The week before spring break passed in a blur of final assignments and logistical preparations. Charlie submitted his political philosophy essay, completed Dr. Voss's problem set, and finished his business law midterm with enough time to actually pack for the trip.Rashford noticed the luggage appearing in their dorm room. "Going somewhere fancy?""Mexico with friends. Week-long break before the semester's final push.""Nice. Private resort or touristy chaos?""Private villa. We wanted actual rest rather than spring break party atmosphere."Rashford grinned. "That's very mature of you. Also very wealthy-person coded, but I'm not judging."Charlie laughed. "Fair assessment."Daniel had packed three days early, his enthusiasm manifesting in excessive preparation. He'd researched every restaurant in Cabo, identified hiking trails, mapped out snorkeling locations, and created an entire spreadsheet of potential activities."We're not doing all of this," Cindy said when Daniel shared his pl

The second day began with an actual plan—Daniel had convinced everyone that the sunset sailing trip he'd researched was worth disrupting their determined lack of structure. They'd agreed during breakfast, Maria arranging the booking while they finished coffee.The boat departed at four p.m., giving them the morning to continue leisurely. Charlie worked through emails briefly, finding only routine corporate updates that required no response. Emily had sent a single message: *Everything's fine. Stop checking. Enjoy your vacation.*He closed his laptop, accepting the implicit instruction.Jacy had ventured into town with Cindy, both wanting to explore local markets and shops. They returned around noon with bags of purchases—handmade jewelry, local art, ingredients for cocktails they wanted to try making."We found this amazing pottery studio," Cindy said, showing off a set of handmade mugs. "The artist was incredible. He's been doing this for forty years, still experimenting with new tec