Indhu's POV
The idea started with Rohan—which automatically meant it was suspicious.
"Camping trip!" he announced in class, waving his notebook like a victory flag. "We'll bring food, a tent, and—most importantly—marshmallows."
I narrowed my eyes at him. Whenever Rohan sounded this excited, chaos followed.
Charlotte squinted. "You only want camping so you can roast things."
"Not true," Rohan said, pressing a hand to his chest. "I also want to run dramatically into the forest shouting I am Tarzan."
I groaned. So did everyone else.
But somehow… the plan was made anyway.
By the time we finished setting up the tent on the hillside, the sun had already disappeared. The world felt quieter here—no traffic, no school bells—just crickets and the occasional "ouch!" from Rohan, who somehow managed to step on every sharp rock.
I lit the lantern and smiled. "Okay. Ghost stories."
I told them about a girl who heard knocking at midnight in her old house—slow, steady knocks that never stopped. Swetha pretended to shiver for exactly three seconds before ruining everything.
"Honestly, Indhu," she said, "the real horror story is how Rohan eats chips. He chews like a cement mixer."
I burst out laughing. Rohan tried to defend himself mid-chew.
"That's… cultural music!"
The night echoed with our laughter, warm and familiar.
Later, after snacks and completely failed singing attempts—Aditya tried playing guitar while Rohan kept neighing like his Rapunzel horse—we lay flat on the grass, staring at the sky.
The stars felt endless. Bigger than anything I'd ever seen.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Then Charlotte whispered, almost afraid to break the silence,
"Do you think we'll still be together after school?"
The question settled right into my chest. Heavy. Honest.
Swetha hugged her knees. "We will. Right?"
I nodded quickly, but my voice came out softer than I wanted.
"We have to."
Aditya suddenly sat up, brushing grass off his shirt. "Then let's promise. Right here. No matter where we are, we'll meet again. Like… a reunion pact."
Rohan instantly perked up. "Wait—what if I become a celebrity? My fans will chase me instead of you guys."
Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Then we'll meet you in the hospital after you trip over your own shoelaces."
I laughed, but Aditya's words stayed with me.
We tore scraps of paper and wrote down our dreams—messy, rushed, honest. I folded mine carefully and tucked it into an empty snack box. I tied it shut with a ribbon from my bag, my fingers lingering longer than necessary.
"We'll open it someday," I said. "No excuses."
Then we stacked our hands together.
"V5 forever!"
Our voices disappeared into the night, but the promise didn't.
Sunrise
At dawn, we climbed to the top of the hill. The air was cold, our breaths foggy, eyes burning with sleep.
Then the sky changed.
A thin orange line appeared on the horizon—and suddenly everything was gold. The world felt like it had paused just for us.
My throat tightened.
"This sunrise," I whispered, "it belongs to us. Wherever we go… it'll remind us we'll always find our way back."
Rohan sneezed loudly.
"The sun is allergic to me!"
I laughed until my sides hurt—but even through the laughter, I felt it.
The promise. Deep. Unbreakable.
Before leaving, we took a group photo—messy hair, tired eyes, real smiles.
Charlotte looked at it and said, "Not perfect."
"No," Swetha replied softly. "But perfectly us."
And as I looked at that sunrise one last time, I knew—
V5's promise wasn't just between us.
It was for anyone who believed that some friendships don't fade…
they wait.