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Rachel Xue

Rachel was the foreigner everyone loved to tease growing up, but she pulled herself up by her bootstraps and managed to accomplish a lot in her years away from Virginia City.

0 · 891 views · located in Montana

a character in “Back Again”, as played by ~Lonesome Butterfly~

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✫ Name ✫
Rachel Xue

✫ Gender ✫
Female

✫ Race/Nationality ✫
Chinese-American.

✫ Sexual Orientation ✫
Heterosexual

✫ Age ✫
24

✫ Relationship Status ✫
Single

✫ Occupation ✫
Fashion Designer & Print Model




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✫ Likes/Hobbies ✫
Fashion
Music
Meditation/Yoga
The Beach
Reading
Food
Film
Award Shows


✫ Dislikes ✫
The Paparazzi
Boredom
Nagging
Ignorant people
Racists
Bimbos
Complainers
Nosy people
Meatheads
Bullies



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✫ Weight ✫
125lbs

✫ Height ✫
5'11

✫ Eyes ✫
Deep Brown

✫ Hair ✫
A deep Auburn-Brown, and reaches to the middle of her back when out straight.

✫ Body Art ✫
Three lobe piercings in both ears, Vertical and Horizontal belly button piercings, and identical ankle tattoos on both ankles of an ankle bracelet.


✫ Personality ✫

- Workaholic.
Rachel always threw herself into her studies, and with her career it has been no different. She not only runs her own fashion line/boutique and appear at and/or sponsor fashion shows, but she's a frequent magazine model with several covers under her belt and a flurry of fashion-related appearances in various print articles and TV/web interviews.

- "Sassy yet Classy."
Running a business to the degree Rachel has, as a woman, requires a bit of attitude and strength, but she's never let the power go to her head, and even when she finds herself getting sassy with someone on the job it's usually in a classy manner.

- Defensive and Closed Off from Others
Growing up ostracized by her peers left an emotional scar on Rachel, and even though she has grown more confident as shes matured away from Virginia City she's become incredibly defensive and easily feels as if she's being attacked. She also views people in a different light since her childhood, and finds it hard to trust people - often finding their acts of kindness to be fake or covering an ulterior motive. So it's safe to say she doesn't have many close confidants, and is definitely missing that from her life.

- Loner/Homebody.
Outside of work, the fashion/award shows, interviews, or meet-and-greet cocktail events with clients, Rachel doesn't have much of a social life - which is a natural side affect of not having a circle of close friends. So instead she finds herself lonely and bored at home a lot, ordering in, and watching the same things on TV over and over again. Even when she does go out she finds herself being more of a starer than a young 20-something trying to make new friends.
In her heart she wants to have a close circle of real friends, and she wants to be able to trust, but in reality it's a hard thing for her to accomplish.




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✫ Bio ✫

Rachel was born in Chongqing, China and lived there for several years before moving to America with her parents at the age of eight.
Her father was offered the chance to transfer and lead the US branch of his company from Montana, and naturally jumped at the opportunity.
Virginia City was an hour or so from the city her father worked in but the family decided to move there instead of living in the city because they liked the house they saw there, the community, and the school system better. Rachel herself was excited at first to move to Virginia City, but after she began school the excitement quickly faded.

The academic part of school was never the issue for Rachel, seeing as how she was invited to join Mensa at the tender age of nine - which her parents accepted but still insisted she go through school like other children in an effort to better assimilate, it was the interaction with her peers that quickly became the issue.
Being a four-eyed Chinese girl amongst a sea of white faces made Rachel stand out like a sore thumb, and while the teasing was somewhat tolerable in grade school it became almost unbearable in Jr. high.
Rachel tried sharing her misery with her parents, but while her parents felt some sympathy for their daughter her father, who always wanted a boy over a girl, was constantly telling her to suck it up and deal with it, so by the time she reached HS she had learned to stop complaining to her parents and suffer in silence.


Finally at the age of 16 Rachel convinced her parents to let her finish the last few months of her Senior Year at home via home schooling, and even though Rachel never got to graduate with her class on stage, compete for class placement, or worry over prom titles, she was happier graduating via home-study than with people she had grown to largely hate.

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Fast forward several years and you have a woman who no longer wears thick glasses and outdated fashions. In the city Rachel has grown to love her body and physical appearance, and appreciate her differences. College in NYC was the best thing that happened to her, and while the emotional scares from her childhood remain largely unaddressed, visually - and on some level emotionally - Rachel is a completely different person the town of Virginia City remembers from 2008.
If it wasn't for her parents - who chose to retire in Virginia City - bragging on their daughter and handing out copies whenever their daughter is featured in, or on the cover of, a magazine, her teachers and old neighbors probably wouldn't recognize her.


Despite the resentment she had towards her parents growing up over their reaction to her being bullied, she has moved past that with them and managed to have a close relationship with both her Mother and Father. So when her mother sent word that her father's Illness had come back with a vengeance she agreed to come back home.




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✫ Strengths ✫

- Fluent in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Spanish.
- Dabbles in other Languages.
- Academically Gifted
- Plays Multiple Instruments
- Hard Worker
- At Ease in Front of a Camera






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✫ Weaknesses ✫

- Trypophobic
- Loner
- Defensive
- Perfectionist
- Her own Worst Critic





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So begins...

Rachel Xue's Story

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Character Portrait: Rachel Xue
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Dusk was fading as Rachel finally reached the "Welcome to Virginia City" sign. The red Mustang she had rented for the drive had broken down a few miles back and she was forced to walk the remainder of the way - seeing as how her parents hadn't picked up the phone the last couple of times she called. However, after pulling her phone out for the third time and calling home her mother finally answered and agreed to come pick her up.

It took her mother almost twenty minutes to reach her, and after the pair drove back to the broken down car to get Rachel's suitcases they'd make their way back to the house underneath the darkening sky.

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"Welcome home hun" her mother said as they walked into the house. "Leave those bags at the door and come get something to eat, I made Chow Fun and Dumplings."

