The present

Ophelia had called Lou. Which was odd, considering the two of them hadn't talked in two years. Lou was shocked and confused, but she answered all the same. Some part of her assumed that Ophelia just wanted to confirm details for the next week, plan out any meals or snacks, that sort of thing. 

Ophelia did want that, but she also wanted to test the waters. Lou and her had left off on such an odd foot, she no longer knew where they stood. Her plan had been to call Lou under the guise of vacation planning, then see where the conversation led. 

It had now been 45 minutes, and they were still talking. It felt natural, even to Lou, to fall back into the way they used to talk over coffee and color-coordinated notes. It had been so long that it should have been awkward, but it was surprisingly easy to simply pretend they were the two girls who had once spent so much time together. Perhaps it was because even back then, they were pretending.

"So," Ophelia started after a moment of silence. She wanted to ask the question that had been plaguing her for months. "Do you think Tyler's going to be there?"

Lou had considered it, of course. She wanted to say he wouldn't be, or more accurately, she hoped he wouldn't be. 

"I mean, I think Vallie would have mentioned if he was coming, right?" Lou responded. She was in her kitchen, her cellphone on speaker as she prepared herself a salad for lunch. 

"Would she have, though?" Ophelia pondered. She was sitting at her desk, her knees pulled up against her chest as she swiveled back and forth in her chair. "I talk to Vallie every once in a while, and she like never mentions him."

"Maybe they're getting divorced." Lou snorted out blankly. She didn't mean it seriously, but when Ophelia didn't respond, she began to actually think about it. Why had Vallie decided to reach out now? Could it be that her and Tyler were going through a rough patch, and this was how she wanted to break the news?

"Don't get my hopes up." Ophelia smiled to herself. Spending a week with the old Vallie, the one before Tyler, would be a dream. "Enough about them, we'll see in a week if he's there or not. Have you spoken to any of the others?"

Lou paused her motion, sitting down the knife she had been using to dice a tomato. She hadn't really spoken to anyone outside of the group chat they had been using for planning. Marc and Nadia were two people she hadn't kept in touch with at all since parting ways so that wasn't much of a surprise. Amory and her had texted a bit, nothing of relevance worth noting to Ophelia, though. Then there was Caspar, whom she had not spoken to at all since the morning after Vallie's wedding. The thought alone made her stomach flip.

"Nope, not really." Lou answered nonchalantly, resuming her motions. "I assume you have, though."

"A bit." Ophelia shrugged, though of course Lou could not see her. "Everyone except for Nadia, but I guess that's to be expected. She was hard to pin down even before the time difference."

Lou hummed noncommittally. It had been about 4 months since she accepted Vallie's invite, and in all the time since she had actively avoided thinking too hard about what the week would bring. She didn't want to fall into a cycle of overthinking and worrying, because if she did she might just back out altogether. Too much had changed, including her. What if these people whom she once held so closely, saw her now and showed the disappointment that she had already been feeling?

Ophelia was wary, if she were being honest with herself. She was excited, of course, but it seemed that she was more excited than any of the others that she had spoken with. There was a nagging fear that no matter how much effort she put in, it would not be enough. A fear that they would all find that they only worked as friends when they saw each other every day and it was convenient. No amount of writing could save her from that heartbreak. 

✩✰✩

Amory sat down on his couch and facetimed Marc. It was early evening, and he had spent hours working out before taking Genny to see a movie. He had found himself getting excited for the upcoming vacation, excited to see Marc, Lou, and all of the others. He felt so very out of place amongst his teammates, and in rooms of interviewers and fans. He was holding on to a hope that amongst his old friends, he would once again feel seen.

Marc was still at work, and most likely would be for several more hours. The last couple weeks had been a lot of late nights, leaving him with even less time to himself before his cooking classes. His grandfather was piling on his workload due to his upcoming time off, and more time with his grandfather meant more lectures about committing to law school. Still, despite his current stressors, he found himself answering Amory's call.

"Marc man! It's been way too fucking long." Amory spoke excitedly. The two had spoken occasionally over the last few years, especially since Amory was drafted to the Lions. Marc was always texted him after each game, and even bought tickets for their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Amory didn't hold it against the others for falling out of touch with him more, but he did appreciate the effort Marc put in. "Shit, are you still at work? Should I call you later?"

"Hey man," Marc smiled at his screen. "Nah, don't worry about it. I'll probably be even busier later, so nows fine."

"Right, those night classes. How are those going?" Amory nodded in understanding. 

"Good, actually really good, honestly. I only have a few credit hours I still need before I graduate." Marc found himself whispering and glancing around, despite being in his closed office. No one there knew about the cooking classes.

