Only one or two more chapter after this one. Glad I'm almost done, since I've been working on this since fifth grade! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not a chance.

Chapter Eight

Finally, the week was up. I woke up bright and early to go get Star. When I reached her cage, she was already up. I attached her collar to the leash that I had bought for her. She followed me happily. I went to the front desk to get her papers. This was quickly done, and I drove home. Logan wasn't up when I got in, so I quickly shut Star in the kitchen. She immediately went over to her food dish that I had set out for her. Carefully, I shut the door and left her in peace.

About an hour later the shower turned on. I stopped decorating and went out to the kitchen to make breakfast. Star was asleep on the floor next to the air vent. She leaped up as soon as she saw me. "Hey sweetheart! Did you miss me?" She licked my hand. "I'll take that as a yes," I laughed. I got busy in the kitchen, making bacon and eggs. I heard the shower turn off, then realized that Logan would be coming I to the kitchen any minute. I pulled the cake I had made out of the fridge and put it on the table. Logan opened the door a few minutes later. Star was under the table, munching on some bacon that I had given her.

"Smells amazing!"

"Happy birthday," I replied, kissing him. He kissed me back. Suddenly, he stiffened.

"What are those dishes?" he asked me, pointing to Star's food and water dishes.

"Those are Star's." He gave me a questioning look.

"Star?"

"Your birthday present," I said, whistling softly. Star appeared from under the table.

"She's beautiful!" Logan breathed. I could tell that he was surprised. "When did you get her?" he asked, letting Star crawl into his lap and lick his face.

"Last week, but I brought her home today."

"How did you manage to keep it a secret this whole time?"

"It wasn't easy," I smiled.

"The name Star suits her," Logan remarked suddenly.

"That's what I thought. You can rename her if you want to."

"Nah, Star is the perfect name." I laughed, and we spent the rest of the morning playing with Star.

At about three o'clock in the afternoon, there was a knock on the door. I shot Logan a puzzled look, and he shrugged. I stood and went to answer the door.

"Surprise!" Brenda and Abby said at the same time. I jumped back. Abby laughed.

"Sorry, you scared me."

"It's fine. Where's Logan?"

"Right here," Logan answered, appearing behind me.

"Come in, come in," I told them, ushering them into the house. They all shuffled past me into the house. Logan went into the kitchen and returned with what was left of the cake.

"If we had known you were coming, we would have waited," Logan said apologetically.

"It's fine. We brought our own," Nick said.

"What kind?" Logan blurted.

"Lemon."

"Awesome! I love you guys!" Logan exclaimed. Everybody laughed.

"You don't love us any other time?" Jacob asked, pretending to be hurt.

"You know I do."

"Yeah. Just giving you a hard time."

"I know." We all burst out laughing. Our happiness was cut short by my cell phone ringing. I pulled it out of my pocket and looked at the caller ID. I didn't recognize the number.

"Who is it?" Abby asked.

"I don't know."

"Are you going to answer it?"

"I suppose I should," I said, flipping open my phone. I put it up to my ear. "Hello?" A harsh voice answered me.

"Are you alone?"

"No," I answered, suddenly scared.

"Well, go into another room."

"Okay," I whispered. I covered the mouthpiece. "I'll be back in a minute." Everyone nodded. Abby mouthed "who is it?" I shook my head. "Later," I mouthed. I walked out of the room and locked myself in my bedroom. "What do you want?!" I demanded, surprising myself. My voice was surprisingly steady, despite the fear I was in.

"I just wanted to let you know that we are coming back. You had better watch out. You're not even supposed to be alive," Oliver hissed. I shuddered.

"Why do I care? You mean nothing to me!"

"Oh really?" he whispered. When you least expect it, I'm going to get you. You are going to pay for reporting me!"

"For the last freaking time, I didn't report you!" I growled, anger starting to overcome my fear.

