LXXV.                                         Heartbreak Weather

Odessa was both nervous and excited for college tour weekend. She had been listening to Miguel panic about Stanford for weeks now and each time, she assured him that he had no worries about getting in. But now that it was college day, she was worried herself. She'd gotten good grades almost her entire high school career but Stanford was more than just getting good grades. It was about names and community. She also needed to write a really good essay.

Her dad had spent the whole morning in tears. "I just can't believe you're old enough to be talking about college," Christian told her in the kitchen. "I've missed so much."

"Dad, stop crying." She laughed. "I still have a whole year left."

"I know, I know, but college is a big deal. I never got to go. I want you to get into the best school you can."

"Well, Stanford is one of the best." She grabbed a bottle of lemonade out of the fridge. "Miguel and I have been, like, going crazy over it."

Christian turned to her. "You guys want to go to the same school?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

Odessa nodded. "Well, I've always wanted to go there and when Miguel told me he was considering Stanford also, I thought it would perfect. Y'know, two best friends going to the same school." She said with a smile.

"Yeah, I get it." Her dad nodded. "Y'all remind me of Johnny and I a little. Thick as thieves we were."

She smiled against his reminiscence. "I know, I hear it all the time." Her phone dinged and she saw that it was a text from Eli telling her that he was outside. "Oh, Eli's here. I gotta go." Odessa said and put her phone back into her pocket. "I'll be home later!"

"Okay, have fun honey!" Christian called out as she ran out of the kitchen. "But not too much fun! Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Hearing him, she giggled and exited her house. She ran to Eli's car and opened the passenger door, seeing Demetri and Oliver in the back. "Hey guys."

"Hey, good looking." Eli greeted her and started to back out of the drive way. "Have any of you talked to the others?"

"Hailey's riding with Gray and Miguel's riding with Sam." Oliver explained while reading his phone. "Grayson asked if we plan to go to any parties so he can bring his cowboy hat."

Demetri narrowed his eyes. "He has a cowboy hat?"

"He calls himself Casanova Hamilton," Odessa explained with a giggle.

"Uhh, I'm not sure. Just tell him to bring just in case." Eli answered.

Oliver let out a whistle as he responded to the text. "Dess, check the group chat." He told her.

Odessa opened her phone and saw the text he had sent:

F.R.I.E.N.D.S Reunion 👏🏻
Monica (Odessa)
Rachel (Hailey)
Chandler (Oliver)
Joey (Grayson)

Chandler
Gray, bring the hat just
in case.
Oh, and bring those light up
sunglasses!

Monica
Oh boy, is Casanova Hamilton
making an appearance tonight?

Joey
You know it babe
I got you Ollie, don't worry

Rachel
oh boy

Demetri was leaned over and reading the group text. "How come we don't have a group chat?" He asked them all. "I feel like we should have one big karate group chat. How cool would that be?"

"Ahh yeah, I think Grayson said something about that." Oliver brought up. "He said to call it You Can't Sit With Us."

Eli snorted a laugh. "Why?"

"Cause we're the cool kids, obviously."

"Says who? You?" Odessa asked, looking at him over her shoulder.

Oliver mocked her.

"I already have a group that with Sam, Tory, and Hailey. It's called The Sisterhood of the Traveling Gis." She said with a cute smile.

"How original." He said sarcastically and she flipped him off.

Odessa was overwhelmed by the amount of booths set up in the building. She visited all of them from Brown University to Santa Monica college trying to keep an open mind about where she'd like to go after graduation, but Odessa had her heart set on Stanford.

"Thank you," she smiled at a woman that handed her a brochure.

"I'm like extremely overwhelmed right now," Hailey said when she joined her side, a handful of brothers tucked under her arm.

"Yeah, same. Any ideas on where you want to go?" Odessa asked, seeing as how she had yet to pick a college.

"Anywhere if it means my mom doesn't have to slave away to keep paying the bills." Her friend answered. Ahead of her, she saw Grayson checking out the Santa Monica stand with Oliver. "I already know where Oliver wants to go, but, do you think Gray wants to stay close?"

When they were entered high school, Thalia talked to all of the friend group about where they would want to go to college someday. Of course being that young, none of them had a clue until Odessa was the first one to make a decision. Oliver was next, he wanted to go to Berkeley. Hailey and Grayson were the ones that were unsure about college but they still worked their assess off to be considered for a good college. Especially Hailey who always voiced that she wanted to make a life for herself so she could repay her mother.

"Grayson will go wherever we go, Hails. He'll most likely choose somewhere in the middle." Odessa explained. "I mean, Stanford and Berkeley are about an hour away from each other. Ooh, why don't you consider Sacramento?"

Hailey shuffled through the brochures until she found the one she was looking for. "Right here." She said with a smile, holding up a California State University, brochure. "So what about your man? Still considering MIT?"

She chuckled. "I mean, it's the only thing I've been hearing about since we started dating."

"And you're okay with that? MIT's, like, a hella long ways from here."

Odessa shrugged. "I mean it makes me sad but who am I to get in the way of his dream school? I'll have you and the others to keep me company, and hopefully if Miguel gets into Stanford I'll have him, too."

"I heard my name," Miguel voiced when he walked up behind them.

The girls turned around. "I was just saying if we both get into Stanford then I won't feel as lonely when everyone leaves." Odessa explained to him. "You're still considering Stanford, right?"

He nodded quickly. "Yeah, yeah. I just think it's a good idea to choose something closer too, y'know?"

Hailey pointed at him. "Smart boy. Always have a back up. Unless you're like Little Miss Smarty Pants over here," she jabbed and looked at her friend. "Miss I've never gotten a bad grade in my life."

