It was finally the big day.

After seven long years apart, Gwen was going to see her friends again. Her heart pounded with a mix of excitement and nervousness as she drove toward San Diego International Airport.

The main road through La Jolla, bathed in the morning sun, offered a breathtaking view. It was 9 a.m., and the golden light caressed the palm trees lining the avenue. The sky was a clear blue without a single cloud, and in the distance, beyond the modern villas perched on the hills, you could see the sparkling Pacific Ocean. Tiny silhouettes of surfers riding the waves added to the peaceful atmosphere of the California coast.

The streets were still relatively calm at that hour, and there was already a holiday vibe in the air. Gwen was driving with the window slightly open, letting the cool breeze rush into the car, mixed with the salty scent of the sea and the sweet perfume of blooming bougainvillea.

As she focused on the traffic, her phone buzzed softly in the cup holder. An incoming call lit up the screen:

“Boris (The Devil Himself).”

Gwen raised an eyebrow with a smile.

“Well, what does he want this early?” she thought before answering, one hand on the wheel, the other tapping the hands-free button.

— “Hello? The witch is on the move?” Boris teased in his usual mocking tone.

Gwen rolled her eyes, sighed, and smirked.

— “You want a slap through FaceTime, don’t you? I swear I’ll find a way, even from a distance.”

— “You don’t even have the guts to call me on video, old lady. And how dare you ditch us to hang out with your wrecks?”

(“Wrecks” – a mocking term they used for people they thought were crazy, lost, or useless.)

— “Excuse me? Kijan ou fè frekan konsa?”

(How can you be this rude?)

“Wasn’t it you who used to say I had nothing feminine about me?” Gwen laughed.

— “Still true. But hey... your birth certificate says you’re a woman, so we deal with it.”

— “So I’m only a woman when it suits you?”

— “Glad to see you’re still somewhat smart. Tsk. You’re leaving and abandoning me to Whesley, who’s going to feed me porridge, seriously?”

— “He’s the one who eats everything and leaves me none!” Whesley chimed in.

— “I need protein to maintain my muscles,” Boris replied in a fake serious tone.

— “Ungrateful!” Whesley snapped.

— “Ou konnen Boris renmen afè moun,” Gwen said, laughing.

(You know Boris loves to meddle in people’s business.)

— “Apre lap pran poz fâché,” Whesley added.

(Then he acts like he’s mad.)

— “Sa w posede konsa pou m pran an, hein?” Boris asked.

(What do you even have that I’d want to take?)

— “I found my sneakers, pants, and even my sunglasses in YOUR room. Do you really want to go there?”

— “It was... for science.”

— “The science of getting smacked?” she hissed, laughing. “Anyway, why are you calling, you little cockroach?”

— “Wow. I’m calling nicely to wish you luck, to remind you not to cry like a baby when you see your girls… and this is the thanks I get? Such ingratitude.”

— “I’ll cry… from laughter when I kick your ass when I get back.”

— “If you’re even walking by then, grandma! You sure you’ll survive the trip with your crazy crew?”

— “First of all, it’s not a crew—it’s an army of lunatics freshly escaped from the asylum. Second, I estimate my chances of coming back in one piece at around 5%.”

— “Perfect. In that case, we’ll exile ourselves at my parents’ house. I refuse to starve. Let me know when the war’s over.”

Gwen burst out laughing, casting a playful glance at the blue sky above the road.

— “Hang up already, brat. I’ll give you a hug when I get back… or a chokehold, your pick.”

— “Let’s go with the hug… from a safe three-meter distance. Bye, granny.”

— “Bye, microbe.”

The call ended with a soft beep, leaving a warm echo in the car. Gwen shook her head, a fond smile on her lips, her gaze drifting briefly to her reflection in the rearview mirror.

---

Gwen sighed for the tenth time as she checked her watch: 10:34 a.m.

She had been waiting for over thirty minutes in the arrivals hall of Terminal 2 at San Diego International Airport. She’d obviously arrived early—she was the type to never miss an opportunity… or a flight.

Leaning back in a metal chair, she scanned the crowd coming and going, the arrival screens blinking above their heads, the rolling luggage making familiar clattering noises, the crackling announcements over the loudspeakers.

She tapped her foot softly, her crossed leg bouncing with a patience that was beginning to wear thin. She had even opened a game app, lost twice, and given up.

The large windows overlooking the tarmac let in a bright light, typical of a Californian morning. It was already hot outside, but inside, the air conditioning chilled the exposed skin on her arms. Gwen shivered slightly.

She glanced at her phone. No new messages.

— “They’re doing it on purpose or what…” she muttered to herself, then let out a nervous laugh.

