Kim? I was hoping I would catch you."
"Tim, hi," I said a little nervously. Since the spring break debacle (as I referred to it) had happened, Tim and I had barely spoken three words to each other. Even though I knew he was back in town for the summer, this was the first time I had spoken to him.
"How've you been?" he said formally.
"Fine, just fine, and you?" As he started to answer, I interrupted him. "Scratch that. Why are we talking to each other like we're strangers?"
There was silence on the other line for the moment.
"Are you at home?" I asked him.
"Yeah."
"Wanna meet me at the playground?"
"Okay."
I hung up the phone and left my house. The playground we were talking about was an old school with older playground equipment. None of us had went to there for elementary, but some of the people we went to high school with did. The walk took about ten minutes, and I entered the parking lot just as Tim's car pulled up. He got out of his car and we sat on the swings for about ten minutes before I broke the silence.
"This is weird."
"Kim, do you still wanna go to the prom with me?"
The question fell between us like a leaded balloon. I had considered not going, but-
"We haven't broken up." Yet, the little voice in my head added.
"I know. It's just, you seem unhappy. Like on spring break."
"Well, try having your boyfriend dragging you all over the place, and see how you feel!"
"Kim, there was a time where you would have had fun there, and..." Tim's voice quieted down to a whisper. "Had fun with me."
I almost fell off the swings, I was so thunderstruck. Tim was right. When we first started going out, I let him choose most of the things we did, because I knew I was going with him, and plus, I would learn things from the museums he chose. 'When did I get so intolerant?' I asked myself.
"You're right," I said aloud. "I'm sorry." I looked down at the ground.
"I'm sorry too. I guess I should have asked you, but I just assumed-"
"And we all know what they say about assumptions," I said, flashing back to the conversation Lil and I had in Florida.
Tim smiled at that, and I smiled too, glad to see that he wasn't upset anymore.
"Well, wanna go do something?" he suggested shyly. "You can pick."
"How about we just play?" With that, I started pumping on the swing, enjoying the back and forth motion. "I can get higher than you!"
"Yeah, dream on, shorty!" Tim put his swing in motion. "You're on!"
We swung until my butt was numb and my hands were tired from holding onto the chains. I jumped off in midair, landing in a crouch position on the ground. Tim followed, collapsing to his side and panting heavily. I crawled over to him and nipped him on the nose.
"Okay?" I asked.
"Yeah." He got to his feet and I scrambled up, and we headed to his car slowly.
"I don't want this to end," Tim said softly.
"Neither do I," I said. "Wanna go cruising?"
"Sure." Tim gave me an odd look, but opened the car without comment. As we drove off, I glanced back at the swings, which were still moving, and felt oddly sad. I knew changes were coming in the future, but I didn't know if they were for the better or the worse.
Lil:
The week zoomed by, and before we knew it, Saturday was here. I woke up bright and early, and ran to my mirror to examine my face to make sure I hadn't broken out overnight or something. Satisfied that I still looked the same, I went over to my phone and dialed.
"Hello?"
"Hey Kim, it's me," I said, flopping back on my bed.
"Did you look in the mirror?"
"Yeah, and I'm all clear. You?"
"Ditto. So, what are you going to do to kill time until you can get ready?"
"Honestly? Go back to sleep. I swear, I stressed over this so much last night that it would serve me right to get a zit."
"You wild woman, you," Kim laughed. "My mom and I are going shopping. You're invited, if you can manage to stay awake."
"I think I can. Let me get dressed, all right?"
"Okay. Meet me at my house in about a half hour."
"Deal." I hung up the phone and raced into the bathroom. I emerged ten minutes later (girls can be fast too) to find Phil lounging on the opposite wall.
"Hey," I greeted him. "What's up?"
"What are you about to do?"
"Go shopping with Kim and her mom. Why?"
"You think you might go to a mall?"
"Probably."
"Could you pick me up a shirt? I picked up my tux, and the shirt that came with it doesn't fit right."
I frowned at that. "Why didn't they give you another one?"
"Because apparently I don't wear a 'normal size'," Phil said, using air quotes. "So, I need to buy one, because the soonest they could get another one in is Tuesday."
"Which so won't help you tonight. Okay, I'll do it. Write down the size and everything, will you?" I went back into my room to slip on a pair of shoes while I was waiting on Phil. He brought me the piece of paper just as I was about to head downstairs.
"Thanks again, Lil."
"No problem. Besides, I wouldn't want Angelica to kill you."
"She wouldn't kill me," Phil protested. "She would just rough me up a little."
