ARI.

There was a lot of things I was thankful for. My health, my home, my family, my friends and of course greasy, cheesy pizza. Sometimes, when we're caught up in our lives, we complain about the little things, forgetting that there's people who have problems far worse than whole milk in lattes or no cell service. And today, I had a ton of things to be thankful for.

Thanksgiving break rolled in and so did the day when Turkeys are spent the entire day cooking, when we watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and then after stuffing ourselves with all the mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce our stomachs can fit, we head over to the shops to buy that big screen TV without getting trampled.

Not only was it Thanksgiving, but it was also the same day Luke would be released from the hospital. After a couple of weeks, several IV-drips, a small complication with bruised organs, my best friend was finally coming home.

Because Ashton and Calum didn't really celebrate the holiday, they agreed to come over and help my mom and I with our Thanksgiving dinner. My mom thought it'd be best to combine both dinner and a welcome home party for Luke, to which I did not object to. I thought it was very generous of her.

"A little to the left and up about an inch Cal," I stood a few feet away from Calum and Ash who stood on stools, suspending a homemade banner against the wall. As I tilted my head to the left and then to the right, scrutinizing the placement of the welcome home banner, the guys surprisingly followed my orders. Though I was pretty sure they were scared about screwing up because they knew they'd get an ear full from me.

"How about now?" Calum questioned, turning his head over his shoulder to glance at me.

"Perfect!" I grinned approvingly and giving him a thumbs up. He and Ashton both sighed with relief, finally able to rest their tense arm muscles.

As the boys scaled down the ladders, they joined me from the other end of the living area to observe their work. The banner hung symmetrically in a scalloped pattern beneath the large arch that separated the main living room and the kitchen area. In addition to the sign, we had balloons-- 7 out of 20 already popped because Calum and Ashton couldn't stop playing around. We also had streamers and of course, a huge Happy Feet themed cake. That actually came from my mom's own mind not mine.

"Not too shabby," Ashton nodded approvingly. "I think Luke is really going to love this."

"I think we all are," Calum corrected, "this house smells like heaven and I can't wait to get into that Turkey your mum's been cooking all day."

"I bet Luke is going to be so excited to eat actual food. I think he actually lost some weight," Ashton mentioned, "he's not too keen on the hospital food."

"Of course!" Calum agreed. "I tried the pudding-- it tastes like feet."

I scrunched my face in absolute horror, "ew, when did you try feet?"

"Never, but the pungency of that pudding was..." Calum never finished his sentence, as he simply shuddered in reminiscent of this so-called feet tasting pudding.

"Moving on," I started, swaying the subject, "do you know if Michael is coming over later?"

I missed him.

And it was more than just a lot; it was the kind of missing that actually hurts. When your stomach aches and your heart keeps twisting. When there's a 30 ton weight on your shoulders that won't disappear and crying to sleep becomes the norm.

Michael was my first real friend; my truest companion and I couldn't throw away almost ten years of friendship over some out-of-context, eavesdropped conversation. I loved and still do love the lilac-haired boy and my mind refused to believe that he had anything to do with Luke and the mystery texts. I wanted to talk to Michael, but I rarely saw him for the last two weeks. He was acting strange, even for him, and I just wanted the old Michael back.

"I texted him, no answer," Ashton informed, shrugging his shoulders and plopping down on the couch.

"Have you spoken to him?" I earnestly asked Calum, a glimmer of hope in my glossy eyes. But alas, he shook his head, sending me a sympathetic smile.

"Sorry love," Calum sighed, sitting down next to Ashton. "I'm sure he'll come around. He has to be here for Luke and he can't say no to your mum's cooking."

I let out a shaky breath, only cueing the hormones that were about to break free. Granted, I was on my second day of monster week aka the I'm-not-pregnant-celebration, so my emotions were all over the place. When I let myself fall into position next to Calum, I immediately let my head rest onto his lap.

"You're okay Ari," Calum cooed, stroking my head. He was a good friend but his gentle head stroking resembled more of awkwardly petting sheep at a zoo.

"Be happy," Ashton told me. I felt the couch cushion shake slightly and through the hair that billowed over my face, I caught his legs walk past.

I hadn't told neither of the guys about the conversation I overheard between Michael and Reese. Luke would've freaked out and stressed himself into a longer recovery period while Calum and Ashton would've freaked out to the point of irrational behavior. It was best if they didn't know; at least not until I had some cold, hard evidence like a verbal confession or being caught in the act.

"Luke's coming home and that's all that should be on your mind. Forget about Michael," Calum advised, "at least for today."