As Rachel rounded the corner into the Kitchen she'd spot her father sitting at the head of the table, and she'd walk over and hug him tight before taking a seat on his left side.
Her folks had a genuine interest in her career, so as they ate Rachel would catch her parents up on her latest photo-spread project for ELLE and the outfits she designed for the shoot. The threesome would sit and chat over their plates of food for nearly an hour before her mother brought up the idea of meeting up with old friends. "Old Friends? I know you like to forget but I wasn't exactly rolling in friends here, so I don't think there will be that much catching up with anyone, I'm here for you guys - that's it. And I can't stay forever, so no trying to convince me to move back to this place - okay?"
Rachel would stand and pick up everyone's now empty plates then head towards the Kitchen to avoid talking anymore on the matter, but her mother would quickly follow her into the kitchen, waving a piece of paper around in her hand.
"But Rachel, this flyer here says there's a reunion tomorrow evening. You should go and-"
Before her mom could finish she'd cut her off.
"There is no way on God's green Earth that I'd go to a High School reunion, so just drop it mom, okay?"

Rachel's mom didn't know the meaning of "drop it" though, and would spend the next few minutes trying to convince her to go. Finally, after finishing the dishes, Rachel would excuse herself from their company, grab her bags, and head up the stairs to retire for the night in her old room - ending the conversation about her attending some reunion once and for all.



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Spending the night in her old childhood bedroom and showering in her old bathroom was rather nostalgic, and as she made her way down the stairs to see what her mother made for breakfast the familiarity of it all kind of got to her. However Rachel was snapped back into reality when instead of Breakfast cooking she'd find a note in the Kitchen on the counter-top informing her that her mother took her father for an early morning doctors appointment.

"Gees mom, you should have woken me up!"
Rachel complained to herself out-loud for a few seconds before remembering she was hungry, and despite there being food in the fridge she would decide to jog up the stairs, get dressed in a plunge-front paisley print caftan and black chained six inch heels, brush her thick fluffy hair out as straight as it could possibly get, and then head out into town.


Even though it was early people were still out and about, and as Rachel walked down the street she got quite a few stares from people, as if she were an alien from another planet, and she'd even get a chuckle at an older couple debating whether she was her mother's sister or not - clearly not recognizing her.
Part of her wished her rental wasn't on the side of the road outside of town and that she could have driven into town versus walking, but the other part of her was enjoying the walk.
Nearly fifteen minutes from the moment she left her parent's place she'd spot "Lucy's Cafe" across the street and jog over towards the small but popular eatery.
Rachel use to come inside the establishment quite a bit as a teen, so it was no surprise that the elderly Lucy Jacobs quickly recognized her.

"Rachel? Oh my goodness, Rachel - it IS you!"
Lucy would walk from behind the counter and give her a hug before pulling back and cupping Rachel's face in her hands.
"My word, you have really grown up young lady, just look at those legs!"
Rachel would laugh at the woman's comment before making her way over towards the counter and pointing towards the freshly baked muffins and bread.
"Oh I haven't changed too much, I'm still a sucker for these blueberry muffins!"

After ordering two muffins and a large black Coffee Rachel would attempt to pay Lucy, but the woman flat out refused to take the money, and instead inquired about her going to the much publicized Class of 2008 reunion. Her answer to Lucy was the same one she gave to her mother, and after a few minutes of trying to convince her to go Lucy would pour some coffee into a large cup and hand it to her.
Rachel would smile softly and take her order to a booth across the way from the counter. She'd sit legs crossed facing towards the entrance, with a clear view of the front door and the small flat screen TV on the wall. Before she could get too far into her muffin and the show on TV however her phone would buzz with Instagram notifications, which she'd quickly begin to scan through until a text message from her mother popped up:

Don't forget about your car, you don't wanna get a ticket!

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Dave McCluskey Character Portrait: Josh Callahan Character Portrait: Rachel Xue
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#, as written by TushoKa



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"Good morning Shirley, how are you? ....Good, listen, I was wondering if I really had to go to this physical thing? I know it is protocol, and of course I totally understand, but ...eh.... you've seen me right? You must agree that I probably end up in at least the top 5 of most perfect specimen you have ever seen. So are you not able to go ahead and just check mark that little box on your side?" It hadn't been the first time he tried, and just like the other times he was again not very successful.

He dropped his phone on the bed and stood in front of the mirror. With only his batman boxers on he admired himself. Now why does this need to go for a physical. Do they need the perfect example or something? His firm, Worthington, Grey and McCoy inc., had the crazy policy that every time a new project started the leading engineer needed a physical. It was understandable that an engineer should be able to complete his work, but the rule was invented when all leading engineers were older than 50. He did not see any reason for him to go, but secretary Shirley had assured him he was not allowed to start until the deed was done. She even went as far to make an appointment for him at Virginia Falls General Hospital this morning.

After getting dressed he walked to the kitchen where the good Lord had provided him with delicious smelling coffee. He poured it into one of his travel mugs so he could have it on the way. Looking around the apartment he noticed the emptiness, his stuff had still not arrived. The movers had promised it would have yesterday, but Dave had to sleep on the air mattress instead of in his king size bed yet again. He decided to make a mental note and call them later on. Grabbing his mug he stepped out the door out into the street he used to live on as a child.

His car was parked in front, and although the hospital was close he decided to get in it nonetheless. It took him about 5 minutes to get to the hospital and about 15 to find him a parking spot. When he finally did find one, he noticed it was parked as far away as his house was. Okay, so maybe it is not my day... At least the coffee tasted like pure heaven and not much later he stood at the hospital desk. He knew his way around, he had sprained, broken and dislocated more body parts than he cared to remember. When it was his turn at the counter he spoke to the receptionist. [color=FF0000]"Good morning, I have a appointment for a physical, under the name of McCluskey."[/color] She told him where to go and that he could wait in the waiting room until the nurse would call him in.

He walked on further into the hospital before he took a seat in the waiting room. To kill the time he picked up a Men's Health issue and started reading. He hoped it wasn't going to take long, he had a busy day ahead. He still had to think of something for tonight. If his stuff would not come today he just might go to the local bar to see if any of his old friends are there.





