I don't own Home Alone

Enjoy!

Why couldn't I stay for the last couple weeks of school home? Megan thought to herself when she awoke. During the past couple of weeks, she had been feeling better and finally catching up with her homework that her sisters had bought for her. If only she could have relaxed without having to worry about them but she knew that her mother would give her a stern talking to if she fell behind. Not to mention that Megan didn't want to repeat her grade. Stuffing her school work into her backpack she flung it around her shoulder and headed downstairs where she found her siblings, except for Becky, gathered around the breakfast table. They were talking and laughing with one another and it was quite the delightful sight if she was being honest with herself. Kevin was getting along with his brothers and both Linnie and Becky seemed to have buried their problem. When Linnie had told Megan about Becky's anger, Megan had almost laughed. She couldn't believe that her sister would have gotten jealous over a boy and for what? Just because her sister was dating him?

At least I wasn't the only one with problems Megan had thought before she headed towards the table. "Morning," she said to them.

"Guess who's finally back to life," Buzz commented and got a glare from Megan.

"Halloween isn't in another four months, idiot," Megan said as she took an apple from the fruit bowl and bit into it. It was both crunchy and juicy with a hint of sweet satisfaction. Her eyes looked down at the table and noticed a newspaper spread out in front of them. "What're you guys reading anyway?"

"You," Linnie answered her sister and bought to newspaper article towards Megan. "Jeff added the pictures and Becky wrote the column about you."

If Megan's memory was correct, she believed that Becky had given up in writing the newspaper article. She even remembered that small fight that they had of how Becky had nothing to say about Megan's potential because she never got the chance to show it. Megan had thought long and hard during these past few weeks of being in her room and, she hated to admit it, but both her mother and Becky had been right in what they had said. The more Megan thought about her time at the practices and the games, she had only been exhausted and unhappy though she had pushed that away from her mind. Giving her head a small shake, she leaned forward and looked at the picture. A small smile formed upon her lips and the picture that Jeff had chosen. The soccer ball was placed on the grassy field and her foot was on top of it. Her hands were on her hips and she displayed the most confident smile that she could, and that made Megan think of how much of a masquerade she had been doing with herself.

Was this what it felt like lying to yourself about liking something when deep down you didn't? she thought, but even she didn't know the answer to that question. She didn't ponder too much about that question because her eyes fell upon the sentences that were written in the article.

Winnetka High School is proud to announce their first win during the spring semester on April 15th 1991. The team, trained by Coach Rita Soles and led by Sara Shepard, had been training fervently for months towards its first game. The Cardinals team include players Bonnie Smith, Yolanda Prenton, Lauren Jacobs, Kirsten White, Rebecca Taylors, Amber Fields, Nicole Fenton, Tiffany Isaacs, Michelle Potter, Christina Baker, and Megan McCallister.

"The best for last," she heard Linnie's voice as she was rereading the column once again.

Such a victory would not have been possible against the Panthers due to the determination of the Cardinals. Each team player put their efforts in the game and they all shined. The last point was broken by Megan McCallister when she took her turn and squared off against the goalie in front of the net. There she stood with the soccer ball in front of her, waiting for the right moment to take the best shot. In the end, she did. The amount of force that she placed onto the ball and how it flew in the air and into the net was enough to leave any spectator speechless. The team won 11 - 10 and it was due to the hard work that all team players put into the game, but also the credit it also due to Megan McCallister. Without that goal that she made, the team would not have won.

Megan slightly frowned at the last sentence in the article. In her opinion, everything had been written the way it should have been but towards the end of the article, it seemed as if the newspaper was being biased against the team and praising her for making sure that the team won. "Why?" Megan hung her head and shook her head.

Jeff slowly nodded his head upon Megan's reaction. "I told her not to add it," Jeff said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I think it was very sweet," Linnie commented, "I don't see why not?"

"Yeah," Kevin spoke up, "you worked really hard out there Meg."

Jeff let out a sigh. "Yeah but the newspaper is not supposed to be biased, especially if it's a school newspaper. I don't even think she ran this by the editor before it was published." He let out another sigh and ran a hand through his hair, "if Mrs. Jakub's sees this, which she will, Becky will be kicked off the newspaper."

Buzz raised an eyebrow as he leaned back in his chair. "Can they do that? Hasn't she been in the newspaper for like," he paused and shrug his shoulders, "a year now."

"If it's Mrs. Jakub's," Jeff said, "oh yeah, she can be kicked out."

"Speaking of which," Megan then spoke up, "where is Becky?"

"Early doctor's appointment," Jeff answered her, "she's with mom and will be coming late to school." In the meantime, he took his backpack and slung it around his shoulder, "let's hope that Mrs. Jakub's has woken on the right side of the bed today, which is highly unlikely."

The rest of the sibling gathered their backpacks and headed out the door. "Come on Kevin, we'll take you to your bus," Linnie said as she took a hold of Kevin's hand and walked with him to where the yellow school bus pulled up for the elementary school students.

Megan leaned against a tree and breathed in the fresh morning air. She thought about the article that Becky had written about her, and then to the potential outcome that could occur. Either Becky would be praised and keep her position, or be belittled and kicked out just like Megan. In the end, there were only a few weeks left of school and it was better, Megan believed, to leave that past behind her. There would be more opportunities to come.

"I need a vacation," Megan spoke up when Linnie approached her.

"Summer vacation is coming up," Linnie reminded her.

"I know but away from here...and we can't do anything during the summer because of mom and dad's jobs. Apparently, they have to be at work during the summer and Uncle Frank and Aunt Leslie can't make it other than December," Megan said with a shake of her head. She understood that it was important to work and provide for the family, let alone pay the bills, but she wished that they could take more vacations than just one at the end of the year. However, Christmas was special to the family and it was the only time where even their aunt and uncle would be able to come to Chicago.

"I wish we could go somewhere warm during Christmas, that would be cool," Linnie said.

Megan perked up at that suggestion. Paris had been, not as fun as Megan had hoped for. In fact, it had been pointless due to Kevin and Becky being left home alone and their mother being at the airport. "How about Florida?" Megan said, "it's warm and there's Disney World."

Linnie smiled as she leaned her head back and touched the tree. "Don't remind me of that," she said as she clutched the books in her arms, "I hear Stacy Fields talking about it all the time and I get so jealous. She goes there every summer and spends the entire summer vacation with her dad. Next thing you know, she comes back with souvenirs from there."

"Then we have to go there," Megan said, "when we get home, we're talking to mom and dad about this. It's high time that we go somewhere fun for Christmas."