Delilah Mary Gold sat crossed-legged on the wooden bedroom floor, photo album open on her lap, old Polaroids and pressed flowers scattered around her. She had been looking at her old friend group's photos for the last hour, crying silently.

She hadn't seen them in a while. Not really, not like it used to be back then. Not like when they laughed at each other's silly jokes during school breaks or when they created secret languages no one else understood. Now all that was left was silence and yearslong grudges.

In one Polaroid they were at Saltmere Beach, down at Bright Bay, where they used to spend time playing "truth or dare" and having fun. Delilah had drawn hearts around it in golden ink, it had been her favourite photo of them. Back when everything still felt endless. Back when they promised to be friends forever. When they all still believed it.

Another photo was taken at their last sleepover at Clark's house in the mountains. It had been one of the last, and maybe one of the breaking points that led to the fallout. Rhysland had taken alcohol, which led Arys to leave the party early. Clark hadn't spoken for nearly two hours after that.

Delilah wiped her cheek with the sleeve of the sweatshirt Yuki had given her for her seventeenth birthday. She and Yuki had remained friends even after the group fell apart, mainly due to the fact that both of them had tried to keep the group together. They weren't as close anymore, but they still wished each other a happy birthday and invited each other to parties. For Delilah, that was enough. She knew that Yuki would be there for her, and she for Yuki, no matter what happened.

Delilah's fingers hovered over one Polaroid – the one her grandmother had taken at their last day of middle school. She had died the very next day, just a few days before the group's fallout. The photo was a little faded around the edges, worn from years of holding, but their faces were all still recognisable. They were all squeezed on and near the schoolyard bench, the sun casting long shadows behind them.

She was sitting in the middle of the bench, as usual. Amika and the others used to call her "the heart" of the group for a reason. She was the one who organised the group chat, the one who remembered birthdays without needing reminders, the one who made playlists for them. She was smiling wide, the biggest smile in the picture, and had her arms around Yuki and Tatum.

Tatum Emberson was smiling too, her blonde hair pulled up in a messy bun. She was holding a peace sign with one hand, the other holding a plastic cup filled with lemonade. Tatum lives now between Elowen Bay and New York City, in view of college, or so Delilah had heard.

Next to her was sitting Haydes, aka Hunter Clark, the "dreamer", caught mid-blink, which somehow made the photo capture his soul perfectly: Haydes used to lose himself in daydreams all the time. He was the artist, the one who had drawn them as superheroes, each of them with a different superpower. Delilah never asked if he kept them. She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. The fallout had started with him and Rhysland—it had been their fault. They'd argued over something no one else ever really understood, and from there, everything began to unravel. Rhysland had then had a personal fight with Xavier. Then it was over: one by one, everyone started to drift away.

Xavier Giordano, or Xavi, as they used to call him, was standing behind Haydes, a hand resting on his shoulder. Xavi was smirking with the usual rebellious glint in his eyes – he looked like he was ready to challenge the world or at least anyone who dared mess with his friends.

Delilah's fingers moved to Yuki Usumaki, who was leaning into her shoulder in the photo. She had her face painted with glitter stars, a leftover from the drama club's party they had snuck into earlier that day.

Clark Moore was standing behind the bench, tall even back then, arms crossed but smiling. He had always been a little quiet, but never distant. He was loyal to a fault. He had been the first to distance himself from the group, saying he was busy with preparation stuff for high school. They had believed him. He was looking over to Arys Cortez, who was still named Cassidy at that time, who was sitting quietly at the edge of the bench, her gaze serious, lips pressed into a thin line, as if she already knew what was coming.

Beside Clark was standing Milos Cortez with his crooked smile. He was the youngest of them, and he hadn't always been part of the group. No one knew him that well back then, only Arys did. She was his older sister, after all. Yet, he had been the one to break the silence when the group drifted apart, writing "hey" in the dead of the group chat. No one ever replied, not even Delilah. At least he had tried.

Next was Rhysland, caught mid-laugh, head thrown back. And then there was Amika, kneeling beside Milos, resting her chin in her hand. There was steadiness in her eyes, the kind that had always made people instinctively lean toward her.

Delilah's vision blurred again. She pressed the photo to her chest and curled forward, forehead touching her legs. It had been 4 years, but the wound was still aching.

Those years had meant everything for her. Those people had been her second home.

And she didn't know if she'd ever see them all together again, like it used to be.

But a part of her still hoped. So she pushed the photo album aside and pulled out her journal. She found a blank page and uncapped her pen.

Dear Tatum, Amika, Haydes, Rhys, Clark, Xavi, Arys, Yuki and Milos,

I miss you.

I miss who we were before we drifted apart and stopped fighting for us. I don't know when we started pretending we were strangers, but I still remember everything we went through together; the way we used to laugh until we couldn't breathe, the way we danced, the way we said we'd never change. But we did, and I guess that's how life goes.

But it's been four years. Four years since we've seen each other, all together. I don't know if we can ever go back to what we were, but I'd like to try. Because I'd like to spend the last summer before college with the people I love most. A road trip. All ten of us.

I hope you'll say yes. Please.

With love,

Delilah

She stood slowly, wiping her tears away. 

The sky outside had turned gold, as if the world was giving her a sign.

Tomorrow, she'd send the letters. Hoping that it would be a very new beginning. 

DIANA speaks 

Sooo, the first chapter is out! Sorry if it's a bit bad, I'm not that good of a writer lol. The next chapter will have Delilah going to each one of them to hand them the letter personally, so I'll have the time to focus on each character more! 

please remember to finish the opinions so i can start writing the next chapters! Hope you liked it and see you guys soon!

 


next up... chapter 2