"Well, it sucks you have to go through the summer, but I guess it'll be nice when you have it all done." Amory nodded. From what Marc had said in the group chat, there was a short break next week before the second summer semester started, making it the perfect time for him to join the others. Everything seemed to be falling into place. "You all ready for next week, then?"

"Well, I haven't packed, but I know what I need to grab." Marc shrugged. "Mentally though? Probably not. I'm not really sure what to expect from everyone."

"Yeah, I get what you mean." Amory scratched at the back of his neck. "I'm sure once we're all together it'll feel right though, like old times. You'll make some fancy cocktails, Caspar and I will bore everyone with our book talk, Nadia will get so drunk someone will have to carry her to bed, Lou will end up talking us into doing a puzzle, Ophelia will convince us to do karaoke. It'll be spring break all over again."

Marc smiled warmly at his words, a sense of nostalgia filling his core. He noticed the way that Amory didn't mention Vallie, but he didn't comment on it. She had become a bit of a sore spot for Amory ever since the wedding, and Marc had learned not to bother bringing her up first. He worried, though, that if Amory still was holding on to some feelings of resentment or angry or worry, that it might make the trip hard. He made a mental note to watch for things going south, to not let Amory fall into one of his fits of rage. Especially if Tyler was there.

"And what if everything's different?" Marc quirked a brow. He meant the question lightly, but there was some real concern in it. Marc knew that he was so very different from when they went on spring break, and even if he hadn't kept in touch with the others as much as he'd like, he was willing to bet that they were different, too. "What if Nadia is sober and Lou hates puzzles and it's nothing like spring break?"

"Then you and I will still have fun." Amory shrugged. "That cabin is fucking beautiful, and the lake is only like a 10 minute walk away. I can get some time away to write, you can finally show me all your new fancy cooking skills. I think it'll be impossible for us to have a bad time."

Marc nodded, still smiling. He could only hope that Amory was right.

✩✰✩

Caspar sat his book aside after finishing a chapter. He was enthralled in the story so far, a modern horror on a cannibalistic woman eating the men in her life who wronged her. He was a little over halfway through, and he considered texting the title to Amory as a recommendation, but something told him maybe that wasn't really Amory's thing. Still, he was on his phone now, and he found himself scrolling to Vallie's contact. He clicked the call button and held the phone to his ear. It rang for a bit, so long that he thought she wouldn't pick up. Just as he was going to end the call and get back to reading, he heard her voice.

"Hey." She sounded almost out of breath, but her voice made him smile all the same. Some part of him realized it was the first time he was hearing her since her wedding.

"Hey Val, did I catch you at a bad time?" He sat forward on his couch.

"No, no, you're good. I'm just up at the lake house getting things ready for next week, and it is so fucking hot out." She breathed out, a short laugh punctuating the end of her sentence. "What's up?"

"Oh nothing, really. I guess I just wanted to call and catch up." He felt almost embarrassed saying the words out loud. They seemed too vulnerable and honest, something a younger version of him wouldn't have minded telling a younger version of Vallie, but it felt wrong for who they were now.

"Oh." Vallie seemed surprised by his words it seemed, though not unpleasantly so. "Yeah, just give me one second." Caspar could hear the sound of a door opening and closing through the phone. When she spoke again, her voice was more clear and even. "How have you been?"

"Same as ever, I guess. I've been busy in the mornings, the school library is open during the week from 9 am to noon so that the kids can still check out books. Been reading a lot, but that's usual for the Summer."

"Any good recommendations?" Vallie questioned. She had always been a reader, though not quite as passionate about it as Amory, Caspar, and Ophelia. From what he could remember, she stuck solely to classic and modern romances or anything with a found family trope. She certainly would not enjoy his latest read.

"Well, there's—" Caspar started, but was cut off when he heard a faint voice in the background.

"Oh Cas, one second." Vallie spoke quickly, then he heard her call out. "I'm in the bedroom!"

There was a few moments of silence, and then he heard Tyler. He sounded angry, based solely on how loud and forceful his voice was. Caspar couldn't quite make it all out through the phone, but he was going on about how Vallie didn't iron his laundry properly or something. Even if he was a few hundred miles away, Caspar felt extremely uncomfortable by the man's tone.

"Are you on the phone?" Caspar heard Tyler ask clearly. It was strange, like the flip of a switch. His voice was no longer loud or angry, but even and calm. Perhaps he didn't like an audience.

"Yeah, just talking to my friend Caspar." Vallie spoke softly. There was whispering then, and Caspar wondered if Vallie held her phone away so he could not hear. After a few moments, her voice came through more clearly. "Hey, Cas, I actually have to go. I'm excited to see you next week, though."

"Oh, no problem." Caspar spoke, but he knew Vallie didn't hear all of it. She hung up before he was finished getting his words out.

