The Begining of a New Story Chapter 44: Happy Thanksgiving!, a camp rock fanfic

Hey all! I know, I took forever to finish this chapter. Thank you soo much if you're still reading. This should cover a lot of ground so we can get to Christmas and New Years. I know that chapter won't be up appropriately by New Years, but I hope to get another chapter up before I head back to school. Enjoy!

Lacey

LAST TIME

Mitchie smiled at the fact that Shane found her beautiful. It was something she did not hear often enough. Many people believed that beauty was only skin deep and even though Mitchie tried to be one of them, something about hearing it from someone she cared about who was not related to her made it feel different.

Shane walked Mitchie to her door before saying 'goodnight' with a soft kiss on her forehead.

NOW

'Hey you, don't let 'em see you frown, Come on turn it upside down. Don't ever quit, get up, get up. When life, puts you to the test, there's nothing better than your best. Show 'em what you got, you got a lot. Show 'em what you got, get up, get up. Get up, up, up. Whoa, whoa, up, up, up. Whoa, whoa, up, up, up. Whoa, whoa, up, up, up.'

Good grief, it's five AM! Who schedules a call time this early! Well, this is the life I bargained for right? Come on Mitchie, get up and moving before mom comes in and pushes you out of bed.

Mitchie dragged herself up from her pillow to a sitting position. Her eyelids fought for dominance over her view, desiring to stay closed. It had been a while since she had gotten up at five in the morning. Back when she had attended school with Sierra it had been no problem, but at Camp Rock High she had been allowed to sleep in more.

"Good morning, Mitchie," Connie said, entering the room.

"Morning, Mom," Mitchie replied through a yawn.

"How are you feeling? Nervous? Excited? Anxious?"

"Tired," Mitchie yawned making her mother laugh.

The morning seemed to pass in a blink of an eye as a prep team came in to do Mitchie's hair and make-up as well as a stylist to dress her. It was a life Mitchie had always wanted and with just this little taste she could see herself getting very used to it.

As Mitchie's stylist was putting the final touches on her dress she heard a knock at the front door.

"Hey, Mitch," her dad called from the front room of the suite, "there's someone here to see you…he claims he's your boyfriend."

Mitchie rushed out to meet him in the living room.

"Happy Thanksgiving," she said, enveloping Shane into a hug.

"Happy Thanksgiving to you to," he whispered in her ear.

As Mitchie pulled away she noticed something off about Shane.

"Is everything ok?"

Shane shook his head.

I can't believe I lost my voice the day of one of the most important performances of the year. What am I going to do? I guess Shane will sing his love song that he wrote for Mitchie and Jason will sing back up, but this is ridiculous! I can't sing at my own show!

'I'm falling even more in love with you, letting go of all I've held onto. I'm standing here until you make me move. I'm hanging by a moment here with you'

"Hello?" Nate whispered out.

Good morning sleepy head. Did I wake you?

"No. I've been up for a couple hours now," Nate said in soft voice.

Then why are you whispering? Caitlyn asked.

"I lost my voice."

No, you said you were going to be fine yesterday…

"I did what I could and I've already drank half a gallon of orange juice this morning…it's gone."

What are you going to do? You can't just... not perform.

"Shane can sing his song for Mitchie and I can still play guitar and drums."

Oh Nate, I'm so sorry. I wish I was there to give you a hug and tell you things were going to be ok…

"Talking to you is helping. Well, except for my voice…"

Caitlyn giggled.

I'm sorry…I should probably let you go. I just wanted to tell you good luck; happy Thanksgiving and I'll be watching you.

"Thanks Caitlyn. I'll talk to you soon."

Ok. Bye.

"Bye."

Nate dropped the phone on his bed before falling onto it himself.

This is going to be one long day…

Caitlyn sighed. She wished she could be there for Nate, but there really was no way she could get to him in time even if her parents let her fly out. The airports were booked solid for this time of year and by the time she got there with air travel it would already be late evening.

