𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐘 → original

PROLOGUE

Milford, Pennsylvania, March 3rd, 8:07 am

Vallie chewed anxiously at a hangnail on her thumb as she read and re-read the message she had typed out in her notes app. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous, it was just a text. Still, she had a fear of rejection, and the thought of being turned down by the people who used to be closest to her scared her endlessly.

After deciding that there were no errors, that the message was concise enough, warm enough, excited enough, she decided she couldn't stare at it any longer. So, she copied and pasted it into the group chat that had long since been abandoned. She clicked send before she could overthink it too much, then cast her phone aside and got back to work on making her breakfast. Her cat, Wilson, nuzzled affectionately near her feet, probably hoping to scoop up any scraps she dropped.

Hey guys! :) Long time no talk. I hope everyone is doing well! Anyways, I've saved up some vacation time for this summer, and was hoping maybe we could find a week in July where we could all catch up at my parent's lake house. What do you guys think?

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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 3rd, 8:07 am

Ophelia was running on about 4 hours asleep, switching consistently between tabs of e-textbooks and paperwork that her supervisor had sent her. While this should have been stressful for her, she was unfortunately very used to this exact scenario. When the words on the screen began to blur together, she knew she needed a break. So, she sat up at her desk and pulled her glasses off. She used the heels of her hands to rub at her eyes, then decided to get up and stretch.

It was a Saturday, which meant she had a day off from her internship, but her days off were anything but relaxing. Free time just meant more time to study, especially since she had finally pulled the trigger and decided to apply to a PhD program that accepted applicants without a masters degree. She got in, of course. Her grades, internship, and extracurriculars made that a given. Still, she knew there was a possibility she might feel behind the students who did have their masters, so she found herself studying harder than before.

Ophelia was nearly out the door of her bedroom, planning on grabbing a snack, when she heard the ping of a notification on her laptop. She paused, mainly because she had thought do not disturb was on, before padding back over to her desk and clicking on the text in the right hand corner. Her eyes scanned the message, then scanned it again, before a smile lit up on her face. July was perfect, seeing as her courses would start in Mid-August. She typed up her reply and clicked send. Thoughts of a snack were all but abandoned, instead she found herself pulling up a blank word document and putting into words, as best she could, the feelings of nostalgia and warmth that were flowing through her in that moment.

Vallie dear!! I've missed you all!! I can do anytime in July, so count me in :)

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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 3rd, 11:15 am

Marc did not read the text when it first came through, because Marc was not awake when it first came through. Typically, it's not like him to sleep in, or he would like to think that it's not like him. Still, after a week of working 8 am to 4 pm with his grandfather, then barely having time to eat or change out of his suit before heading off to night classes, he thought maybe he deserved to sleep in on a Saturday.

He didn't check his phone when he first woke up, because almost immediately he found himself thinking about the talk his grandfather had with him yesterday over lunch. While they ate the catered street tacos in his grandfather's pristine office, his grandfather paused before asking him what exactly he was doing with his life. He claimed he was happy that Marc was getting hands-on knowledge at the firm, but that it was almost two years since he graduated, and Marc still had yet to take the LSAT and apply to any law schools. Marc had pushed these things off, at first because he simply wanted a break, but now because he wasn't sure he could even do it. He was smart enough, of course, but he'd begun to fear that perhaps he could no longer push himself towards things that simply did not interest him.