Shelby stared out the window as the flight attendant went over the safety instructions. Soon they'd be in the air, on their way to Horizon. She stole a glance at Daisy sitting next to her. Her eyes were closed but Shelby knew, from years of sleeping in the bunk next to her, that she wasn't asleep. "You okay?" Daisy nodded, but didn't speak. Shelby wished she knew what her friend was thinking at that moment, wished she could make this trip easier for both of them, but she couldn't find the words.
As the plane eased into the air, Shelby remembered the last time she had seen Ezra and her fellow Cliffhangers at Horizon. It was graduation day. Peter had planned a party for them; even Kat had come back for the occasion. They were all there. Except Scott. She hadn't seen him since the day he walked out of Horizon with his dad. She knew that Peter still spoke to him, but she never asked how he was doing. She didn't want to know. She didn't know what was more unbearable – the thought of him not doing well, or the thought of him carrying on with his life without giving a second thought to the time they shared together. It had obviously meant more to Shelby than it had to him, she reasoned.
Her thoughts were interrupted as the flight attendant paused next to them with the drink cart. "Can I get you something, hon?"
Shelby shook her head. "No thank you. I'm fine."
The flight attendant turned her attention to Daisy. "And you miss?"
"I'll have a 7 and 7 please." She handed her credit card to the flight attendant, ignoring the raised eyebrows from Shelby.
It wasn't until the flight attendant had handed Daisy her drink and moved on to the row behind them that Shelby spoke up. "Really Dais?"
Daisy ignored her and took a sip of her drink. She was an adult, free to make her own choices and she didn't have to explain herself to Shelby.
"Whatever. Have a drink. Have ten. End up like your parents."
Daisy sat her glass down on the tray table harder than was necessary and spoke through gritted teeth. "I am nothing like my parents."
Shelby just shook her head and stared back out the window at the clouds and tiny dots of landscape below them. She wondered what it would be like to be at Horizon again. Though she had kept in touch with Peter and Sophie, she hadn't returned to campus since graduation. She heard stories of some of her fellow Cliffhangers through her phone calls with Peter, and some of them had gathered at Auggie's and Juliet's wedding. That had been years ago though. She was excited and nervous to see them all again.
The closer she got to Horizon, the more she felt like a child returning home. When the captain announced they were preparing for landing, Shelby could no longer ignore the question that had been playing in the back of her mind since she first made plans to return: would Scott be there?
Daisy was still silent as they exited the plane and picked up their luggage. Peter had offered to pick them up from the airport, but they had declined, opting to take a cab to Rusty's where they would meet the rest of the Cliffhangers for dinner.
It wasn't until they were sitting in the cab, the airport fading in the distance behind them that Daisy finally spoke. "I can't believe we're here." Her voice was neither excited nor nervous.
Shelby nodded, too lost in her own thoughts to respond. Daisy didn't need her to though. She knew exactly what Shelby was playing over in her mind. It had crossed Daisy's mind too. She felt her stomach flutter as she thought of all that would happen this weekend.
Kat had already set up a large table when they arrived at Rusty's. Annie was laying out the silverware when Shelby and Daisy walked in. At the sound of the door, Kat looked up and a huge grin spread across her face. She walked over to her old friends and embraced each of them in a hug.
Shelby hugged back while scanning the restaurants for the others. Daisy, who had never been big on affection, returned only a half-hearted hug.
As they pulled away, Kat's smile faded. "I wish we weren't here for this reason."
Daisy's eyes found the floor as Shelby nodded. "I'm sorry Kat. I know you two were close."
Kat blinked back tears. "It's been a long time since I saw him. It's just hard to imagine that I never will again."
Daisy excused herself and sat her bags near the table Kat had set up. They were the first to arrive.
As Shelby, Annie and Kat made small talk, Daisy slipped away to order a drink from the bar. As she stood waiting for the bartender, she turned towards the door. The restaurant had been closed to other patrons hours ago so she was surprised to see the door open. She was even more surprised at who walked in. Scott Barringer stood, looking flustered, confident and anxious all at once. His eyes met hers and, knowingly, followed as her view shifted to Shelby.
Kat, too, had noticed the entrance and stopped mid-sentence as her eyes met Scott's. Shelby, her back to the door, stood confused for a minute before turning around.
The silence in the restaurant was deafening and seemed to drag on for an awkwardly long time.
Finally, Kat eased the tension and crossed the room to embrace Scott. "I didn't think you were coming."
Scott nodded, and offered a small "mmhmm" as a response. His eyes had not left Shelby since he walked in.
Shelby stood, unsure of what to do or say. Her mind was racing with a million thoughts. She wanted to run; she wanted to embrace him and never let him go; she wanted to slap him. She couldn't decide which to do first.
Scott took a step into the room, hesitated for a minute, then headed for the bar. He didn't even acknowledge Shelby.
As he stood next to Daisy she was quick to break the silence. "Well, this isn't awkward or anything." She raised her eyebrows at him and he smiled back as he ordered a drink.
With perfect timing the bartender returned with both of their drinks as Juliette, Auggie, Peter and Sophie walked in. Scott whispered to Daisy, "Do you smoke?"
"I could learn," she answered as she grabbed her drink and followed Scott out the back door of the restaurant.
Once outside they both took a long drink from their glass as Scott reached into his coat pocket to pull out a pack of cigarettes. He handed one to Daisy, offered her a light and then lit his own. They stood in silence, smoking, for a few minutes before Scott finally spoke.
"Yup, not awkward at all."
Daisy laughed harder than she had in a long time. "Maybe Peter will send us out on one of his quests this weekend so we can all bond."
Scott smirked. "We can only hope." He drained the last of the liquid from his glass and stubbed his cigarette out on the brick of the building. "I guess it's now or never, right?"
Daisy shrugged and pulled open the door. "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger and all that bullshit." She couldn't even imagine what this weekend had in store for all of them.