"Caitlyn, good you're up," Caitlyn's mom said, coming to her door.

"Happy Thanksgiving Mom," Caitlyn said, turning to her mother.

"Happy Thanksgiving to you too. I was wondering if you would like to help me make breakfast for the family. I was thinking of making turkey shaped pancakes."

"Sure, that sounds like fun!" Caitlyn replied, getting up from her bed and following her mom downstairs.

It was not very often that Caitlyn's mom and her got to spend any real time together. Her mom and dad traveled a lot and never really were around. In her early childhood Caitlyn had been passed from nanny to nanny until she was old enough for school. Her parents had sent her away to boarding school as a way to support her from afar. Although her mom and dad came to visit, it was always a family dinner, maybe a movie or a live show and then they would drop her off at the door to the school, say "I love you," give her a hug and head back to the airport. Caitlyn's summer vacations had consisted of summer camps and going to friend's summer homes for days of fun on the beach. Her parents would steal her away from her life of freedom for a two week vacation with them every summer. That is when Caitlyn learned the most about her parents and actually found herself enjoying having someone to lean on.

"How about you get out the frying pan and cookie cutters and I'll start mixing the batter," Caitlyn's mom suggested.

"Ok," Caitlyn said, already reaching for the pan.

"So, how's your school year going?"

"Oh, it's going good. Finals are coming up, but I think I'll be ok. My biggest trouble is math and Spanish, but my roommate will help me with that."

"So, the switch from private school to Camp Rock High has actually been an improvement on your grades?"

"Yea, I mean, it's been nice getting to take classes closer to my career path and the other classes have some really interesting teachers. Take my history teacher for example, he actually fought in a war and my dance teacher went to Julliard. My guitar teacher is a famous country singer and her sister is a student too. She's one of my roommates actually."

"Well that is interesting. So how many roommates do you have exactly?"

"Three. There's Mitchie, Alicia and Abigail. Mitchie is the one who's been helping me with my school work, Alicia is best friends with one of the Connect 3 guy's little sister and Abigail is my guitar teacher's sister."

"Oh, that's fun. So, are you rubbing any shoulders that could get you into your field?"

"I can't believe I forgot to tell you this…Lava Records has offered me an internship that I can do through the school!"

"Honey, that's great news! I want to hear all about it."

"The owner of Lava Records recently changed and it happens to be the president of CRH. He has been working with me since I started going to camp at Camp Rock and he offered me the gig. Brown will have me working with Mitchie on her soon to be released album and the Connect 3 tour. I know my school work has to come first, but that's the great thing about this! Brown has decided that it will take the place of my producing class because I already know everything there is to know in the class. He says the only real thing I need is hands on experience and since Mitchie will be recording at school I'll be working on her album with real record producers and executives."

"Wow, sweetheart, that's awesome! So is this the Mitchie in your cabin?" Her mom asked while placing the pancake batter in the turkey shaped cookie cutter on the frying pan.

"Yea, she's amazing. I haven't been allowed to touch her stuff officially yet, but I helped mix the background music that she's singing to today at the Marcy's Thanksgiving Day Parade."

"When does that start?"

"Oh about an hour from now."

"So, you're getting old enough for me to ask this question…any guys in your life? I know you mentioned a boyfriend to your cousins, but I wasn't sure if you were just making that up so that they would stop talking about theirs."

"Actually, he really does exist," Caitlyn replied, flipping the pancakes, "You probably know of him. His name is Nate and he's in the band Connect 3."

"Oh, really? You know your father was in a band when I met him too."

"Really? I didn't know Dad sang."

"Yea, he was in a jazz band that played at the coffee shop I studied at when I was in college."

"That's so cool. So was it like love at first sight?"