There was an anxiety filling him now. He didn't like that, not at all. Caspar spent enough time bouncing between bad foster homes when he was young to know that tone Tyler was holding. If it weren't for his parents, whom loved each other so dearly, he might still believe that all married couples spoke to each other that way, that that was love. It wasn't love, and it certainly wasn't the fairytale that Vallie had always been chasing.

He wanted to reach out to someone, to tell them about his concerns, but he felt so disconnected. Amory and him weren't close, and he knew that telling him would only lead to trouble. It wouldn't make sense for him to reach out to Ophelia or Nadia, he wouldn't even know what to say to either of them. Marc was an option, but in the few times they had talked in recent years, he sounded so very tired all the time. Caspar couldn't trouble him with concerns, especially not ones that had only emerged after a very short conversation he didn't even fully hear. And then there was Lou. Sweet, wonderful Lou who he knew would listen to his concerns. Except, they hadn't talked at all since Vallie's wedding, and he didn't want to push.

After several moments of pondering, Caspar was resigned to the fact that perhaps due to his past, he was overreacting. Perhaps he was filling a narrative that did not exist, simply because of his history and his dislike of Tyler. If anything, he would save his worries and discuss it with the others on the way to the cabin. Him, Marc, Ophelia, and Lou would all be driving the four hours to the mountains once Lou landed in Pittsburgh. He could tell them then what he heard, and gauge if they were legitimate concerns. There was no reason for him to call and worry anyone before then.

Caspar picked up his book, subconsciously having a new understanding of the carnivorous protagonist.

✩✰✩

Nadia was packing. Not only did she need to pack two weeks worth of clothing for her trip, but she also needed to mostly have her apartment packed up as well. After her vacation, she was being sent to the UN's location in Vienna for her new position. Things were going to be hectic for the next month. She was scheduled to fly into Philadelphia in a week, where she would meet up with Amory and they would rent a car to get to the cabin. Once the week was up, she would be flying to visit her family for a week. Afterwards, she would fly back to Geneva, finish moving her things from her apartment, and then she would start her new role in Vienna.

Nadia was not a procrastinator, so most of her things were in boxes. She had already gone through all of her clothing, separating what she wanted to take with her back to the states, what she wanted to box up to move, and what she wanted to donate. Now, she was at a point where she was going through her photos, art, and decorations, deciding what she wanted to keep, toss, or donate.

Under her bed, she found a box of keepsakes that had gone untouched in the two years she lived there. Her mother had put it together for her, a going away gift of sorts. One of the things among it was a photo album, consisting of pictures from her youth all the way up until she moved. Nadia didn't consider herself an especially nostalgic person, but she needed a break, so she sat back and placed the album in her lap.

She flipped through her childhood photos with a small smile, passing various images of her with trophies for things like winning her elementary school spelling bee, or when her junior high team made it to the playoffs in basketball. Sometimes she forgot just how long she had loved to win.

After a while, she made it to the college portion of the book. There was a few action shots of her playing basketball or with her teammates, but mostly they were pictures of her and the others. There was a picture of her and Vallie sitting on the floor of her dorm room, wearing face masks and smiling up at the camera. She thought Ophelia took that picture, but perhaps it was Lou. There was a photo of her in her basketball uniform, her hair frizzy and messy, nearly falling out of her ponytail, with all 6 of the others standing around her after they had come to watch her play. There were dozens of pictures of the group at Vallie's lake house from both trips they had gone on.

She found herself smiling as she looked through the images, not quite realizing until that moment how she had missed the others. Perhaps she took them for granted back then, just a group of people she had met in her freshman year dorm hall that she didn't expect to ever see again after graduation. She had never expected to care for them all so deeply.

Nadia pulled her phone out of her back pocket and snapped a picture of one of the images. It was all seven of them sitting on the porch of Vallie's family's cabin. They had propped up the phone and set a timer. Vallie was in the middle of it all, pulling Lou into her left side. Beside Lou was Amory, leaning towards the two girls as well and holding two fingers up behind Lou's head. To Vallie's right, Caspar and Marc sat side by side, smiling. Ophelia was crouched behind them with an arm around each of their shoulders, her head peaking between their's and her smile bright enough to blind. Nadia was the standing behind them all, her arms up in the air and her mouth slightly open, like she may have been yelling or cheering. It was sweet and beautiful, one of the last times where they were all together and things were right.

Nadia sent the photo in the group chat, but only after realizing it had been several days since she had last replied. Oh well, she thought. She typed out a text to follow the image, then cast her phone aside and got back to work.

one more week! <3

___

And that is chapter 3! I am so excited to really get into their dynamics now and show how everything has changed :) As always, let me know if I got anything wrong with your characters or how you're liking things thus far!

Whose dynamic are you most excited to see when everyone gets back together?