CHAPTER 1: SOUR PATCH

"Whoa!" Avery exclaimed.

"Look, Avery, there it is – the University of the Philippines," I declared.

Avery, my lifelong friend since diapers, turned to me in awe, saying, "I'm at a loss for words, Isabella."

"Are you ready?" I asked, my arms straining from the weight of the first of many unopened boxes we still had to carry.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she replied.

With that, we entered the renowned campus, making our way to Manzanita Village, our home for the next four years.

Ever since we visited UP during a class trip with Mr. Coleman from Our Lady of Fatima University in the Philippines, Avery and I had dreamt of coming here. We fell in love with the campus atmosphere and the programs it offered – Avery's voice program for her exceptional singing talent and the film and media studies program for my passion for the movie industry. Four years had passed, and now we were living the Filipino Dream.

As Avery went to unlock our shared room, she mused, "I can't imagine not rooming with you. I'm so glad we sorted everything out early."

"You can say that again," I agreed, placing my boxes in my designated area. We had already decided on our sides, so that was settled. "Who else would put up with our mess?" Avery chuckled at my humorous but accurate remark, and I joined in.

"Yeah, even though I'm lazy, I kinda wish we'd opted for a four-person suite now with all this stuff to haul in from our cars."

"True," I sighed, "but the quicker we finish, the sooner we can leave."

She responded with a cheerful smile, saying, "You're right. The last one to bring their stuff in does the laundry for the first week!"

With that incentive, we raced out of our rooms and toward our cars, earning the title of "eccentrics" among our dorm-mates as we dodged new students in our path.

"Have you spoken to your mom or Alex yet?" Avery asked while finishing her makeup, though she hardly needed it – she was the epitome of beauty.

"Yeah, I called Mom when I beat you both back to the dorm while you were still lugging the last three loads," I teased her. "I won hands down, just saying. No offense, though. We all have our slow moments, like your morning."

She laughed and replied, "I chatted with Isaac this morning while my 'slow self' was still hauling those last three loads, as you put it."

Isaac, Avery's older brother and Alex's best friend, was four years her senior. It was quite an odd coincidence that our moms' friendship led to their simultaneous pregnancies.

"Have you heard from the others?" I inquired as I placed a fresh pack of Sour Patch Kids in my red Fjallraven Kånken backpack – probably the most crucial item I'd need.

"You can never have too many Sour Patch Kids, no matter how old you are," she quipped.

"Yesterday, Caleb and Noah arrived in Albuquerque, the twins woke up at the crack of dawn in UCLA, and Samuel got to Denver about two hours ago. Oh, and they all confirmed they'll be here by Saturday, as of half an hour ago."

"Well, they wouldn't miss it, Avery. It's UP's 'Week of Welcome' this week – parties galore. And Saturday is your 19th birthday. They'd do anything not to miss that!"

Avery's face lit up with a faint but radiant smile at my words. I couldn't blame her. When our group first separated, it was tough on all of us, but we vowed to stay close no matter how far apart we were.

"Is it always going to be this difficult, Isabella?" Avery asked, as if reading my thoughts.

I sighed deeply. "I miss them too," I confessed, not wanting to make her feel worse. But honesty was my policy, and I wasn't about to change it now. "But Avery, we made a promise to each other – a promise I'm confident we'll keep."

"Yeah, you're right," she said with a shrug, dabbing at her watery eyes and blaming it on allergies, as she always did.

"Exactly 'You're right,'" I declared, draping my arm over her shoulders and eliciting a broader smile. "Now, let's go! The party by Storke Tower has already kicked off!" I told her as I all but pushed her out the door to lock our room.

"Alright, alright, I'm outta here! Geez, woman!" She chuckled as I double-checked our locks, and then we dashed to the Storke Tower.

"No, don't bother with that. Just ring me when you reach the garage!" Avery declared loudly into her phone, ensuring the person on the other end could hear her amidst the chaos.

"Alright, that makes sense! We'll be there soon, and tell Curly to drive safely. I love him to bits, you know that, but if something goes wrong and it's his fault, I'll disown him," she quipped before ending the call.

I chuckled, now knowing who Caleb and Noah were.

"Who are Caleb and Noah?" I asked, confirming my suspicions.

"They'll be here in five minutes," she replied with a grin.