"Not quite… your dad had a girlfriend at the time, but his best friend was the bassist in the band and he asked me out. When your dad got dumped I was on a date with his friend and he called and made it sound like someone was dying. We rushed over to his house and from then on he was the third wheel. After about a year, me and the bassist broke up, but your dad and I started hanging out, just the two of us. Within about a year and a half of that he proposed and I said yes."

"Mom, that's so romantic. It sounds like such a love story."

"Maybe I should write a book," Caitlyn's mom joked, looking up to see Allie and Payton coming through the door into the kitchen.

"Happy Thanksgiving girls," Caitlyn's mom said.

"Happy Thanksgiving," the girls muttered out.

"Something smells good," Payton said.

"Pancakes for my three favorite girls," Caitlyn's mom said back.

"I'm telling mom you said that," Allie joked, taking a seat at the breakfast table.

"Raise your arms up," the safety manager said to Mitchie.

The parade line up had begun and it was time for the celebrities to take their places on floats. Mitchie could see Shane's float a little behind. Nate was fiddling with his guitar strap, Jason had a camera out and Shane was talking to someone from a channel 9.

"Here's your microphone," the sound guy from channel 7 was saying, "Use this microphone when you get in front of the Broadway Theater. Until then use the head set."

"Got it," Mitchie said, smiling at the guy.

"Once you get up on the float hook yourself onto the metal bar. That will keep you from falling if it starts to snow."

Mitchie nodded back to the safety manager before beginning her climb to the top of the float. According to Brown she would be the face of Make a Moose. Make a Moose was sponsoring a "Be Yourself" campaign and Mitchie's song was perfect for it.

After a quick good luck from her parents, Mitchie's float began to move towards Broadway.

Oh my gosh I'm about to sing on TV! What if I'm already on TV? Oh wow there are people here, waiting for me to do something!

Mitchie cued her drummer to start playing and the band joined him quickly.

Whoo, yeah, yeah, yeah! How to choose who to be. Well let's see, there's so many choices now. Play guitar, be a movie star. In my head, a voice says: Why not? Try everything. Why stop? Reach for any dream. I can rock, 'cause it's my life and now's the time.

Who will I be? It's up to me. All the never ending possibilities that I can see. There's nothing that I can't do. Who will I be? Yes I believe I get to make the future what I want to. If I can become anyone and know the choice is up to me! Who will I be?

If I decide I'm the girl to change the world. I can do it anytime. Opportunity, right in front of me and the choice if all mine. Why not? Try everything. Why stop? Reach for any dream. I can rock
'cause it's my life and now's the time.

Sierra heard the voice before she entered the room.

Was that Mitchie's voice? I mean, it could be I guess, but it's on TV. She would have told me if she was going to be on TV.

"Sierra honey, get in here! There's something you're going to want to see."

Sierra ran from the kitchen to the den and turned to face the TV screen. There in the flesh was her best friend. The crowds were cheering a girl she had known all her life on. Never in her wildest dreams did Sierra see Mitchie's dreams coming true. Of course she had hoped that someday she would see Mitchie's name in shining lights, but she thought that would have been at a local marque. She certainly was not expecting it to be scrolling across the bottom of the screen as Mitchie floated by on a Make a Moose float.

I wanna find out who I am inside. Who will I be? I wanna show the way that I can shine, yeah!

Oh yeah, yeah! Who will I be? It's up to me. All the never ending possibilities that I can see. There's nothing that I can't do. Who will I be? Yes I believe I get to make the future what I want to.
If I can become anyone and know the choice up to me. Who will I be? Whoo, who will I be? Who will I be!

Sierra beamed from ear to ear.

"Mom, did my best friend really just sing on a float in front of Broadway Theater?"

"Yes honey she did," Kayla smiled, "Speaking of Mitchie, I know we really haven't had time to talk since I was out of town and I have some rather interesting news I need to talk to you about…"

"Ok, Mom. Can it wait until after Connect 3 performs?"

"Oh, ok," Kayla replied, a little sad to have taken a back seat to a musical group.

"This is a little song I wrote for a very special girl in my life. I hope you like it."