"You're lying! I'll be seeing you soon." I heard a dial tone and realized that he hung up. Slowly, I closed my phone and put it back in my pocket. I walked over to the mirror to see how my face looked. Surprisingly, it was fairly calm. I opened the bedroom door and walked out.

"Who was it?" Logan asked.

"Just someone pulling a prank," I responded. Everyone accepted my answer. I heard Star scratching at the kitchen door, so I went to let her out. She bounded over to Logan's family.

"You didn't tell me you had a dog!" Abby squealed excitedly.

"I was going to!" Logan defended himself.

"She's adorable!"

"Thanks. Her name is Star."

"Appropriate."

"We thought so."

"Are you ready for your present?" Abby asked.

"I'm kinda old for that."

"I don't think so," Brenda said, handing Logan a small box. Logan carefully tore into it. Inside, there were two plane tickets to a hot air balloon festival. "It's in Florida. I though you might enjoy the break. The hotels is already payed for," Brenda said, smiling. Logan jumped up and hugged her.

"Thank you so much! I love it!" Logan exclaimed happily. I hugged her too.

"I've always wanted to go in a hot air balloon!" Brenda hugged me back.

"I hope you two enjoy it," she said, giving Logan a meaningful look. Logan caught her eye and gave her a small nod. I was puzzled by the display, but didn't question it. We all sat around and chatted for a while longer before we cut the cake. When everyone was finished, Logan's family said goodbye and left. Logan closed the door after them.

"When would you want to go?" Logan wondered.

"Tomorrow," I joked, but Logan jumped on the suggestion.

"Okay. We will leave after band practice!" he said. I nodded.

"Do you want me to stay home and pack?" I asked.

"If you wouldn't mind," Logan said. We both got in bed. Within minutes, we were asleep.

When I woke up the next morning, Logan was already gone. I quickly ate breakfast, then started packing. I packed for a week, unsure of how long we would stay. Soon, I finished. Logan came home about a half hour later. "Are you ready to leave?" he asked me. I nodded.

"What do we do with Star?" I wondered.

"My parents said that they would watch her while we were gone."

"Sounds good. Help me load the car, and we will be on our way," I smiled. This was quickly accomplished, and soon, we were on the road. Logan drove, and I stated out the window at the scenery. About 8 hours later, we pulled into our hotel. Logan and I unpacked our suitcases and headed to the front desk to check in. We got our keys and headed to our room. When we opened the door, we were amazed. Inside was a beautiful room, with a king size bed and a large flat screen TV. The bathroom was all white marble, very pretty. There was a small refrigerator tucked under the bar. A microwave sat on top of the table. Logan and I collapsed on the bed, exhausted from all of the traveling.

"The festival starts tomorrow. Are you sure you want to do this?" Logan asked, giving me a chance to chicken out. I nodded my head.

"Definitely. It should be romantic," I winked at him. He winked back. We turned on the television and watched TV until we fell asleep.

The next morning was spent getting ready for our balloon ride. We both wore warm clothing. When we were ready, we left the hotel room and made our way to the festival grounds. There were hundreds of hot air balloons tethered to the ground. Logan led me to a heart shaped one. I laughed quietly to myself. Logan gave our tickets to the conductor, and the conductor explained to us what we had to do. When we understood everything we both entered the basket. Logan manned the controls, lifting us off of the ground at a gentle pace. I looked over the side, watching the ground gradually get farther and farther away. At last, we reached our peak height. Logan stood beside me, looking down for a little bit. Suddenly, he got on one knee and pulled out a small velvet box. "Jess, I love you more than anything. I want you to be mine forever, no matter what happens. Will you marry me?"

"Of course!" I squealed, elated. Logan slipped the ring on my finger. It was a simple gold band with a mounted diamond. Engraved in the band were the words love, forever, and happiness. A smile formed on my face. My life just took a turn for the better.

A bit of fluff, yes? Reviews are much appreciated!