Amalee Brook’s blue, expressive eyes were as if the ocean and the dancing sky became a tapestry woven. Serene, peaceful and full of newborn light. After all these years, from when she was Amanda Lee to now a household name, Amalee Kay, she still looked at the world with a certain innocence and wonder. She still had unquenchable curiosity, a sense of adventure and an indisputably playful nature. Although she was no longer a caterpillar, timidly crawling down a branch, although she was no longer cocooned and reflecting on her journey and the many places she would go, and although her butterfly wings had unfolded, revealing a beauty untold, Amanda and Amalee were one of the same.

The same girl that dreamed. That never stops dreaming. The same girl that felt restless at night and needed to put her emotion in paint strokes. The same girl that taught herself to sew and to make people feel something that she struggled feeling for many years of her life. The same girl that wanted others to feel happy in their skin, to love themselves and be liberated from the social constructs their world created. The same hopeless girl that got lucky and flew with her chance, never looking back.

The same girl…

As the sun warmed her face, Amalee turned away from it to look earnestly into the pool water. Her legs and feet made small waves, creating circles, meeting and touching one another, then leaving to do another round, left foot going counter clockwise, right foot going clockwise. Amalee thought to herself, silently and in her own world, about her life so far. In all honesty, she’s come a long way. Ten years ago she would’ve never imagined being here, on a yacht, spending the night away with her graduating class. She would’ve never imagined she’d come to this event, seeing how her memories weren’t all good. No, some of her highschool days she did a lot of crying, questioning herself and wanting to give up, never to reach the stars. Some of her highschool days she felt incredibly sad and like an outcast. Some of her highschool days she was lost, without a compass, unable to maneuver around the foreign territory that was King’s Academy. Even with all that being said, the good outweighed the bad. The good always outweighed the bad.

Ty taught her that.

She had classmates that saw her beyond her hammy downs and off brand accessories. She had classmates that marveled at her paintings and wanted her to enhance their prom dresses. She had classmates that invited her to parties and made her feel safe. She had classmates that loved her. To those that noticed the small embroidery and stitches she put on her uniform to make it subtly her own. To those that picked her up when no one else would, seeing her for who she was and not the status she was born into. To those that saw beyond themselves and showed her around, teaching her a few tricks along the way. They were her reason to chase her heart’s desires and find herself. They were the reason she became someone. They were the reason she keeps evolving and becoming more than she could’ve ever dreamed of becoming. They are the reason she believes.

“You need to send me pics of who you’re going to fuck, kay? Hate that I’m missing out but I GUESS this isn’t my graduating class. Ash, baby. Sweet Pea is in a daze again. Tell her to pay attention to me, ugh,” Aurora Zayani ranted, swaying her espresso martini glass around as she talked to her phone, which was leaned up against a vase. She was at one of her favorite brunch and watering hole spots in Beverly Hills. The Polo Lounge. For generations, this has been a hot place for stars and Hollywood deal-makers alike. Since she didn’t have her main squeezes to take, she decided to go by herself because why not? If she couldn’t go to her favorite places by herself, why bother going anywhere? If there was someone who exuded confidence and gave little to no fucks, it was without a doubt, Amalee’s business partner, Aurora. She was a force to be reckoned with and Asher Silverstein knew her well. A little too well. “I hope she took her anxiety meds, lord knows she needs to loosen up and have fun.”

Asher rolled his eyes and smiled fondly at his phone screen, well used to Rora’s antics by now. He should have known she’d have some whimsy she wanted him to fulfill for her while he wasn’t around for her to play with. Games were a recurring thing for the woman, and something Asher was often more than willing to play along with, but he had no idea who he would end up with tonight, or if he was really even feeling a one night fling with one of his old classmates, so agreeing to her demand would mean setting himself up to answer questions he wasn’t ready for. He’s always loved having fun, he has a list of flings a mile long and he’s still on good terms with most of them. He’s never had a problem finding someone for the night. Recently, however, unless he was having fun with Rora or having another rendezvous with Kole when she was in town, Asher found himself uninterested in his usual one-night stands. Sometimes he’d catch Ty and Ama doing something so damn cute and domestic that it keeps him up at night with thoughts of having someone to do the same things with. He found himself longing for a lifestyle he’s only ever been an observer of, and he doesn’t really know what to do about it. He’s already got his life pretty full, what with his job at the bank, taking care of the dogs, time allotted for friends that often get business mixed in since he handles their accounts, and running the socials and gaining partnerships for Asher’s Home For Adoptable Dogs.

Breaking himself of his thoughts before he too was as lost as Amalee, Asher asked of Aurora, “And what am I supposed to tell this potential lay when I whip out a camera to take a picture and then obviously send it in a message? Also Esty is at the house pouting with the dogs because she wasn’t invited either, if it makes you feel any better,” His little sister Esther was rather fond of Kai Qureshi, both as a friend and client of hers where she works in their banks’ travel department as an Operations Manager. The three of them have had many business lunches together before the traveler set off on another big adventure, and Esty was rather upset when she was told she couldn’t join them on the yacht and see the other woman before their next scheduled meeting. Asher had promptly patted her on the head and told her to suck it up and take care of the dogs before shouldering his bag and heading out with Ty and Ama. He might have felt bad under other circumstances, but they’d be seeing Kai together soon enough and Esty wasn’t alone, Ama’s father Adam would be helping with the dogs as well and those two had one of the weirdest but most wholesome friendships he’d ever seen. She’d get over it.

“Offering your baby sis to me? You naughty, naughty boy,” Aurora joked, taking another sip of her martini before glancing past Ash and at her best friend. She gestured for him to once again get her girl to snap out of whatever stupor she was in.

Finally getting Ama’s attention as requested, he reached out to toss his arm around Ama’s shoulder and draw her out of her reverie and further into frame, glancing over to her to relay, “Rora’s feeling left out and wants your attention, how dare you zone out and leave her with only me for entertainment, now she’s trying to get me to send pics tonight.”

“He’s going to do it or I’m going to leak his nudes,” Rora snickered, before adding, “I’m sure you’ve seen him right Honeybun? You live together, so I’m sure you are well aware of what he’s—”

The horn sounded.

Saving her friend, Amalee leaned into his chest and grabbed his phone, “Oh you hear that? It’s time to partayyyyy. Gotta’ go babes. Love you soooo much. Kisses.”

“Wait, I’m not done—”

“Bye-bye now.”

Click.

“Just ignore her for the next ten minutes and she’ll get bored,” Amalee handed Asher back his phone, staring up at him, with those pretty blues. “So…” She tried her best to change the subject on what Ash was packing, pretending she hadn’t thought about it at all in the time she’s known him, “You excited?” She thoughtfully asked, not realizing there could be more than one meaning to her question, especially after Rora’s words.

Asher was adamantly ignoring the hot embarrassment that was sitting high on his cheeks, thankful that Amalee had taken the opportunity provided by the ship’s horn to cut Aurora off before she could get any further. He could already feel his phone buzzing from a string of messages from the other woman, and he was almost positive it was a few of his own nudes that she had stashed in her phone, just to remind him that she absolutely did have them. When Ama asked if he was excited, his mind was still focused on these thoughts.

“Excited from her sending me my own-?” He looked down into Ama’s eyes and realized that the woman was moving the conversation along and he had misinterpreted her last question, and the embarrassed blush came back in full force. “Oh you weren’t- nevermind,” He cleared his throat and scratched at the stubble on his jaw in a nervous tick before forcing himself back onto track. “It’ll be fun to see everyone, but I get to see a lot of our classmates already for work,” He thought about a certain thought-to-be-dead classmate who’s long inactive bank account has seen very recent activity, and realized he was more excited for some potential scenes that were bound to break out tonight than others. “Honestly I’m mostly thinking about how upset Ursula is going to be when she realizes we were in a pool without her.”

It was actually a secondary thought he had while lightly kicking his feet back and forth in the water, realizing the three year old Newfoundland would smell the chemicals on them once they returned to LA and would, in protest, spend the next two days turning her head away from them anytime they were in the same room. However it took more than waiting for the other party goers to arrive to get Asher excited for social events nowadays. He’s always hated galas and other events where he was expected to be on his best behavior, and while he could work a crowd with the best of them, he absolutely hated it and it drained him rather quickly. He used to party like a monster the second he’d gotten his work done for the week, practically up for the entire weekend before crashing for a few hours and starting the whole week over again, but that was back when he was expecting to take over the company from his parents instead of just doing what he wanted. Nowadays he gets teased by Ziggy for sticking mostly to weed and shrooms outside special occasions.

He knew she was nervous and trying to distract herself, but unfortunately if Ama wanted an honest answer from him that didn’t seem too bummed, she’d have to wait until he started to feel the energy of the party.

“Mm,” Ama nodded at his words, once again reflecting on the coming reunion. She needed to get a drink… ease her nerves. Truthfully, she wasn’t looking forward to this. She dealt with parties, networking and big crowds enough for work and now she had to deal with it with her former classmates. She fiddled with her fingers, anxious and wondering if coming here was even worth it. Did people even want to see her? It then dawned on her that she forgot to take her meds. She needed to run to her cabin before their class started coming onto the boat. After pulling her feet and legs out the pool, she stood up and straightened her dress, “We should prepare ourselves, Ash.”

