A/N: Wow. It's been like a year since I wrote anything and when I got up this morning I was not expecting to update this. And this isn't what I said it would be a year ago. But. Ahem. Here.

Rating: K

Note: Pre-BTR. A little OC sketching, with plenty of (not-so-subtle) bromance.

B

BLESSINGS

The fourth grade teacher at First Shakopee Elementary School hated snow. She hated ice. She hated how high her heating bill was, and she hated Minnesota. These were along the lines of her raging thought process driving home from school the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving weekend.

Her Freaking-Devilishly-Steep-Driveway (or so she had rantingly named it in a battle between tire and sloped ice last Monday) was dangerously slippery again, so she decided to save herself the frustration of trying to drive and tackled the dipping hill on foot. It took her at least ten minutes longer, gave her a very bruised tailbone from her many falls, and would probably cost her a limb or two to frostbite; but let it never be said that Tess Olsen put convenience before safety. At least her car was safely intact at the top of the driveway, and not embedded in the front of her house. That was nice.

Tess stomped up the steps, knocking the detestable white stuff off her boots, and sighed happily when she entered the delicious warmth of the foyer. It was the same blissful temperature, cranked to eighty-five degrees, that she sorely missed of Phoenix.

She tossed her bag on the table and decided to finish grading her kids' "What I'm Thankful For" essays before F.R.I.E.N.D.S. came on at 6:30. Thirty poorly written essays wasn't her favorite thing to come home to after a long day, but it would be nice to get something done and out of the way. She would be driving out to her sister's house in Duluth, halfway across this wretched state, in the morning and she wouldn't have time for grading once she got there. Demi was three years older, married, controlling, and sure to have an absolutely perfect and fun-filled Thanksgiving celebration prepared for the family.

First thing's first: she started the coffee maker and stood on her tiptoes to reach a mug out of the cabinet. Teachers love coffee. Tess thought she had loved coffee two years ago, before she'd been hired at the school. Nope. The cute bearded barista at the coffee shop three blocks down knew her order by heart. She bought beans by the pound at Grocery Outlet. That mild fondness of even her college years could not compare with the infatuation she had with it now.

Tess opened her folder and immediately took a big gulp of coffee when she read the first wee writer's name: Carlos Garcia.

Carlos was one of her "special" kids. She didn't mean that in a negative way. Truly, the most difficult, aggravating, demanding, wild children were often some of the most precious to her, no matter that they drove her up walls. Carlos was one of these. He may have been hyper and a bit confused at times, but he was a sweetie, and he made her laugh practically every day.

Once upon a time I met my friends. Thats what I am thankful for. my best friends are James Logan and Kendall. Kendall is the leader of us. He is good at hockey and getting in trouble. Me and James are the fun ones but James loves his hair. Logan is to smart and not very much like us. We met him last year now he is are best friend. I think thanksgiving is great becuz I get to see my abuelita and me and my friends play street hockey every year. Also, Christmas! Last year I got a red power ranger but it broke when it fell off a tree. Thanksgiving makes people love each other and thats good.

She chuckled as she finished reading. Carlos had the habit of beginning everything he wrote with "Once upon a time." It was adorable, and Tess couldn't bring herself to mention it. She finished correcting the paper (although she was giving everyone full points for doing it; Tess considered it a Thanksgiving activity rather than an assignment) and started plowing through the rest of them, enjoying each child's perspective.

Dear Miss Olsen: I'm thankful for my hair and lucky combe and turky and pumkin pie also as well as famous people. I'm thankful for these things beacus I like them. I'm thankful for my frieds and familey. I'm thankful for my mom she is rich even thogh she is scarey, and she loves me. I'm thankful for my friends beacus they are my best friens and I would probly be board and allone with out them.

His spelling was dreadful and he couldn't write to save his life (Tess was working on him), but like his friend Carlos, James was one funny kid. What other ten-year-old came to school in designer jeans, blazers from Nordstrom, and perfectly styled hair, and could still manage to be one of the nicest kids in the class? Well, okay, half the time he talked about himself and the other half he was telling other people (including Tess) what fashion faux-pas they were committing. But really, he was a sweet kid. A real charmer.

What I am thankful for. I am thankful for my friends and family. There the best. It's my sister, my mom, and my 3 best friends. My favorite thing is playing with them and my sister Katie. I'm thankful for hockey because it is the best sport EVER. I'm NOT thankful for having to write this dumb parigraph. I could be at James's house right now. but no. Anyway, I'm glad I have a warm house and food everyday. Thanksgiving means 3 F's, family, friends, and food.

Tess smiled and put a hand over her mouth. Aw. That one was Kendall Knight, and he was always surprising her with how mature he could be. Kendall was a real trouble-maker, like Carlos had said in his paragraph, and he hadn't quite got down the whole "respect your elders" idea. Kendall hated being forced to do something, and Tess found him to be one of the most difficult kids to control. But she had seen, more than once, Kendall's kindness and leadership. He took charge when things got heated on the playground, and he was the first to keep a cool head and find an adult if someone was hurt. Plus, the way he treated those three friends of his (the "Problematic Four," she had affectionately named them) was endearing.

Tess got up to refill her coffee cup and, checking the clock, realized she only had three minutes before F.R.I.E.N.D.S. started (it was the last season and she didn't want to miss a thing). She turned the TV to the right channel and leaped back into her seat, determined to finish that last essay. Thankfully, it was Logan Mitchell's, meaning she would have very little to correct.

The opening scene started playing on the television screen, but Tess was too busy re-reading Logan's paper to watch.

I am thankful for alot of things in this holiday season. For one thing, I am thankful that I live in The United States Of America, because many people are not as lucky as I am. Minnesota is cool (cool, awsome and cool, cold. haha). I am grateful to have my house and my parents to support me as I grow up. Again, a lot of people don't have parents, or don't have two parents, so I'm really blessed in this way too. I am very thankful to go to school and be able to learn about many different subjects. School is very important to peoples lives because if you don't go to school, you can't get a job or marry anybody. I hope I can be a doctor, so I work hard at school. This year, I'm really thankful for my friends, James, Carlos, and Kendall. They're always there for me. I've never had friendslikethem before, so I love having fun with them and being a part of their group. Thanksgiving is about thinking about what your'e thankful for even if you don't always feel thankful.

The words "like them" seemed to be crammed into the margin after "friends," as if added at the last minute. Tess felt tears in her eyes. It didn't surprise her that shy, sensitive Logan had struggled with making friendships before he moved to Minnesota (the third grade teacher said that he was new last year) and became part of the Problematic Four. But the implication that these were the first friends he had ever had still made her sad.

Tess leaned back in her chair, fingers curled around her coffee mug, and watched the snow that had just started to fall again. She was glad Logan found such wonderful friends. They all seemed completely different, but she had seen them interact enough times to know that they clicked. It made her happy.

The snow kept piling up outside her window and just like that, her sour mood was gone, floating away with the last notes of the Rembrandts' theme song. The drifts would be great for playing with her niece and nephew over the weekend. The worker at the coffee shop would be at work on Monday, waiting for her with a double shot caramel latte. Her class of sweet, crazy, perfect kids would come back to school on Monday with stories of turkeys and pumpkins and snowball fights and families and friends. And so would she.

A/N: Thanksgiving in August ftw! Hope this was okay. Thank you so much for reading!