Every time I think I'm closer to the heart, of what it means to know just who I am, I think I finally found a better place to start. No one ever seems to understand. I need to try to get to where you are. Could it be you're not that far?

You're the voice I hear inside my head, the reason that I'm singing. I need to find you, I gotta find you. You're the missing piece I need, the song inside of me. I need to find you, I gotta find you. Oh yeah. Yeah.

You're the remedy I'm searching hard to find, to fix the puzzle that I see inside, painting all my dreams the color of your smile. When I find you it will be alright. I need to try to get to where you are. Could it be you're not that far?

You're the voice I hear inside my head, the reason that I'm singing. I need to find you, I gotta find you. You're the missing piece I need, the song inside of me. I need to find you, I gotta find you.

Been feeling lost, can't find the words to say. Spending all my time stuck in yesterday, cause where you are is where I wanna be. Oh next to you and you next to me. Oh, I need to find you. Yeah.

You're the voice I hear inside my head, the reason that I'm singing. I need to find you, gotta find you. You're the missing piece I need, the song inside of me. I need to find you, I gotta find you.

You're the voice I hear inside my head, the reason that I'm singing. I need to find you, gotta find you. You're the missing piece I need, the song inside of me. I need to find you, gotta find you. Yeah. Gotta find you.

Nate stared down at his drum set.

What do I do when the local news asks me what my plans are for the holiday? Just smile and whisper into the microphone?

The song had ended but Nate was still staring down at the drums in front of him.

I wish there was a way to magically feel better. My luck…

Shane smiled out to the crowd as they left the front of Broadway Theatre. The crowd had loved the song and was cheering louder than the sound of the announcer explaining who was coming up on Broadway next.

I hope Mitchie is enjoying this as much as I am. These fans are amazing! Was that a Mitchie poster I just saw out there? That would be amazing if it was.

"Ok Sierra, now that Connect 3 is done singing can we talk?" Kayla asked.

"Yea Mom, what did you want to talk about? Sierra said, turning off the television and patting the couch to invite her mother to sit next to her.

"I wanted to talk to you about Mitchie."

"What about her? Are you thinking that she's going to change because of this new stardom thing that started today? That's not going to happen Mom. She's a great girl with a good head on her shoulders and she's such a fantastic singer. I really think she can make it."

"Honey, just let me talk for a minute."

"Ok Mom. What is it?"

"Well, I've been on the phone with Mitchie's mom a lot lately and she said that with work she and Mr. Torres don't have a lot of time to take off for Mitchie's music career. You know how I went out of town the other week?"

"Yea, I thought that was a little weird, but what does all this have to do with Mitchie?

"Sweetheart, how would you feel if I became Mitchie's manager?"

Sierra sat there in awe of what she had just heard.

"Sierra, sweetie, say something."

"You mean you'd be with her on the road for her tours and stuff?"

"Yea, I'd be with her every time her parent's couldn't be."

"Mom, that's fantastic! Congratulations, how cool is that?"

"I'm glad you're excited about it, but it might mess with your life a little."

"I'm graduating in a month anyway, this is better than that. Show up at my graduation ceremony and I won't complain at all." Sierra said, giving her mother a large hug.

"Sierra, we've talked about this. I don't want you to graduate early. Don't you want to experience prom and all the exciting details of your senior year? You're not even a junior."

"I really want to graduate this year. I've gotten all that extra credits for high school because of science camp and I'm a strait A student. There is nothing keeping me to that school. John's a junior so I can go to Junior Prom with him and he and his sister are my only friends in school anyway. It's really not worth sticking around."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes. I will be one of the youngest students in school studying to be a brain surgeon but that's ok with me."

"Is there anything I can do to talk you out of it?"

"Nope."

Caitlyn ran into the living room as the Marcy's day parade began broadcasting to Texas.