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A sudden call on the radio gave Josh something to do. The police received a call regarding an abandoned car a few miles outside of Virginia Falls. Josh, who was on the outskirts of town already, offered to go and have a look. Since he was on a bicycle it took a while, but after 20 minutes he saw a red shiny mustang in the distance. Josh got of his bike and took a closer look. A sticker on the rear window betrayed it was a rental car, 'Riders of the lost Arc' was the name. The phone number underneath showed it was a rental company from the NYC area.

Taking his cell phone from his pocket he called the number of the rental company. "Good morning, this is officer Callahan from the VFPD." For the next two minutes he had to explain where exactly Virginia Falls was. "Okay, now that that's settled... we have found one of your companies vehicles abandoned on the side of the road. Can you please let me know under what name the vehicle with license plate HKR 5159 is registered?" He had to wait a while for the answer. "Yes, a red mustang." The gentleman on the other end of the line advised a name Josh hadn't heard since high school, Rachel Xue. The man seemed to have just as much trouble pronouncing the last name as Josh always had. "Thank you very much, please don't worry about the car, we'll have it fixed." In case the guy needed to know any more Josh gave him the phone number of the station for future reference.

Next he called the station over the radio. "It's officer Callahan. Can you ask Richmond garage to tow away the car you wanted me to investigate? It looks like it won't be moving by itself any time soon and it is kind of in a blind spot for somebody coming around the corner. " The lady on the other side of the radio confirmed she would give them a call. "Any sign of the owner, Callahan?" Callahan thought about his reply. "Just tell Mrs. Xue that her daughter's in luck with the reunion. And that we want her to be happy when she comes tonight, so no ticket this time." He didn't know if his boss would agree, but he wouldn't feel good giving someone, who already has to deal with a broken car, a ticket as well.

Josh grabbed on of the reflectors from his bicycles bag and placed it just before the bend to alert any on-comers. He thought it was best to wait for Mr. Richmond, just in case somebody would be coming for the car with less good intentions than his own. He surely wished he had brought a sandwich for the wait.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Gavin Richmond Character Portrait: Dave McCluskey Character Portrait: Josh Callahan Character Portrait: Rachel Xue Character Portrait: Ava Carmichael
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Time was passing by slowly and Ava didn't know if it was because nothing big was happening today at the hospital or because of the reunion that was happening later that night. It was later in the afternoon but she was anxious about getting out. She had been working in the emergency department but had decided to go to the other floors to see if there was more going on there. Normally if the day had been slow, she'd stay in the ED and catch up on patient reports and her nursing notes, but since the ED was normally slow, she had caught up on all of her extra work.

The pediatric floor was always a fun place to be. Most of the patients that showed up had usually suffered minor injuries. Broken bones, sprained ankles, some stitches, little things really. She liked to entertain them. Making them smile was a top priority aside from treating their main problem. The kids loved her in turn too. After all when your nurse is blowing up gloves and treating them like balloons, handing out lollipops like she was Oprah, and giving out stickers, most kids would like their nurse. She just didn't want to see them upset, or anyone upset for that matter, not when she knew she could make them feel better.

For the time being, she went up the Family Care floor where most of the adults were seen for non-emergencies. She had entered from the back where all the offices were and where some of the doctors hid to get away from their crazier patients. There she found doctor Carlson. "Hi Dan! Anything good going on here? I'm desperate for something to do." She held her hands up in a plea. At this point, Ava would do anything to keep herself busy.

"Got a few basic check-ups you can help me with. Just get some vitals and do some routine assessments. I think his name was... David? Interested?"

"Yes, oh yes! Thank you!" She was so pleased to finally have something to do she hardly looked at the patient's chart for any background information or at least a last name. Moving towards the front of the offices she came round to the waiting room. There were a few people milling around. Some she she recognized and some she didn't. Even thought the town was small, Ava didn't know everyone, it would be nearly impossible to memorize more than 300 names and faces.

"David?" She called out. Finally looking down at the chart, she searched for the patients last name and she froze. Dave McCluskey. Former football jock and popular guy-everyone-wants-or-wants-to-be, Dave. "McCluskey?" She stammered out the last name. It had been six years since the last time she saw him, and it hardly seemed that he changed. If anything he probably got better looking and bigger than the last time she saw him. When he looked up from his magazine, she forced a smile to her face. Maybe he wouldn't recognize her. After all, she had cut her hair and looked a little bit older. Then again, he had been friends with Josh and saw them together all the time. Good thing was at least she knew someone else would be coming to the reunion.




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The car in front of him was finally coming together. Since coming back to Virginia Falls he got back to his little project that he had left behind. The old shell of the 1965 shelby cobra was nothing but an old shell anymore. It still looked like a piece of junk one would pick up from the scrap yard, but the engine was completely fixed up and it actually had wheels on it. When he first found the car with his brother in an abandoned barn miles away from the town line, he felt like he had stumbled upon buried treasure. It was completely picked apart but he had sworn he would fix it up and make the car like new again. And now staring at the heart of the car, he couldn't help but smile.

This was why he use to spend so much time at the garage after school. Being with others and going to after school events, wasn't his thing. Not when he had this project waiting for him. He had devoted all his time and younger years to this car. He was never able to get it to work somehow. Scouring junk yards and buying parts online was all that he seemed to do. Trying to find all the right pieces and waiting for them to come in the mail had taken a while. Which was partially the reason why he was never able to get it up and running.

His brother would of loved to work with him on the masterpiece this would become. Like his brother, Gavin had a love for old cars. Fixing them up and seeing the finished project was well worth the time, money, and effort. Before Gabe died, he had taught him all he needed to know about fixing up cars. His father had been around to help them both too, but Gavin liked to be with Gabe. After all, he was his hero growing up and was the reason why Gavin was so fixed on getting this car to work.

Wiring the car together, he heard the engine spark up and finally roar to life. "Woo, listen to that thing purr," he heard his dad say.

''She's gonna be a beauty, still have a long way to go, but when she's done she'll be worth around $60,000."

"Wow, don't sell it though. That car is priceless. Anyway, got a call from the VF police department. Need you to pick up a broken down mustang. Can you go on and do it? I rather stay here and wait for your mom to get back from the hospital."

