The blur turned out to be a teen. Will was on the ground, the teen wrapped himself around Will, hugging him tightly.

"Angel...?" Will whispered in a trembling voice.

He could not believe it. What were the chances that they would meet here?

He blinked to keep the tears from falling, which did not seem to bother Daniel, who let his own tears fall freely.

"Mr. Johnson, what are you doing? Please return to where your class is—Will? What are you doing here?"

One of the teachers from the old school came to take Daniel back, but was surprised to see Will. Now the whole situation seemed a lot clearer to him.

Despite Daniel’s resistance, the teacher managed to convince him to let go of Will.

Daniel pulled away from Will, and with the help of those around them, they both stood up.

Will nearly broke down when Daniel had to leave with the teacher – but not without the teacher’s promise that they would have time later to talk and catch up.

The teacher once again reminded them to stay with their group so they would not get lost. While he was talking and explaining about the tour they would have today at the nature reserve, shouting was heard from the direction Daniel had gone, calling out to Will.

When Daniel returned to his class, he told his classmates what he had seen, and they also wanted to see Will and say hello. After all, this was the first year they were not studying together since kindergarten.

Will bit his lip, and a few tears ran down his face. Megan came and wrapped her arm around his waist to hug him. He accepted it quietly.

"Are you OK?" she whispered in his ear.

The lump in his throat made it impossible to speak, so he only nodded.

The teachers instructed them to follow, and they entered a room with long benches.

After everyone sat down, a few guides from the reserve arrived, wearing their uniforms. They explained the importance of the reserve and the unique plants and animals that grow and live there.

When they finished speaking, one of the teachers stepped up and explained that now they would have lunch. The reserve staff, together with the school, had prepared tables with sandwiches, healthy snacks, and a variety of drinks. He said that after the meal, they would split into groups for a bingo game organized by the reserve staff.

Will did not feel like eating, so he remained seated. He promised the other three that he was fine and that they could go get food before it ran out.

One of the teachers saw him sitting alone and came to sit beside him.

It was the history and Spanish teacher, Mr. Ramirez.

"How are you feeling?" he asked Will with a cautious smile on his face.

Will nodded. "As good as I can be in this situation," he said with sarcasm.

The teacher studied him for a moment and then said, "You should get something to eat. You’ll need your energy later for the game."

"I’m not really hungry right now. And if I want something later, I’ve got everything I need in my bag."

Mr. Ramirez stood up, and before leaving, he told Will,

"Cheer up. You might get to see your friend again. Last year we also shared the reserve with another school, so there might still be a chance."

Will nodded and pulled out his phone.

He opened it and saw all the messages he had received—he hadn’t even noticed them coming in.

He quickly replied to the group chat of his old class, which he was still part of.

Then he opened the chat with Daniel, Anna, and Eden—both girls had been close friends of his, almost as much as Daniel.

He tried to find out where they were staying that night, but just like him, they didn’t know yet.

He told them what was planned for them after lunch, and again, they weren’t headed in the same direction. The reserve had something completely different planned for them.

He sighed in frustration.

“Everything okay?” Morgan asked, startling Will. He hadn’t noticed they had come back. Morgan and Taylor sat on either side of him, and Megan sat next to her boyfriend.

She handed him a plate with cut-up fruit.

“No thanks,” Will said.

“You have to eat something. I haven’t seen you put anything in your mouth all morning,” she insisted.

He took the plate from her and popped a piece of fruit into his mouth to please her. She smiled at him in satisfaction and continued eating her sandwich.

“Who was that earlier?” Taylor asked Will cautiously, with a hint of curiosity.

It seemed like everyone nearby went quiet, waiting to hear Will’s answer.

The scene Daniel had caused had stirred up a lot of curiosity, but they hadn’t found the right moment to ask—right after the shock wore off, the teachers had already ushered them into the hall.

"It was my friend from my old school. Turns out they came here too. Mr. Ramirez said it’s not the first time two schools come here at the same time."

"Wow… what are the odds?" Morgan said in amazement. "Even if it’s normal for them to host two different schools, what are the chances it would be your old one..."

People nearby started whispering among themselves.

They, too, were surprised by the odds of Will running into his old school.

Will stayed quiet until everyone finished eating and the teacher asked them to split into groups of six. Barney and Ed — one of Brian’s friends — joined their group.

The guides handed out papers with a table listing various items they could find in the nature reserve. They explained that the students needed to walk around the reserve and take pictures with each item. Anyone who managed to complete a full line — like in Bingo — would win.

They added that one group member had to appear in each photo.

Then, they handed out maps to everyone, explained where most of the items could be found, how to read the map, and sent them on their way.

The six of them stood off to the side near the entrance to the reserve, looking at the map and trying to decide on the best route.

As they discussed, Will said, "I think the best path for us is to enter from here" — he pointed at a spot on the map — "and then head this way... That way we will cover most of the reserve and still circle back to the starting point."

Ed nodded and said, "I am with Will on this."

"This does not seem new to you," Taylor commented.

"My abuelito takes us camping a lot. I guess all the things he taught us stuck with me."

"I think you should lead," Taylor said.

"No... I cannot."

"Will, if you do not lead, we are going to get lost," Taylor tried to convince him, and the others joined in.

Will agreed. To his surprise, he actually enjoyed leading the others and sharing everything his abuelito had taught them.

Even Taylor loosened up from the sour expression he had earlier. He found out that Ed and Barney's families were connected — Ed’s older sister was the second wife of Barney’s father. He thought it would be awkward between them, but they acted like good friends.

They began looking for the items on their list.

To Will’s surprise, whenever they needed to climb a tree or search through bushes, Megan was the only one who volunteered.

He clicked his tongue.

"How can gentlemen like you let a lady do all the hard work for you?"

They blushed, and Megan laughed at them, saying she did not mind doing it.

They kept walking until Ed suddenly jumped and shouted,

"Bingo! Bingo!"

They looked where he was pointing and saw the final item on the list.

"Strange, I thought it would take longer," Megan said, glancing at her watch.

"I guess that is what happens when you have an awesome guide," Morgan said.

Will took a picture of Ed next to the flower. Ed raised his hand in victory.

"So… are we heading back to the starting point?" Taylor asked.

"Do you want to keep wandering around the trees?" Will asked sarcastically.

Everyone shook their heads — they were sweaty and wanted to rest.

When they returned to the starting point, the teachers were speaking with the reserve guides. They were surprised the group had finished so quickly.

They checked the pictures several times to make sure they were real.

When the teachers finally confirmed that the pictures were real, the group cheered with excitement after being told they were the first to finish.

They found a picnic table under a tree and sat down. While laughing, they reenacted all the funny moments they had during the trail. Mr. Ramirez approached them with a box full of popsicles, saying they had earned the right to choose first.

After everyone had taken their favorite flavor, they sat there eating popsicles, laughing and guessing how long it would take the other groups to finish.