Good morning USA and welcome to the annual Marcy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Today we have a load of talent from all over the United States and don't forget Santa Clause is coming to town for a visit. Stay tuned.

"Payton, Allie the parade's about to start!"

Payton and Allie ran into the room taking the seats on either side of Caitlyn on the couch. This was a tradition for the three since they were very little. No matter where the family got together for the holiday season, the three girls would end up in front of the television set for three hours watching the various parades that were on TV. The Marcy's day parade was by far their favorite. The first time Caitlyn had ever seen Nate as someone of fame was on the Marcy's day parade.

"Did they say who's performing yet?" Payton asked.

"Not yet, probably after the break."

"I heard a rumor that Connect 3 was performing," Allie commented.

Payton and Caitlyn started laughing at this comment.

Today's parade is starting with a new talent named Mitchie Torres. She is signed with Lava Records, the same label that Connect 3 is on. Without further ado Mitchie Torres.

"Wow," Allie said, that is about all she could say.

"She's amazing," Payton added.

"She's my best friend," Caitlyn said brightly.

Allie and Payton's eyes snapped toward Caitlyn.

"For real?" Allie asked.

"Yep."

"Where did you meet her?"

"She goes to Camp Rock High with me. We met this summer during camp and hit it off. She's the one who took me to the C3 concert this fall."

"That's so cool! So what's she like?" Payton asked, already becoming a fan.

"She's really down to earth. She's just like you and me. I mean, her dad is a hardware store owner and her mom's a caterer. She helps in the kitchens to help pay her tuition, but I'm sure that won't be necessary in a year or so. She's really smart; she's been helping me with my math and Spanish homework."

Up after this commercial break we have Connect 3.

Allie squealed.

"So Cait," Payton started, with the nickname Caitlyn hated, but tolerated from Payton, "this boyfriend of yours, Tyler right? What does he look like?"

Caitlyn thought about this for a second.

Tyler from Mitchie's home town had strait brown hair and glasses. Should I play that off or should I describe Nate the way he looks for real? I guess if I ever decide to tell them the truth I could just play off that I broke up with Tyler, but that's even more dishonest than I want my relationship with Nate to be.

"He's a little taller than me. He has the most beautiful brown eyes, and curly hair. His style is kinda like Nate's from Connect 3."

"He sounds a lot like Nate," Allie commented.

"Well, maybe that's why Caitlyn found him so attractive in the beginning," Payton countered.

Welcome back and now Connect 3

"This is a little song I wrote for a very special girl in my life. I hope you like it."

Been feeling lost, can't find the words to say. Spending all my time stuck in yesterday, cause where you are is where I wanna be. Oh next to you and you next to me. Oh, I need to find you. Yeah.

"That's the song you showed us before right?"

"Yea, because Connect 3 is affiliated with Camp Rock they gave us the CD to play with to hear how it would sound with more or less auto tune. They don't use a lot at all to begin with so when you mess with this song, it sounds almost robotic with auto tune."

"Probably doesn't sound like a very serious love song that way does it?" Payton asked.

"Nope. Sounds like a joke."

Mitchie stepped off the float, but that was just the beginning of the lime-lit day.

"Mitchie, over here."

"Mitchie, smile this way."

"Mitchie, can I get a comment."

"Mitchie, what do you have to say to your fans?"

Mrs. Torres guided Mitchie towards a WGN tent for her first formal interview of the day.

"Now we are being joined my Mitchie Torres. Welcome Mitchie."

Mitchie went over and shook the news caster's hand.

"Thanks, I'm happy to be here."

"So Mitchie that was an amazing song. Who wrote it?"

Mitchie blushed.

"Actually, I wrote it."

"That was fantastic. Mitchie was found by Brown Cesario. Mitchie, how did you get scouted?"

Mitchie smiled, thinking back to the summer.

"I attended Camp Rock this past summer and Brown owns the camp. I don't exactly know when he decided to approach me, but in November he requested a meeting with my parents and here we sit."

