Her phone buzzed again.
This time, she looked.
The group chat—titled "Pine Valley Legends" because Ryan thought he was hilarious—was lighting up.
Jenna: Reunion invites officially sent! Check your email!
Hannah: I love that you made an actual Evite for this.
Jenna: It's called being organized, Hannah.
Ryan: She color-coded the RSVP options.
Emily: That's so Jenna.
Mark: Are we doing the gift exchange again?
Jenna: Yes. $20 limit. No gag gifts this time, Mark.
Mark: That was ONE time.
Riley scrolled through the messages, smiling in spite of herself. They'd been doing this reunion every year since college—a week before Christmas, everyone back in Pine Valley, pretending they were still eighteen and invincible. She saw Grant every year. They hugged hello, made small talk about work and family, and carefully avoided any mention of what they'd been to each other once.
It was fine. Totally fine.
Another message popped up.
Hannah: WAIT. Jenna. Did you make a Naughty List?
Jenna: ...maybe.
Ryan: She absolutely did.
Jenna: It's FUNNY. You'll like it.
Riley's phone buzzed with the email notification. She opened it, already bracing herself.
The invite was classic Jenna—neat, festive, organized within an inch of its life. But at the bottom, under the RSVP button, was a section titled: "Most Likely To" Naughty List - Holiday Edition.
Riley scrolled down.
Hannah: Most Likely to Spike the Eggnog
Mark: Most Likely to Fall Asleep Before Midnight
Emily: Most Likely to Cry at a Holiday Commercial