''Yeah, I'll go pick it up." Hopping into the tow truck, he drove down to the location his father had given him. He saw someone by the side of the road and pulled up behind the mustang. Getting out of the car he walked up to the officer who was waiting and stuck his hand out for a hand shake. ''Hey man, I'm from Richmond's garage. Came to pick up the car for Mrs. Xue... Didn't I go to school with you?" He swore he looked like someone back from high school, but couldn't put his finger on it.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Gavin Richmond Character Portrait: Dave McCluskey Character Portrait: Josh Callahan Character Portrait: Rachel Xue Character Portrait: Ava Carmichael Character Portrait: Mary Margaret McKinnon
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Mary Margaret had just finished unpacking her first set of boxes for the house she grew up in, which she was moving back into to continue her father's late business. Last night had been one of full emotion, and she smirked, her lips tugging upwards as she saw the cup of what used to be coffee on the desk, where she sat up from, seeing the pictures splayed out in a random frenzy, and last night came reeling back to her.

"Daddy.. No." Her 5 year old voice chimed through the speakers of her flatscreen, and a man's low laugh could be heard. "Oh Mary, you can't be scared. It's just a little dragonfly." "Daddy!" She squealed loudly, as the bug shifted it's wings on her little chubby finger. The video continued the same for about 5 minutes, and Mary found herself bawling her eyes out.

That morning seemed dull, and she groaned as she remembered the reunion. "Ah, fuck me." She grumbled, putting her cup in the sink to be put off until later. She hastily dressed herself in some old clothes she wasn't particularly fond of. It was a loose-fitting shirt that she felt comfy in, and looser jeans, which had a few rips and tears in the lower legs. With a beanie peeled over her head, she left the house she fondly adored, and walked down aways to the quaint "Lucy's Cafe". After greeting the humble woman behind the counter who'd sworn she'd seen her before, Mary smiled pleasantly and retreated to an empty table by the window, where she looked out it, sipping her coffee casually, yawning tiredly, her face still wet, and she not caring.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Gavin Richmond Character Portrait: Josh Callahan Character Portrait: Rachel Xue
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"A ticket? Really??" Rachel spat under her breath after reading her mom's text, causing Lucy to ask her what was wrong. Rachel explained the issue and the kind old woman would offer to driver her to her car, but as soon as she finished her sentence a young woman would enter the Cafe.
Back in the city Rachel knew the police department had a lot better things to do than ticket a car that was left on the side of the road, but in Small Town USA the police force usually had nothing better to do then ticket people for going a few miles over the speed limit, break up silly arguments between neighbors, and ticket abandoned cars on the side of the road.


After finishing her muffins Rachel stood up from the booth and began to dial her mom's cellphone number. Just as she threw her things into the trashcan her mother would pick up on the other end.
"Hey mom, are you guys almost done? I could really use a ride to my car."
Before her mother could respond Rachel would hear a nurse call for "Jia Li & Steven Xue", and her mother would apologize for having to drop the call before hanging up - causing Rachel to sigh.
"Oh I'm sorry dear" Lucy said as she leaned on the counter beside where Rachel was standing. "I'd take you but I can't leave a customer."
"It's okay Lucy, I understand. I'll just...wait, could I borrow your car? I'll even pay you for it! How much do you want?"
The older woman would scoff at the idea of payment as she walked over to a cabinet, grabbed her car keys, and then handed them to Rachel.
"Just be back before I close, I'm delivering some goodies to the reunion."

Rachel readily agreed and gave the woman a hug before jogging out the front door. She'd come running back in only seconds later however, when she realized she had no idea what Lucy's car looked like.



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The drive to the edge of Town took only seven minutes, and within another sixty seconds or so Rachel's rental came into view.
"Oh a Tow Truck?" she gleamed, thinking perhaps her mother called them for her. However that idea would leave her head as soon as she realized a police car was there as well.

As Rachel pulled in front of her car she'd spot the two men standing beside the Mustang. She knew that once the Towing process had begun she was too late to escape a ticket, at least that's how it was in the city. So as she shut off Lucy's car she'd hit the bottom of the wheel in frustration before stepping out.

"Hi, that's my car there." she'd say as she approached the two men, unconsciously brushing off the ends of her dress as she walked.
"It broke down on me, I wasn't abandoning it officer..."
Rachel would glanced down at the officer's nameplate before finishing her sentence. "...Callahan."
The name sounded rather familiar, and after only a few seconds the image of one of the high school jocks popped into her head. "Wait a minute, Callahan, as in Joshua Callahan?"
Rachel's facial expression morphed from casual and relaxed state to slightly annoyed, and her eyes would narrow some before eventually rolling. Josh Callahan, she remembered him as one of the many jocks who made high school miserable for "the four-eyed foreign girl." She'd never admit to being bitter still but she was, and she'd sigh at the fact that not only was she probably getting a ticket, but that he was the one who'd be giving it to her.

Not wanting to think about it anymore Rachel switched her gaze over towards the other man and half smiled at him before gesturing back to Lucy's car. "I can follow you back into town and pay for a tow to the town dealership."
Her appetite for conversation was squashed at the realization of who the guy likely giving her a ticket was, so with a slight wave of the hand she'd excuse herself and go back towards Lucy's car, where she'd sit and wait for her car to be hooked up.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Gavin Richmond Character Portrait: Dave McCluskey Character Portrait: Josh Callahan Character Portrait: Rachel Xue Character Portrait: Ava Carmichael
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Dave was just reading an interesting article on the effect of using weights while doing boxing exercises. Always trying to keep fit the article pulled in his attention. He just stopped reading once to look at the date of the magazine, which was two and a half years ago. Nice up to date, dear doctor.. Almost finished with a second article he suddenly heard his name being called. "David?" The name sounded resolute, decisive and completely different from the last name that followed. "McCluskey?" Dave put his magazine back on the side table beside him and got up. He adjusted his jacket and looked up to the person calling is name.