"Eat," Ashton was suddenly kneeling before me with a dimpled grin on his face. He brandished out a gigantic bowl of Coco Puffs and Cinnamon Toast Crunch, swimming in ice cold milk.

"Why'd you give me two kinds of cereal?" I questioned him.

"Because I know you, especially when it's not-pregnant-celebration week," Ashton declared matter-of-factly. "Trust me, you're gonna want the two cereals put together."

And damn was he right. After taking a bite out of the Ashton-original, I quickly realized what he meant and I also realized that I was craving spicy fries with ranch sauce as well.

Damn you, Mother Nature.

In addition to wanting to eat the entire world, my cramps and soreness of my muscles were kicking into overdrive which meant a very warm shower was in order. With my mom coming home in perfect timing, she recruited Ashton and Calum to help her with the rest of dinner while I ran away to the confines of my own steamy shower.

I don't know how long I was in the shower for, but when I stepped out of the bathroom and ran down the hallway in my towel back to my room, the sun had already set. I could also hear several of my family members chatting downstairs and I was pretty sure one of my uncles was already tipsy.

As I approached my bedroom, I noticed a trail of yellow light beaming through the small crack of the slightly ajar door. Curious, I slowly pushed it open. I stood awkwardly in the hall, clutching onto my towel in case it was one of the guys in my room. However, when I craned my neck to take peak into my own bedroom, I didn't see a bandana nor did I see a head of dark, messy hair.

"Little sister! Finally you're finish. It's practically Christmas!" Mia sat on my bed with her back against the headboard, sprawled legs and the latest issue of Cosmo in her hands.

"Sorry. Period," I stated, closing the door behind me. Mia cringed, understanding the pains of womanhood.

"Well change your clothes and I'll fix your hair while you do your makeup," she smiled, tossing the magazine off to the side. I noticed a pair of black leggings and a cream colored, oversized off-the-shoulder sweater arranged together on the bed.

"I see you picked out my outfit," I nodded at the articles of clothing.

"Got bored waiting for you," Mia shrugged, leaping off of the bed and making her way to the vanity. She pulled open the drawer, pulling out the hair dryer while I proceeded to dry the rest of my body. "So are you excited? For Luke to come home, I mean."

"Yea, like extremely excited," I nodded my head happily, slipping on a strapless bandeau. "Seeing quiff boy in that hospital bed all day sucked."

I winced, remembering the boy in the hospital robe who kept complaining about cold rooms, uncomfortable beds, constant needles up his veins and of course, the horrible pudding. When he wasn't carping about his surroundings, he was squirming in pain, or being loopy and confused due to his bedtime medication. I couldn't blame him for being so jittery. He was itching to get out of there and now, he finally was coming home.

I sat at the vanity, stippling and buffing foundation onto my face as Mia blew dried and brushed out my hair. We could hear the boisterous muffling coming from the party right below us and by this time I was sure our uncle was drunk and the turkey has yet to be carved.

"Ari! Come down here!"

Mia and I snapped our attention over to the closed door, silencing our laughter in hopes to hear more.

"Hurry up!"

The voice was louder this time, less buffered by the walls and the door. Suddenly, there was a knock and the doorknob began to shake.

"Are you naked? I'm coming in!" Ashton swung open the door with a wide grin on his face. The plain long sleeved shirt he was wearing earlier was now replaced by a fancier sweater. His white collar poked through the top and a simple black bow tie adorned his neck.

"What's going on Ash? Is it time to eat?" I questioned, standing up from the chair.

"Hi sweetheart," Ashton shyly waved at my sister, and I knew he combed his hair because of her. I rolled my eyes at his sudden cuteness and snapped my fingers in his face.

"Ash! What's going on?" I pressed.

"Oh yea!" He suddenly unsnapped out of the puppy love hold my sister had on him and returned his attention back to me. With another huge, open mouthed grin he declared, "Lu--"

"Where's my bestest friend?!"

Curiosity was completely wiped away from my face and instead shock painted it. My eyes widened and a gasp escaped my perfectly glossed lips. Ashton's broadcast was cut short but judging by the smile on his face, I knew exactly what he was about to announce.

"He's back," I breathed, biting my bottom lip, trying to stifle the excitement running through my veins. I ran passed Ashton and out my bedroom door. I jogged down the hallway and hastily skipped down the staircase, my hand trailing down the wooden railing. Upon reaching the last landing, I saw a crowd of people in the foyer who looked very much the same. My cousins, a couple of aunts, even Calum blended in perfectly with my Filipino family. But as I stood there without a word uttering from my mouth, I caught glimpse of a head of blonde hair in a perfectly styled quiff.

