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[color=darkgray][indent][indent]Riding shotgun in the van alongside Nate proved to be the perfect distraction for Val’s terrible mood. She wasted no time in putting her earphones on and losing herself in the voice of Hayley Williams, staring out into the ever-changing scenery stretching out in front of them. During the drive, she took some time to really [i]think[/i] of all the reasons why her joining the trip wasn’t such a terrible idea after all: some good, some great, and some petty. There was, however, one that stood out the most: she’d been much too excited about this trip for so long, that it wasn’t fair to her if she allowed herself to be pushed away by people who wouldn’t be a part of her life after this anyway. She loved her [i]real[/i] friends that much.

Sure: having Reyna’s presence getting in the way of her plans of confessing her feelings to Leon at some point after four years of a burning crush was pretty fucking shitty, to say the least. Yes: having Emilia going from scorching, suffocating sunshine to drowning, torrential rain pour in seconds would likely drive her over the edge. And yes: having Ava’s unwarranted input present at all times was probably not going to end well. But even then, Valeria was willing to use up all the possible patience in the world to see past it all and have a good time. Heck, maybe she’d actually try to put her moodiness and ego aside and build bridges with some of them. It was the longest stretches of stretches, but the fact that she was even considering it counted for something, right? Only time would tell.

Eventually, she and Nate arrived at their destination. She’d been on a few vacation trips with AJ to expect nothing short of a grandiose location, but even then Val was still stunned when she stepped foot inside the Bellagio Hotel. It was too bad that the initial excitement was short-lived. The conversation of who would be rooming with who quickly turned into an argument ([color=D52759][i]so much for trying to be patient…[/i][/color]), but eventually they were all able to come to a half-assed agreement. Although Val would be joined by Ava and Emilia, the absence of Reyna and the presence of Sami, Nate, Josie and Leon had definitely been a better outcome than what she had expected.

When the group arrived at their suite, they were all floored by the sheer size and beauty of it all: the luxury items, the attention to detail, the breathtaking view… However, the shortest girl of the pack didn’t spend too much time admiring the accommodations. As soon as she carelessly dropped off her belongings in one of the empty beds, Valeria quickly set out on the search for a secret prize hidden somewhere inside her suite. Every time she and AJ got into a fight that was his fault, the young man had a foolproof way of bribing himself into her good graces. And if she knew AJ as well as she did, then them being in Vegas would not change their dynamic. From the second she entered the large suite, Val knew [i]exactly[/i] what she would find waiting for her.

She didn’t have to look for too long until she found her prize: a dainty gift box containing a dozen gourmet chocolate-covered strawberries-- AJ’s signature token of apology, appreciation and truce.

Grinning from ear to ear, the young woman quickly grabbed the box of strawberries and breezed across the room before anyone else realized the delicacy she was carrying in her hands. [color=D52759]“I’m hoarding the bathroom for the next hour. Don’t knock or rush me.”[/color] Val said to nobody in particular before immediately disappearing behind the locked bathroom door. Chocolate-covered strawberries and a long, warm, relaxing bubble bath was exactly what she needed to kick off her Vegas adventure.[/indent][/indent][/color]