I laughed again as I went downstairs and headed out the door.
Kim and I killed time so successfully that we were almost late getting home to get ready. I slipped into the dress, and then curled my hair and pinned it up on my head. Satisfied, I walked downstairs carefully, to where my parents were waiting.
"You look great," my mom told me.
"Thanks," I replied. "Dad, are you taking pictures?"
"No, Tommy said that he would next door."
I nodded, used to having Tommy record all of our special events. "Is Phil still upstairs?"
"Not anymore," Phil said, running down the stairs. His tux was a retro style, complete with tails. I could see why he needed a special shirt- the ensemble would have been messed up with just any old shirt.
"Looking good there," I said admiringly.
"Back atcha, kid," he replied. "Ready to get this show on the road?"
We headed next door to where everyone else was waiting.
Phil:
"Just one more picture!"
"Mom!" Tommy and Dil protested. Tommy sighed as he positioned the camera one last time and set the timer. He got back in the group and managed to smile just as the camera went off.
"I think a roll of just us is plenty," Tommy said as he disassembled his tripod. "Besides, I'll take some pictures at the afterparty, not to mention that we're all getting our official pictures there."
"Well, okay," Mrs Pickles relented.
We sighed in relief and got ready to go. I looked around at everyone, taking in their outfits, and my eyes fell on Angelica. She had chosen a stark white dress, and worn her long blonde hair down. I walked over to her and whispered, "Did I tell you how positively... angelic you look tonight?"
She smiled, pleased. "Glad you think so. You look great in that suit." She took a step back and added teasingly, "Always knew you'd clean up good."
When we walked into the hall, there was only a few couples on the dance floor. Most of the people were milling around, getting their picture taken, drinking punch, and talking to their friends.
"Man. Does anyone dance at these things?" I wondered.
"Just wait until they break out the liquor. They'll dance all night." Angelica smirked as she pulled me over to the picture line. "Come on! I wanna remember this forever and ever!"
"You are such a freak," I laughed, ignoring the curious stares we were receiving. We got in line behind a couple we knew, who were laughing at us.
"Hey Jeff, Mellissa," I greeted them.
"Hi, Phil. Angelica! How was your first year at SVU?" Mellissa grabbed Angelica and they started moving off, much to Jeff's and my relief. We immediately stepped out of the picture line and started moving toward the punch table.
"So, I heard about your big thing tonight," I said conversationally.
Jeff's face brightened up. "Yeah, it's gonna be great! Both my parents and next door neighbors are out of town. One of the guys is bringing a keg, and a whole bunch of people are getting liquid refreshment, if you know what I mean."
"Huhmm," I murmured, not wanting to agree to come until I talked to my friends about it. "Okay."
"Jeff!" Mellissa came back over to stand next to us. "Sorry about that."
"It's okay. Still nervous about your early acceptance?"
She said something in reply as they moved off. I didn't hear it, because I was thinking about something myself.
Earlier in the year, my friends and I had been glad that we weren't seniors yet, if only because we didn't have to stress about college apps and transcripts and all that. But now, we had all of one month left as juniors, and the time we had dreaded was fast approaching.
Angelica came back up to me, sliding her hand in mine. "What's wrong? You seem pretty lost in thought."
"I was," I admitted. "Just thinking about next year."
"Oh. College and all that? It's not that hard if you have an idea of what you wanna do. Do you?"
"Not a clue," I said glumly, slumping my shoulders.
"Well, have an idea of what college you wanna go to?"
"One not too far away from you, and hopefully most of our friends." I replied immediately. "But other than that, no clue, again."
"Well, we have plenty of time to discuss this, that's not here." Angelica tugged at my hand and we started walking. When we ended back up in the picture line, I made a face, which Angelica caught.
"What? You thought I was letting you skip the whole picture thing? Nice try, DeVille."
Dil:
"We are gonna dance, right?"
Joe stopped and looked at Dil.
"Don't try to act like you don't know what I'm talking about. We got our picture, talked to all of our friends, hung out at the punch bowl, and even ran Pat home because she got sick. This is our prom, and I wanna dance!" Dil grabbed Joe's hand and started tugging him towards the dance floor.
"Are you sure? I mean, the people might be different, but the situation's still the same... you notice how many stares we've gotten already this evening?"
"I've already had the worst happen. I need... I need this, okay?"
Joe stopped resisting and kissed Dil quickly. "Love you."
"Love you too," Dil replied, smiling. "Now, shake it!"
They stepped onto the floor, where a fast song was playing. Dil laughed as they started moving to the beat, singing to the words under their breath.