"So this process was really fast for you. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling fantastic. This is quite different than what I'm used to and there have been a lot of changes in my life over the past few months, but it's all good changes."

"That is very cool. Let's get a couple questions from our audience while you're here with us."

"That sounds great," Mitchie said smiling out to the crowd.

"How old are you?" A little girl in a Connect 3 sweatshirt asked.

"I'm sixteen sweetie. How old are you?" Mitchie asked, excited to see little girls asking her questions.

"Seven."

"Wow, you're a big girl."

The little girl giggled as the microphone was passed to teenage boy.

"Hey Mitchie, you have a great voice and I see you going far. Do you have to go to school?"

Mitchie laughed; clearly the boy was trying to flatter her.

"Yea, I do go to school. I am a full time student and the studio I record at is actually a class period for me every day."

"Well, Mitchie thanks for stopping by. We can't wait to see more of you in the coming months."

"Thanks," Mitchie said with a smile, as she stepped down off the podium.

It's so surreal to see Mitchie up on that podium. She's so…poised. It's like she's been doing this as long as Nate, Jason and I have.

Shane smiled up at his beautiful girlfriend as she left the stage.

"You did fantastically," he complimented.

"Really, you think so?"

"Absolutely," Shane said, switching positions with Mitchie on the stairs.

"I'll see you at dinner," Mitchie shouted back as her mother urged her towards another interview.

Shane reached the top of the steps with Nate and Jason right ahead of him.

"Hello guys," the news caster said to the three.

"Hey," Jason replied.

"It's great to see you all again."

"It's great to see you too," Shane replied.

"So I hear you all have had a pretty different year from its start till now."

"You can say that again," Jason said back.

"Shane, I understand you are responsible for the new sound you guys have put together."

"Well, I wouldn't say that. Nate came up with most of the songs on the album, but it was Play My Music that got the record label's attention towards what we wanted the sound to be. I did write that one, but Nate wrote Hello Beautiful and Jason wrote Australia. We all really wanted the change; it just took a lot to get there."

"Shane, you have changed quite a lot in character over the last couple months. A lot of fans have commented on seeing you smile and be excited about your music again. Nate, what is it that you think really made the change in Shane?"

"Well, to be honest…" Nate started, but was interrupted by a fit of coughing, "Sorry, I'm battling quite a cold. As I was saying, the real change has a lot to do with Shane's trip to Camp Rock."

"Yea," Jason said, taking over as Nate fell into another coughing fit, "If it wasn't for the amazing people at Camp Rock we wouldn't be here today."

"That's terrific. So what are you boys doing to celebrate for Thanksgiving here in the Big Apple?" the reporter asked.

"Well, our families are here together so we are going to have a big dinner. We have invited Mitchie Torres and her family as well." Jason replied.

"Mitchie is from Camp Rock as well, did you boys know her before she was signed with the record company?"

"Yea, she was one of my hip-hop students this summer and Nate and Jason met her through our good friend Caitlyn from our time as campers," Shane commented, only slightly bending the truth.

"That's cool. Some of your fans here seem to have some questions for you. Let's take three."

The crowd screamed and all the hands went up.

"What are you guys thankful for this year?" a little girl of about 8 asked.

Shane went first, "I think the thing I am most thankful for is a group of friends and a close family that supports me though all the hard times I have been through lately."

Jason followed, "I am thankful for music, friends and fans who give me the ability to live out my dream."

"I'm thankful for fans and the people I care about most. I'm also thankful for the good health I have had up to this point this year," Nate coughed out.

The next question came from a girl of about 16 years of age.

"Would you guys ever date a fan?"

"Yes," Jason responded immediately, "We hope that the girls we marry are our biggest fans. That way we can continue doing what we love. Most of the girls we have ever dated have liked our music before they met us."

Another 16 year old girl, not being able to contain herself asked, "Are you guys single?"

"We would rather not dive into our personal life," Shane responded with eloquence.

