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And in twenty minutes (fifteen, if anyone was honestly counting) Abbi was waiting at the portal, her favorite bunny-eared book-bag on her shoulders a more summery outfit of yellow and blue on her person. Her customary thigh high were present, though her shoes were strappy and her skirt shorter than normal, she seemed in high spirits and was happily, and aggressively, chatting up the portal techs. There were even a pair of heart shaped blue sunglasses on the top of her head, though her pigtails were absent today in favor of something a bit more breezy and relaxed.

There was a great deal of giggling when the return text arrived, but Abbi held herself firm and did not reply. That would just be annoying, and she instead stuffed her phone to the bottom of her bag and chatted happily with the techs. She was doing a lot of wiggling, though she always did that, there was more of it today, but she managed to appear calm when her Spring Break Buddy arrived.
"Ah! The doc can make a house call, sweet!" The ghost in her head chided her for such a poor response, but hey, it was the best she had at the moment.

"You're not late at all!" Even if he was, Abbi was resolute not to look at her phone, just in case. Proving her point was useless, so she instead bunny-hopped over to Matt and saluted him with a wide grin.
"Glad to see Spring Break is important to you. Cause I'm guessin'... You never went to Spring Break, and hey guess what, neither did I!" The teen wrinkles her nose in a laugh before she holds out her hand for a shake. Its an odd gesture, but one meant to signalize solidarity in an effort they will forge together.
"We're gonna go to some rockin' beach and get super drunk. You're not going to be a gentleman and I won't say anything, okie doki loki?" There is a tinge of a challenge in her smile because, as much as she appreciates how kind Matt can be, she wants him to have fun. And, no matter what he says, Abbi is going to push him toward that.
And mostly so she can have fun too.

"You made good time." Abbi looks proud, but she laughs a moment later and waves at him. "Tell ya what, since its my fault you took the day off, I'll help you tomorrow ok? Give me some of the stack and I'll do what I can." Sure, paperwork isn't the most fun, but its methodical and the teen is sure she'll need something mindless to do after today.

The mention of the hospital grabs her attention, and for a brief moment Abbi looks genuinely worried for Matt. She hadn't pegged him for the sickly type, but her moment of confusion clears, though she retains a deal of uncertainty in her smile.
"Did you... Intern at a hospital?" That was... What college kids did, right?

Again her nose wrinkles in a grin when he pinches his fingers, but she gestures for him to follow her and makes her way over to the activating portal.
"Look, if some guy spills your drink I'll buy you a new one AND punch him for you. But we're going to have a bunch of fun. We're gonna go swimming and you can't laugh at my gross scars and we're gonna eat lotsa food and party and it'll be SUPER AWESOME!" Before she goes through, Abbi has to stop in front of him and jump up and down to express her excitement.
After a bit of squealing she stops and composes herself, holding out a hand for him a moment later, prepared to just flail at him should he deny taking it.

Thinking very similarly Abbi laughed and nodded, though she was fairly certain she would definitely be calling in sick tomorrow. But with no need to get ahead of herself, she left it at that and blinked innocent eyes at him while he backtracked.
For as observant as she is, there is only so much one can read about a person and, not knowing Matt well enough to discern his truthful face from his non, the teen only nodded along until he was done speaking.
"Oooh, so the doctor stuff is a family thing. I getcha." The mention of his dad sparks her interest in his family, though a careful concern over asking him curbs her questions to just one. "Were you and your dad close?"

Too giddy to argue with him about it, Abbi grinned at him one last time and gave his hand a squeeze before she hopped through the portal.
Never having been very far south of the United States, let alone actually out of it, she was a bit wide eyed to see Cancun in all its balmy, bustling glory.
"Its so warm!" She said it like she was honestly surprised, like she hadn't fully expected it to be nearly summer somewhere else in the world. Her excitement makes her lurch forward only to remember her hold on Matt with a bit of a start, stepping back to stick more firmly by his side, never letting his hand go as she bounces up on tiptoes to peek into stores and look at the people wandering the streets and stare up into the blue, blue sky.

