What One Dance Can Do

Bathing suits? Check! Sun screen? Check! Feelings? Off! Fuck yeah! It's mid August and I was finally able to snag some PTO in time enough to catch a vacation out of the country with my girls. Separated since last year, this trip proves to be the perfect step into normalcy for us. A chance to catch up and make poor choices. This trip is going to consist of myself and my three partners in crime.

First up, we have Crystal. She's a squeaky little thing with a voice, that I once thought, sounded like nails on a chalkboard. We "officially" met at work and I honestly never expected us to vibe the way that we did but, life happens. Overly cherry in the mornings, I quickly found that we were polar opposites and made it a point to avoid her at all costs until one day, she referenced a Twitter meme and I have fucked with her ever since. True to her name, Crystal's always into some mystical rock or mood ring of the day. Annoying at best, my girl is actually great at horoscopes. Like NICE on the shit, for real. Maybe I should get into it myself, but my attention span doesn't last long enough for me to care for more than a day. Peaceful when she can be, but firm when she has to, Crystal is the friend that scares me the most. Still waters run deep, right.

Next up is Nat, short for Natalie. A literal blast in a glass and myself times ten, she's the friend you never call to get out of shit because she's with the shits; ALWAYS. Funny as hell and energy levels on a thousand, Nat is very much the "what you see is what you get" type of person. A bit blunt in her approach, Nat truly is a big ole softie underneath it all. I actually met her through a mutual friend. Our first encounter was a bit rocky, but I believe rough beginnings are the foundation of any good friendship; so it's all good and we've long moved past it.

And lastly, we have Cat, short for Catya. A mix between bouji and chill, she's somehow the responsible one of the group. A little brusque at times, she borders the line of firm yet bitchy. But then again, Cat was raised as the first child of immigrant parents, so it all makes sense as to why she is the way that she is. However mommy-esque and tiresome Cat may come off, she is as loyal as they come and for that, I love her. Oh and did I mention she was my cousin.

We all went to the same high school, everyone in a clique of their own, but it wasn't until we graduated that our bond started to form. Weird. Shortly after graduating, we found ourselves working part time in the mall. Crystal at Spencers, Nat and Cat at Starbucks, and me at Sephora. A trade here, a deal there, and eventually, an alliance was formed. With some background history and familiar faces, it was easy for us to clique naturally.

During our time at the mall, Crystal focused on entrepreneurship. Making jewelrys, selling crystals, and reading tarots was her thing.

Nat focused her energy on building her baking side gig from the ground up. Mean in the kitchen, she was always one to bake treats for every occasion and shit, just for the fun of it sometimes.

Cat went part time into cosmetology, majoring in skin and hair; she was clearly the bad bitch of the group.

And my focal point was being a nail technician, cause it's nothing worse than ugly nails.

As time went on we each separated into our perspective fields, seeing each other less and less. And one by one, we each got plucked from the mall for better opportunities. Nights together were scarce, the group chats became drier, and families got created. As the years went by success found its way into our daily lives, but socializing with one another managed to slip between us all the same.

Crystal was freshly engaged.

Natalie and her girlfriend had just moved in together.

Cat was actively working on baby number two.

And me? I just ended a two year long, toxic relationship. So it's safe to say that I needed a getaway.

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