"Perfect. William just messaged me that he and Henry have just exited the highway and will be here shortly. We should head down and wait for everyone."

"You're spot on," she agreed, grabbing her dorm keys. "Have you heard from Samuel yet?"

"He updated the group chat ten minutes ago, saying he'll arrive in twenty minutes. So, he should sync up with the twins."

"Alright then, what are we waiting for?" Avery rhetorically asked. "Let's go!"

Today was Saturday – the day when UP's party extravaganza hit its peak.

We were throwing a bash for Avery's 19th birthday tonight, with all our friends joining in.

After surprising her early in the morning with a candlelit, personal-sized cake from Anna's Marketplace Bakery, while she was still asleep, Avery and I laid out our outfits for the night.

Avery opted for her new black Night Shimmers Mini Dress by Free People, a special piece she'd saved for her birthday, paired with black stiletto heels. I chose my emerald green high-neck, strappy-back bodycon dress, intending to pair it with simple black single-strap heels. Once we were confident that we'd both look stunning tonight, we decided to check on our friends' progress with their drives. Since then, we'd been chatting with them on the phone, and as they neared our location, our little reunion grew increasingly lively.

"Curly! Caleb! Finally, you guys made it!" Avery hollered, hugging our two friends so tightly she nearly toppled them over. I watched from behind the parking garage.

On our way to the parking lot, Avery reminded me of the last time Noah had startled me, and we concocted a plan for some playful payback.

"Noah Evans, karma's a real kicker!"

"Watch out for the curls!" Noah yelped when Avery tried to mess up his hair, which only fueled her determination. All three of them burst into fits of laughter, and I couldn't help but join in. "What are you even doing down here?" Noah finally asked when Avery released her grip. "Didn't you say Isabella would let us in? Does she really want the birthday girl to do all the work again?"

That was my cue to start creeping up on my unsuspecting prey, embracing my inner sneak.

Avery set up Noah by saying, "She's not coming down after what happened at the lake last time." I didn't need to look at Noah's expression to know he'd taken the bait.

"Seriously?! Avery, she's still on about that?" He groaned and likely ran a hand down his face. "How many times do I have to say sorry before she forgives and forgets?"

"When she jumped like that, you made her drop her Sour Patch Kids. 'Might as well call yourself 'Isabella's little sidekick' for life,'" Avery retorted, and Caleb spotted me out of the corner of his eye.

I quickly put my finger to my lips, signaling her to hush, and she averted her gaze so we wouldn't burst into laughter simultaneously.

"Would it help if I grabbed a few packs of that stuff for her on the way to your dorm?" Noah inquires, nervously rubbing the back of his head.

"It's worth a shot," Avery suggests, delivering her lines convincingly. Noah is totally buying into it.

"What on earth am I going to do with you, Isabella Vega?" Noah shakes his head, a mix of frustration and amusement crossing his face, and then...

"You get what's coming to you, buddy!" I shout, leaping onto his back, causing him to unleash a string of colorful words. The rest of us burst into laughter. For those bystanders witnessing this spectacle, I almost feel sorry that they have to witness whatever this is.

As Noah's anxiety finally subsides, he regains his composure and joins in on the laughter. He even hoists me higher on his back for safety.

"So, does this mean I'm forgiven?" he asks with an adorable pout, tilting his head upward, trying to win me over with his puppy-dog eyes.

"Only if you give me a piggyback ride back to our room," I reply as Noah lowers himself just enough for me to hug Caleb tightly. "And a few packs of that stuff you promised earlier." Noah laughs at my response.

"Deal."

"In that case, your sins are forgiven." I laugh at our silliness, and Caleb spots the twins' car followed by Samuel's just ahead.

We wave our arms wildly, signaling them to come up to the parking garage where we're waiting for Avery to let them in.

Two minutes later, the twins rush toward us with wide smiles, and Samuel trails behind them, accompanied by a gorgeous brunette?

Avery, Caleb, Noah, and I exchange puzzled glances regarding the plus one. However, we don't have much time to dwell on it as William and Henry are already engulfing us in hugs.

"Oh no, Evans. You can't steal my friend who gives me piggyback rides. She's mine!" William quickly grabs my arm, but Noah is even quicker, positioning himself between William and me.