Ash nodded and stood up alongside her, almost slipping on the now wet floor and falling straight into the pool when he jumped and turned to Ty as the man made his loud entrance.

“Yo! I’m so psyched! Everyone should be filin’ in soon and then it’s gonna be like BOOM BOOM BOOM,” Ty exploded onto the scene, poorly beatboxing dubstep loudly and bobbing his head up and down as he did so, an unlit joint hanging out of his mouth as he approached the two most important people in his life. “Kick ass, wonderful time. We’re gonna get lit, maybe there will be a fight or somethin’. That’d be pretty tight. Man overboard, spuh-LASH.” He paused as he got in front of the other two and pulled the joint out of his mouth, looking at each of them.

“Fuck. You guys are gettin’ a little anxious, huh? What do you do without me?” He shook his head and quickly flipped the j between his fingers, holding it out to Asher. “I ain’t got a lighter anyway, you should take this. You both clearly need it more than I do.” The extrovert who had adopted two introverts looked between his two precious people and then tilted his head, a thoughtful expression creeping across his face, like a child who remembered he’d done something wrong.

“By the way, I ate an ounce of shrooms earlier, so one of the two of you needs to commit to making sure I don’t drown. Who’s it gonna be, babes? Actually… I actually do wanna smoke this.” He flipped it again, bringing it back up to his lips and instead holding a hand out expectantly toward Asher, needing a light.

Asher sighed, having actually been looking forward to lighting the joint himself, but dutifully reached into the pocket of his pants to pull out his latest lighter. He always pays for the customs designs, each lighter having a picture of one of his adoptables with the business number at the bottom. He gave these fuckers out like candy but always made sure to keep one for himself. He rolled his eyes at Ty’s grabby hand, muttering, “If you think I’m letting you lose my lighter you’re sorely mistaken, sir,” and knocking the man’s limb out of the way and stepping into his space to hold the lit flame up to the end of the joint hanging from his lips. He looked into another pair of bright blue eyes and raised an eyebrow judgmentally, staring him down until Ty’s brain caught up and the other man sucked in a breath and Asher could pull the lighter away. He pocketed his lighter and stepped back before looking between his friends, seeing how Ty was already on his way to blasted and Ama was anxious enough that she’d forgotten her meds, and decided to take the hit.

“You guys have as much fun as you want, I’ll probably just drink and smoke tonight, maybe do a line if Ziggy’s feeling persuasive,” He’s lost count of how many times he’s babysat Ty as the other man went on his trips. Much like all their drug use, it was a lot crazier in highschool. Speaking of… Asher reached out and snagged the joint from between Ty’s lips once the man had gotten another puff in, putting it to his own lips and taking in a long drag. He blew the smoke out towards Ty’s face, taking the time before the shrooms kicked in to annoy him a bit before he was officially Asher’s charge for the night. He took another hit, the smoke falling from his lips as he spoke up. “I’m still upset that I couldn’t bring any dogs, by the way. Dogs make every party better, dude. Hammy loves it when you cuddle her while blasted out of your mind,” He sighed, exhaling the rest of the smoke and handing Ty back his joint. The basset hound in question was overfed and under-exercised in her last home, so she was the perfect size to use as a pillow, and whenever she was curled up near your head, her ears became perfect eye masks. She got extremely protective of whoever was napping with her, so if you wanted to be undisturbed then she was the dog to cuddle up to. He fumbled with his phone in his pocket for a moment before pulling it out and going to his contacts. “There’s gonna be so many angry babies when we get home, maybe I should check in with Esty again.”

Easing her way into Ty’s arms, letting him put the joint in between her lips, Ama took a small hit and let the smoke leisurely exit her mouth. As her boyfriend proceeded to take the blunt and smoke it himself, she turned to face Ash, leaning her back against her lover and wrapping his free arm around her waist. “Maybeeeeeee,” Amalee responded, trying to loosen up and not think about their lives in Cali for a moment in time. “Maybe you should get us a shot and we should start this party right. One shot can’t possibly hurt you. It’ll just ease you up as you babysit my Tiger.” Unanimously, the decision had been made that Asher was going to make sure Ty didn’t make a fool of himself at this party. This would allow her time to spend with Pau and Beck. Maybe even say hi to Babs, assuming they weren’t going to get lost at sea or do something wildly stupid with their sis, Bro. “Let’s see, maybe a B52 for each of us? A smooth shot that tastes like dessert.”

"I need to ease up? Me? Never," Asher replied with his hand held dramatically against his chest as he reluctantly returned his phone to his pocket. He hadn't even gotten to text Esty, the young woman having predicted his actions and sent a text saying: Leave me alone and I'll send dog pics, bother me and you get nothing 🖕😘. She meant it when she said things like that. Honestly, if Amalee was already prompting shots that meant she wasn't planning on taking her meds as she'd initially mentioned, so this was going to be just as much to her benefit as it was to his. "Well, I guess I literally signed up for this," Asher continued easily enough, looking his two friends in the eye with a blank stare before he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His entire demeanor shifted just enough to be noticeable and when he opened his eyes he gave the lovers a slightly-excited smile, throwing his fists up in the air and chanting until he was out of their sight.

"SHOTS SHOTS SHO-SHO-SHO-SHOTS, EVERYBODYYYY!"

“Good brother Asher’s a good dude. Dunno how I got him as my bestie, but I’ll take it… Kinda balances out with the forty dogs we have livin’ in the house huh? Fuckers won’t stay off of the damn couches… They’re suede, y’know?” Ty rolled his eyes, but the smirk on his lips betrayed his true feelings. There were only two things in the world that made him as happy as rolling around with the dogs on the ground and playing fetch, and both of them were in his arms as he watched Asher walk away, chanting for shots.

With an arm around Ama’s waist, Ty watched as Asher walked away to collect the requested shots. Once their mutual friend had disappeared into the interior of the yacht, Ty planted a kiss on Ama’s cheek, “you gonna be okay, babe? I know this is a lot for you…” He gave her a squeeze and rested a cheek against hers, nuzzling in a bit. “But I’m really proud of you, and I want everyone to be jealous of how hot my girl is.”

Amalee did wonder how people would react when they realized she, the scholarship girl, got with one of the wealthiest boys in their year. Would they stir drama and say this was typical behavior for a girl of her stature? Or would they finally see how hard she worked to get where she was and that Ty was someone who supported her through it all? Not financially, but emotionally. As much as her mind was spinning, there really was no use in worrying about the what ifs or things she had no control over. Honestly, she shouldn’t care what others think of her. She shouldn’t worry about their words that used to cut her so deep. And yet she hoped people liked who she became. She hoped they admired her for proving them wrong and becoming something special. Was she special in the grand scheme of things? Probably not, but she liked to think people saw what she brought to the world, however small it may be. She liked to think people cared for her just as much as she cared about the world. She liked to think… she mattered.

“Yeah, TyTy… I’ll be okay.” She whispered, turning to him, as he nuzzled her cheek. Looking deeply into his charming, childish gaze, with endless love connecting their souls, she kissed him. Her quiet way of saying thank you, without having to say anything. It was a sweet, tender kiss, where she melted into him, every inch of her body dissolving into his tight grasp. He made her feel safe. He made her happy. She was lucky to have him, to love and to hold, and to understand her. She wondered if they could find others to add to their little family but if not, she was glad to call him her main squeeze. She was glad to call him: mine.

With Ama in his arms, Ty couldn’t help but smile wide. There was something special about finding your special someone. Ty considered himself very lucky, and oftentimes felt like he’d probably give up all the money and the comfort if it was between that or one more night with her in his arms.

To Ty, there was only one thing left that he needed to move into another day in paradise. “Let’s go get wasted, baby doll.”

“Lead the way,” she purred, matching his warmth with her own. Brushing her nose against his, she put her full trust in him that everything was going to be okay. With him being here with her, she was home and that’s all that mattered. That home was where the heart is and there was no point in running away when they had each other.

They also had Asher too.

When Paulina Villanueva received her invitation to the King’s Academy high school reunion, she dismissed the whole thing as a well-timed joke. It wasn’t that she had a high school experience that she desperately wanted to forget– quite the contrary, actually. Paulina had obtained a solid educational foundation at King’s, built lifelong friendships, and experienced what it was like to fall in love for the first time. But why would anyone go through the trouble of organizing a reunion so soon? They had graduated only ten years ago. It made absolutely no sense. Any people she wanted to keep in contact with she already did, and with a schedule as busy as hers, what incentive did she really have to go?

Paulina’s same opinion was shared by her best friends at first. When the topic came up during one of her weekly calls with Amalee and Beckett, the three of them had laughed the whole thing off before consistently expressing their lack of interest in the event. But after what Pau presumed were a few backroom deals taking place, Ama and Beck had become a united front in trying to convince their dark-haired bestie to attend. In the end, after plenty of discussion and a little bribing, Ama and Beck had convinced a very apprehensive Paulina to RSVP. After moving some stuff around the agenda, the Hollywood starlet was able to clear out her schedule for the event.

