The entire senior class of Sunset Valley High School sat in the same room. This was an unusual occurrence, since they were typically spread out between various classes. But they only had days until they graduated. Final grades were in. Today, they would be announcing what careers they wanted to go into, so that their future employers could rearrange their ranks to make room for new entry-level employees.
Dylan scanned the room, making a mental note of exactly who was doing what.
Terry Wan and Chanda Ursine sat together, fingers intertwined. Terry was going to be a doctor, while Chanda was going into music.
William Langerak sat near Nick Landgraab and Brittany Kimura, but a little apart. He snapped at the coordinator that he'd handle his own career, thanks.
Nick was following his mother into business, naturally. Brittany was going to become a screenwriter for horror movies. A lot of them shot in Sunset Valley. Apparently it was just the right mix of idyllic and creepy.
Dylan himself sat next to Johanna. They had begun a cautious friendship, and although he still didn't entirely trust her, she was the best friend he had.
Dylan had put a lot of thought into his career choice. He'd thought seriously about becoming a doctor, but eventually he'd decided that he would do more good as a policeman. It had been a hard decision. Part of him had really wanted to become a doctor so that he could find some way to fix his mother. He'd finally realized that wasn't a good reason to go into a job that he would likely have for the rest of his life, and that he'd enjoy police work more.
Johanna went last. She had already been recruited as a diplomatic interpreter, and she would work out of City Hall.
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After everyone had announced their career plans, they were free to go, so Dylan and Johanna went out for lunch at the same place Johanna had taken Dylan the day he forgave her. It had slowly become their place in the years since.
They ate in silence. After they were finished, Johanna spoke. “I'm going to miss you, you know.”
Dylan looked at her, surprised. “I'm going to miss you, too.” Johanna's new job required her to do a lot of travel, and her very first assignment would mean she was gone for at least a year, maybe more.
“I'm thrilled about the job, but Dylan, I'll really miss you.”
He was confused. “You already said that. Are you-”
He was cut off suddenly when she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his, just for a moment.
It was over quickly. After, he opened his mouth to respond, but found he couldn't figure out what to say. He was literally speechless.
“Just think about it, okay? I don't want to force you to make a decision now. We can talk again when I come back.”
As she walked away, he blinked, still shell-shocked. He briefly reached up and touched his lips. Then he smiled. That wasn’t how he’d imagined his first kiss, but actually? It had been perfect.
Then his face fell. Except for the part where she went away for an unspecified extended period of time. That part was decidedly less than perfect.
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“You’re sure?”
“Positive. Did you not get the picture?”
“I did, but I make a point to always double-check.”
“So you’ll make the arrangements?”
“As soon as you complete your end of the agreement.”
“Of course. His name is Dylan. Dylan Doe.”
“Perfect.”
Author's Note: This is the very last Dylan chapter before the heir poll. The Ayla chapter should be out sometime later today, but I'm not sure how long it'll take to shoot. I'm going to try to get the heir poll itself out this evening.
The whole thing with sim careers has always bothered me. Real people can never just walk in, say "I want a job" and get one. So the whole thing at the beginning is my way of handling it. In my mind, that's just how it works in the sim universe. Next time: Ayla runs for office!
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