The person he saw was instantly recognizable. She hadn't changed a bit, although you could see she was no longer the girl he hang out with in high school. Somewhere in the last 6 years she had cut her hair shorter, but other than that she was the same girl that used to date one of his team mates. He flashed his signature smile without thinking about it and he walked up to her. He gave her a hug and said "Well, if it isn't the female half of the Dynamic Duo." It had been a nickname he had given Ava and Josh back in high school. Of all the couples there were they had been together the longest and were most likely to go the distance.

Dave felt a bit ashamed that he had no idea what happened to any of his high school friends in the past 6 years. His own departure from high school had been a bit of a harsh one as his then girlfriend had dumped him. He had left with great haste just after the graduation ceremony and he hadn't been back since. "Ave, how are you? How is Josh?" He let go of his bear hug grip and stepped back. "Wow, it's nice to see a familiar face again. So you work at the hospital now?" He grabbed his travel mug from the side table so he wouldn't forget it, and he walked into the room that Ava had apparently come out of. "So, I just got back to town. Who else is still here?"

In the room he walked behind the curtain and started unbuttoning his shirt. This wasn't his first physical so he knew that he had to be at least partly undressed. He threw his jacket and shirt over the chair that was there. Thankfully he had never been ashamed of showing his body, in fact during his time in high school he spend many summers shirtless. He took of his shoes and socks and peeked his head from behind the curtain. "Pants off as well, or is shirt enough?"






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In fact it didn't take long for the tow truck to come. The sandwich had been missed, but at least Josh had something to drink while he waited, even if it was just water. A guy with a Medieval beard stepped out of the truck and walked towards him. ''Hey man, I'm from Richmond's garage. Came to pick up the car for Mrs. Xue?" The man walked up to Josh with his hand up in the air just waiting for a shake. Josh extended his own hand and gave the man a firm handshake. Looking at the man his face must have displayed confusion. The eyes and the voice were familiar. "Didn't I go to school with you?"

Finally seeing it, he couldn't believe that it had taken him so long. After all they had been on the football field together for years. And he was coming from Richmond garage, there couldn't have been a greater clue than that. [color=0F0FD1]"My goodness, Gavin? It's me man, Josh."[/color] Once again Josh noticed the most astonishing new feature on his old classmates face. [color=0F0FD1]"Wow, it should be a lot more easy to recognize me. That is one hell of a beard, dude."[/color] He was happy to see his old friend again. Gavin hadn't left town under the best of circumstances, although it happened at a time that Josh was leaving himself, so he hadn't gotten the full story. If memory served Josh correctly his sister told him that Gavin's mom was sick. What she exactly had he didn't know.

"How is your mom?" While Josh listened to the response he heard another car driving towards them. He recognized it as Lucy's car and instantly wondered why she wasn't in the Café. The car stopped but instead of Lucy stepping out, a young looking Asian girl stepped and walked up to them. "Hi, that's my car there." Knowing the back ground information Josh knew it was Rachel Xue walking up to them. He hadn't seen her in years, she left school before it finished, but the years had been very good to her.

His smile grew when she continued talking. "It broke down on me, I wasn't abandoning it officer......Callahan" Josh enjoyed the look on her face as she slowly seemed to realize who he was. "Wait a minute, Callahan, as in Joshua Callahan?" Josh teeth started flashing as she used his full name. "I believe I am, although only my grandmother calls me by my first name. How have you been Rachel?" She looked less than amused after learning who he was. When he thought about it he remembered he had been less than friendly during their time at school. If it wasn't for Ava he would have probably been even worse. But even with her positive influence he still pulled some nasty tricks.

He could blame it on peer pressure or simply the fact he had been a naughty kid, but whatever the reason he could be a real ass hole when he wanted to. His smile temporarily disappeared from his face. But then again, that had been years ago. They all grew up, for better or for worse. According to him whatever tricks were played, it should be water under the bridge. Rachel had apparently decided to ignore him completely and directed her attention to Gavin. "I can follow you back into town and pay for a tow to the town dealership." After that she turned around and went to sit in her car.

Josh looked back at Gavin. "Okay, why do I suddenly feel like I'm back in high school? Maybe it is just a nice warm up for tonight. I'll leave her to you." He walked away from Gavin towards Rachel and just shouted behind him. "Hey, and I guess I'll see you at the reunion tonight!" As he walked up to Lucy's car he held his fingers in the air in a sign of peace. He spoke loudly so even if she wouldn't roll her windows down she would be able to hear him. "Hey, since we have the reunion tonight I won't give you a ticket. It would be a bit awkward, I guess... Net time your car breaks down, just call AAA. They usually call us to help out. See you tonight!" With that he felt his job was done. He picked up the reflector, since it was no longer necessary and he walked to his bike. Slightly waving at the others he was on his way back to town, although he was pretty sure they were going to be there before him.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Gavin Richmond Character Portrait: Dave McCluskey Character Portrait: Josh Callahan Character Portrait: Rachel Xue Character Portrait: Parker Griffin Character Portrait: Ava Carmichael
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Ava blushed from her head down to her toes. So he had remembered her... and the nickname he had given her back in high school. One time, just one time, he had mentioned it after a football game when Ava had gotten down from the stands to give a celebratory kiss to Josh for the team's victory, when Dave had sauntered over and called them the Dynamic Duo. That was all it took, for everyone then after to call her the female half of the double D. Inwardly cringing at the memory of that horrid nickname. She knew everyone meant well by it, but it just made her feel as if she was nothing without Josh. As if without him, she was just plain old Ava.

She had just been taken it all in, when he grasped her in a tight bear hug that caught her by surprise. Yeah, same old David, she thought laughing as he released her. "Good to see you too. I've been alright, thanks for asking. I hope you're doing alright as well." She had heard him mention Josh but she thought best not to reflect on and and pretend she hadn't heard him. Truthfully, she didn't know how Josh was. She hadn't spoken to him in six years. It's not as if she was bitter over the whole breakup; she just didn't know how to go about contacting him or, more importantly, what to say. "Hey, how's it going? Remember me? Your old high school girlfriend? Just checking up to see how your doing, considering I still think about you more than I probably should."