Around her, reunions were unfolding: joyful screams, hugs, even a few tears. And she… was still waiting.

Not that she really minded. She knew their reunion would be loud, chaotic, full of screams, laughter, elbow jabs, and snarky remarks. But in this suspended wait, a hint of anxiety crept in. What if something had gone wrong? What if the flight was delayed? Or worse—what if they’d changed their minds?

No. She knew them too well.

If they weren’t here yet, it was probably because they got lost… in their own terminal. Or got distracted in a duty-free shop trying every single perfume.

Gwen let out a soft laugh. She stretched a little, then picked up her phone to send them a message:

> Gwen: Tell me you’re not fighting over a bottle of perfume or doing a runway show at security 😑

Suddenly, two hands covered her eyes. Out of reflex, she tensed, ready to react. She spun around quickly…

And came face-to-face with a smile she could never forget.

— “Hi boo,” Reyna said, radiant as always.

— “Hey! I missed you so much,” Gwen replied, wrapping her in a tight hug.

— “Missed you too,” Reyna laughed softly into her shoulder.

They reluctantly let go, and Gwen looked around, frowning.

— “Where are the others?”

— “Well… we met up in a… suitable spot, as planned,” Reyna replied with a mysterious smile.

Gwen squinted.

— “Let me guess… you got lost again.”

— “We ended up in the security office,” Reyna admitted, looking innocently guilty.

— “Why am I not surprised? With Xaviera… we always end up in the weirdest places.”

— “The worst part is, we ran into a security guard with his dog and Jess screamed like a madwoman,” Reyna said, rolling her eyes.

Gwen laughed, her hand over her mouth.

— “Honestly, I wish I could’ve seen that!”

— “That alone drained me…” Reyna sighed, running a hand through her hair.

— “Speak of the devil…”

A high-pitched voice rang out in the distance, followed by a deeper one. Jess and Xaviera were approaching quickly, their voices echoing through the hall.

— “I almost went to jail AND died on the same day because of you!” Jess shouted, her face flushed with emotion.

— “That’s a fun start to a vacation,” Xaviera replied with a laugh.

— “Fun?! What part of that was fun?!” Jess yelled, clearly outraged.

Xaviera looked up and her face lit up when she spotted Gwen and Reyna waving.

— “Eyyy girls!” she shouted, before sprinting toward them.

— “I’M TALKING TO YOU!” Jess yelled, chasing after her like a furious little gremlin.

Xaviera threw herself into Gwen’s arms, who caught her in an enthusiastic hug. Then, without missing a beat, Gwen jumped toward Jess too.

— “You’re still so cute!” she said, squeezing her tightly.

— “You’re choking me, you brute!” Jess grunted, struggling helplessly in Gwen’s strong arms.

— “Where’s Maya?” Gwen asked, still holding Jess—though a bit more gently now.

— “My neck hurts…” Jess muttered, her voice muffled.

— “She takes care of her followers, as always,” Xaviera said, nodding toward Maya with her chin.

A little farther off, Maya was in the middle of a livestream, holding her phone high, her face glowing with joy.

“I’ll take lots of pictures of my trip for you! Take care, my loves!” she said with a wink to her fans before ending the live.

She gracefully put her phone away in her bag, pulled out a small bottle of champagne from seemingly nowhere, and walked over to the group, bubbling with excitement.

“We have to celebrate our reunion!” Maya exclaimed, eyes sparkling.

“Where did you get that bottle?” Jess asked, suddenly very interested, her eyes locked on the golden bottle.

“That’s not important. But if you really must know… I snagged it from the plane,” Maya said proudly, as if she’d just stolen a diamond.

“I think it’s a bad idea to open it here,” Reyna said, frowning.

“Oh, come on…” Maya whispered with a charming smile.

“Reyna’s right. I have a bad feeling about this,” Gwen added, arms crossed.

“You guys need to chill… stop being so uptight,” Maya shot back with a shrug.

And before they could stop her — POP.

Maya popped the cork with such force that it shot into the air like a gunshot.

A moment of suspended silence.

Then chaos erupted.

Screams rang out, some people hit the ground, others started running in all directions. Within seconds, the airport hall was a mess of panic.

The girls stood frozen, wide-eyed, then slowly turned their heads toward Maya, who was holding the half-empty bottle… and smiling.

“Oops… sorry?” she offered in an innocent voice.

“Oh, you better be!” Gwen growled, her jaw clenched.

“Girls, how about we run like the criminals we are?” Xaviera said, already grabbing her bag.

“An idea I support one hundred percent,” Gwen replied without hesitation.

Without wasting a second, they grabbed their luggage and bolted toward the exit, fleeing the scene like they were in a bad action movie.

