the fateful five

chapter two

MARIE ROCKEFELLER

After a night of tarot, bubble baths, and The Notebook, morning had come and it was time to see the boys.

Blake Henley has been one of my best friends since the seventh grade, and I've never met anyone quite like him. He was majoring in Psychology and would be a tight end for the Tar Heels this year; the girls and I were so excited to come to his games and support. We always bickered like old ladies, but he was always there for me when I needed him. If a rando was getting too close for comfort, he was one call away; if it was a breezy summer afternoon, we'd go for a drive in his green Porsche 911 with the top down; and if he found out it was shark week, he'd drop off a box or two of slim tampons with the perfectly pink applicators, and would slip a slab of my favorite raspberry chocolate bar in the bag, too. He was simply the best, and I couldn't ask for someone better to grow up with.

People have always thought we'd be cute together, but we have been platonic ever since middle school - just the way we liked it.

Today, the girls and I were coming over for lunch and to meet up with him and two of his buddies, who would be going to UNC as well.

"How fine are his friends?" asked Birdie. She was a bit of a mess at the moment, yet the hottest one out there. She was curling her hair with one hand and dabbing her beauty blender under her eyes with the other at the same time, all while managing to look good doing it - a true triple threat in my opinion.

"No idea Birds," I said while curling my lashes. "I've never even seen them before, and Blake told me that there are a few more to meet down in Chapel Hill. These two were nice enough to make it out to Newport, so hopefully we can befriend them easily."

"I remember Blake alright," bitched June sarcastically as she rummaged through her drawer for a pair of jean shorts. "Him and I had a good debate last time we were all together. I can't put my finger on what it was about, but all I remember is that he was pissed at the end of it, and then Penny sent him off to bed. It must have been heated."

Penny sighed while braiding her hair. "June, you were both drunk and you cursed him out like your life depended on it. The argument was about if water is wet."

God, my friends are really something.

We grabbed our purses and walked down the block to Blake's house. Yes, we both have beach houses in Newport, and yes, it is most definitely an Upper East Side thing.

I knocked on the door, and was instantly greeted with a warm embrace from a tan, shirtless Blake.

"B! How have you been?" I asked while hugging the tall boy back.

"Happy as a clam until you decided to show up, Shortstack," he teased while ruffling my hair playfully. "Come on in guys, make yourselves comfortable."

I helped Blake with the house - architecture and interior design is my favorite thing in the world. There's just something about an intricately created space that catches my eye every time I see one, to me it's worth appreciating every little detail.

As I walked through the corridors of the property, I spotted two boys that looked about our age.

The girls and I started to graze the cheeseboards and charcuterie, but first, Blake pulled me over to his friends.

"Rie, this is August and this is Hudson. They're going to be staying with me for the next few, so you'll see them around."

They were sunshine and midnight rain. August was the cutest strawberry blonde who was the human version of a golden retriever. Hudson seemed like the opposite, with dark hair, a black t-shirt on, and a silver chain. They had one thing in common - they were both buff as fuck.