Doubts and second thoughts about her decision had been at the forefront of Lina’s mind all throughout the plane ride from LAX to MIA. What better way to spend a Saturday night than being in close quarters in the middle of the ocean with the two men she thought she’d be married to by now? Don’t get it twisted: Lina harbored no hard feelings for either of her exes– only love and the best of wishes always. But that didn't make the prospect of facing them any easier. She hadn’t spoken to Cole Young since their breakup over two years ago, things between her and Derex Steiner had been at an awkward point since their last dusk-till-dawn rendezvous, and the sheer idea of playing the dating game again had her thinking of ways she could throw herself overboard headfirst. But rather than spend the evening in a corner avoiding everyone and everything, Paulina hoped to use this opportunity to reassure herself that everything happened for a reason, to remind herself that she was exactly where she needed to be in life, and to give herself some much-needed closure.

Good God… The whole thing felt straight out of one of the corny movie scripts her agent tried to convince her to agree to at the start of her career.

As part of the benefits package Pau had negotiated in exchange for begrudgingly attending the event, Ama and Rora had made sure to fill her suitcase with the essentials. A custom-made Auralee black maxi dress was created for her to wear to the event, perfectly paired with matching pewter shoes, accessories and even sunglasses in an ensemble perfect for the occasion. But even after the full-body spa and beauty pamper session she’d had in preparation for the event, nerves unlike anything she experienced in her acting career sat in the pit of Paulina’s stomach as she walked down the dock to board The Thousand Sunny. At this point, all that was left to do was put the night in the hands of fate and see what came out of it.

“So what time do we have to be there again?” The younger Swimmer twin said, closing the door of her blue Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. It was the 2020 model and she had bought it recently, after explaining to her good buddy Asher, who also served as the family’s personal account manager and the holder of her chains, that she wanted one and promised it was a good investment.

He didn’t disagree, so she bought it that day. In all cash.

Bro was more than just excited for this reunion, she was more energetic, more fueled up on Monster Energy than she probably should be. Suffice to say she was wired as fuck! But she was so wired and somehow managed to convince Babs to let her be the one to drive (she could focus decently enough to get from point a to point b, so it really wasn’t a big deal. She always thrived when she was on the edge of overdosing on pure adrenaline (the feeling, not the thing you stab someone in the heart with when they literally OD).

“Do you think we have time to get something to eat?” She asked as she was pulling out of the joint driveway of their homes. Oh yeah, the twins lived in the same shared land. Big ole piece of prime real estate. Big enough to fit two spacious homes with their own utilities and a conjoined pool that was a swimmer’s paradise. Also they had a mini skatepark. Basically they had a mansion-sized land.

Babble pulled their phone out from the inner pocket of their light-weight suit jacket, checking the time on the screen before opening the maps to search for fast food and doing a bit of mental math. Babs hummed and swayed their head side to side while thinking before coming to a decision.

“There’s a Checkers on the way or an Arby's a minute or two out of the way, dude. If we’re in line for like, less than ten minutes then we’ll still get there on time,” The dark haired twin allowed easily, also swayed by the hunger in their own stomach and the way it rumbled as if to prove a point. “I want the garlic loaded fries if it’s Checkers.”

“I do love Arby’s.” Unpopular opinion because most people reject the hidden brilliance that is Arby’s and their absolutely goated curly fries, but there was nothing like them. But Babs being Babs, Bro knew her twin wanted to get to the sight of the boat boat boat on time. “Checkers it is then! I want mine with ranch, cheese, and bacon.” Her mouth was salivating at the thought of it. She preferred Arby’s curly fries, but they were on a deadline and knowing the time of day it was now, there was no way in Poseidon’s underwater hell they would make it with Babs’ preferred schedule, even if Bro drove a little over the speed limit..

Well, she always did, but any faster would get the cops on their asses. Nobody wanted that.

It only took twenty minutes for the Swimmer Twins to get to their local Checkers-Rally’s and get their two orders of fries and a couple drinks, because how can you have fries without some liquid candy!

Babs slurped happily on their chocolate milkshake, a small coke shoved into the cup holder for when it was time to switch up the texture. As Bro peeled out of the parking lot, Babs fell into routine and stabilized all the food and drinks until Bro leveled out at just about eight miles above the speed limit. Babs slurped on their shake and watched Bro as the light haired woman’s hair got blown every which way by the wind, already planning on using the few early minutes they’d have upon arrival to detangle all the knots that their sister was accumulating. Maybe she’d let Babs braid it before they boarded, especially in case she needs to throw up after drinking too much and Babs isn’t around to hold her hair back for her. It would be a win-win.

Instead of offering up any of these thoughts, however, Babble opened their mouth and asked, “Bro, do you think that like…the garlic fries would be fuckin’ banger dipped in this shake?”

Bro took a few moments to ponder her twin’s question. After exactly two of them, she shrugged. “I can’t say I’ve ever given it a shot but we’ve both had odd combos before we never thought about and, well that’s how we became crack addicts!” She spoke with such a nonchalance that she understood what other people might assume. No it wasn’t crack the drug, but rather the unique salty and sweet mixture of fries and milkshakes. Fries and Ranch taste like the bomb dot com, so it was an easy jump because milk is used in the making of ice cream…kind of.

Whoa, Bro’s mind went on a weird trajectory for a second. She took one of her loaded fries in her hand and stuffed it into her mouth and swallowed. “If it tastes good, then who needs dipping sauce when you got a good ole choco shaky! And if it’s not good…well, at least you’ll know, dude!” Her logic was sound in her mind and she gave her twin a thumbs up, almost like a seal of approval in this culinary endeavor (she learned that word recently! Learning is fun.)

Babs nodded along with the logic, taking the encouragement and absolutely scooping out a glob of chocolate shake with a handful of fries, shoving the combo in their mouth and chewing slowly to get the full flavor. Once the new taste had been filed away in their mind, Babs swallowed and grinned at Bro.

“That was amaziiiiiiiing,” They raved, already dipping another fry with enthusiasm. “So, who are you most excited to see?”

“Would it be fair to say Ji-Su? I know we see her almost all the time, but it’s a bit.” She knew it was still cheating. Ji-Su was a frequent flier on their interaction tour. “Ash might be cheating too. I’m financially required to see him.” She almost scowled at the unfairness of her financial leash. So what if she bought some little things here and there that ended up being mistakes or thought investing in NFT’s were a good idea. She learned her lesson. “I think it would be dope to see Ziggy outside of their club! But I am a bit nervous to see Kole again. I remember her being a big hard-ass back in the day. Never let me jump off any roof without hearing the whole lecture. Oh you shouldn’t do that! You could crack your skull! The roof was damaged!”

“The roof held up just fine,” Babs assured with a confident nod. "But if we're going for those we don't see a lot then I gotta say Lindsey! I haven't seen her in person since Ama and I took her out for brunch after she lost Idol," Their head tilted to the side, thinking of another friend they hadn't seen in a while. Kole, upon Matty's disappearance, had pulled away from the twins, and Babble wasn't sure if that hurt them or their sister more, given that Babs and Kole's flings were much…lighter than the energy that always seemed to spark when Bro and Matty were near each other. Babs knew that what was between them and Kole was mostly exploration on the long haired girl's part, and tactile comfort for Babs. Knowing-despite not believing in the same fate for Matty as their sister- how down Brooke got whenever Matty, and by extension Kole, was brought up, Babs decided not to mention this particular person out loud. Instead, they turned to Brooke and gave her a needless assurance.

"I know we see them a lot but they still count! Like, I brought paint supplies so that Ama and I can do a paint and puff and sip!” Babble hung around Asher, Ty, and Ama any time they were on downtime during a gig in Cali, and Bro had to meet up with Asher at least once a month to go over her financials- a necessary repetitive lesson in responsibility, as Asher would say- but they were great friends and it has been a little while since they’ve seen each other. When Rex joins too? God help them all. “We were performing during Cole's last rodeo so I didn't get to use my ticket, so you can bet I'm going to glomp onto that dude as soon as possible," Cole was a great friend and Babs loves their conversations, but Babble was also a firm subscriber to 'If they're tall and sturdy than I shall climb', and Cole and Rex have both been victims of Babble's need to be in places higher than they themself can reach. "Oh, but I did get to catch Rex’s last match, talk about a nail biter! I wanted to talk to him too so we might not see each other much once we get there,” Which is par for the course. They almost always split up once they got to the actual party, which was totally fine given how much time they spend together in general. But they always found a point to check in with each other. Babs may only be older by a few minutes, but the big sibling urge to make sure that Bro was okay at any given time was strong. Especially given Brooke’s reckless proclivities that Babs only ever really indulged in when with the blonde. “Meet up at some point for a dip in the pool? Actually maybe the hot tub?”

“Whoa you really think there’ll be a hot tub?” Bro took a moment to think about it. It was Ty’s boat, right? He was super super rich. Like Richard Branson levels of rich. Of course there would be a spot for a pool and hot tub. She giggled after realizing this and grinned. “Yeah that sounds like a plan, Babs! I kind of want to check up on Ziggy too. Haven’t seen em since…the last time we DJ’d their club. Which was like…how long ago? A month, right?” With the sort of high-octane life Bro lived, both with her sister and on her own, sometimes the days were hard to keep track. In the past month alone she’s went cliff-diving, sky diving, did the 1-chip challenge, and was even on hot ones with Babs, which they totally nailed with mid diff!

