Choices.

Chapter Eight

Hey-O! I hope that you are having a beautiful day! :) Here's Chapter Eight!

<3 Taylor

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Christmas break could not come fast enough. After counting down the days for what seemed like a decade, it was finally the last day of school before break.

That afternoon seemed like a lifetime, but after collecting 120 finals and cleaning my room to stay on the janitors' good side, I was free to go. I said a quick goodbye to Ariana as I left, not bothering to stop and chat because I was in too much of a hurry. Also because John was in there flirting.

I drove home and dropped my bag on my bed. My flight left as 8, so I had a couple of hours before I had to call a cab to take me to the airport.

I dragged my suitcase, which my mom got me for a graduation present, out from under my bed. I packed plenty of warm clothes since I knew the weather in Minneapolis would be a lot like what it was in Bismarck.

After packing my clothes and toiletries, I made sure I had everything I needed in my purse and then moved on to my carryon bag. I made sure to include my boarding pass, as well as an extra pair of clothes, the math finals that I still needed to grade, and a few of my favorite red correcting pens.

I zipped up my bags and set them by my front door. I still had an hour before I had to leave, so I called the cab to let them know when to come and get me and flopped onto the couch. I flipped on the Hallmark Channel and scooped up Coop, who I was going to miss. Luckily, my dad had agreed to come check on him a couple of times while I was gone.

I watched half of a sappy Christmas movie before my cab arrived. I gave Coop one last kiss, grabbed my bags, and locked the door.

When I got the airport, I went through security and took a seat next to my terminal. The best thing about the Bismarck airport was that there were only four terminals. That meant that getting through security and finding my terminal was a breeze. Also, there weren't many people there, so I didn't have to talk to anyone.

When the plane finally landed after the 45-minute flight, I practically ran to pick up my bag. After that, I made a b-line for the main exit, where Kat was supposed to be picking me up.

I spent a few minutes scanning the crowd before I spotted my friend. She was pretty short so it took me longer than it should have. I used the crowd to my advantage and snuck up behind her without her noticing me and tapped on her shoulder.

Kat spun around, then squealed when she realized it was me. She pulled me in for a long hug, doing that thing where you rock from side to side.

"God, I missed you and your hugs!" Kat laughed, pulling away and letting me breathe (apparently I give good hugs). "Three years is far too long to go without seeing my JenJen!"

"I agree!" I grinned. "It's really good to see you Kat!"

After another hug, Kat pulled me behind her to a nice black car.

"Nice wheels," I said.

"Thanks, doll but it's not mine. It's one of the company cars. I just borrowed it."

Kat and I spent the ride to our hotel talking about Kat's new job. I was so proud of her for getting to where she was. Every time she talked about her job, I could tell how much she loved it. She would smile from ear to ear and use a lot of hand gestures like she always did when she was excited.

Kat pulled the car into a parking spot and we both hopped out. I grabbed my suitcase and trailed after her, looking around at the nice hotel. Kat pressed the up button and we got in the elevator, heading for the fourth floor.

We walked to Kat's room, and she threw open the door.

"Hey, Kat!"