Welcome to Trainwrecks, a free-to-read fiction serial that follows a group of six Seattle-adjacent friends from the year 2004 to the year 2015. Join Luna Cruz, Sebastian Velasquez, Dimitri and Victoria Hale, Duke Kingston, and Jasmine Nolan as they stumble their way from adolescence to adulthood, falling in love, making mistakes, overcoming their pasts, and staying together through it all.
For series introduction, character profiles, relationship charts, and general orientation, check out the Table of Contents!
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April 1, 2005
Victoria: Hello, Marcus! I apologize for instant messaging you so suddenly.
Marquis: It’s cool Victoria. What’s up?
Victoria: It’s about the flowergram I received
Victoria: I know Valentine’s Day was a while ago and you got so many orders that you might not remember who sent mine…
Marquis: It was Duke, obviously
Marquis: Aren’t you guys going out?
Victoria: No
Marquis: Oh shit
Marquis: It might have been someone else actually???
Marquis: There were a lot of orders
Victoria: Thank you for answering. And sorry for bothering you again.
Marquis: A LOT of orders!!!
~*~
Marquis: Please don’t kill me
Sir Duke: That’s a promising conversation starter
Marquis: Victoria asked me who sent her the flowergram and I told her cuz I thought you two were going out
Sir Duke: YOU WHAT
Marquis: I am SO SORRY
Sir Duke: WHAT THE FUCK MADE YOU THINK WE WERE GOING OUT
Marquis: I don’t know!! You guys have been hanging out more!!!!!!!
Sir Duke: What did she say?!
Marquis: Nothing! She thanked me for telling her and that was it!
Sir Duke: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH
~*~
Victoria: Duke sent me the flowergram.
Moona: Mmmm yup, he sure did! :D
Victoria: But why?
Moona: You haven’t noticed by now that he’s been TRYING to be nicer to you?
Victoria: Sort of??
Victoria: Oh God
Victoria: I feel terrible. Wretched. I am the worst person alive.
Moona: I wouldn’t go that far. But there’s an easy way to make things right!
Victoria: What’s that?
Moona: APOLOGIZE TO HIM ALREADY GEEZ D8<
~*~
Sir Duke: LUNA
Moona: I know, Victoria found out.
Sir Duke: Did she say anything to you?!
Moona: Yup! ^w^
Sir Duke: Are you going to tell me???
Moona: Nope! ^w^
Sir Duke: SHE’S COMING TO UW WITH US TOMORROW
Moona: Sounds like the perfect chance for you two to have a chat before spring break~! <3
Sir Duke: Luna please throw me a bone here
Moona: Good night!
Sir Duke: LUNAAAAAAAAAAAA
~*~
Text conversation between Duke Kingston and Sebastian Velasquez
Duke: Is Luna still awake
Sebastian: Yeah she’s playing Pokemon on the couch.
Duke: Tell her to get back online
Sebastian: She said no. And that you should face Victoria like a man.
~*~
Victoria: To think that he would go out of his way to make me happy on Valentine’s Day…
Smooth Jazz: We’ve been trying to tell you Duke is a nice guy.
Victoria: I feel so guilty.
Smooth Jazz: You should apologize to him then.
Victoria: That’s what Luna said.
Victoria: Hang on a tick.
Victoria: He didn’t get Luna a flowergram.
Victoria: Why would he get me one and not her? She’s his best friend.
Smooth Jazz: She didn’t want one.
Victoria: Luna loves Valentine’s Day. It doesn’t make any sense.
Smooth Jazz: Don’t think about it too hard. Just tell Duke you’re sorry and be nicer to him from now on.
Victoria: Thank you for listening to me.
Smooth Jazz: That’s what friends are for. :)
~*~
Text conversation between Jasmine Nolan and Luna Cruz
Jasmine: I think Victoria might be wising up to Duke’s feelings for her.
Jasmine: Did my best to stop the bleeding.
Luna: Phew thanks
Luna: She needs time to stew
Jasmine: Agreed
Luna: But not too much time. I need my ship to become canon already. D8<
Jasmine: You do know they’re real people right
Author’s Note: Luna will not hesitate to throw her idiot best friend under the bus. On a fun note, Marcus’s screenname is a continuation of the puns surrounding Duke: Duke, Earl, King, Marquis, and Her Royal Highness Queen Victoria of course. :D
I love how Dimitri, Jasmine, and Sebastian have been having these heavy character moments and then we just jump back into the rom-com shenanigans where Duke is struggling, Victoria is not noticing, and Luna is basically watching the whole thing go down with a blanket and popcorn shouting "NOW KISS!" Perfectly balanced 😆😆
Jasmine's seriously doing her best not to spill the beans, and I love her for that. She's holding this secret together with Scotch tape and bubblegum