Whatever his personal beliefs on family, Abbi could only smile in a way that felt foreign because she could not relate. She could not know about the ache he felt in regards to his relations, or else she might have not asked after it, but as a curious being she simply couldn't help herself.
"That sounds really nice. So you had a brother or sister?" Its all asked innocently, really it is, but at the same time she is vastly intrigued. No one else on the Island has talked much of their family, herself included, and while Matt isn't always the most forthcoming, he seems less likely to be upset about her questioning.
"I don't think I ever asked where you're from!" Partially a distraction, but at the same time she was interested to know where he hailed from.

Holding hands with Matt is very, very different from holding hands with Leslie. With Leslie, it feels like a battle, like she has to fight him or the people who see them because they will question their friendship, they will ask after the pell-mell pieced together family they have formed. But now that her freckled hand is in his, Abbi isn't sure what to feel. Part of her is giddy because he is so kind, and so handsome and gorgeous, and because he is doting on her, even in a small way. Another part is scared because this is simply kindness and nothing more. And the last part wants it to be more, and rushes forward to demand more, but cowers back because she isn't worthy. It shies away because he is so kind, and she knows very little about him, but he hasn't said no, and because he smiles so sweetly at her and squeezes her fingers back, Abbi cannot help but notice her heart race off.
In the end she laughs at the bright blue sky that only has a smattering of pale white clouds, and then up at him, and presses her free hand over her mouth for a second until she can speak properly.
"Um! Maybe we should have lunch? Or a drink? Or change into um--um bathing suits? And hit the beach? I-D-K I'M SO EXCITED! THIS IS SUCH FUN!!!" She's too exhilarated and stimulated by her surroundings to really make a proper decision. And, to be perfectly honest, she doesn't want to hog the attention when he is equally part of this important first decision on their First Spring Break.

Observant as always, there is something striking in the way he says "sister" and perhaps it is only Abbi being more self-centered than she thinks, but her heart skips a beat nonetheless. The moment after he is quieter, and it lasts longer than she thinks it ought to, but Abbi knows without specifics, she knows in the way she has probably made that face, she's not sure of what, she just knows something.
When he looks back at her she falters, just for a second, and stops in the middle of the sidewalk. In a flash she's brought her other arm around to wrap against the one of his she had been holding before and quickly pressed her face into his shirt sleeve. It isn't much, she doesn't know what she's doing because its like half a hug, and maybe that's why. Half a hug for half an idea.

When she pulls back he's smiling and talking about California and she nods hastily, tugging at him to set them back on a path even if she feels a bit cooler than before. A weak laugh leaves her and she shoots him back a half frown, mostly because she wants this to be happy and she's pushing the worry down.
"Santa Monica sounds way more interesting than where I'm from." She pauses on the sidewalk before she picks a random corner to turn at, still half marveling at the buildings as she talks.
"I'm from some small town in Connecticut, probably never heard of it. Lame as can be!"

As for the suggestion, she mulls it over for only a moment before Abbi nods and starts working their way toward the beach. It takes her another five minutes but she's found one, a restaurant that looked homey and had a big balcony off the back covered in tables with umbrellas.
"Oh man I am so having a drink with lunch. I'm thinking a beer, you like beer?" Maybe it won't be the beer she had with Jack in Prague, but its a start and she is giddy and bouncing as they are lead by a hostess through the restaurant and out the back to a table. Their table was right against the railing and Abbi didn't really sit in her seat so much as crouch on it so she could lean over the wooden barrier and look at the ocean just a handful of yards away.
"Wow wow wwwoooooowww!! Look at the water, its so clear! Have you ever seen the ocean so blue its so pretty~"

