14. RE-UNION [PART.1]

The rift between the five friends had grown into an unspoken chasm, widening with each passing day. What once felt like an effortless connection; late-night talks, inside jokes, the kind of trust that needed no words; had now faded into something distant, strained, and unfamiliar. 

At first, it was subtle: unanswered messages that turned into unread ones, casual waves in the hallway that barely held eye contact. Then, the silences grew heavier, conversations reduced to polite nods, as if they were strangers forced into shared spaces. 

They no longer moved in sync. Where once they would have instinctively saved each other a seat, now they sat apart. Their mutual friends noticed but said nothing, caught between the tension. The memories of laughter, of whispered secrets exchanged under dim streetlights, now felt like echoes from another life. 

On the rare occasions they did cross paths, the air felt thick with everything left unsaid; apologies never spoken, accusations never voiced. Their friendship hadn't shattered in a single moment of anger but had instead eroded, bit by bit, until all that remained was the ghost of what used to be, or so it seemed.

Even though they felt the strangeness, the loneliness, no one took the courage to bring them together again. Everyone now had a companion, to walk with or at least talk to. Except Alex, which was now in-between lonely and whatever.

Terah do talk to him, when she's not busy. While Alex might be calm even during classes, seeing Dave alone hypes up the sadness in him. He felt extremely shattered, rejected, he who was once in a love triangle, was now completely alone.

No one would have thought things would turn out this way. Eventually, he thought he's had enough. Even though he don't think he has to settle anything with Clara, as they are now complete strangers to each other.

They haven't seen each other, ever since the Lunvera trip. Clara on the other hand, thought she deserved an apology from Alex, for putting her through that kind of emotional breakdown. What she never sat to think about is that she's never really had a breakdown. But Hannah told her he was going out with Terah, so what's there not to be angry about?

The classroom was silent except for the professor's steady voice echoing through the lecture hall. A discussion on religious values was underway, but for Terah, the words were little more than background noise. She rested her chin in her palm, absentmindedly tapping her pen against her notebook. Next to her, Mia was in the same half-distracted state, doodling in the margins of her notes.

Behind them, Mike leaned forward, his voice low but insistent. "Hey."

Terah ignored it at first, but he nudged the back of her chair.

"Hey," he whispered again, more urgently.

Terah turned her head slightly. "What?" she whispered back.

Mike smirked. "Party tonight. My place. You in?"

Mia raised an eyebrow, her pen pausing mid-doodle. "Since when do you throw parties?"

"Since now." Mike grinned, leaning back casually. "Figured we all need a little break. You know, let loose, have some fun."

Terah exchanged a glance with Mia before turning back. "What kind of party are we talking about?"

"The good kind," Mike said with a knowing smirk. "Music, drinks, good company… no stress, no drama. Just a solid night. Hopefully"

Mia hesitated, glancing toward the professor, who was still deep in his lecture about moral obligations. "And you're telling us this now? In the middle of class?"

Mike shrugged. "Timing's never perfect. Besides, I'm texting you the address. Just be there."

Their phones buzzed simultaneously. Terah quickly glanced at the screen; an unknown location, probably some off-campus house. She exhaled, glancing at Mia.

"A party…" Terah murmured, a small smile playing on her lips. She nudged Mia with her elbow. "We haven't been out in ages."

Mia chewed on her lip, pretending to be uncertain, but Terah knew her too well. There was a flicker of excitement in her eyes.

Mike leaned back, satisfied. "See you guys there. Don't bail."

Terah chuckled softly before turning back to the front. The professor's voice droned on, but now the air between them felt different. The idea of a party; of something other than the routine of lectures, assignments, and awkward silences, felt like a breath of fresh air.

For the first time in a while, she actually had something to look forward to.

Terah's room was dim, almost too dim to belong to a girl. The single overhead light cast a dull glow, barely illuminating the dark walls and the barely opened blinds that let in only a sliver of the outside world. A few posters; bands, Blackpink, abstract art, a single faded movie print; were tacked up unevenly, giving the space a disorganized yet oddly intentional feel. The bed, unmade, was now covered in a chaotic spread of clothes, discarded outfit ideas crumpled on the edges.