“Yeah, last month, dude. That was a dope time,” The time keeper of the two answered easily, Thinking back to the pounding music and strobing lights. “And I know there’ll be a hot tub,” They promised, having been on The Thousand Sunny while hanging out with Ty before, coaxed into a daytrip with him, Ama, and Asher during a free weekend last summer. It’s an awesome boat, and Babs digs the fact they can swim INSIDE it. Fuckin’ dope is what that is. The hot tub was easy to find because of the scented chemicals used in the water, and Babs knew for a fact it was an easy trail to follow even when rather drunk, so it was the perfect meetup spot on the large ship. Babs spent a minute giving Bro the actual directions to the hot tub from inside the boat before realizing that the chemical scent was probably all the direction Bro would need in this instance. “Follow the fake flowery smell, my dude, you’ll find it!”

“Oh rad!” Brooke had been listening, enjoying her food and finishing them up as her twin finished explaining in surprising detail, because Babs knew just how bad Brooke was with navigation…all current circumstances aside. She could drive down a road, but something as simple as the layout of a boat was far beyond her pay grade. It was weird. She could do an all-nighter drive going to the Key West from Miami. There’s almost a part of her that would love to do that drive again, but she would have to settle for the half hour that remained until they got to the Miami Beach Marina.

As she made a quick glance at the visual GPS on the high tech LED display, if nothing on an astronomical bummer scale happened, they would make it with fifteen minutes remaining, which is more than enough time to be fashionably early. Just thinking about it, Bro was getting the jitters. Or maybe it was the sugar from the choco shake. Both? Both. Both is good!

“First thing I’m gonna do once I’ve caught up with the dudes and dudettes I wanna catch up with is stripping into my swim suit I have under my dress and taking a dippy dip!” Bro excitedly bopped the steering wheel as a way to control her excitement while trying to focus on the road. There wasn’t any traffic so a little distraction could be afforded as long as they didn’t swerve…

“Shawww yeah!” Babs replied with equal excitement while drumming their fingers on the dashboard, their own swimsuit under their floral patterned short suit. Kole had demanded that everyone arrive in smart-casual dress, and after looking up what the hell that meant the twins had complied, but the party planner knew she was putting the Swimmer twins near multiple different types of water so she had to know that the dress code would only last for so long once the Sunny had set sail. If Babs knew her at all then they knew that most of the reasoning was probably so everyone could get good pictures and exchange business cards, play at the professionals that most of them usually were before the night went absolutely off the rails.

They pulled up to the marina exactly fourteen minutes early, cups and containers empty but stomachs full, and as both jumped out of the Jeep, Babs turned back around and grabbed a wide-tooth comb and a bottle of sea salt spray from the glove compartment before closing the door. They pushed their own wild hair out of their face and gestured for their sister to turn around, spending the next few minutes gently detangling Bro’s loose waves and reviving them with the spray. Bro rejected Bab’s offer of a loose braid, so the older twin threw the comb and spray into their bag, in a pocket separate from the art supplies. With eight minutes to spare, the Swimmer twins were ready for The Thousand Sunny.

“Ready, Bro?”

Throwing her hands up into the air, showing just as much as care as she had in her entire body, Bro, with the widest grin she could physically muster, shouted at the top of her lungs, “I’M READY! READYYY TO PARRRRRRRTYYYYYY!”

With one of Fleetwood Mac’s most hidden gems, Isn’t it Midnight, blaring out of the speakers as the The Roadster, one hundred percent a little bit over the speed limit, screeched down the highway towards the Pier, where a yacht of bountiful plunder awaited, Ziggy glanced from behind their Top Gun aviators at the single passenger of their convertible; one Kainat Qureshi.

Ziggy had known Kai going on fifteen years, since their family arrived in Florida from Baltimore. She was an early friend for the owner and proprietor of the Dead End Lounge AKA the hottest fucking club in Miami, baby. When Zig first made their way into the social hive that was King's Academy, they initially struggled to find their way. There weren’t many people who were willing to reach out to the non-binary kid in a sheer flowing dress who had the mouth of a sailor and the temperament of a porn star. Kai was one of the few that was willing and Ziggy always made sure that she knew how much they appreciated that. This was why when the sun-kissed wandering angel contacted them and asked for a place to crash prior to whatever the hell was about to go down at their ten-year high school reunion, Zig couldn’t refuse.

To say they weren’t intrigued by the prospect of catching up with some old faces would be a lie. Ziggy had stayed in contact with a few of his fellow alumni from Kings over the years, with many making their club a port in the storm over the years. Others they had only been able to see via social feeds and lifetime movies. Zig had always been a people watcher, an instigator when it was time to solve the problems of their compatriots, even if it was as simple as throwing a party to make sure two people who needed to hook up were locked inside a closet for seven minutes of dry humping. Zig wanted to know how everyone turned out and selfishly, they wanted to know if they were right about certain people all along.

“Penny for your thoughts, KQ? You look like you’re confused or in desperate need of a shit.”

That was Ziggy. You could say a lot of things about them, but they were always quick to the point with just the right splash of inappropriate. At least for the old Kai.

“Well, if it was the latter, I’m not sure I’d risk it at one of these gas stations, but I will admit, I don’t know how this is going to go for me.”

For someone who has had to relieve themselves in some uncomfortable places, it was strange to think that the… Thousand Sunny could top them all. However, since her arrival in Miami a day earlier, it was tough for Kainat to think about anything else. It had been ages since she had seen the majority of her classmates. Only a select few had contact with her since she left for her undergrad at Princeton. How the hell were they going to perceive her now that she was merely a Bachelor of Science as opposed to the doctors and lawyers and successful people that were surely going to have emerged?

Kai-Q tried to keep count of how many people might know that the hijab had been long abandoned for the life of a vagabond, aside from the trips to the locales where observing the local customs was the right play. The driver of the vintage vehicle serving as her ferry to the yacht obviously knew. It wasn’t the party lifestyle that linked Ziggy and Kai during the Kings’ days, with the Pakistani-American abstaining while under her parents’ roof, but they were both excellent students and both headed off to the Ivy League. So when Kai started breaking down in senior year, Ziggy got a lot of her attention, as well as the girls in her classes. Ziggy tried to get her to come down to Miami at that time, but instead, she accepted Kristen’s offer to travel to Morocco, and that was that.

But Ziggy was also a safe haven for her. As the channel was starting to grow and Kai was trying to figure out what she was going to do, Ziggy always had a spot at their place, a meal at their table, and a bit of green to calm things down. Now that she was a bit more open-minded, Kai was able to see the point of certain things and enjoy more of Ziggy’s talents. It was a huge benefit heading into this party.

And Asher would be there. Asher was her business manager, in a sense. He negotiated the money coming into her accounts from the various sponsors and made sure the contracts were on the up and up. He had that level of trust with Kai. But who else? Trevor, maybe? Matty, if he escaped from whatever shack he was staying in? And then after that, who would there be? A lot of people probably expecting the buttoned-down cheat sheet that stuck to her after-school activities and went home right after.

She struggled to think about how she would handle that revelation, and she still did. Her hand rested in the purple-streaked hair she sported for this party, a royal purple for the Kings’ reunion. It didn’t completely hide her natural black tones, but it was still a welcome contrast. She liked the freedom to change her hair color as she pleased. As the wind was hitting it, cooling her brain down, she still wasn’t coming up with a cogent plan.

“Trapped on a boat for a night with a bunch of people probably expecting me to be doing something else… shoot, I don’t even know how many of them will even recognize me at this point.”

"You’re kidding right?” Ziggy shook their head as they pulled into the next lane of traffic. "Sweet, sugar, my baby lollipop princess.” Reaching out with their bejeweled fingers adorned with rings of high value, the club owner pressed their fingertips onto Kai’s shoulder and gave the young woman a reaffirming squeeze. "Listen to Mama, ok? Cos she did not just get dressed in her finest Stevie Nicks flowing dress just to drive through these muggy Florida palms and turn back before anyone sees us looking this sexy.” Zig glanced towards their friend whilst trying to maintain eyes on a steadily growing traffic problem.

Ziggy for all their flaws had over the years somehow taken on a more parental role amongst the reprobates and miscreants that called Kings their alma mater. Zig, a heavy drug user, corrupted genius and usually fabulous bitch was dishing out advice, meddling in love lives and making sure that their friends, loved ones and randoms were always happy and feeling themselves at their best. It was a strange sensation, being a protector when one considers themselves toxic to begin with.

"Nobody is expecting you to do shit, ok? Like you realize who some of the people we went to school with are, right? The expectation on them is far worse than the one on us. We just two illustrious bitches coming to fuck shit up and maybe get ourselves fucked. Open bar on international waters? Sissy the world is ours, and so is everything in it.”

“I’ve certainly been able to see a lot of that world the past few years,” Kai concurred as she patted her driver’s hand, rubbing the ring on top of it for that extra bit of silent praise. “And there are definitely some nice things to take. You should make it up to my place in East Point sometime when I’m not out and about. I can show you even better stuff than I’ve brought you down here.”

She was wearing a bit of it to the ocean affair. As Ziggy pointed out, they did look sexy. At least Kai thought so. The playful she was wearing for the evening was a pickup from a quaint little shop in Java that she couldn’t help but give some extra rupiah to ensure would be hers. It also showed more skin than she was ever allowed to show in the halls of Kings, lest her dad be informed how much of a harlot his youngest was being, as well as a couple of new tattoos that she added to her look. In truth, her father had mellowed a decent amount in the 10 years since she was in high school, realizing how much pressure he was putting on both his daughters. It wasn’t full acceptance, but it was something.

