Now, for the arrival! Thank you SO much for reviewing, xFilms and Sideshow Cellophane 26!

Lila texted Lisa on Saturday night to let us know when they'd be over the next day. Apparently, their flight would get them here around 10, and they were allowed to check into their hotels early, so they'd be able to get here around 11:30.

"Stephanie, could you please do me a favour?" Lisa asked. "Be nice to everyone."

"Am I usually not, sis?" I teased.

"Remind me how you got on Rhonda's bad side again." Lisa said, folding her arms. "Just be nice to her, this time. Please, Stephanie, I'm begging you, don't tease Helga, don't call Rhonda out on her wealth, don't-"

"How about I just shut myself up in my room for the whole week?" I said mockingly. "Oh no, of course, I can't do that, since it's our room. How about I forget the formalities and just greet them how I wish?" I laughed at Lisa's frown and said "Relax, little sis. I wouldn't do those things you were listing. And just for you, I'll try to be nicer to Rhonda. As long as she's nice to me, that is."

Lisa gave a little smile. "Well, since Lila's the only one with any influence, she said she'd tell Rhonda that you've changed and not to judge you from three years ago."

On Sunday morning, Lisa made a point of finding her coolest clothes. Her style had become less conservative over the last few years. Mostly, she wore T-shirts with moral slogans and denim skirts. Today, she decided on a light, short-sleeved white blouse and mock designer jeans.

"Rhonda will know those are fake." I pointed out.

Lisa shrugged, trying to seem relaxed. "I'm not dressing to appease anyone but myself." she lied transparently.

After all these years, I still favoured black, but I wore other colours too, although I kept my hair black. Today, I chose a dark purple long-sleeved top and black velvet jeans with my leather jacket. And, remembering the time Curly momentarily stole my diamante hairslides, I smiled and put them in for nostalgia's sake (I ditched my diamante headband, but wore the hairslides now and then).

Maggie, who was now five, only then started taking an interest. "Why are you dressed up?" she asked.

"Remember Hillwood, Mags?" I asked. "We moved there a couple years ago, when you were about two."

Maggie scrunched up her face, then nodded slowly. "I remember a weird boy that scared me."

I laughed. "I remember. That was Curly, one of my friends. Anyway, some of them are coming over today. Do you remember anything else?"

Maggie thought again. "Um...not really."

I shrugged. "Well, I guess we'll have to reintroduce you to those who came over, and give initial introductions to those who didn't. Hey, Lise!" I called. "Did Phoebe ever come over?"

"No." Lisa yelled back. "Why?"

"No reason." I answered, and turned back to Maggie. "So that's Arnold, Gerald, Helga, and Phoebe who never met you. Everyone else came over at one time or another. Oh wait...yeah, Rhonda never came over, either. Yeah, five out of eight people you never met."

Finally, the time came and the doorbell rang. I beat Lisa to the door and yanked it open. "Hi!"

There stood eight people I hadn't seen in three years. Each and every one had changed in some way, for better or for worse. Well, not for worse, but you know what I mean.

Arnold wore his usual friendly smile. He had probably changed the least out of everyone, with the same head shape, hairstyle and tiny blue hat nestled between the spikes. He still favoured long plaid shirts, but he wore it on the outside, so no one could mistake it for a kilt, the way I had when we were in Hillwood. He and Helga were (as I was pleased to see) holding hands.

Helga herself looked a bit unsure of herself, glancing down at her and Arnold's intertwined hands. Maybe she was still a bit worried about what people thought. She still had a unibrow, but she'd ditched the dress for a similar top and jeans, and she had a beanie cap (although I could see from the shape poking out that she still wore her bow underneath). She kept her pigtails, although they were a little lower, and although they still stuck out, they were pointing downward, too. But she still seemed much prettier, and you could see from her face that she was a much happier girl than the one I remembered.

Gerald still had the stack of black hair I remembered and a million-dollar grin, but his hair seemed shorter because he was so much taller. He towered over pretty much everyone, being at least a head taller than Phoebe even without the hair.

Phoebe was wearing smaller rectangular glasses, and instead of the blue sweater and short pleated skirt, she had a dark blue long-sleeved top and a knee-length sky blue skirt. She looked like a minature high school

teacher.

Nadine looked so much more grown-up. Her blonde hair was out of its braids and in slightly frizzy waves. Her style had also been updated, with jeans and a T-shirt, but the dragonfly design on her shirt proved that she was still the Nadine I remembered.

Lila looked much more mature than I remembered. Her smile was toned down a little, and her hair was now in one braid instead of two. Instead of the cute green dress, she was wearing a green tank top that showed off how slim she was, and slightly baggy jeans.

Rhonda hadn't changed too much, really. Her hair was much longer, and she was wearing a necklace, bracelet, and more makeup, and a black skirt instead of her black jeans, but apart from that, it was the same girl I remembered. She was smiling, but it had that touch of superiority I knew.

But Curly had definitely changed the most. For one thing, he'd shot up over the years. Now, he was just a little bit taller than Rhonda. His style had changed, too. His hair was slightly longer, instead of in the bowl cut, and he was wearing a white T-shirt, a leather jacket (like mine, but plainer), and grey jeans. And instead of his round thick glasses, he had square frames and his intense eyes were actually visible. The grin he gave me was more subdued than the one I remembered, but there was a certain look to his face that told me the old Curly was still there.

"It's wonderful to see you all again!" Lisa exclaimed, joining me at the door.

"It's ever so wonderful to see you too!" Lila said, giving Lisa a hug. Maybe she was more like the old Lila than I thought, if she still talked like that.

Curly gave me a hug, as Lisa greeted everyone else. "Hey, babycakes."
"Don't call me that!" I snapped, but then I returned the hug with a smile. I had genuinely missed my crazy friend. "You look so...different, now. When did that happen?"

Curly chuckled, his old manic laugh still there. "Just happened. You got taller, Steph, but apart from that, you're just as pretty as I remember."

I gave him a light shove. "Just don't go crushing on me again, OK, kid?"

Curly smiled innocently. "Of course not. How could I, when the angel lighting up my life is over there?" He glanced in Rhonda's direction.

Yep, this week would be one crazy break.

I can't wait to get going with this week! Please review!

Warning: I have some problems with the next chapter, so I don't know when it'll be up. Sorry for the delay, just a heads up.