Stay Alive

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving morning, Alyssa rolled out of bed and glanced around. Why was she up so early? It was only 7:30. Wait, we're going to see Mom and Dad! Alyssa remembered. She went downstairs to make herself breakfast. The coffee maker was on and Tyler was sitting at the table, reading the newspaper.

He turned a page and glanced up at his sister. With a smile, he said, "Good morning! Happy Thanksgiving!"

"Morning! Happy Thanksgiving to you too," Alyssa said.

She brought a bowl and spoon to the table. Then got the milk and the box of Apple Jacks. Jenna was in the laundry room but Josh was still sleeping. "Still? He has to go visit his family today. We should wake him up soon," Tyler commented.

Alyssa offered to wake him once she finished eating. As she ate, she wondered about what it'd be like to see her family again. She had her siblings' and parents' numbers so they'd text and call each other all the time. But Alyssa hadn't seen them since the 4th of July. With the tour and getting used to a new school, it was difficult to plan a day to visit.

Alyssa ate then put her bowl in the dishwasher. Josh wasn't awake yet. She went up to his room and knocked on his closed door. There was no answer. Alyssa slowly opened it. Josh lay with his head buried in his pillow. "Josh. Wake up!" She called.

Josh grunted in his sleep. Alyssa lightly laughed and walked over to his bed. She grabbed his pillow, but Josh had a tight grip on it. "It's Thanksgiving! You can't sleep all day!" Alyssa exclaimed.

Josh turned over and opened his eyes. He gave Alyssa a sleepy smile. His pink hair was all over the place. "Hi..." He said.

"Hi," Alyssa said in return, "Did you sleep good?"

Josh nodded and sat up. Alyssa left the room so he could get ready and she went to her room to find something nice to wear for the day. A pair of black skinny jeans and a flannel was what she wanted to wear. But was a flannel appropriate for Thanksgiving? I'll put it on. If Tyler wants me to change, I'll put on something else. Alyssa decided.

Tyler actually complemented her flannel. He said, "You look good in that flannel. I wonder if any cute boys at school like girls in flannels."

Alyssa rolled her eyes, "No guy will ask me out Tyler. I bet I'll never have a boyfriend. In high school at least."

"Someday," Tyler said.

Josh went to his parents' house around 10. Tyler, Jenna, and Alyssa left at 10:30. Hopefully there wouldn't be too much traffic. But it was a holiday, so there would be some. But it wasn't as bad. They arrived at 11:45.

Jay looked out the window and then disappeared. A few seconds later, he was out the door and running to the car. He and Alyssa hugged and he asked her how she liked her school. They talked as they went up to the house. "They're here!" Jay called when they were inside.

The family exchanged greetings and then headed into the living room. Suddenly, Alyssa realized, Wait, they know about my depression right? What if they ask me how I'm doing? She tapped Tyler's shoulder. "What's up?" He asked.

Alyssa whispered in his ear, "Do they know about it? The depression?"

Tyler nodded. But he gave her a reassuring smile. Everything would be ok, he seemed to say. Alyssa sat next to Dad and Jay on one couch. Tyler and Jenna sat on the other with Zack and Madison. Mom went into the kitchen to finish setting the table. "Need any help, Mom?" Alyssa called.

"Oh no, it's ok. Thanks for the offer though. Make yourself at home. I have just a few more things to put on the table," Mom called back.

Madison said to her sister, "So tell me about your school. Do you or any of your friends like any guys?"

They talked about school and the tour until Mom called everyone in for lunch. Everyone washed their hands then sat at the table. Dad prayed and then they began to fill their plates and eat. "We should go around the table and say something that we're thankful for," said Mom.

"Who wants to start?" Dad looked around the table, "Alyssa, would you like to start?"

Alyssa glanced at Tyler. All eyes were on her. She said, "Uh...well...I'm thankful for a lot of things...I'm thankful that I met Tyler and Josh. If I didn't meet them, I wouldn't be at this table..."

Was that too much? Worry rushed through Alyssa's thoughts. But Tyler rested a hand on her's and grinned, "I'm thankful that we ran into you that day too."

Alyssa felt happy for the first time in a few weeks. She was with people she loved and people who loved her. Alyssa thought it was the best Thanksgiving.

A/N HAPPY TURKEY DAY ALL! I wanted to make a chapter about Thanksgiving because it's an awesome holiday! What do you guys do on Thanksgiving? My mom likes it when we go around the table and say what we're thankful for and I'm thankful that this book has nearly 4K reads! Thank you!