"Now, grab your partners tight," the DJ boomed out. "It's time for... a slow jam."
The song was slow and seductive. Dil immediately took Joe by the waist and pulled him as close as he could. "I love this," he whispered, "dancing with you."
"Must be my mad skills."
Dil snorted quietly as they swayed back and forth. The song was going into the second verse when Dil noticed some people pointing and staring. "Don't look up," he said softly to Joe, "but some people are not digging this."
"Do you care?" Joe asked, not moving.
"Not particularly." Dil looked over at Tommy, who was standing next to Lil. Tommy caught his eye, and started walking over with Lil. Somehow, by the time Tommy was close enough to be in earshot, the whole gang had gathered. Silently, they formed a circle around Dil and Joe.
"What?" Dil asked, not understanding what they were doing.
"Enjoy your dance, Dil," Tommy replied, raising his voice slightly.
"Play another slow one, DJ!" Phil yelled out.
Chuck didn't say anything, but smiled reassuringly.
"If I cry because of this, don't call me a total sap, okay?" Dil whispered huskily.
"I'm touched, really I am." Joe replied.
"Yeah. We have the best friends."
As they danced, more people joined the circle, until half the people there, including chaperons and students Dil didn't even know, were standing around them.
"I think I'm not afraid anymore," Dil said wonderingly. "I was kinda worried that it might happen again, but it won't."
"No, not with our gang."
After the second song ended, Dil and Joe stopped dancing, and walked off the dance floor, but not before thanking their friends and family.
"Come on, we just wanted to be dramatic. You're giving us too much credit!" Angelica cracked.
Everyone laughed as they went their separate ways.
Chuck:
Chuck and Susan were dancing to a slow song, when Chuck stopped dead.
"What?" Susan asked, concerned.
"It just hit me. This is my last high school dance. You and I will never come to another thing like this as students of SHHS."
Susan nodded in understanding. "Finally realized what being a senior means?" she asked, smirking a little.
Chuck returned her smirk. "Yep." He looked around the room, to where his various friends were still dancing. "They'll all be here next year, and I won't."
"But you know what? You'll be too busy in your new life to really miss this."
"Think so?"
"Know so." Susan smiled and snuggled against him.
Tommy came up to them. "We're about ready to go. How about you guys?"
"End of this dance, we'll meet you outside, okay?" Chuck asked.
"Sure." Tommy moved off.
Tommy:
So, we ended up leaving before the actual prom was over. Chuck was right; the actual prom itself was okay, but the afterparties were what the night was about. We stopped in at Jeff's house briefly, but it was so packed out (and the people so drunk) that we were afraid of staying there. We went to the bowling alley where the nerds (okay, the Bowling Club) were at. That was the must fun, watching the gang bowl in formal attire. I took pictures as we watched Chuck get a turkey (he bowled three strikes in a row), and Kim scratched as she went over the line and almost fell. (For the record, I bowled a 102, not too bad.) Afterwards, we ended up at the diner that we had been to before.
"Okay, I thought that the food was only bad before because of the circumstances, but no. This is just crappy food." Angelica looked at the chicken fingers she had ordered. Some were still frozen, and others were burnt hard.
"You should've done like the rest of us and just ordered coffee and pie," Susan pointed out. "You know, like on TV, everyone always orders coffee and pie at diners."
"So is this the part of the evening where we affirm our love for each other and the group?" Lil asked jokingly.
"We did that last month," Tim dismissed, waving his hand.
"Okay, than I say, this is where we hurl lame insults at each other. Um, Phil," Chuck pointed, "Um, okay, you... are whipped."
"Yeah, yeah," Phil said in a bored way. "Tell us something we don't know."
We fell into talking about the school year in general, and the fact that it was almost over.
"I wonder what next year will hold," Joe said.
"If it's anything like this year, we will earn our afterschool special." Kim groused. "I just want a calm, peaceful senior year."
"Not me," Phil declared. "Next year, there should be a personal vendetta against our group that lasts the whole year and comes to a climax next June."
"Okay, no more '24' for you," Angelica said drily. "Personally, I'll be glad when all of us are done with high school. College rules!"
"According to you," Tim said. "I can't believe that I have three more years of this."
"I think I'm in the middle of you two," Susan added. "Not really bad, but not great, either."
"Well, Chuck, you'll be finding out soon enough!" Phil said fondly.
"Yep. It's hard to believe that graduation is next month."
"And then, onto summer!" we shouted.
========================================================================
Next chapter will be the end of "The Junior Year"! Can you believe it? So, no predictions, but soon, hopefully. Thanks!