Twenty Candles (Part of the Tx3U Trilogy)

1. Day One

Prologue.

Have you ever wondered what it'd be like to lose eighty percent of your life? To not have that part of you that's usually there. I do. We all do. We - meaning my seven favorite people and me.

High school graduates, we're crazy. We're fun. We're pretty much one whole person altogether. Our friendships are what kept us alive in high school, and so when it ended, none of us knew how we'd move on. All of us realized one thing though, we'd move on to completely different places from one another. And we all knew that where we'd be taken, wouldn't leave much open space to keep our friendships. How we'd manage, none of us knew, but we dared ourselves. Going separate ways would be the most daring thing we'd ever plan on doing.

Most of us didn't plan on going to university or college, it ran through our minds, but never was something we were in to. We wanted to be out in the real world, maybe living off parents' money for a bit, to find ourselves. Hey, it's not a bad idea. Leaving and being on your own is a scary thought!

I couldn't deal with the thought, leaving everything and everyone behind. It didn't work well with me. The thought of it made me sick. It made me scared, but I knew I had to go off and pursue a life.

Although, we did make a pact, so we wouldn't completely lose touch. An odd thing about our group is that every single one of us has a birthday, in the exact same month within the first two weeks of the month. It's scary, pretty remarkable though. So. We promised to meet up once again, and rekindle our friendships. In the two weeks that held our birthdays, in the year of our twentieth birthdays. After two years of saying goodbye.

Rejoice and remember. Become whole again, for two weeks. With twenty candles.

1. Day One

"Aren't you psyched to see the gang again?" Quincy Press towered over their bed, folding recently washed clothes placing them into piles, her and Lopez never did leave their hometown, considering Quincy had a job with her mother's magazine company's home office right in the city area. "Who knows, maybe finally Malcolm and Raven finally forgot their differences and actually got together."

"Yeah, instead of all this on and off stuff," added Lopez Canning. "And who knows. Maybe it'll be the perfect time to tell them." Lopez walked to Quincy and held her from behind. He kissed her on the cheek and moved his lips slowly to place on Quincy's.

"I need fifteen vintage dresses by tomorrow, Margo," Fiona Thresh walked the streets of New York City. If her Prada boots and her Prada bag didn't prove that she's an important part of the fashion industry, than her attitude definitely did the trick. She dropped out of school and ran away from home at the young age sixteen to focus on her fashion career and leave behind all her remaining issues that seemed to occur back in town, and got her first ever job as an assistant at Daffi Co. when she turned seventeen and by putting in the effort of seven employees combined, she quickly made her way up the ladder and in no time became a junior parter and so forth.

"These aren't vintage. They're just plain hideous!" Fiona informed Margo back at the office. "Don't forget to tell Stephen I'll be gone for the next two weeks. Important matters." Margo nodded her head and strode off. Fiona's phone buzzed. "Fiona Thresh."

"Fiona! Can't wait for the reunion?" Masslie Bruno was on the other side of the call.

"Masslie! Hey, yeah. I can't wait," Fiona cheered. She curled her hair around her finger and sucked the inside of her lip. "Have you heard from the others yet?"

"No. But we're all still meeting up at Mino's," Masslie replied.

"Alright, goodie," Fiona bit her nails. "Well I must go. Business."