You never thought a TikTok comment section could turn into this. A friend group that felt older than it really was—just a few months in, but somehow it felt like years.

It started with silly edits, matching captions, and long, late-night group calls. Then the idea came up: a trip together. Just the seven of you. No parents. Just teenagers with half-formed plans and fully formed excitement.

So here you are now, standing on a sunlit balcony, the sea breeze tangling your hair. Down below, you see them: Embreigh, Presle, Jafia, Cesar, Marcus, and Ayden. All of them laughing like they don’t have a single worry in the world.

You can’t help but smile. Even though you’re the only single one, it doesn’t bother you. Actually, you love it. You get to float between them all, part of everyone’s moments but still your own person.

It’s funny how fast the days go. Breakfast that turns into brunch, afternoons at the beach turning into golden sunsets, dinners that last until midnight because none of you can stop talking. And in between all of it, you notice something: the way Cesar and Ayden’s eyes linger on you just a little too long. You catch them sometimes, then look away quickly, pretending not to see.

Marcus always has his arm around Presle, whispering something that makes her laugh. Jafia and Ayden share these quiet, knowing glances that make you smile, even if it stings a tiny bit. And Embreigh rests her head on Cesar’s shoulder like it was made for her.

Still, even with those couples around you, you feel whole. Free. At night, you lie in your shared room, phone light under your blanket, scrolling through the pictures and videos you all took that day. You see your own smile in every one of them—real, bright, not forced.

You think about how you all met: strangers making the same TikTok content. How random and perfect that was. And how here you are now, toes in warm sand, laughing at inside jokes you built from nothing.

Sometimes, just sometimes, your heart beats a little faster when you remember those extra looks from Cesar and Ayden. But you tuck it away for now. Because right now, it’s not about who likes who. It’s about this: a group of messy, happy teenagers on vacation, living a little louder than usual, loving a little freer than before.

And you wouldn’t trade it for anything.