It was like some cheesy chick flick or Cinderella when she makes her grand entrance and everyone slowly notices her. It first started with my cousin Tommy, then my cousin Ashlee, then Calum and finally Luke turned his head. His radiant blue eyes looked right into mine and at that very moment, my heart plummeted right out of my butt.

"Ari," Luke grinned and like a reflex, I jolted forward.

I sped down the rest of the steps and like a predator pouncing for his prey, I leapt forward with my arms wide open. Thankfully, the pain medication wasn't messing with Luke's reflexes, because he outstretched his arms in an instant. He caught me, wrapping me up in his embrace as my legs wrapped around his hips.

"Lucas!" I shrieked, hugging him tightly and burying my face into the crook of his neck.

"You act like you didn't just see me two days ago," he chucked, and I felt the vibration of his chest tickle mine.

"You were loopy from whatever was in your IV," I explained. "You kept talking about pudding."

Luke laughed again, "so glad to be out of the hospital. And I can't wait to eat real food."

"And eat you shall," I giggled, untangling my legs from Luke's body and giving him a grin. "Come on," I tugged on his arm, leading him to the dining area where the rest of the family was.

Moments later, Luke and I were joined by Ashton, Calum, Mrs. Hemmings and my other family members. My mom, who was still wearing her floral-printed apron, pulled open the oven door, the God-like aroma of the turkey wafting into our nostrils and I swore I saw Luke's eyeballs roll back.

"Where are my assistant chefs?" Mom asked, darting her eyes around the kitchen.

"Right here!" Calum raised his arm proudly, as did Ashton. The two boys went over to my mom and I watched as they slipped on aprons and oven mitts as if they were doing it for ages.

"Can you two bring this turkey over to the center of the table please?" Mom asked and with a smile, both Ashton and Calum lifted the several pound bird out of the oven's middle rack and transported it over to the table. Gently, they sat it down in the empty space, surrounded by a huge platter of mashed potatoes and a large bowl of homemade cranberry sauce.

"Excited for food Hemmings?" I lifted my head to look at Luke, whose eyes were trailing from dish to dish.

"Yea," he smiled at me, "but I'm more excited to see you, Quiroz."

"Ari,"

The smell of wine drifted into my nose and an arm draped around my neck. I looked up to see my already drunk uncle leaning into me. He had two cups of God knows what in his hands, shoving one of each into mine and Luke's grasp.

"Hi Tito," I mused with a smile before taking a whiff of what was handed to me. Expensive wine-- definitely.

(translation: uncle)

"Who's this boy?" my uncle asked, giving Luke a punch that was harder than intended, as I caught glimpse of him teetering sideways and some wine to trickle out of the cup. "Is he your boyfriend? I don't think your dad would like it."

"He's just a friend," I assured, grinning at my intoxicated uncle. I then glanced at Luke and added, "but I'm sure my dad would like him regardless."

Luke sent me a cutesy, dimpled, tight-lipped grin as I gave him a wink. My uncle strolled away with jello like legs to join in on the conversation between a few of my other uncles.

"Everyone gather around please!" Mom announced, waving her hands in the air to gesture the crowded room. We followed suit, all conversations slowly coming to a halt. "This is a very special evening and I think a few words should be said before we start eating," mom paused and looked straight at me, "anak?"

(translation: child)

I nodded my head and gave an exhale as I stepped forward, "hi everyone, thank you all for joining us again for Thanksgiving dinner. This year we have a few new guests with us," I paused, gesturing for the boys and Mrs. Hemmings. "They are some of the best friends I could ever have. They stick by my side no matter what and even when things get rough or loopy," I glanced at Luke, "I'm so blessed that they're able to make a great recovery. I am, in every way, thankful to have them in my life."

"And we're thankful for you," Calum chimed in, earning cheers from Ashton and Luke. I giggled, suddenly feeling tears begin to form behind my eyes.

Damn you, Mother Nature.

"I'm not just thankful today, but thankful everyday for family. I've been blessed with the best one. For helping me have the best 18th birthday," I smiled at my cousins who grinned back, "but for always supporting my mom, my sister and I. This is the third Thanksgiving without my dad and it's still not easy."

I whimpered, even though I kept telling myself not to cry. Luke grabbed my hand, startling me for a quick moment. He smiled, gave my hand a reassuring squeeze and despite what the rest of my family were thinking, I responded by squeezing his hand back.