Caitlyn watched as all of her friends finished their interviews and left the stage.

Time to call Nate. Maybe I can sneak away from the girls for a little while.

"I'll be back, I gotta call Mitchie and congratulate her," Caitlyn said excusing herself from the couch.

Upon reaching her bedroom, Caitlyn dialed Nate's number.

Hey you've reached Nate's cell. I'm not here right now so leave your name, number and a brief message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. BEEP

"Hey Nate, it's me. I just wanted to call and let you know you did a great job today, even though you couldn't sing, you definitely handled it well. I'm going swimming later with my cousins so I might not answer the phone right away, but I'll talk to you soon. Bye."

Caitlyn quickly dialed Mitchie's number.

Caitlyn! Happy Thanksgiving!

"Happy Thanksgiving to you too! You did an amazing job today, absolutely flawless."

Aw, you're just saying that.

"No really, it was like you were born to perform and that interview, wow. You looked so poised."

Thanks Caitlyn, you are the best.

"Yea, I get that a lot."

Haha. So what are your plans like today? Any chance you're going to surprise us all here tonight?

"I wish I could, but it looks like I'm going to be here all night and Nate's sick anyway."

I guess you're right. Maybe it's best that you stay there so you don't get sick. He looks a little better than this afternoon though so hopefully he'll be ok by tomorrow.

"I gotta go Mitchie; my cousins want to go for a swim before their boyfriends get here. I can't believe they're coming to family Thanksgiving, but I guess I have no choice. I'll see you Sunday night."

See you then.

Caitlyn put down her phone and prepared to go swimming. Texas was in the middle of a heat wave, spiking the temperatures from the low 70s to the mid-80s.

I'm thankful for warm weather, when I go to a school where the snow has begun to pile up.

After a long afternoon of splashing and giggling between the girls, Caitlyn, Ally and Payton prepared for Thanksgiving dinner.

Mitchie and her mother had slaved over the stove all afternoon, preparing for dinner with Nate, Jason, Shane and their families.

She had enjoyed her time with her mother. They had not been able to spend much time together after Camp Rock had ended for the summer. Yes, they had their time in the kitchen before all the meals, but Caitlyn occasionally helped and if it wasn't Caitlyn it was Rachel, Alicia or Abigail. Mitchie did not mind sharing her mom with everyone else, especially because they were away from their parents for the year. It was just nice to be alone with her mother for a couple hours.

Like old times.

'Sometimes I have good days and it's good to be me, sometimes I get the best of insecurity. And it's quite alright to be the one and only, but today I feel like the one and lonely'

"Ahhh! Mom it's Sierra!"

"Go ahead and answer it. I think her mom was going to tell her about the new job today. She must have seen you on TV this morning too."

"Sierra!"

Mitchie! How are you? I miss you so much and I saw you this morning. Is that why you really wanted me to watch the parade? You trickster you! You were absolutely amazing! My mom told me about how she's going to work for you! This is so exciting.

"Oh I'm glad you think so. How are you Sierra? I miss you so much! You really need to visit me more or something."

I'm doing good. John and Vi are coming over for Thanksgiving dinner tonight and Dad's trying something new with the turkey this year. He's going to try and deep fry it. It's kinda weird not having your family here for Thanksgiving, but that's ok. I'm sure you'll make up for it over Christmas break.

I've decided to graduate early and start at Arkansas University this spring. I know you wanted me to graduate with our class, and my mom agrees with you, but really all I have is John and Vi here so it's really not worth sticking around. Not to mention that because of the at home tutor I am way ahead of the people that are actually attending school. I'll actually be closer to you too! Isn't that great? Mom will be making the commute to meet with you and Mr. Cesario anyway, so she'll be able to see me. Dad's totally cool with it too, which is kinda weird, but I'll get over it.

"Sierra, that's great! I am so thankful that things are working out for you now. It'll be awesome to have you closer. You can stay at my parent's house every couple weeks for a weekend and we can stay caught up! So, does this mean you're graduating right before Christmas break?"

