It was a breezy October afternoon when Ashley Brown and Christopher Hartley, together for the past year, walked into the grand lobby of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Their jaws dropped in unison as they marveled at the glitzy chandelier that dangled from the ceiling like a bedazzled octopus on steroids.

Chris adjusted his glasses nervously. "Okay, Ash, we have two days of peace before everyone else shows up. Just us and—"

Jacob Custos' loud voice interrupted from across the lobby, "YO, KAITLYN! We in VEGAS, BABYYYYY!"

Kaitlyn Ka, carrying a backpack that appeared twice her size, strolled in beside Jacob, rolling her eyes. "Yes, Jacob. Vegas. We've arrived. Now calm down before someone throws us out. We're not even checked in yet."

Chris blinked. "Oh no, it's Jacob."

Ashley squinted, her hand resting on her temple. "What are the odds they'd be here two days early too? Are we cursed? This feels like some Until Dawn level of coincidence."

Kaitlyn spotted them first, and her face lit up with a grin that screamed "I know we're going to stir up trouble." She waved, dragging Jacob toward Chris and Ashley. "Chris! Ash! You guys beat us to Vegas?"

"Yeah, uh... we needed a break," Chris said, laughing nervously. "A little R before the others arrive."

Jacob high-fived Chris, his hand coming down with the force of a brick wall. "What's up, Chris?! Long time, man! Vegas is where the party's at!"

"Yeah, we just—" Ashley started, but Jacob was already talking over her.

"Kaitlyn and I were thinking of hitting the casino. You guys in? What are we even doing here if we're not blowing all our cash on slot machines and bad decisions?!"

Kaitlyn snickered. "I mean, we're literally in Vegas. But hey, I'm mostly here for the buffet. I'll meet you all at the blackjack table once I've consumed enough to make the MGM regret their 'all-you-can-eat' policy."

Ashley leaned into Chris and whispered, "Two days of quiet? HA."

Suddenly, two days turned into two minutes of chaos. Jacob was already at the concierge desk, begging for a penthouse upgrade, promising to "behave" while Kaitlyn strolled off to inspect the hotel's many food offerings.

Two Days Later...

The early Vegas adventurers were lounging by the hotel pool when Jessica Riley, Emily Davis, and Joshua Washington strolled in, all wearing oversized sunglasses that screamed "celebrity wannabes."

"Well, well, well," Jessica cooed as she sauntered toward the pool, slipping off her sunglasses in the most dramatic way possible. "Look what the cat dragged into Vegas. I guess we weren't the first to arrive after all."

Josh waved awkwardly at Chris and Ashley, trying to keep his usual deadpan humor intact. "Surprised to see you two still alive after Jacob probably dragged you through every casino on the Strip."

"Oh, don't even get me started," Chris groaned, sipping his neon-colored cocktail. "We've been to four casinos. Jacob blew all his money on roulette in an hour. He's now convinced there's a conspiracy against him."

Jacob, overhearing this, shouted from a hot tub nearby, "IT'S TRUE! THE SYSTEM'S RIGGED!"

Emily rolled her eyes so hard they nearly popped out of her head. "Typical. We should've known we'd walk into a disaster before Mike even arrived."

Jessica snickered. "Yeah, speaking of which, where is Mr. Hero?"

"Still driving," Chris said. "He insisted on taking a road trip here because, I don't know, he wants to 'embrace the journey.'"

Emily let out a low groan. "That sounds like something Mike would say."

"Totally Mike," Josh chimed in, sitting down next to Chris. "Probably stopping at every tourist trap along the way just to Instagram it."

"I can see it now," Kaitlyn added, grabbing a slice of pizza from her poolside buffet plate. "'Just saved a puppy from a burning building. #VegasBound.'"

Later That Evening...

As the group ventured into the heart of Las Vegas, a cloud of bright neon lights, they noticed Max Brinly and Laura Kearney arriving just outside the Bellagio fountains. Laura was laughing while Max looked like he had just survived the apocalypse.

"Max, you look—" Chris started, but Max interrupted, visibly shaking.

"Dude. Vegas airport security? Never again. Never. Again."

Laura, amused, gave him a gentle pat on the back. "He got into a heated argument with the TSA over a bottle of shampoo."

"It was expensive shampoo!" Max protested, hands in the air. "You can't just throw that out!"

Emma Mountebank suddenly appeared, her camera in hand, snapping photos of the hotel lights. "Ooh, Vegas! This'll look great on the 'Gram. I can practically hear the likes pouring in."

Ryan Erzahler and Dylan Lenivy followed shortly after, with Dylan mock-saluting Emma. "Oh, we're officially 'that' group. The tourists who take 50 selfies in front of everything."

Ryan shrugged, his usual calm and collected self. "We're in Vegas. Why not?"

"And I guess Mike's the last to arrive?" Laura asked, looking around.

Just then, a loud honking came from the road as Mike Munroe pulled up in a convertible, blasting Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer."

"I HAVE ARRIVED, LADIES AND GENTS!" Mike yelled as he jumped out of the car, arms spread wide.

The group collectively groaned. "Typical Mike," they said in unison.

The Reunion Escalates...

The first night of the reunion saw everyone gathered around a massive dinner table at a swanky steakhouse. They ordered everything on the menu and, unsurprisingly, things went downhill fast.

"So, what have you all been up to?" Emma asked, looking around, camera still in hand.

"Still trying to get by without getting murdered by Wendigos," Chris muttered, giving Josh a playful nudge. "Thanks for that, by the way."

Josh raised his glass. "You're welcome."

Kaitlyn, meanwhile, eyed Jacob suspiciously. "Remember when you said you wouldn't get into any trouble?"

Jacob, mid-bite of steak, waved his fork dismissively. "That was three hours ago, Kaitlyn. Relax. I'm on my best behavior."

A few tables away, a fight broke out between two tourists over a bad poker hand, but the group barely noticed, too caught up in their own antics.

"I swear, if this night ends with Jacob getting banned from yet another casino..." Ashley started, but her voice trailed off as the waiter approached with a gigantic plate of lobster. "Oh my god."

"Oh no," Chris muttered, eyes wide. "Ashley's about to gamble her life savings on seafood."

"Bet you she'll win more than Jacob," Kaitlyn said with a smirk.

"I HEARD THAT!" Jacob shouted from across the table, already eyeing the slot machines by the exit.

As the night went on, the group found themselves wrapped up in the chaos of Las Vegas, from impromptu karaoke (Josh somehow winning a contest for singing Bon Jovi) to Kaitlyn faking a British accent just to score free drinks.

By the time they all stumbled back to the hotel, laughing and exhausted, it was clear that their reunion was off to a chaotic start. They hadn't even made it to the second day, and already things were spiraling out of control.

The Day After...

As the sun rose over the Vegas Strip, everyone gathered at the pool once again, nursing hangovers and wearing sunglasses to block out the cruel, bright light of day.

"Well," Chris said, sipping his iced coffee, "We survived night one."

Kaitlyn laughed. "Barely. Jacob almost got us kicked out of the buffet for trying to sneak shrimp in his pockets."

Jacob, still half-asleep, shrugged. "Hey, it was expensive shrimp."

"You guys," Jessica suddenly said, her voice filled with faux sincerity, "We should totally make this an annual thing."

Everyone groaned in unison, the idea of surviving another Vegas reunion too much to bear.

Josh looked around at his friends, smiling. "Yeah, but what's Vegas without a little chaos?"

Ryan raised his glass. "To chaos."

The group clinked glasses, all knowing deep down that the next two days were about to get even crazier than they could possibly imagine.