Dave seemed so excited to see a familiar face he started bombarding her with questions. It was good to have someone appear to be so happy to be back and connect with old friends. Walking down to the examination room, they chatted. "I do indeed work here... well not specifically here, more so the emergency room, but I'm here for now. After high school I went to Dallas and got my bachelors in nursing and biology. And aside from you and Gavin Richmond, I'm not entirely sure who's here. I guess we'll find out tonight and tell me your coming," she mentioned as an afterthought, smacking him in the shoulder with her clipboard for emphasis. As they arrived to the room, she motioned for him to head over to the examination bunk and pulled the curtain closed.

As she looked over her nursing notes, she started to fill out the basic paper work that followed a routine physical, asking Dave standard questions; how's your mental health? Notice any unusual symptoms? As he answered, she heard him disrobing and she couldn't help but blush all over again. She has been a nursing for about to years now and see just about everything and anyone naked or practically naked, but something about seeing Josh's former friend half naked alone in a room, made her a little embarrassed. It was childish really, but she couldn't help but fiddle with her pen and pretend she was busy looking over her clipboard. As he poked his head from behind the curtain, she caught a glimpse of his bare chest. "Uh, no. That's alright, you can keep your pants, I'm just going to listen to your lung and heart, then get some base vital signs." Coming around the corner of the curtain, she removed the stethoscope dangling from around her neck and cleaned it off with an alcohol pad. "It might be cold," she warned as she pressed it to his chest to listen for a heart beat.

As she proceeded with her examination she kept her eyes directed on her task. Dave just watched as she went about her work, completely unabashed over being shirtless and having Ava touch him to feel for any abnormalities. He was probably use to women fawning over his godly physique and masculine look, it's probably what made him so unashamed of how he appeared, because he just knew he looked good. He was a fine specimen, no doubt, but she wasn't about to praise him for it. Plus she had the fond memories of his jockish ways back in school to keep any troubling thoughts from her mind.

Wrapping up her assessment with checking his reflexes, she documented all her findings and washed her hands. "Alrighty Dave, you are all set. You can get dressed and find your way back to lobby, you can request any results and follow-ups with the secretary." Feeling quite proud she didn't lose her composure, she rewarded herself with a lollipop and also handed one to Dave. "See you tonight" she smiled as he walked out. Looking over to another nurse she mouthed to Ava , "Who the hell was that?" as she bit her lip and hungrily stared at Dave's departed back. Shaking her head she laughed, "Nothing to concern yourself with Lydia, just an old friend."


Location: Home
Time: 7:45pm

Finishing up on the final touches, Ava felt like she was ready. Taking a once over in the mirror, she smoothed out her soft mandarin orange dress, turning from side to side, to catch a glimpse of herself in every angle. She sighed tousling her hair. At first she had straightened it, thinking not to over do anything, but later decided she wasn't feeling it. So for half and hour, which was twenty minutes more than she liked to spent on her hair, she had curled it and ran a brush through it, creating a natural beach wave. Makeup had been another ordeal. So she went with a subtle brown eyeshadow, that enhanced the blue of her eyes, a little blush, and a light red lip.

Stepping into her heels, she hoped she wouldn't regret wearing such high heels. But she had wanted to look good, and the heels really completed the outfit, after all, beauty was pain. Heading to the door she waited until the headlights of a car shown through the trees to stop at her front steps. She was thankful Mrs. Richmond had offered for Gavin to give her a ride to the reunion, if it wasn't for him, she would of probably ridden her bike, and that would certainly make a lasting impression on her classmates after six years of not seeing them. Heading out the door, Gavin was there holding the door open to his impala. Before getting in though, she threw herself into Gavin's arms hugging the tall bearded man as tight as she could, before releasing him, and smiling kindly into his eyes. "Thanks for the lift, although I'm sure you didn't have much of a choice," she smirked playfully as she got in the passenger side.

On the short drive to the lake, Ava had been wringing her hands in her lap as her and Gavin caught up with one another. She wasn't sure who she was going to see. Wasn't sure how she should greet them, or if she would even recognize them. All she knew was that she was both excited and extremely anxious.





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Lowering the hook from the old tow truck, he attached it to the mustang that had clearly a busted alternator from the hazy smoke coming from underneath the hood. As he lifted the front of the car onto the tow he spoke to Josh, "I thought that was you. And thanks, it certainly changes how a person looks, huh?" The idle conversation was exactly Gavin hopped he could do with his other classmates, that is if they weren't unsure of how to approach him, which meant he might have to approach them first. "Mum's alright. She's been battling for some months now, but she's a fighter and will pull through." True his mom had been battling her cancer for months now and it had shown that she might be going into remission soon. The local hospital didn't have a huge oncology floor so she had been going into the larger cities to get treatment. The drives were long, but the treatments seemed to be working so it was all worth it in the end. Hell, if she needed to be flown halfway across the country, he would for his mother.

As he got the front of the car up onto the tow truck, he watched the quick exchange between Rachel and Josh. He remembered Rachel then, she was always different from all the other kids, for obvious reasons, but she was always bursting with intelligence and potential, and one look at her now and the nice car she was driving, proved that she had made good on her potential. The look also proved that she wasn't the same 'four-eyed' girl she was back then. She also wasn't so meek and quiet either by the look of annoyance in her eyes and her body language. No, Rachel had definitely changed, and it looked as if for the best. Josh it seemed had also changed. True in high school, he played the part of a jock quite well, but Ava had balanced him out. Yet, he had his tendencies to be the stereotypical jock when he was with Dave.

"I think I can take it from here, good seeing you Josh. And I guess I'll be seeing you tonight as well." He patted Josh once on the back before hopping into the truck and pulling away with Rachel following close behind. Pulling into the garage, he noticed his dad had already left, probably to go home and be with Gavin's mom. Stepping out of the truck, he began to lower the mustang onto the ground carefully, before popping the hood to take a closer look at the engine and alternator. The engine was perfectly intact and rather in pristine condition, however the alternator was clearly damaged. She must of ignored the signal in the car telling her there was a problem with the car.