Still, Kai at least knew where she stood with her family. Aside from the handful of people she kept in touch with, she still had no idea what anyone from her teenage years would think of her now. That was part of the joy of traveling. Sure, if she went to some place in the States or the odd European excursion, she might get a fan or two nowadays, but for the most part, there were no expectations of her. Every person that she met while off on one of her whirlwind trips had no knowledge of Kai-Q and her cheat sheet service, or the girl with the Princeton degree. They saw someone entering their world and they would judge her right there on how they would talk to her and interact with her. It wasn’t always a positive interaction, but it was far less stressful and more enjoyable than anything she would have done in a hospital or a courtroom.

Maybe that’s why Ziggy ended up her closest friend out of the high school collective. She knew there was no reason to judge them back then based on their appearance, just as they didn’t judge her. It started as mutual respect and then evolved into so much more. They were a hotly-requested guest on the channel, even if they had their clear preferences for locations. Besides, who else had a ride this fly ready to roll to this party?

“Maybe I’m more worried for everyone else about having their mind blown when I show up? I mean, if you didn’t know what I’d done after high school and just guessed based on those days, I’m pretty sure this is not the occupation or look you would expect to see me sporting. And don’t lie to me Ziggy, I can tell when you’re lying.”

Zig placed a hand on their chest in a feigned shock with mouth agape before returning it to the steering wheel. "Me? Lie? Oh my little caramel square, I don’t lie. I just don’t always tell the truth.” Their outburst of laughter was devilish and dirty. "But of course you’re right. We all expected you to have cured cancer by now but here you are, a foxy millionaire with umpteen million followers and abs you can bounce a quarter off. Speaking of, what is it with you travel types? You seen Trev Moreau lately? Doctor Jones but on some BEEF. Daddy History can dig around in me any time.”

Kai looks down at her stomach. “Oh I don’t know if my abs are that good. But I did see Trevor recently. I can confirm he looks pretty good for an archeologist. Probably going to swing in on a vine and land on the deck.” She hadn’t spoken with Trevor before the party, but they had collaborations on a couple of things given they were both crisscrossing the world. Still, she wasn’t much for keeping tabs on people from high school. That was her driver’s forte.

Unlike some others, Ziggy had kept a lot of tabs open for their high school friends. It was their business after all, knowing what people needed and desired. It had been that way from the moment Chester Patrova first walked into the halls of Kings. At the time, they were still using He as a pronoun but knew that they were non-binary. It didn’t take the would-be Zig to figure out how to survive the Academy’s Serengeti atmosphere. Rich kids were primal in their instincts, they wanted and they were gonna get it one way or another; so it only made sense for Chester to be the one to get it for them. It started small, candy bars and homework answer sheets, that was easy enough they grew up on the mean streets of Baltimore. As time progressed it became weed and then eventually the hard shit.

Ziggy didn’t particularly mind being called a drug dealer in the same way that they didn’t mind someone fucking up their pronouns. At the end of the day, they didn’t care what others thought about them but put much value on how they viewed their services. Zig was a businessperson born and if they weren’t providing the required service then what was the point in trying to do business? To survive Kings, Ziggy knew that they had to adopt a mantra which even to this day they still live by. As Gordon Gecko once said in Wall Street: “greed -- for lack of a better word -- is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.”

In the distance in front of the roadster, Zig could see the docks where they would depart, and in its bay sat the yacht that would be their home for the weekend. Seeing such majesty did not make Ziggy miss the harsh dry docks of Baltimore. They didn’t miss seeing a bunch of sweaty bearded polacks cuss out each other or weep in hidden dark corners when they lost hours and struggled to feed their families. No. Zig didn’t miss that hellhole one bit. "Almost there, get your game face on, honey.”

As much as Ms. Qureshi wanted to posture for her friend, the yacht still looked imposing in spite of the name. The massive boat was growing larger by the second, but still, Zig was right. She had no reason to be worried. She was going to be fine! She had backup! No matter what happened! And if people were shocked by who she had become, then they could learn themselves! For all the teaching and answers she gave in high school, it’s the least they could do!

“Good thing I don’t have to apply any war paint that I didn’t already put on at your place, Zig,” she remarked. “I’m ready for action. Let’s get in there and show off. I can’t promise I’ll match your talents in that regard but I’ll give it my best efforts.”

Ziggy giggled as they spun the wheel of the classic motor car which was guided by their hand then pulled into the parking area of the marina. "Oh my Kai…” Zig stopped the Jaguar in an available space and turned to face his friend once more. "Nobody can show off like me because I am the whole fucking show.” The master of the nightclub booped Kai’s nose with their painted fingernails before turning the engine off.

They glanced around, trying to absorb the surrounding faces and process the information. Zig never had any enemies and everyone owed him a favor but that’s not what the weekend was about. The weekend for them was all about seeing where everyone was, what they had become, and crushing them for forty-eight hours under the weight of long-held desires. Ziggy couldn’t wait. They stepped out of the car, a soft breeze blowing their flowy black dress around them, and tossed the car keys to a waiting valet. "Scratch her and I’ll use your dick as an umbrella for my cocktails. Mmmkay? Thanks lovey.”

Ziggy waited for Kai to get out of the other side and watched as some employees took what bags they had brought with them from the boot of the Jag and began to carry them onto the boat. Of course, being who they were, Zig had brought some “party favors” much like had done oh so many times in the bygone days of King's Academy. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Lacing their fingers with Kai’s, Zig moved their gaze to the people that were already at the yacht, faces that had aged from when last they were seen but were still as obvious as Tom Cruise’s height. "Come on Mama, let’s go say hi.”

Kai let out the breath that she was holding unbeknownst to herself. Despite all the psyche ups, this was still uncharted territory for her. Especially let her former classmates see her at her most vulnerable, with a beverage in her hand. Zig’s hand kept her tethered to reality, making sure she knew that this was real. This would be fine. It would probably be uneventful. A murmured hello, a quick “what are you up to?” that a half-minute on socials would solve. That was the Occam's Razor situation. However, it was that unknown chance that it was going to be something else that would catch her by surprise that gave Kai those butterflies in her stomach. She took a breath in and nodded at one half of her friendship triumvirate from a decade ago. "Ready to mingle, Zig. Let's dive into this place." And with one of her catchphrases uttered, Kainat Qureshi would do just that.

"Mom! Have you seen where I put that yearbook? I wanted to be able to have it for people to be able to take a look back!" The brunette started to ransack the area, trying to confirm she wasn't going crazy. She knew that she had put it on her childhood desk, a luxury for her given that her sisters' rooms had been converted into a workout space and an potential future nursery. But that was a day or two ago. It couldn't have sprouted legs and walked off! Was it on a shelf? A chest?

Finally the Class of 2013 yearbook appeared in a hand, but not the hand of Lindsey Sonnett. Instead, it hovered in the doorway in the grip of the matriarch of the Palm Beach household. While she was not the tour-de-force she was in her younger days, known to be able to go toe-to-toe with anyone at Kings, Sandra Sonnett was still nimble enough to spring a surprise on someone who looked at her and underestimated what they were facing. Including her youngest daughter. "It's right here, Lindsey. I got it. Don't tear the place apart."

A sigh of relief escaped Lindsey's lips as she took the book from her mother. "Thank you, mom. Where was it?"

"On the kitchen table, where I left it after looking through it."

"MOM! I thought I was going crazy!"

Sandra laughed. "Can't help it if you got me feeling nostalgic, sweetie. Hard to believe it's been 10 years since you graduated. I can still remember watching Megan go off to kindergarten, and now all of you are grown, with your own lives. It makes me appreciate just how far you all have come."

Lindsey was still pouting a little. She tucked the book into her backpack and finally zipped it up, sealing it. Her change of clothes weren't that different from what she was wearing. A sleeveless blouse, orange as the Gators' end zone, and a black skirt down to the knee, with bare legs until a pair of black leather flat sandals. Her dad joked that she was ready for Halloween, not for her reunion, but Kevin Sonnett didn't land Sandra Darby for his style. A simple palm tree clip sat in Lindsey's hair, tucked back into place after she frantically looked around for the book, and a necklace, a shimmering silver feather, slid back around, but both paled in their ability to command attention like that million-dollar smile that she finally flashed.

"If you wanted to come chaperone, mom, you probably could. I'm sure there is enough space on the yacht."

Sandra waved her daughter off. "No, no, this is your night. I'll be fine. Just make sure Matty and Beck are taking care of themselves."

"I will definitely let you know how Matty is doing," Lindsey affirmed. She too wanted a better picture of how her ex was holding up a decade after high school. The talk with Matty about needing to do something about the drinking problem was one of the hardest things she did prior to her time in Haiti. Thankfully, her boyfriend was receptive, but she hadn't heard much from him since she returned to Gainesville.

Speaking of Gainesville, it was going to be interesting to see if Kenny Price could break away from his talking head gig to make it. He did RSVP yes for the event. Funnily he was one of the only Kings' students she was closer to outside of high school given they both went to the Swamp. And as her mom mentioned, Beckett would be there. And Kole, Kai, Trevor, so many people! It was going to be a great event.

"And I promise I won't get too crazy."

"Now where is the fun in that?" Sandra asked. "Go crazy! Do whatever! You only get one 10-year reunion! And we didn't get a boat! Enjoy it!"