“What do we do?! Where do we go?! I am way too graceful to lose my dignity in jail!” Maya cried as she ran in heels.

“No time to whine — it’s YOUR fault we’re in this mess!” Jess yelled, out of breath.

“This is not the time to argue! I parked the bus just over there!” Gwen said, pointing toward a vehicle in the distance.

“A bus?! You couldn’t rent something classier?!” Jess exclaimed, torn between shock and despair.

“And where would we have put all those bags?!” Gwen retorted, pointing at Maya’s mountain of pastel-colored, overstuffed suitcases.

Jess gave the luggage a desperate look.

“So this is what it’s like… dating an influencer,” she sighed.

“Sorry for being a femme fatale,” Maya said with a wink.

“I don’t even want to answer you,” Jess grumbled.

They crammed the bags into the trunk as best they could, then jumped into the bus. Gwen tossed the keys to Reyna, who caught them with one smooth motion and got behind the wheel.

Reyna glanced back at the girls sitting behind her, a crooked smile on her lips.

“So… what now?”

“We get as far away from this nightmare as possible before someone calls the cops,” Gwen replied.

“To adventure, darlings!” Xaviera declared, raising the champagne bottle.

And the bus screeched into motion. The ride was filled with laughter and wild stories. Sitting in the minibus, the girls had left the airport panic behind, trading stress for glasses of champagne.

Jess and Xaviera, a little tipsy, took turns sipping from the open bottle. The conversations flew at full speed, sometimes interrupted by ridiculous songs they made up to familiar tunes.

🎶 “Let me kill you all niiiiight…

Let meeee all night loooong… Do the greatest, most beautiful criiime with youuuuu ooooh!” 🎶

They sang at the top of their lungs, eyes sparkling, laughter uncontrollable.

“Honestly, I missed this so much,” Xaviera said, her face a little red, clearly happy.

“We didn’t really talk all these years,” Reyna replied with a gentle smile.

“And nothing beats a real face-to-face conversation,” Jess added, stretching in her seat.

“That’s why we need to make up for lost time!” Gwen said with determination.

“I’m soooo excited!” Jess and Gwen shouted at the same time.

A brief silence — then Xaviera burst out laughing.

“You two are terrifying. Really.”

They looked at each other for a moment… and then broke into another fit of laughter. The mood was light, joyful. As if they’d never been apart.

But in the midst of that noisy little cocoon, one figure stayed quiet.

Maya.

Sitting at the back, she stared at her phone nervously, fingers tapping the screen without really knowing what to do. Her gaze kept flicking between the screen and the road, as if she were desperately waiting for a message.

“Maya, you look anxious. Are you okay?” Xaviera asked gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m fine,” Maya replied in a breath, not very convincingly.

“I hope you’re not feeling guilty about what happened at the airport?”

“No, no… It’s not that.”

“I’d be surprised if she did feel guilty,” Jess snorted, rolling her eyes.

“Then… what is it?” Xaviera asked softly.

“It’s nothing. I promise.”

A small silence followed. A sudden tension, subtle but noticeable — like a passing cloud.

Jess decided to cut through the chill.

“So, how about we get back to the juicy gossip? Gwen, where’s your boyfriend?” Jess asked with a sly smile.

“Probably in the same place yours is,” Gwen replied without blinking.

“Ouch… I kinda walked into that one,” Jess admitted with a laugh, remembering how pathetically single she still was.

“Jess, stop teasing her. You know how picky she is about the kind of guys she lets near her,” Xaviera teased.

“She’s gonna end up an old maid at this rate,” Jess added with a shrug.

“Stop monitoring my love life… Anyway, we’re here,” Gwen announced with a mysterious smile.

The bus passed through a large wrought-iron gate and followed a driveway lined with palm trees and colorful flowers.

In front of them stood a typical La Jolla house, perched slightly on a hill with a partial ocean view. A mix of California elegance and Mediterranean warmth. Cream facade, red-tiled roof, large bay windows letting in the light, and wrought-iron balconies on the first floor. The spacious, immaculate garden was bursting with roses, agapanthus, and lemon trees. A terrace and pool shimmered under the setting sun.

The bus rolled slowly toward the garage, whose doors opened automatically.

“Wow…” Reyna murmured, wide-eyed.

“This… is where we’re staying?” Xaviera asked, mouth agape.

“Oh. My. God. I’m going to cry,” Jess said, clutching her chest.

Maya finally took a deep breath as she saw the place.

“Girls… welcome to paradise.”

They stepped off the bus, luggage in hand, and made their way toward their new refuge like little kids. A place that smelled of new adventures… and secrets to come.