"Come on, this is my chance to make amends after the Sour Patch Kids incident. Please, let me carry her this time?" Noah pleads right away, and I'm enjoying this far more than I should.

William ponders for a moment before relenting. "Alright, fine. But just this once."

"What have we missed?" Samuel inquires, and we exchange hugs again while I remain on Noah's back.

"So, Spence," Avery finally asks, "who's this?"

"Everyone, meet Charlotte. Charlotte," he turns to the undeniably attractive girl, "these are the best friends a guy could ask for."

"Is Samuel Turner really giving us a public compliment? Alright, nothing suspicious about that," I tease, just for fun.

"We didn't expect another girl to join us today," I add, smirking at Samuel's slightly sweaty face. Then I refocus on Charlotte and say, "But we're thrilled to have you with us."

Samuel visibly relaxes.

"Thanks, guys," she says sincerely. "To be completely honest, Samuel and I had a misunderstanding about our plans for this weekend. So when he insisted on being here for a special someone's birthday," she smiles at Avery, "he didn't want to leave me hanging. I kept telling him to check with you first, but he was determined that it wouldn't be a big deal."

"Now I see why he was fishing for compliments. Silly guy. We don't mind at all, but he should have known better. Nevertheless, he's practically got sweaty palms over it."

"No worries!" Avery reassures her. "The more, the merrier."

"Well then," Noah chimes in, "can we get going? Isabella's getting heavier by the second."

We all share more laughter before our guests retrieve their overnight bags from their cars, and we finally head back to our dorm.

And yes, I'm still riding on Noah's back, just in case there were any doubts. The lesson here? Never mess with a girl's Sour Patch Kids.

"You know," Avery remarks, finalizing the last touch of her winged eyeliner, "for a moment there, I thought he brought Charlotte for a different purpose."

"Even though Samuel and I shared a kiss months ago, I shouldn't be dwelling on this, but I can tell that's exactly what's on Avery's mind. So, I decide to be straightforward."

"Avery, yes, we shared one kiss over the summer, but we both realized it wasn't right for us. You know this better than anyone."

"Of course, I do. But what's more concerning is that he brought Charlotte here without giving us a heads-up. I mean, we wouldn't mind if he just told us, but he's being all secretive about it, and I can't figure out why."

"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"Why did I even ask? Of course, you are."

"That he brought her here for a date and to maybe make you a tad jealous?" She answers my question with another question, making it clear she doesn't want to beat around the bush. "I mean, he's still the same Samuel we adore, Isabella, but he's also always been one of the smoothest operators we know. Maybe his ego got bruised more than he's letting on."

"I doubt it, Avery. If it had, he and I wouldn't still be as close as we've always been."

"Fair point," she concedes after deciding to dial back her suspicion. "My bad, I tend to overthink things. Let's just forget about it and enjoy tonight as we planned all along. Sound good?"

"Thought you'd never ask," I say, relieved. This topic has been done to death in my books, and that was ages ago. 

Samuel had made his intentions clear, but Avery could always be relied upon to bring up old stuff at the most inconvenient and awkward times.

"Ready?" she immediately asks, eyeing me up and down. "Never mind, don't answer that. What's new? You look stunning."

I pull a face and shake my head. This woman... "Nowhere near as gorgeous as you."

She gives me a smug wink and moves closer so we can do what we always do before a big event.

"Teeth?" she inquires, and I flash my best grin in return.

"Looking good to me," I confirm.

"Same here."

"Armpits?" Then I query, and we both do what any regular people would do and discreetly sniff each other.

"Checked," we chorus simultaneously, noting that our armpits only exude the scent of fresh lavender.

"Alright, birthday girl! Caleb just messaged me, saying she and Charlotte are all set and waiting outside with the guys."

She links her arm with mine, and we exit the bathroom together. We've allowed Caleb and Charlotte to use the mirrors in our room while the guys changed in the men's restroom to save time. We head outside to join the rest of the gang.

"Get ready to party hard tonight!" exclaim my wildly adventurous friends and me as we take two Ubers to Eos Lounge, one of the hottest nightspots in town.

Ever since the twins pilfered that bottle of Jim Beam Bourbon Whisky from a local bar when we were in eighth grade, the seven of us have become accustomed to indulging in alcohol.

Poor Charlotte. I hope she can keep up.