—--

That was the take away as Lindsey Sonnett parked her Rogue in the designated lot in front of the Thousand Sunny. Even if her mom stopped just short of giving a war cry. It wasn't a long drive but it promised to be a long night. A good night. It had to be. Lindsey was back among her people. She was ready to get caught up.

As she made her way up the gang plank, she smiled at the crew. "Hello, everyone! Let's make some magic tonight!"

“Today’s the day.”

Derex was riding first class to his old stomping grounds — Palm Beach, Florida. The memories he had attached to that place. Those memories date back to when he was barely 13 and his family moved from Germany to Florida. At the time, he hadn’t thought about what exactly was in store for him. At thirteen, Derex wasn’t thinking about much. He was leaving the only home he knew to another home that he would eventually call his own. When he made his first friends in Asher and Ty, he thought it was great because here were two boys who he had developed a brotherhood for life with.

That friendship carried over through the years. As with everyone who becomes busy in life, sometimes the frequency of contact wavered in the years, but a thing about a brotherhood? No matter how busy life got for any of them, there was one thing that could bring em all back together: guaranteed front row seats at any of his fights. And the afterparties were always legendary. Always whether it was just the three dogs let loose on the town or when the gang could get together, especially because his social circle was the same as theirs.

Which included Paulina. Especially Paulina since she was best friends with Amalee and Rex had always been close with his self-appointed adopted introvert.

As he sat in his seat, thinking about the last time the whole gang was together and the events that followed, Rex couldn’t help but think about how his last…encounter with Paulina left a lot of questions. There was a night a few weeks ago where he and Paulina drank too much. He couldn’t remember how many shots he threw back, but he recalled Paulina matching his pace, if not exceeding it. Most of that night remained a mystery but he remembered they made it to his place. And the sex they had would make Thor and Odin jealous, yet make every viking cheer in support of the extremely-physical things they did.

And then morning came. Immediately after he woke up, he did so with a phone call from his baby sister. Lena, like Rex, also enjoyed the reckless unpredictability of a night out on the town. She was involved in a classic bar fight. Lena was a true firecracker and she had gotten herself arrested. Rex, ever the family man who always put his family first, left as soon as he could. He left a note for Paulina, explaining it and hoped she wouldn’t be mad at him.

But ever since then he never heard back from her. Not even to let him know how angry she was at him for leaving her alone in his Malibu beach house. He assumed that maybe she was busy with things in her own life or she needed space. He respected that, but in the back of his mind, he couldn’t help but wonder she was indeed mad at him. Or at least felt some kind of way about him.

Which brought him to the feeling of apprehension he was having. He was halfway into the flight and it would land with a couple of hours before he had to be at the Miami Marina. Still, something deep down told him this might not be the exciting reunion with his old class that he was hoping it might be.

---

“This is your captain speaking!” The captain of the flight spoke over the intercom. Rex immediately shook his head, and by extension, himself, awake as the captain continued, “We will be landing at Miami International Airport in 15 minutes.”

Rex stretched his arms and loosened all of his limbs. He made sure his seatbelt was on, as per the protocol when landing. No matter how many times he flew back and forth from Miami to Los Angeles, which in all honesty has been frequent due to his own business he conducts. Much like his father who also goes between the cities, he has his businesses. Ever since his father retired full time from running day to day operations of their gym, Rex took over the majority ownership. He may not have oversight of the day to day, but he pops in every other week for progress reports. He sits on the board of the now global chain of boxing and lifestyle fitness. In recent years, they’ve strayed away from his father’s initial vision and became more of a rival for the likes of Planet Fitness and In-Shape City.

Rex had always preferred to keep himself busy. In high school, even though he was training constantly at his father’s gym, he always wanted to be challenged. He did well enough at his academics, so he never needed to study much, so that’s really how he found himself with the free time to play football. Plus, he loved the sport. Whether it was American or European, he just loved it. He regularly plays soccer for charity as well as Football. He even has a minor ownership of the Miami Dolphins.

When the plane landed, it only took roughly half an hour for Rex to get his single duffle bag of luggage only to be led by security (upon his request) to a private hanger he owned. In it, among other things, was the one man he trusted above everyone else to manage the Miami location of his gym.

“Freddie!” Rex dapped his brother from another mother…well, one of three brothers from another mother. Freddie was his childhood best friend. Both of them were born and raised in Germany and even though Rex moved away, he never fell out of it with him. Always called. Always chatted. They would always play call of duty or madden every weekend and night that both of them were free. Eventually, Freddie moved to the states for college. Unlike Rex, he was a cage fighter and rose through the ranks in Bellator and UFC respectively. They called him Blitz because nobody sees him coming.

“Sexy Rexy! How was your flight? Ride it strong?” Fred joked, nudging his friend teasingly.

“You idiot,” Rex rolled his eyes, looking around his hanger. His own jet that he and Freddie owned was here but also his own personal ride that he kept here. “Yeah, it was fine. First class gets dull when you fly it all the time. A shame our baby is going through some hard times.”

“She just needs a little TLC and she’ll be flying us to Tokyo like she was last year. I do miss the dangerous delight of my puffer fish.”

The Bull shook his head. “You’re gonna die young, I hope you know that.”

“Life fast, die young, Fredrick Weiss does it well!” The blonde German started to dance to the rhythm of the slightly-altered Mia song. “Anyway! You got that reunion today, right?”

Rex smiled, shrugged, but eventually nodded. “Yeah. Gotta get to the marina within the hour. Of all places, it’s on a yacht.”

“So this otta be right up your alley. You’re basically a natural sailor at this point, what with how many models, sex workers, and the occasional hot mess socialites you’ve slept with on those fancy-ass LA yachts.”

Rex shook his head. Not that he was ashamed of his wildly impressive body count that was ont he verse of going triple…digits, that is, lately he’s been thinking of numero tres on that list. Number three being Paulina. He wanted to downplay some of Fredide’s comments and thoughts that he knew his friend was keeping inside. Rarely did Fred keep his intrusive thoughts inside, but knowing him, he could get a lot more colorful with his words.

“This one’s a bit different.”

“Oh because it’s your friend’s yacht? Cheer up, Rexy! I’ve met Ty plenty of times. He seems like he might be a dope ass host. Thousand Sunny is a great name for a yacht.”

He sighed. As always, Freddie was a bit too lost in his own intrusive thought-ridden mind. “No, not because of that. And yes, I agree it’s a great name and a yacht that I’m sure will be fun to party on. But you should know why, man. I literally told you about it last week.”

“Ohhh right! Has she not called you at all or are you too fucking chicken to make this move again?” Freddie allowed himself to sigh and almost glare at his childhood best friend. “You know for a Bull, you sure are playing chicken.”

“I am not a chicken!”

“Bock bock bock!” Freddie made the appropriate gestures, slouching forward and bending his arms like a chicken wing. “I’m sure your friends are tired of it, but this friend in this lovely hanger, standing right behind your damn Bugatti Chiron, is…also tired of it. There’s a long list of hot babes you’ve given the ole Bull Ride to, but what bout your heart, man? YOUR HEART!” Freddie gripped the very broad shoulders of The Bull and made the man who held a few inches over him look at him in his striking blue eyes. “Forget how mesmerizing my eyes are and listen to me! This woman Paulina is the only one you keep bitching about. You both made some stupid mistakes of thinking you were holding each other back. I don’t know how it was for her, but I was there on the other end of those late night gaming seshes. So I know, like usher said, you got it bad for her. So, also like Usher said, roll up to that reunion, pick the right time, and utter these following words…”

“Please no…”

Too late. Rex saw the grin on his friend’s face and he broke out into song. “THESE ARE MY CONFESSIONS~!”

And for ten minutes, with nobody around but the two of them to witness, the boys from Germany sang not just part one, not just part two, but PART 3 of Confessions. The two that Usher sang, but also the parody that Weird Al Yankovic did, as well. Ten minute spent singing in perfect German and ten more laughing about it.

When it was all said and done, the two were laying on their backs on the concrete floor of the hanger and they just looked up. It wasn’t always, but every now and then, Rex and Freddie liked to do this. They were idiots together. Rex had that vibe about him. Under all of the suave bravado he had with the many women he has slept with, the ultra macho, gym bro alpha male persona when he was in the ring, there was a boy who loved to break into song. Call him Troy Bolton but make it German. Call him a fruit (because he heard it from people all his life who didn’t understand), but don’t call him a coward.

Yet, as he laid in silence, Rex felt like one. He’s felt like one for close to a decade. He could say a lot about the reasons why he never pursued her after they “broke up”, but the truth of the matter was, deep down where all of his insecurities reside that are usually held under lock and key, he could see it for what it was. He was afraid. Always charging forward, but The Bull was running away.

He kipped up almost immediately after coming to this realization and as he did, his shorts hiked up into his ass. “Time for this bull to actually run towards something for a change.”

“MY MANNNN!” Freddie mirrored his friend and brought him into a bro hug. A tight one, at that. The hug lasted a few moments and they grinned at each other. “Better stampede ahead. You have…” Freddie checked his Apple Smart Watch. “Yeah, like twenty minutes to make it. Good thing you got yourself a car that will make you fast as fuck boiiiii!”

“Damn right it will. I knew keeping that beautiful candy-apple red Bugatti here would pay off.”