"The holidays are always hard without my dad because he loved this season-- I'm sure you all remember him dressing up like a huge turkey a few Thanksgivings ago," my family chortled in remembrance, "or how he used to dress like Santa every year to pass out gifts to all the little ones," I winked at my nieces and nephews who clung to their parents' legs. I sniffled, letting out another deep breath before continuing, "I miss my dad everyday but having you all as family keeps his legacy alive. And for that I am most thankful."

"To family," Luke raised his cup in the air, surprising me in the process. I wasn't expecting the simple gesture, but it was that little movement that sparked it all.

I nibbled on my bottom lip, blinking my eyes and caused a trail of tears to trickle down my cheeks as I witnessed the entire room raise their own cups in suit of Luke. Being surrounded by so much compassion and love was overwhelming; but a good kind of overwhelming.

"To family," everyone else repeated.

"To family," I breathed. I shifted my attention back over to Luke who was already looking down at me with an adoring smile. I mouthed him a thank you to which he replied by letting go of my hand and wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

"Anytime," Luke leaned over, placing a kiss on my temple, warming me from the toes up.

I smiled to myself, a rush of jubilance tingling my skin, but in sudden remembrance that my mom and several of my family members were surrounding us, I felt my cheeks heat up and my eyes to widen. Awkwardly, and in attempt to stay subtle, I trailed my eyes to glance over at the party guests. To my favor, everyone was already engrossed in the food. However, to my dismay, I caught both Ashton and Calum making obnoxious kissy faces towards me.

Dicks.

Thanksgiving dinner was going well; extremely well. Laughter came from every corner of the house, the kids were playing around with Ashton and Calum, and best of all, everything seemed perfectly content. Luke and I were finishing up our dinner on the front porch. We sat on the steps beneath the lantern that hung above the door, sipping on cherry flavored juice pouches.

"Enjoying your break so far?" Luke asked, setting his empty plate off to the side.

"Yes," I sighed in relief, "Luke you don't even know how ridiculously tough the last two weeks have been. You're lucky you didn't have to witness it."

"Calum told me about people harassing you guys," he mentioned, "but come on Ari, you've gotten a detention almost every day for the past two weeks. That may not be so great for your college applications."

"Ugh, don't remind me," I scoffed. I took the last sip of my juice, violently slurping every last drop till the plastic pouch shriveled up. "Deadline is the end of this week. Have you applied yet?"

Luke nodded, "only to two so far before I was admitted into the hospital. I'm going to finish applying tomorrow."

"What's your number one?"

"What's yours?"

I pursed my lips and raised a brow. Luke had an incredulous smirk, playing the same game as I.

"On the count of three," I suggested and he nodded. "One, two, three... Newcoast"

"Newcoast,"

We let out a chuckle, as both our jaws dropped in amazement. Luke and I had the same reaction, the same expression dripping from our faces. Knowing that we both were gunning for the same university, gave me actual hope. Hope that my friendship with Luke didn't just have to end here in Percival Shores; that it didn't have to stop after throwing our caps into the air at graduation. Knowing that Luke also wanted to go to the same college as I, meant that we could continue being bestest friends while sitting in the same lecture hall.

"Hey, maybe we could get an apartment together?" Luke hinted.

"You don't want to dorm?" I questioned. I had always had this lame fantasy about my first year at college where I'd dorm, buy all those cool organizational cupboards from Target, and hide bottles of vodka in between my mattress.

"I do, but I like the idea of us sharing an apartment better," Luke professed. "We can eat pizza and ice cream all the time, our bathroom can smell like Bath and Body and we can throw all the best parties."

"You know what Hemmings? Let's make a promise," I proposed.

"What kind of promise?" Luke was curious as to what I was thinking, and his furrowed brows with his dimpled grin told me that.

"That if we both get into Newcoast, we do get that apartment together. We'll have the best college years and we'll be friends forever," I finished with hope in my eyes, and a pinky brandished towards Luke. Happily, he linked his much longer pinky finger with mine.

"It's a promise,"

//

Hi everyone! My oh my, it certainly has been quite a while since an update. Incredibly sorry for that, but class has begun again and I needed a week to get settled in. Thank you for being super patient with me!

I planned out the rest of the story, figuring it out chapter by chapter and I wanna say we're at the half way point. This story is only going to get more dramatic, and certain things from past chapters will come up again.

So I hope you liked this chapter. Thank you so much for the 260K reads and all the votes! Thank you for commenting and for sharing this story.