Mia sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed, sorting through the mess while Terah stood near the mirror, holding up a plain black oversized hoodie.

Mia scoffed. "Terah, I swear to God, if you wear that hoodie to a party, I'm leaving without you."

Terah smirked but didn't lower it. "What's wrong with it?"

"What's wrong with it?" Mia echoed, dramatically throwing up her hands. "You look like you're about to rob the convenience store down the block. We're going to a party, not a heist."

Terah shrugged, tossing the hoodie onto the pile of rejections. "I don't even know why I'm stressing about this. It's just a party."

Mia rolled her eyes. "It's never just a party. You have to dress like you belong there. You always dress like a tomboy, and it just...it won't make sense. Not tonight."

Terah snorted. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Mia smirked, pulling a short red top from the pile. "It means you, my dear, have exactly zero sense of fashion, and I, your loving and patient best friend, I'm here to save you from yourself." She tossed the top at Terah. "Try this."

Terah caught it, holding it up with a skeptical look. "Mia. This barely even is a shirt."

"That's the point!" Mia grinned. "Pair it with these..." she grabbed a pair of fitted jeans from the bed and handed them over. "Now go, change."

Terah groaned but took the clothes and disappeared behind a makeshift divider near the closet. "I hate this already."

"You'll love it," Mia called after her. "And if you don't, well, too bad."

A moment later, Terah stepped out, tugging at the hem of the top, her expression unreadable.

Mia gasped. "Oh my God."

"What?" Terah frowned.

"You look..." Mia tilted her head, assessing. "Honestly? Kinda hot."

Terah made a face. "I hate that sentence."

Mia laughed, standing up and shoving her toward the mirror. "No, seriously, look. You clean up well."

Terah stared at her reflection, eyes narrowing slightly. The top was out of her comfort zone...tight-fitting, showing just enough skin to make her uneasy. The jeans fit well, maybe too well.

She turned back to Mia. "I feel like an imposter."

Mia threw her hands up. "Then let's keep going until we find something we both don't hate."

And so the cycle continued; Terah swapping outfits, Mia critiquing each one like a ruthless fashion judge. The hoodie came back at one point, only for Mia to physically snatch it and throw it across the room.

At last, after what felt like an eternity, they stood side by side in the mirror, dressed in outfits they weren't even sure about. Terah in a dark fitted top and loose cargo pants; edgy but not try-hard. Mia in a sleek, cropped blouse with high-waisted jeans that hugged her curves just right.

They looked at each other, then at the mirror.

Mia exhaled. "Do we look… okay?"

Terah shook her head. "I have no idea."

They stared for another second before breaking into laughter.

"Well," Mia said, grabbing her phone, "we'll find out soon enough. Let's go before we change again."

Terah took one last look at herself and sighed. "Yeah. Let's do this."

Mike wandered through the house, weaving through the mass of bodies crammed into every corner. The party had started off as a small get-together, but somehow, it had exploded into something way beyond his control.

He paused at the foot of the staircase, eyes scanning the chaos around him. A couple of drunk guys were wrestling on the couch, knocking over a lamp that hit the floor with a dull thud. In the kitchen, someone was chugging straight from a bottle of vodka while another was stacking empty beer cans like it was some kind of art project. Music blasted from the speakers, a mix of hip-hop and house music shaking the walls.

Mike rubbed his temples. "How did this even happen?"

Just then, the front door swung open, and Hannah stepped in, her sharp gaze sweeping over the scene like a detective surveying a crime scene. Clara followed closely behind, looking equally unimpressed.

"Mike," Hannah called out, making her way toward him. "What the hell happened here?"

Mike raised his hands in surrender. "Don't ask me. I invited, like, ten people. Then those ten people invited another fifty. Now here we are."

Hannah exhaled, her eyes flicking around the room as if searching for something.