“That and you haven’t exactly paid for it to be shipped to your Malibu beach house.”

Rex shrugged. “Details-schmetails. What matters is that’s my ticket to not pisisng off a certain host.”

“Ty?”

“Sadly no. He is the chillest motherfucker you’ll ever meet. If he was planning this shit, I could show up an hour late and he’d be too high to notice. It’s Nikole Saera. You know her. Hot as fuck, but also a nightmare if you make trouble for her planning. Ever the infamous party planner. Great when you want shit to go a certain way, but punctuality has no leeway in her eyes.” It was annoying, but Rex could understand the drive. Kole was no different than Rex was. She was all about the grind. It didn’t matter if her grind was barking orders at the unlucky sap that would be working close with her.

Poor Ty.

Rex opened the front door to the bugatti and turned it on, letting the engine get ready as he tossed his bag in the backseat. He specifically chose this Bugatti for the fact that he wanted a luxury convertible. He didn’t want just any and it was down to a McLaren and a Bugatti. The Bugatti won.

“Damn she sounds like a nightmare. Be sure to give her my number.”

Rex rolled his eyes and cracked a grin. “Sure. I’ll be sure to pass along the message. ‘Hey Kole, been a long time. By the way, you seeing anyone? My idiot brotha-from-anotha-mother wants to fuck ya. Here’s his number.’” Rex let out a deep laugh front he gut while he and Freddie play-wrestled for about a minute.

“Fucker. Get out of here. Be sure to post on your story. I wanna see all the craziness that you’re willing to make public.”

Revving the engine, both Rex and Freddie gave each other a hand gesture that was synonymous with not just their friendship, but the gesture a lot of the younger fans of both of them use to identify each other. Between the two of them, it was how they always communicated the sentiment of ‘see you later’.

As he drove out of the hanger and left the airport, Rex drove it like the stampeding bull that he was. While it may have been perceived as reckless, he had full control. The thrill of getting the attention of cops was always part of the addiction. Adding to it, Rex took advantage of his ability to multitask but hitting up his group chat with The Boys, Asher and Ty.

“BULL IS STAMPEDING HIS WAY THROUGH MIAMI TRAFFIC BOYS! GONNA GET FUCKING LIT TODAYYY!”

The sounds of Thin Lizzy’s ‘The Boys are Back In Town’ was like a symphony down the streets of Miami, en route to the Marina. But, more importantly, party central!

Inside one of the spacious cabins of The Thousand Sunny, the young woman responsible for the planning and organizing of this class reunion sat in front of the small vanity, obsessively examining every inch of her reflection in the mirror for what felt like the hundredth time. It was easy to tell that Nikole Seara-Reyes was nervous. And why wouldn’t she be? She’d been planning this event for weeks: securing the venue with Ty, confirming the attendance of her classmates, coordinating with the vendors, putting her trust in staff she had no previous experience working with… All in hopes of ensuring that every guest had the top-tier, quality service that Lucid Dream Events prided itself upon. With the attendees being people she had known for years, Kole had set herself very high expectations for the night ahead. And like it always happened when such high stakes were attached to an event, the brunette’s anxiety was at an all-time high.

After combing over her flyaways for what felt like the dozenth time, Nikole decided she needed to do something to take the edge off. With her hands trembling lightly, she picked up one of the chilled Pink Whitney bottles previously resting on the vanity, unscrewed the cap and downed the miniature bottle in one go. In different circumstances, she would’ve indulged in one of the magic chill pills hiding inside one of the pockets of her purse. But she needed to be of sound body and mind tonight, and Nikki knew that she’d be able to handle at least four of those little liquor bottles before she started to revert back to the wild party girl of her teenage years.

“Okay. How do I look?” Kole asked the other person in the room, barely able to hold their gaze for a few seconds before starting to fidget with the skirt of her dress.

Laying on one of the many beds in the Sunny, but this one specifically claimed by his sister, Matías Reyes leaned up against her bedframe, listening to classical lofi in one ear and in the other, her anxiety ridden tangent. He seemed checked out of the conversation, focused on reading One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. Matty usually seemed uninvolved and uninterested; that was just his nature. Nikole knew better though. She knew her step brother was one of the most present people in a room, sober or not. He was aware of everything that surrounded him. He was aware of her.

Call it a curse or a blessing, Matty saw things and understood people, their personal battles and their bonds with others, without anyone speaking their truths and telling him what they were going through. His intuition was out of this world or perhaps he simply was a keen observer. Whether it was his wits or the fact that he was begrudgingly an empathetic dude, there’s a reason he decided to live off the grid and part of her knew parties and large events overstimulated him. Not in the sense of the wild comings and goings, but more so he could feel others' joys and sorrows, highs and lows, to the point that it drove him to have a dependency on drugs. Drugs and booze was hell disguised as heaven and in highschool, he chased that addiction, he rode that wave and became someone he wasn’t proud of.

No matter… that was all in the past. He had been sober for years, making him see the world with immense clarity, not using the trip as a distraction. There would be no doubt in her mind that she knew he could see right through her. From the fidgeting to her sweaty palms, Matty read her like a book. With a sharp and quick glance, he stared at her, their eyes meeting only momentarily. His male gaze didn’t linger on her form for too long, just enough for him to gather the necessary information, before bringing his attention back to his book. He turned to the next page.

“Can’t believe you’re still putting this much effort to impress him,” Matty muttered. His legs laid out, already in formal wear, with black socks to match. His lightweight, white oxford button-down shirt wasn’t closed fully, showing a glimpse of his muscular chest, while his blue pants had been ironed and his left ear, like a token look since childhood, had a small hoop earring. Relaxing himself, more so than he already was in his sister’s cabin, he tsked, annoyed that Nikki was still doing this dance after all these years, “Does how you look even matter if you’re not gonna’ say shit?”

His sister’s scoff of disbelief was immediate. “Who are you talking about? I’m not trying to impress a specific person!” Nikole quipped, shaking her head in disapproval before taking a seat in bed next to Matias. “I’m just making sure I look presentable, is all.” The siblings knew that there was only one reunion attendee who could make Nikki so flustered, and that deluding herself into thinking he didn’t matter to her in that way was her default way of coping with the unresolved feelings. “I just really, really, really want this night to go well-- for all of us.”

A ten-year high school reunion wasn’t exactly something that anyone would ask for other than those individuals who peaked during said time period. That wasn’t the case of any of the former classmates who had RSVP’d. Yet Nikole, in her infinite, business-oriented wisdom, saw it as the perfect opportunity to get everyone together not just for a fun time, but for some potential hardcore networking as well. Her graduating class had the likes of well-known internet personalities, Hollywood stars, sport MVPs, respected academics, successful healthcare providers… The possibilities for interactions were endless! For some of these very important guests, this was their first time attending an event of Kole’s-- so first impressions would be everything.

“Oh yeah, yeah. This party will be bitchin’,” Matty scanned the words on a page of his book, not really taking any of it in because his attention was on his sister. “Got people worried I might relapse, and then some think I’m dead - which is hilarious.” He chuckled to himself. “When I found out, I couldn’t stop laughing.” He was making light of the situation and although he wasn’t nervous to see his former classmates, he did wonder what reactions to expect, especially from the Swimmer twins.

Nikole’s lips pursed into a tight, disapproving line. “Right. Freaking hilarious.” While the whole ‘Matias Reyes Is Dead’ rumor had been amusing in the beginning, it got old pretty fast when Kole started getting condolences from people-- some going as far as to make it a point to make remembrance posts or calls to her on his ‘death anniversary’ even when nobody from the Reyes family had confirmed, denied or made any comments or the slightest of remarks regarding his whereabouts. Nikki’s loyalty to her brother meant that, no matter how exasperated the whole thing made her, she kept her lips sealed and put up with it. Thankfully, tonight’s comeback meant that Matty's charade would finally be over. All she could hope for was that those who believed it was true wouldn’t be too upset about it.

Closing his book, he placed it on his sister’s stand, leaned back, resting his head on his hand and looked at the ceiling. “Real talk though, this is you and I got no doubt that this party will be nothing short of amazing.” He turned his head toward her and gave a sly smirk, “What? We gonna’ burn Ty’s boat down just like we did with dad’s billion dollar mansion?”

That last comment earned the man a knowing smile from his sister. When Matias and Nikole were first introduced to one another, their parents were concerned by the initial hesitation displayed by the two. They were two ten-year old kids trying to navigate tweenhood while processing their parents dating someone seriously for the first time since their own personal tragedies. They didn't need to worry, though. By the time the day was over and ever since, Matty and Nikki had been two peas in a pod: inseparable partners in crime. They went to school together, hung around the same friend group… She couldn’t even count the amount of times the two of them had covered for one another, or helped each other sneak around, or conspired on some mischief whenever their parents were away.

“You’re lucky he loves me enough to forgive most of the trouble we got ourselves into,” she chuckled, referencing the many times Kole took responsibility for their misdeeds because she knew Juan Diego would go easier on them if she did. “I still remember the time his and Mom’s flight got canceled and we had to rush to get the place clean and everyone out of the house before they showed up! That was a fucking trip.”

