#highschoolreunion

Better Off As Lovers, and Not The Other Way Around (ao3) - acollectionofdaydreams

Summary: Dan and Phil have a system of pretending to be in a relationship to get them out of awkward situations, but Dan takes it too far the day he signs Phil up as his plus one for his five year school reunion. Dan didn’t even want to go, but his ex-girlfriend is going to be there so it’s too late to back out now. ~aka the fake relationship au that no one asked for~

Blurry Stranger (ao3) - phantropolis

Summary: Set in August of 2015, Phil is invited to his high school’s reunion. Afraid of being the only single one in attendance, he convinces Dan to accompany him as his fake ‘boyfriend’ for the week. It’s only when Phil allows his best friend into his childhood life and begins to see him in a romantic light that actual feelings start developing - but it’s highly unlikely that they’ll be reciprocated.

Just For A Month - poetictragediess

Summary: Dan’s 19, cocky, with a ‘fuck you’ attitude, and all he wants is to prove to his parents that he isn’t and will never be what they want him to be. And with a family reunion on the horizon, Dan and his best friend / flatmate have the perfect full proof plan to do just that.

Maybe, Possibly - cafephan

Summary: Phil’s mother is adamant that he should be settling down, so invites one of his turbulent exes to an annual family get-together the following day. In a moment of panic, he tells her he’s already dating someone. With no other options, he turns to Dan.

Why Elijah agreed to return to Chicago for a high school reunion was beyond him. he wasn’t well known in high school, and if people did know him, they had made fun of him, or been his buddies from the chess team or D&D club. He was near unrecognizable now having put on weight and grown out his hair. Elijah hoped that would be his saving grace as he sat at the bar taking a shot with his name tag on his chest. 

Here is some fun reading about one of the cars that was shown in our Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals High School Reunion special display. In fact...this is the car that started the entire concept of hosting this display. Thanks go out to Opie Stark, who also happens to be our Head Judge for Mopars at the MCACN show. Great car, awesome owner and a story that optimizes what we are all about. Thanks Opie, and Thanks David Hakim and Dodge Garage.

Chantel pushed open the double doors of the high school gym, the faint scent of floor polish and aged wood wafting toward her like a ghostly echo of the past. The reunion buzzed with voices layered in laughter and exclamations of surprise, faces lit by strings of fairy lights that wound along the walls. It had been fifteen years since she'd last walked these halls, an insecure teenager wrapped in self-doubt, unaware of the woman she would become. She smoothed her navy-blue dress and glanced around, her heart thudding with a blend of anticipation and nerves. Former classmates stood in clusters, some looking shockingly unchanged, others with crow’s feet and silver streaks marking their stories. As she approached the refreshments table, her eyes caught a slight, familiar figure near the corner.

Mrs. Eberle stood there, her silver hair now piled into an elegant bun, and her eyes—still sharp behind gold-rimmed glasses—scanned the room with an amused, warm detachment. The world seemed to pause for a moment as a flood of memories washed over Chantel.

She recalled sophomore year: her father had just walked out, leaving her mother hollow-eyed and distant. School became both a refuge and a battleground. It was Mrs. Eberle’s English class that had kept her anchored. One day, when she turned in a paper streaked with tear-smudged ink, the teacher had asked her to stay after class. Chantel remembered Mrs. Eberle’s soft voice, her steady eyes, and the unspoken understanding they shared as she simply said, “Some stories are heavier than others. But they’re worth telling.”

Chantel took a breath and approached her.

“Mrs. Eberle?” she ventured, voice catching slightly.

The older woman’s eyes sparkled with recognition. “Chantel Dupree! Oh, my goodness. Look at you!” She reached out, clasping Chantel’s hands in hers, fingers still thin but firm. “Time has its way, doesn’t it?”

They talked at first about the usual reunion chatter: jobs, families, the weird twists of life. But then Chantel found herself pausing, the old lump in her throat rising. Mrs. Eberle tilted her head, a signal as clear as a raised eyebrow in her class.

“I just—I don’t know if I ever properly thanked you,” Chantel began, her voice low but steady. “Those days in your classroom, they were... more than just lessons. You saw me. And that made all the difference.”

Mrs. Eberle’s expression softened, her eyes glistening for the briefest moment before she blinked and chuckled. “I always believed in you, Chantel. I’m glad to see that belief wasn’t misplaced.”

They sat at a table under the warm glow of the lights, the chatter around them fading into the background. They swapped stories: Mrs. Eberle recounted how teaching had been her life raft during her own dark moments, and Chantel spoke of her work as a journalist and how she now used words to give voice to others who felt unseen. It was a conversation filled with laughter and quiet pauses that carried more weight than words.

As the night wound down and the last slow song began to play, Mrs. Eberle touched Chantel’s arm. “You know, my dear, you’ve become the story worth telling.”

Chantel smiled, her heart swelling with gratitude, a bond of friendship rekindled under the banner of shared history. For once, she felt not only the weight of her own story but the strength it had given her—and the teacher who had helped her carry it when it was too heavy alone.

I Actually Went to My 10-Year High School Reunion

Dear Reader How much does 10 years really change a person? I just had the pleasure of attending my 10-year high school reunion, and while life situations have changed in a number of ways, the people — have not. I was quiet and awkward in high school, but I benefited from a close friend group and participation in a handful of engaging extracurriculars. I knew from the issuance of the first…