Closing the hood he turned to Rachel. "Your alternator is busted. We're most likely going to have to replace it, there's no way I can fix it considering the damage done to it. That means we'll have to order the part and wait for it to come in since we don't have the type of alternator your car needs. It's going to take a while..." He ran his fingers through his hair. Hopefully the news wasn't going to anger her. If he couldn't have his car for a couple of weeks, he'd be mad too. Although, Rachel did seem to have a replacement at hand. Grabbing some papers from the truck he passed it over to Rachel, "if I can just have to sign this, you're good to go. Don't worry about payment now either, and.. I guess I'll see you later at the reunion?" He really did need to work on his social skills, but that was something that could easily be remedied.

Location: Ava's house
Time:7:50

It hadn't taken him very long to get ready. He was a simple kind of a guy, and he was a guy, so it didn't require much to get ready. His outfit was as good as it got when it came to a causal formal event. When he had gotten home, his mom had told him if he could, more like demanded, bring Ava to the reunion, he couldn't say no. Anyway he like Ava. She was one of the few who tried talking to him through his lows, when he didn't want to be bothered. It had actually benefited him, if it wasn't for her, he would of probably been completely closed off.

When Ava came bounding out the door and into his arms, he hugged her back. Strange how even though they hadn't seen each other in some time and that they weren't exactly the best of friends, the camaraderie between them was good and real. "You look beautiful." He got himself a sound playful whack on the shoulder for that and a giggle. Ava hadn't changed a bit. On the short ride to the lake, Gavin talked about his time in Indiana and Ava talked about her studies in Texas. The conversation was light and refreshing, and before they knew it they had arrived at the lake.

Lights shined in the trees, and lanterns were hung up all around. The gazebo held a up a portrait of the Class of 2008 with a sharpie for people to sign. Tables were set up sporadically and a few people were milling about already. Getting out of the car, he opened the door for Ava to step out and spoke, "now or never." She smiled and repeated him, "now or never."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Gavin Richmond Character Portrait: Josh Callahan Character Portrait: Rachel Xue
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Making sure not to look over towards Joshua again Rachel pulled out her phone and began to play the frustrating Android game - Flappy Bird. However after only a few minutes of playing her game she'd notice the tow truck pulling off, and quickly started up Lucy's car to follow suit, briefly glancing over towards Josh's direction as she passed him.

Once they arrived at the shop Rachel would get out of the car and sit on it's hood as her rental was lowered off the truck and placed into the garage. It didn't take long for the man from earlier to walk back over towards her and explain that i was her alternator - causing her to sigh.
"So much for having a check engine light, you'd think the stupid thing would come on for that." she muttered.
Thanks to both of her parents Rachel was far from some air-head when it came to cars, therefore she wasn't shocked at all when the man mention he'd have to order a part. She was surprised however when he said she didn't have to pay for the tow immediately, and smiled in relief, but the smile quickly turned into a laugh when he mentioned seeing her at the reunion.
"Well that's not my car, it's a rental companies, and as soon as I get in contact with them again they'll be picking up the tab for everything. As for that reunion, you couldn't pay me to show up."

After signing the paperwork Rachel hopped back into Lucy's car and pulled out of the parking-lot. She ran a few errands for her parents and filled up Lucy's car before eventually returning it shortly before 7;30pm.

"Just the person I was hoping to see!" Lucy said, before running over to the bakery door and flipping the sign from "Open" to "Closed."
"I'm so sorry I got back a little late, I had to run a few places for the folks and then wait around for a prescription to be filled for them. I really do apologize, is there anything I can do to help clean up around here?" Rachel asked, and Lucy eye's almost instantly lit up as if she had a light-bulb moment.

"Well, since you've asked, you could help me load these Salad Skewers, cupcakes, and pies into my car for the reunion, and then help me unload them once we get there?"
Rachel smirked at the older woman and shook her head, now understanding that light-bulb moment look that was on her face seconds ago
"Nice try, I'm not going to that reunion Lucy, I'm sure you can find someone there to help you unload. But I will help you load the stuff into your car."

Lucy sighed when Rachel didn't take the bait, but the older woman kept at it, and after a few minutes of explaining how she'd likely be the only one there since she was arriving early with the snacks Rachel relented.

"Fine fine fine, I can't say no to you! But no staying around to socialize, I wanna leave before any of those Jackas-, I mean people, start showing up."
"Yes, I get it, but you know people can change right? Just look at you young lady."
Rachel playfully rolled her eyes as she made her way into the kitchen to help load the various snacks into Lucy's car.


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As the pair pulled into the area hosting the reunion Rachel would sigh and look over at Lucy. "So, when did you start catering other things outside of deserts?" she asked, with the skewers in mind, but Lucy would explain that it's actually from the restaurant across the street from her place, and that she simply volunteered to bring their skewers with her stuff since the owners were busy.
"I think they're ordering Pizza or something else to go with these snacks for the evening, but I'm not sure."

It was nearly 8pm by the time the car was parked and the two had stepped out of it into the parking-lot. Rachel would grab multiple containers of skewers from the backseat at once then begin to walk towards the entrance in front of Lucy - determined to get this over with as soon as possible.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Gavin Richmond Character Portrait: Dave McCluskey Character Portrait: Josh Callahan Character Portrait: Rachel Xue Character Portrait: Ava Carmichael Character Portrait: Giselle Elingston-Donaldson
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Josh rode back to town where he spend the rest of the afternoon patrolling the streets and responding to a few small cases. At 4 o'clock he was back at the station changing clothes at the end of his shift. He said good bye to his colleagues, most of which wished him a nice reunion. He walked out of the station towards the local elementary school. His sister Cindy wouldn't finish her shift until 7 that evening, so it was up to him to pick up his nephew from school. Most of the kids were being taken home by the school bus, but since they were living so close they often found it easier to pick him up themselves.

While Josh was waiting he looked over the football field next to the school. The exact same field where he started his illustrious career as a sport fanatic. It was strange, but now all he could remember from playing was Ava standing on the sidelines cheering him on. Weird, tonight I will see her face, her smile. And I have no idea what to say to her. From outside Josh could hear the bell announce the end of the day for the students. Jason was one of the first kids running out of the school, much like Josh had always done. Seeing his uncle the little boy came sprinting towards him and pretty much jumped into his arms. Josh gave him a tight hug and put him down on the ground. "Hey little buddy, how was school today?