“Good memories,” Matty sighed in response, that unwelcome feeling of nostalgia of the best and worst years of his life washing over him. “You’re pivoting though,” he glanced over at her, taking in her pristine make-up job, with no flaws or blemishes. Her cheeks kissed pink and her natural features more pronounced. “You want this night to go well. Obviously. But what does that mean to you?” There was a brief pause, allowing her to sit on his words and think. He sat up, shifting himself toward her, now completely in listener mode. “Don’t think about anyone else. You got food, booze and a scenic view, that’s more than enough to entertain everyone. Where do you see yourself tonight? In a bed alone or…” Matty intentionally let his voice trail off, not finishing his sentence. He knew deep down, Kole wanted to rant and ramble about a certain topic. It was getting her to that point that took time. He knew her all too well and honestly, in another life they were probably twins.

"Hypothetically speaking, maybe there's a certain superstar athlete I'd like to finish the night with," Nikki admitted, her cheeks turning pink from something other than her expensive blush. "And, hypothetically speaking, maybe the reason I used the yacht as a venue was so I could justify not giving people the option to bring plus ones so there would be no chance of him showing up with one of those instathots he likes to parade himself around with. But this superstar athlete has also been my best friend for nearly sixteen years. Do you know how pathetic it'll sound if I just walk up to him and say: 'hey, remember the night we hooked up after prom? You know, the only one we've ever slept together? Well, that kind of confirmed that I've had feelings for you since I was 15, but I've been too much of a chicken to tell you because I was scared of ruining our friendship'? Imagine something like that backfiring and then having to spend the rest of the weekend around each other feeling all kinds of awkward and mortified. I'd rather get eaten by a shark."

Bluntly, Matty answered, “Very pathetic, actually. You’re not wrong.” Cracking his knuckles, he continued, not really caring if his sister was seeking validation or reassurance but answering things in the only way Matty knew how. Curtly and without holding back any of the punches. “Hey, at least the only way he can escape you is off board, amiright?” He humored himself, even letting his handsome smile slip through. “So definitely a strategy to have this party on a boat-- and no plus ones, for sure.”

His earpiece started playing the classical lofi version of Mozart’s Allegro and Matty took it off, only to put his music on speaker so his sister could vibe with him as he waved his arms and hands around to dance with this bop. His sister needed to chill. “But seriously, we’re fastly approaching our thirties and it’s not like anyone else makes you wet like your bestie so you’re either going to end this night with a bang, or go home living through the same shit and being stagnant. How long you want to be bitter? For the rest of your life? Bet. That’s your grave sis, but I’mma do me and just let the flow take me on a journey. The only regret you’ll have tonight is not taking a chance because you’re quote, too much of a chicken, unquote but hey do you boo.”

As much as she hated to admit it, Nikole knew that Matias was right. For someone who always claimed to live her life to the fullest, take risks and have fun, she sure was proving to be doing the complete opposite of that. Nikki was an independent, self-sufficient 28 years old with a six figure bank account, a successful business, no children, no divorces, no psychotic exes or mountains of debt. For all intents and purposes, she was quite a catch. Why he couldn’t see that was beyond her, but maybe she just needed to pry his eyes open with her fingers to the possibilities of what they could be together. They weren’t getting any younger, either, so the time to act was now. And if all else failed, she could always drown her sorrows in bottomless mimosas or disappear on some 3 month-long cruise around the world or something.

“Okay fine” Nikki conceded, rolling her eyes. “But that applies to both of us, bestie! If I take a chance on my person, you take a chance on yours. No exceptions.” she added sternly, shooting her brother a pointed look. She didn’t need to say names. Matty would know exactly who she was talking about. Her next comments would clear the air if there was ever doubt about who she meant. “Hopefully she forgives you for the whole ‘I’m not actually dead’ thing and we can all move on from that mess. I can’t wait for it to finally be over with.”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Matty held his hands up in a hold-up-wait-minute gesture. She got his attention; his full attention. She was insinuating something that wasn’t true, that he, of all people, was one to not take chances and two, he was stuck in the same situation as her with a girl he once knew. This needed to be corrected. “Person? Me? Come on, Nik. I’m not some sappy hopeless romantic looking to find my soulmate tonight. That mushy shit ain’t for me and I’m chill being alone. Will I talk to my once-upon-a-partner-in-crime? Absolutely. Will she slap me in the face? Likely. Do I deserve it? Definitely. Will we kiss? Probably. I’m not afraid to approach her, let alone talk to her about hard hitting topics like my death. Not like you are with your boy. That was never something up for debate.”

Nikole rolled her eyes again. "I am not afraid to approach him or talk to him about sensitive topics," she scoffed, standing up from the bed to unknowingly pace around the cabin. And it was true. Nikki and Randy met up with each other in person at least once a month, they texted and video chatted as frequently as it was healthy for two people with such busy schedules. In all these interactions, the two best friends talked about anything and everything: including their love lives. Did Nikole constantly wrestle back feelings of jealousy whenever Randy went off on his soapbox about who he was entangling himself with? Absolutely. Did she try to compete with or one-up him with her own experiences that sometimes might be a liiiiiittle embellished and exaggerated? That was a possibility. But even then, she still pushed her biases and emotions aside and encouraged him to always do what made him happy-- even if it was at the cost of her own feelings. That was the definition of genuine love.

"But this isn't about you, or me, or anyone else specifically! This is about having a night to relive the good ole’ times with the gang and make even more memories together." Kole declared in a pointed attempt to move on from the previous topic and shift the attention back to the real purpose of this event. As much as she loved and trusted Matty, there was only so much venting she could do without it sounding repetitive or whiny. She couldn't afford to be this distracted before things even started, either. She needed to pick herself up by the bootstraps, take a page out of Troy Bolton’s book and get her head in the game. "I just hope there's not too much chaos this time around... I sorta promised Ty that we'd make it back to the harbor with his yacht in one piece. The last thing I want is for any of us to get screwed over by the insurance company suing us for damages or something like that."

“The class that partied the hardest, keeping this boat in one piece? Ha, One Piece...” Matty chuckled, knowing where Ty got the name The Thousand Sunny from. “Yeah, totally. Sounds easy enough.” He stood up and stretched his arms. They had a long night ahead of them. Would it be chill? Only time would tell. The horn of the Sunny went off and he gave his sister a wink, before getting ready to exit and make a stop at his cabin. “That’s your cue, babygirl. Make this party your bitch. Oh,” he snapped his fingers, stopping in his tracks and going to her dresser where he rummaged through her jewelry box. He pulled out a stunning gold necklace with birthstone pendants and offered it to his sister. “This would go great with that dress, unless your goal is to show all that neck. Then nevermind. Do you, boo.” The more he talked, the more he realized how much Ziggy influenced his way of speech. Even to this day, he couldn’t help but speak with the same energy, just maybe less sass and kind of dry. That’s just the way of things when your best friend was a transcendental goddess. “Still gorgeous but it might be best if we go up separately. I doubt you want to hear my eulogy during your bad bitch entrance.”

Nikki took the necklace being offered to her by her brother and glanced at it. She hadn’t planned on wearing anything other than earrings and rings, but Matty choosing to pull this specific item out of her jewelry box to hand to her was a sign. The necklace had been a gift from Juan Diego to his new daughter upon his marriage to Cristina, with each birthstone pendant representing the birth months of her father, her stepfather, her mother and her own. It was a necklace that Nikki had long since deemed as her lucky charm-- one she rarely took off and one that she was wearing in nearly every moment where she experienced having a little luck on her side.

As soon as she placed the chain on her neck and clasped it on, a sense of peace settled on her chest. She knew then that no matter what the night would bring her, she had her parents’ best wishes and luck on her side. Everything would be alright.

Smiling, Nikole wrapped her arms around her brother and pulled him into a tight hug. “Thanks for everything, babes. You’re the best brother I could’ve ever asked for,” she told him, holding him for a few seconds before the Sunny's horn went off again.

Five more minutes until showtime. It was time to go.

Finally releasing Matty from her clutches, Nikki turned on her heel and made a beeline for the door. “I’ll see you upstairs!” she called out to her brother, offering him a parting wave before rushing out of her cabin and into the unknown.

---

---

At exactly 8PM, the sound of cutlery sharply clanking against glass reverberated from the speakers across the top deck bar of The Thousand Sunny. Nikole stood on top of the small stage, one hand wrapped around a wireless microphone while the other held a glass flute full of bubbly champagne. With a bright smile that hid her jitters, the brunette watched as the night’s guests were guided up to the top deck and greeted with flutes of champagne. When the final guest had received their glass, Nikki took a deep breath to center herself, and addressed the group.

“May I have everyone’s attention, please?” Nikole politely called out to the crowd. She waited until the attendees settled themselves into their preferred positions before kicking off her small welcome speech. “First of all, I would like to welcome you all to the ten year reunion of Kings Academy’s graduating class of 2013! A round of applause for you all, please!” she exclaimed happily, allowing them a moment to clap before carrying on. “I truly appreciate each and every one of you here for taking the time out of your busy schedules to join us here for this little adventure. While we have lots of fun activities planned for the rest of our voyage, the night ahead of us is all about reliving the good times we spent together growing up and figuring things out while making new, exciting memories along the way.”

“With that being said, I’d like to propose a toast,” Nikki declared, raising her flute in the air towards the crowd and watching them mirror her actions. “To the graduating class of 2013. May we all continue to keep cultivating successes in our lives, without ever losing sight of who we are. Salut!”

Salut!

“Now, let’s get this party started! Yay!”