Clara, noticing, leaned in slightly. "Looking for someone?"

Before Hannah could answer, the front door opened again. Dave walked in, Scott trailing beside him. The second Hannah saw Dave, her face lit up. She lifted a hand and waved, subtle but noticeable.

Dave hesitated, then gave a small nod before walking over. The moment they reached them, the air grew heavy.

"Hey," Hannah said, offering a small smile.

"Hey," Dave responded.

Scott, sensing the weird tension, cleared his throat. "Uh, hi."

Clara gave a small, polite nod.

Hannah, always the one to break awkward moments, clapped her hands together. "Well, this is fun. Guys, this is my cousin Mike."

Dave's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Your cousin?"

"Yup." Hannah grinned, but no one else seemed as amused. She sighed. "Come on, let's go to my room before the house actually collapses."

They made their way upstairs, leaving behind the madness.

Terah and Mia stood outside, watching the scene unfold through the open windows of the very large bungalow. The music was loud, and people were moving in and out of the house like a swarm.

"This is a bad idea," Terah muttered.

Mia groaned. "I knew this wasn't going to be a small party." She crossed her arms. "Did he lie to us?"

"How would I know?" Terah exhaled, pulling out her phone. "I'm texting him. I'm not about to go in there alone."

A few minutes later, the front door burst open, and Mike stumbled out, laughing as he approached them.

"Seriously?" he said, hands in his pockets. "You guys have been standing out here like awkward statues?"

Mia shot him a look. "You said 'simple' party." She gestured toward the chaos behind him. "This is not simple."

Mike shrugged. "Oops?"

Terah shook her head. "We should just leave."

"Oh, come on," Mike said, nudging Terah playfully. "You're already here. Don't chicken out now."

Mia sighed. "Fine. But if we die in there, I'm haunting you."

Mike grinned. "Deal."

As they stepped inside, they were immediately swallowed by the crowd. Pushing their way through, they made it halfway up the stairs when a drunk guy stumbled into them; more specifically, into Terah, and in his hand was a nearly full glass of red wine.

Before she could react, the liquid splashed all over her top, dripping down her torso in a deep crimson stain.

Terah froze.

The guy, completely oblivious, slurred out an "Oops," before staggering away.

Mia gasped. "Oh. My. God."

Mike winced. "Uh. Yeah, okay, that's bad."

Terah closed her eyes, inhaled sharply, then exhaled through her nose. "Mike."

"Yes?"

"Where's your bathroom?"

Inside Mike's room, Hannah and Clara sat awkwardly on the bed while Dave stood near the wall, arms crossed, waiting for Scott to return, he went to get a drink, he had claimed. A dartboard hung on the door, darts scattered on the floor from where they'd abandoned their game.

The silence was thick.

Mike finally entered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Alright, my friends are coming, just warning you now."

Before anyone could respond, there was a knock on the door.

Mike turned. "Come in."

The door creaked open, and Terah and Mia stepped inside.

And suddenly, the air shifted.

No one spoke.

Hannah's back straightened slightly. Dave's gaze flicked to Terah, then away just as fast. Clara's fingers curled into her lap.

Mia, sensing the tension, glanced between everyone, eyebrows slightly raised.

Terah, still smelling like wine, crossed her arms, expression unreadable.

Mike, completely lost, looked around. "Uh… am I missing something?"

No one answered.

Mike sighed, dragging a hand down his face. "Great. Love the energy in here. Fantastic."

Still, silence.

Hannah exhaled, shifting slightly. "Well. This is fun."

Terah let out a short, humorless laugh. "Yeah. A blast."

Another pause.

Mike, still looking utterly confused, finally sat on the edge of his bed. "So. Who's gonna explain why the room suddenly turned into a fucking funeral home?"

No one spoke.

Mia leaned in slightly to Terah, whispering, "I knew we should've stayed outside."

Terah, voice low, responded, "Shut up."

And just like that, they were all stuck in a room filled with too many unspoken words, too many complicated histories, and nowhere to escape.