Odessa just grinned.

"I've never seen so many nerds talking about robots in my whole life till just now," Oliver commented as he came and joined them, Grayson, Eli, and Demetri with him as well.

Demetri looked offended. "Excuse me."

"Oh, come on, babe, I love you but you're still a nerd." He said and grabbed his hand. "But you're a hot nerd and those are the best kinds."

The boyfriend rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I don't even know why we're wasting our time here," he said, looking at Eli. "We're dead set on MIT. All this is doing is disappointing these vultures who think they can pull us in but unfortunately can't."

Odessa scoffed a laugh. "We're here because we have options, Demetri. Take advantage of it," she said and went to Eli's side, grabbing his hand.

"Yeah, cause everybody here is just itching to get you to go to their school," Hailey said sarcastically.

Oliver laughed. Demetri shot him a look and the laughter died. "Loosen up, baby. This weekend's supposed to be fun."

"Yeah, just like I'll be having fun if we can find a party. I didn't bring my hat for nothing." Mentioned Grayson. At that, he whacked Oliver on the arm. "Ooh, Ollie, I brought the glasses!"

"Yes!" The red head cheered and the pair left to go to Grayson's truck.

Hailey rolled her eyes and followed them.

The group of friends decided to tour the College of the Valley. "Over here you'll see our multi-level library, re fourth largest in the San Fernando Valley." Their tour guide informed them.

"What are we doing here? If the University of Phoenix wasn't online, it'd be this." Demetri complained.

"Chillax, okay? I still need to keep my options open." Miguel answered.

"Yeah, babe. Not everybody has their whole life planned out like you," Oliver said sarcastically.

"I think it's great. It would definitely fit you," Odessa encouraged while looking around the college. "Buttt Stanford would fit you too."

Miguel sent her a look. "You know I'm trying, Dess."

"Of course you are."

"I don't care where we go. I just want to party." Grayson said for the hundredth time. "Do they have Greek Life here?"

"I don't know. Maybe we can ask—" Odessa started to say but she was interrupted by someone knocking their tour guide to the ground. The group of friends flinched. "—someone."

Seeing Brucks and Kyler, Hailey's face darkened to a nasty glare. "Oh bitch, you better be joking."

"You just got Brucksted!" Kyler exclaimed while laughing uncontrollably.

"Am I dreaming? Please tell me I'm dreaming." Oliver pleaded with staring at the two in disbelief.

"Oh. What's up, guys?" Kyler said upon seeing them all.

"Kyler, you go to school here?" Miguel questioned in disbelief.

He laughed again. "Nah, it's more like this school goes to me. You know what I'm saying?"

"No. Nobody ever does." Hailey answered bluntly.

Odessa never thought she'd have to see Kyler and Brucks again after they graduated, something she was relieved about, considering they made high school for her a living hell. But now seeing them again made her uncomfortable.

"What's up, Oliver? Long time no see." Kyler said to the red head.

"Not long enough." Oliver responded in Hailey's blunt tone of voice. He seemingly squeezed Demetri's hand harder causing him to flinch.

"Look man, I'm really sorry about everything that went down, especially the fight in the cafeteria." Kyler apologized, looking between the boyfriends. "It wasn't cool."

"Yeah, homophobia's not cool, bro." Grayson defended his friend while simultaneously trying to keep his girlfriend from lunging at him.

"No, no, you're right. I'm really sorry." Kyler continued. "I don't want any bad blood."

At that, Odessa squeezed Eli's hand and looked away, sucking in a breath.

"See you at the house, Ky?"

"Bet."

Brucks walked off and Grayson's eyes widened. "You guys got Greek Life?" He asked with perked ears.

"Yeah, man, you kidding? Best frats in the Valley!" Kyler exclaimed with another laugh.

"Wait, so you and Brucks both go here?" Demetri asked. He hummed. "That makes sense."

Hailey glanced at Miguel. "Might want to check this place off your list." She whispered.

"No, he's just visiting," Kyler denied. "He goes to MIT."

Demetri was certain that if Oliver wasn't holding his hand, he would have collapsed. "I'm sorry. Did you say MIT?"

"Definitely didn't see that coming." Oliver muttered in shock.

"Yeah, and he's killing it too. So we hanging out or what. You guys wanna party?"

"Hell yeah!" Grayson said triumphantly. "Ollie, come help he get the stuff." As they walked into the direction of his truck, Grayson turned back around and grabbed Hailey's hand. "You too. I don't need you killing anybody."

Seeing Odessa hang back as they started walking to the frat houses, Eli went back to her side. "You alright?" He asked, seeing her holding herself.

She nodded gingerly. "Yeah. Uh, you go have fun. I'll probably just go home."

Eli frowned. "What, why?"

"Because I don't want to party with the guys who made my high school experience a living hell?" She responded like it was obvious.

"What, you think they didn't make mine miserable?" He asked with a small laugh. When she didn't laugh, Eli stopped. "Okay, hey," he said and grabbed her arms, pulling them from her waits to hold her hands. "Let's just go for a little while. If you're not having fun and still want to leave then we'll leave, no questions asked. Alright?"

Odessa thought about it. She never was really a partier to begin with but partying with a bunch of college kids she didn't know on top of Kyler and Brucks didn't sound like a fun day to her at all. But she was with her friends, people that would protect her from anything. She didn't want to mess up their weekend. "Okay." She answered with a slight nod.

Eli smiled. They started following the others. "And don't worry. If anyone tries to do anything, I'll kill them." He declared while swinging their hands back and forth.

"I know you will, baby."