On the way to Cindy's house Jason kept on talking the entire way. He was telling about his lunch, the things he learned and the girl in his class he got a kiss on the cheek from that day. Back at the house Josh poured two glasses of juice and he grabbed two bananas from the fruit bowl. The Callahan men were quietly finishing these refreshments at the kitchen counter. Afterwards Josh told Jason to go upstairs to get some baseball gloves and a ball so they could play catch.

Jason's technique was improving every day and Josh liked the fact that his nephew was enjoying it so much. The two hours before his sister got home flew by, so much even that Josh completely forgot to make the dinner he was supposed to. While Cindy changed into her comfortable outfit Josh tried quickly to cook something up, albeit stumbling and all. About 10 minutes later she came into the kitchen and shooed him out of it. "Thank you for picking up Jason, now get out. You have to get ready for your reunion. If I didn't know better I'd almost think you don't want to go, waiting and delaying around here." Josh saw the smiling face of his sister and admitted to himself she was not wrong. He was still nervous about that evening. Older, wiser, different, none of that mattered. He couldn't for the live of him figure out how different he was from 6 years ago.

Josh got out the house and jogged back to his own, not far away. At home he dropped his keys on the desk next to the entrance and jumped under the shower upstairs. It didn't take him long, what did was picking out his clothes. Looking at 5 different options he decided he almost acted girly and he just picked an outfit at random. He didn't want to wear jeans, but he still went for some comfortable pants and a simple shirt. He looked at himself in the mirror and wondered if anyone would recognize him, he himself did not. To make it a bit more his own he rolled up his sleeves so it looked a bit less butler like.

Ignoring the car he grabbed his own bicycle and jumped on it. It was a mere 15 minutes before he arrived at the lake and he put his bicycle in the bike rack provided. He saw he was not the first one to arrive. The trees were decorated and lanterns hung from side to side. Josh walked up to the gazebo to sign the portrait. He found himself on the picture quite easily and quite centred. He stood next to Dave, both of them hands in the air. As always in high school he saw Ava standing not too far from himself. After he signed he walked inside, without actually cooking he also never got to eat that evening, so he was looking for snacks first. He made a b-line to the snack table and saw there was little for him to binge on. It seemed some of the snacks were still on their way.

While standing looking over the few options he had, he suddenly felt two hands slamming down on his shoulders, like he had felt a million times before.





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When Dave stepped out from behind the curtain, pants on and all, he noticed a slight blush on Ava's face. It wasn't like him, but for a moment he was scared he had embarrassed her. As he came out Ava came towards him, armed with a stethoscope and warned him about the cold. "Oh, I'm quite sure I can handle the cold stethoscope guided by your hand." Why the hell did I say it like that, am I trying to become more Shakespearean or something. He felt the cold, although it wasn't too bad.

As the examination went on he kept a close eye on Ava. Aside from the normal checks it seemed she was trying to look at him as little as possible. For some reason he felt it to be a challenge. Normally he didn't need to do much to have a girl look at him shirtless, it was harder for them to stop staring. Either he was too arrogant, or she was really focused on her job, Dave couldn't help thinking it was both. He knew that Ava knew him from an early age. She knew his boyish behaviour, his fondness for sports, and above all his arrogance and his snotty attitude towards others. Other girls never had a problem paying him compliments, about his body his smile or his general behaviour. But Ava would know that every compliment for Dave was one more point on the arrogance scale.

After some reflex tests it seemed they were all done. Ava told him to get dressed again and he quickly disappeared behind the curtain. "Alrighty Dave, you are all set. You can get dressed and find your way back to lobby, you can request any results and follow-ups with the secretary." He got dressed again and when he came from behind the curtain Ava handed him a lollipop. He gladly accepted and walked out the door. As he walked out Ava said "See you tonight!" Dave was a bit confused but also said "Yeah, fure, fee you tonife." The lollipop in his mouth made the words come out a bit more childlike than he had hoped.

He walked to the secretary's desk in order to arrange for the results to be send to his head office. As he finalized things he decided to ask her directly, this time removing the lollipop before he spoke. "Excuse me, but is there something going on tonight, like a party or something?" The old secretary smiled instantly, it looked like she knew everything that was going on in this town. She seemed to look at a file on her PC before answering. "Let's see, son... Tonight there is a bridge tournament in the old pub, there is birthday party a the Hendersons's and of course there is the reunion at the lake of the class of 2008... Looking at you that must be the one you are looking for." Dave thanked her and walked back to his newly acquired house.

He spend the rest of the day organizing his home office and being on conference calls with the office. He had the feeling they send him forward a bit earlier than normal, the first two weeks looked like they would be fairly quiet. Of course it could be a way for the company to force him to take his vacation days of the last 2 years. Late in the afternoon, he took a glass of whisky while he read the news on his tablet. He was reall missing his stuff, but when he called in the afternoon he heard they would only come in tomorrow. After his drink he went upstairs to get dressed. He picked one of the lighter suits which always felt to him to look 'happier'. He decided to drive to the party. If he would be drinking he would see if he could take a taxi home. He wondered if he would see Giselle at the party. If it was his guess he thought probably not. He would read about her every once in a while with a modelling job here or there. She certainly was the export product of Virginia City.

Arriving at the lake he parked the car and locked it with his remote. When he saw other people carrying in drinks and food, he almost felt guilty not bringing something himself. He looked to see if he saw anyone he knew and he thought he caught a glimpse of one such person. Half walking half running he followed the man until he stopped at one of the tables where some food could be found. With every step he was more sure this was Josh and as tradition goes he slammed his hands on the shoulders of the man in front of him. "Joshie!"


Josh turned around and looked in the face of his old buddy. He spread his arms and the two man hugged, like no time had gone by. "My goodness, Dave, you have literally not changed a bit. Where have you been?" The two went for one of the standing tables and as they leaned on the table they started talking about their lives an careers. The women in their lives were thoughtfully left out of the conversation somehow. Around them they hardly noticed more and more people coming in.