A lone duffle bag tumbled down the stairs and came to rest in a pile of bags, a few suitcases and supplies. Norris Wilde was all packed, and he followed his luggage down the stairs with a wide grin, excited as ever to head over to Cara's, and then to Elissa's together. He had been waiting all year for this trip, through the fall and winter and through an agonizingly long spring just to get the hell out of Florida for a while. It was more than just a vacation for the curly-haired young man, it was a chance to do something for the first and possibly the last time, to have fun with his friends and leave his worries at home for the time being. This was how he wanted to be remembered, fun and healthy, ready for anything that the wide open road could throw at him. All he had to do now was leave the house.

"Mom!" he called out, voice echoing through the house as he sauntered down the hallway. "Mom! I'm ready to go!" He looked around for her, popping his head into the kitchen and finding nothing but a bagel, which he picked up, before making his way out the back door. There, in the garden, sat his mother. Her dark hair had fallen over her face, but she looked up to meet his eyes and he saw a wrinkle of worry between her brows. He knew what she was thinking, and hell, he was thinking it too. He should be at the hospital, going to doctors appointments, actually dealing, but he'd already made up his mind. Regardless, he smiled at her. "Hey, are you gonna say goodbye to me?" he grinned.

The woman got up from her place on the patio chair and came over to hug him, and Norris wrapped his arms around her warmly. "Do you have your medication?" she asked, and Norris thought it was the hundredth time within the last day. It was just a small pill, something for his strange and unpredictable seizures, but he didn't exactly relish taking it. Sighing, he nodded, "yeah, I have it. Don't worry." 

The two said their goodbye's and see-you-later's and Norris promised that he would call. After packing his things into the car, he was on his way to Cara's, half of his bagel already gone. The blonde girl didn't live far from him, a ten minute walk at best, but Norris still managed to speed his way there, his excitement having gotten the better of him as he peeled into her driveway and honked the horn. He saw her pop her head out of the door and then come out with her arms full of bags just seconds later. Norris, being the nice guy that he was, got out to help her with her things as Cara dashed into the house to get the rest and presumably say goodbye to her mom. 

"Why do you need so much stuff?" he asked, laughing as backed out of her driveway.

Cara smiled back at Norris and replied with a shrug of her thin shoulders, hands moving to scoop her hair up into a ponytail. "I'm a girl. I have more necessities," she chuckled and rolled the window all the way down with a press of her finger. It was a warm day, humid but sunny and not a cloud in the sky; perfect.

Several minutes and the other half of a bagel later, the pair arrived at Elissa and Caleb's and Cara dashed out of the car before it was even parked. The small blonde knocked on the door with a noticeable glee, like a kid in a candy store because she was sure that she had seen Caleb through the window on her way up. As usual, her stomach was full of butterflies and her head was full of longing just to kiss him hello. One secret wasn't about to ruin a whole trip, though, and Cara did the best she could to push it from her mind and look normal as the door finally opened and she was greeted with the sight of Elissa.

"Hey!" she smiled, reaching out to her hug her friend. Norris appeared behind her, having had to park the car before he could come up. "Are you ready?"

Laughing, Norris leaned over and wrapped his arm around Elissa, giving her a quick kiss. "Jeez," he sighed, looking at the pile of bags by the door, "what is it with girls packing the whole house?" It was a joke, but the dark-haired young man looked to Caleb for some sort of agreement.