Location: Vale Beach House – Late Morning
Brunch was in full swing.
The beach house deck overlooked the ocean, now glittering under a cloudless sky. A long white table was stacked with mimosas, tropical fruit, croissants, breakfast tacos, and every kind of juice imaginable.
Everyone—from students to the visiting Vale family—lounged barefoot and sun-kissed, swapping stories and laughing through mouthfuls of strawberries and sarcasm.
Azra was halfway through mocking one of Caelan's past outfits when it happened.
Scene: The Chaos Begins
Damon Vale, lounging with one hand on his mimosa and the other lazily adjusting his sunglasses, casually dropped the line:
"I think I need a new girlfriend."
Dead silence.
Nova, Arielle, and Elina slowly turned to look at him.
So did Zeke. And Rico. And all three siblings.
Nova (coldly): "You what?"
Arielle (smiling sweetly): "Say it again. Slower."
Elina: "Just long enough for me to take off my earrings."
Damon's eyes widened.
"Now hold on—wait—I was joking—"
Too late.
Nova tossed a mimosa in his face.
Azra screamed, "GET HIM!"
Caelan and Zeke launched across the deck.
Liora jumped on his back like a jungle cat.
Scene: Absolute Mayhem
Damon bolted barefoot across the sand, dodging chairs and beach towels.
"HELP! I'M BEING BULLIED BY MY ENTIRE BLOODLINE!"
Nova chased him with a flip-flop.
Elina calmly walked in the opposite direction to cut him off.
Azra and Liora were full-on sprinting.
Caelan and Rico laughed too hard to keep up—until Zeke tackled Damon from behind like a linebacker.
They all dogpiled him in the sand.
He shrieked.
"I TAKE IT BACK! I WANT FIVE GIRLFRIENDS—NO WAIT—JUST NOVA!"
Scene: Reactions from the Friend Group
Noah, Jace, Zaria, Isla, and Selene sat on the deck, wide-eyed, trying and failing not to laugh.
Zaria: "This is better than every teen drama I've ever watched."
Jace: "This is why Caelan's like that."
Selene: "They're the most unhinged beautiful family I've ever seen."
Isla (doodling): "I'm drawing this. It's going in the scrapbook."
Noah (smiling): "This… this makes a lot of sense now."
Scene: Settling Down – Kind Of
Everyone eventually collapsed into beach chairs or the pool—laughing, wheezing, sunburnt, and full of love.
Damon, still brushing sand out of his hair, looked at his daughters and son.
"You three are lucky your mother still likes me."
Nova (from across the pool): "The day is still young."
Final Scene: Ocean Breeze and Bonded Souls
Later that evening, the sun dipped low and the family gathered for a quiet dinner.
The earlier chaos gave way to soft conversations, inside jokes, and that rare, perfect sense of belonging.
The friends? They stayed close, smiling at the warmth that wrapped around the Vale family like armor.
"Now we know where they get it," Noah whispered to Liora.
Liora (smiling): "Every last bit."