Fierce in her determination to be upbeat, Abbi laughs despite herself, and then honestly laughs at Matt's ridiculous description. He's clearly either watched way too much daytime dramas, or not enough, and either way the teen cannot decide which she prefers. Regardless she appreciates the joke even if she accompanies it with a massive eyeroll aimed in his direction.
"Trust me, my small town was bad." But that's close enough to him asking, so she divulges about herself happily. "My neighbors were too boring to do anything as interesting as being swingers and... Actually, none of them had sons. At least not any my age." Somehow she'd never noticed this and it seems strange that someone else has her considering her past like that. "But it was this... Kinda spooky place. Lots of old houses. It blew up around Halloween and it sucked. But at least I could walk everywhere!"

The bird catches her gaze and she watches it, grinning at it as though it were more magical than just a simple bird. But getting off the Island does that to Abbi, sometimes she forgets there's a whole world she's training to protect and seeing this silly little bird reminds her.
With their drinks ordered she plops back into her seat and pours over the menu for two seconds before she leans onto the table.
"Did you live near the beach? I bet you know how to surf! Was it fun living in Santa Monica, or were you too busy with school and stuff?"

A moment later she is surprised by his question, mostly because she isn't used to people asking after her.
"Kinda! We went enough times that I really liked it... But East coast beaches can be... Kinda not fun." A freckled hand gestures to the clear waters next to them. "I couldn't always see into the water so clearly as we can here... And yeah, they can get kinda rocky."
But that reminds her and she wiggles excitedly.
"My promotion was on a beach! I got to be a life guard for a day and there was this mermaid, but she was weirdly nice and I helped get her to the Island! She's probably going to be someone's weapon!" Half of her wants to talk more about it simply because she's proud of herself, but she voluntarily hushes up, just because she doesn't want to seem that self centered, even if she's giving him a sheepish grin.

"There is plenty wrong with spooky houses when you see shadows and can't tell anyone." She huffs for a second, not frustrated with him but the unfortunate circumstances that made recounting her former life a bit difficult. It wasn't Matt's fault, but now Abbi remembered why she didn't volunteer the information more readily before.
"You were probably the coolest kid." She chimed in quickly, grinning before she hid behind her menu. Of course, hiding didn't last long as she peeked out again.
"So you like... Have a hammock in your room? Also, I advise against benches... Unless they're... Good for your... Back?" Look, she wasn't one to judge.

But the question about vacations, at the onset, is safe and Abbi relaxes back into her chair. For a moment she lets herself go quiet as she and her ghost sift through memories, Viveca more choosey than her Hunter, and after a few beats the teen smiles.
"We went to my Aunt and Uncle's cabin. They lived in Vermont, deep in the woods, this big log cabin with a little creek behind it. The drive was... Horrendous." She laughs, but its unfocused and she's trying to be mad at herself for saying anything about that time in her life.
"But uh... The older I got, Dad and I didn't vacation much. Natalie loved the beach, so we went sometimes, but not every year." The nudge from her headmate is what reminds her and Abbi laughs genuinely this time, surprised at herself. "Natalie was my step mom, B-T-W. Since we're, yanno, getting all nosey in each other's past."
Wanting something to do, she fiddles with a strand of hair before she peeks up at Matt.
"What about you? Got any fun vacation stories?"

Back on easier topics Abbi gives a good humored grimace, shaking her head a little.
"The mermaid I found was... Not of the Disney variety, no sir-ee. She was... She was Halloween. Super scaly, sharp talons, not at all pretty. But... She wasn't bad. Not really." That was something she'd had to wrestle with, believing that everything Halloween was inherently evil and finding that not everything was so black and white.
"But you'll get a promotion soon, I'm sure! You've been around long enough and I know you're a hard worker. Just keep pluggin' at it, Duffy. You'll get there," Abbi smiles at him, trying to appear sweet when she's unsure how to feel, opening up about her old life and afraid she's trying to dig around too much in his.
But their drinks arrive and she hastily offers her's for a cheer.
"Cheers! To Spring Break!"