Your characters are very real. We can imagine them sitting to tea, reminiscing. The true mark or friendship is that they accept each other with faults and all. They are still young, and yet in a way, wise with experience. You give us the advantage of looking back and reflecting on our the girls have grown.
This was an interesting interpretation of the prompt: A reunion of old friends at a turning point in their lives. Thank you for posting the story in the Ink Well community. Thank you for engaging with your fellow authors!
My characters, to an extent, are always real. Thank you for reading.