Yep. I'll finish up my senior year work right in time for winter break, but I can't take classes at school anymore anyway because I'm too far ahead. I'll just finish up with the tutor and head to school after break. I'll have four weeks off instead of two too.

"That's really cool. I don't even know how long our break is because it's such a different type of school. I'm sure Brown hasn't told us yet because there has been deliberation about it."

Probably. Hey, do you have Christmas plans? Can we make sure we see each other over break?

"We will see each other over break even if I'm busy with music stuff. I'll give my mom a couple days off of playing manager and have your mom work with me. Maybe we'll get to have some time in LA. I know Shane would love it if I was by the guys over break. I know we're hosting Christmas though. You and your family should definitely come if you don't have plans. You're like family and with Shane stuck with his folks in Arizona I would love to have you there with me."

You can count on me. I'll be there for sure.

Mitchie heard several knocks at the door.

"I got to go. Everyone just got here for dinner. I'll talk to you soon."

Yea, I have to go help mom with the turkey. I'll see you soon…I hope.

Mitchie hung up the phone and went to the door.

"Welcome to the Torres Thanksgiving," she greeted Shane, Nate and Jason's families.

"MITCHIE!" Alicia yelled, running up to her roommate Sunday night. Mitchie had barely stepped out of the car when she was reached with a large hug.

"ALICIA!" Mitchie greeted back, "How was your break? Did you get to see a lot of family?"

"It was amazing. LA is so beautiful this time of year. I go to go surfing before dinner and we had Thanksgiving dinner on the beach. It was stunning. I don't know why my parents thought it was a bad idea last year."

"That sounds awesome. I'll have to think about that next Thanksgiving. Although, it would be nice to see my family on the next holiday that comes around. Am I the first one back?"

"Caitlyn's bus was delayed because they hit some heavy snow and Abby is flying in with Rachel right before classes tomorrow. I figured you had to be back because of your mom so I came back this morning. I guess, your plane was delayed huh?"

"Yep. Three hours in the NYC airport. At least Shane was delayed too. It let me get a couple more hours with him before we boarded the plane."

"Aren't you going to see him in three weeks for Christmas anyway?"

"Only on a computer screen. His dad wants him home to Arizona for Christmas because he doesn't get to see him much. My parents are hosting here in Arkansas. Not to mention Shane said that his dad doesn't approve of his career, so our relationship is kinda contradictory to that…"

"I'm sorry I brought it up then. Well, three weeks till break. Think that way. Three weeks until all you have to focus on is your album."

"So true," Mitchie said as the girls walked back to the cabin with Mitchie's bags.

"This is ridiculous. We've been on this bus for five hours… we should be at school by now!"

Relax Caitlyn. You'll be there soon. It's not the end of the world. You have your computer right?

"Yea, but the battery only lasts four hours and at the rate we're going it'll die before we get to school."

Well, then you can call Mitchie. Don't worry, you'll get there soonish.

"Thanks Nate. That sounds really confident."

Anything for you Caity.

"What are you doing?"

Wrapping Sarah's Christmas present. Can you believe Christmas is in only three weeks?

"It's so weird to think it's that soon. What are you doing for Christmas?"

Well, Shane's going back to Arizona, but Mitchie's hosting a big Christmas thing for Brown, Jason and my family. I think her friend Sierra's coming too. Why?

"Just wondering. It's the next holiday and I'll be away from you AGAIN."

It's all good Caitlyn. I've got a plan. You'll see me either Christmas Eve or the day after Christmas. That reminds me, I need to make sure your present gets to you before Christmas day. What's your home address?

Caitlyn responded with her address and questioned Nate to try and find out what the gift was.

I can't tell you, but I can say it wouldn't fit in my carry-on.

SO? What did you think? Leave lots of comments, good, bad or terrible. I like them all. Thanks for reading!