Shortly after breakfast, Mrs. Webster announced that it was time to get ready for the Christmas party. Michelle didn't spend as much time on her appearance as she had before, more focused on thinking of ways to improve the party.

She ditched her precious red dress in favor of a more simple, but still nice white one that she usually wore on the weekends. She didn't even bother with her makeup. She did neatly brush her hair, but didn't bother styling it.

She still spent so much time thinking about the party that she almost didn't hear her mother cry, "Michelle, come on! We're going to be late!"

"Coming!" she called, grabbing her handbag–she could do without dressing up fancy, but she couldn't go without being prepared.

As she raced down the stairs, she was surprised by how bare her face felt without makeup, and how messy her hair felt without being styled even into a simple ponytail, even though she knew it was neat. She almost always wore a bit of makeup and did something with her hair before leaving.

Her mother raised an eyebrow as she came down. "I would've thought you'd dress up more."

"I guess I just didn't feel like it," shrugged Michelle.

"Well, it's a nice change. You look so much better without all that horrendous makeup and ridiculous hairstyles."

Michelle thought this was rather unfair. Her mother made it sound like she was some kind of diva who only cared about her appearance. Sure, she spent a lot of time in front of the mirror, but was it a crime to look presentable?

She hurried into the car, sitting next to Tommy. As before, he looked up and made a face at her. "Who's this girl? She looks a bit like Michelle, but she never looked this plain."

Michelle didn't even have to try to restrain from replying. She was too busy thinking of ways to fix the party. It was actually kind of fun. If there's one thing she loved, it was being prepared, and she couldn't be more prepared for the party.

She almost laughed at the irony. She would never have gone to the party in this simple attire a few days ago, and yet she was even more prepared than when she was all dressed up.

They seemed to arrive at the party too quickly. Her parents took the big shopping bags out of the boot of the car, like before. They walked up to the decorated front door of Talia's house and rang the doorbell, like before. Talia's mother answered, like before.

This is like deja vu to end all cases of deja vu, thought Michelle.

Tommy walked in, looking around excitedly. As her plan, Michelle quickly said, "Tommy, I'll take you to the living room. I bet the party is there. You don't want to miss anything, do you?"

Mrs. Webster, who overheard, looked surprised. "That's nice of you, Michelle. It's nice to see you're being nicer to your brother."

Michelle had to bite back the flash of anger and bitter retort that rose. Instead, she nodded and led Tommy to the living room. Then, she crouched down to Tommy's height.

"Listen, Tommy. I'll tell you a secret. I think one of the bags Mom and Dad took out of the car had our presents."

Tommy's face lit up. "Really? Where are they?"

"I don't know. If you follow Mom and Dad around, maybe you'll find out."

Tommy nodded. "I'll be a secret agent! They won't even know I'm there!"

Michelle watched Tommy run out of the room. She had to admit, he could be kind of cute when he wasn't being a pest.

Wait. Tommy? Cute? Had she suffered brain trauma as well as time travel?

Talia stood up from the couch and wrapped her in a hug, filling her with yet another pang of serious deja vu. "Shel! I'm so glad you made it."

She didn't reply this time. When Talia let go of her, she said, "Where's your brother?"

"Oh, I don't know. I think he went to look for his presents."

"Well, tell him I got him some," said Talia. "The little guy's so cute."

"Not when you get to know him," griped Michelle.

Talia laughed. "Yeah, most little brothers are like that."

She felt her heart rate quicken as she saw Jeffrey walk in, even though this had already happened. At least this time, Tommy wasn't here to mess things up.

"Play it cool," Talia whispered in her ear.

Seeing he started giving his friends presents, Michelle turned her attention to the movie, allowing herself to relax. He'd give her the present, she'd apologize for not having one for him, and the party would commence.

She turned away once in a while to check if Tommy had returned. If he spilled something on her, it wouldn't be a big deal because she didn't care about this dress as much as her other one, but she still didn't like getting her clothes dirty.

As the movie progressed, she heard a familiar voice at the doorway of the living room. "Michelle!"

She winced. Tommy. She should've known. She had only distracted Tommy, not gotten rid of him. No matter. Of course she had backup plans. She wouldn't be Michelle if she didn't.

She forced herself to turn to him as he came up to her. "What's the matter, Tommy? I thought you were looking for presents."

He bit his lip. "I was... but then Mom and Dad just told me to get lost. Well, not exactly. But I think they knew what I was trying to do."

"Talia told me she got you presents too," said Michelle. "Why don't you look for them? They're under the tree."

Tommy's face lit up. "Cool!" He dove towards the presents.

Talia turned as she saw someone under the tree before her tradition, but relaxed when she saw it was only Tommy.

She jumped as she heard Jeffrey's voice behind her. "Hey, Michelle."

She suddenly regretted not dressing up nicer, not doing anything with her hair. "H-hey, Jeffrey." She couldn't prevent the stutter even the second time around.

"I got you something." She accepted the package, thankfully at least managing to sop her hands from shaking.

"Thanks. Sorry I didn't get you anything. I didn't know you were coming–"

"It's fine. I just hope you like it."

She unwrapped it, being careful to feign surprise when she saw the tape. She was thankful she was a good actor. "Thank you! I love that band."

"I didn't know if you'd like it," Jeffrey said awkwardly.

She thanked him again and decided she should get him out of the picture in case Tommy felt like ruining things again. She hoped he was too focused on his presents to do so, unlike last time where he'd been playing for so long he had started to lose interest in them.

She forced herself to think quickly, which wasn't easy when she was talking to Jeffrey. "Hey, Jeffrey. Do you want any food?" It wasn't the best transition, but it would have to do.

He looked surprised by her question. "Kind of. I'm a bit hungry. Why?"

"There's food on the coffee table. I heard Talia's mom makes the best Christmas cake. I've been dying to try it."

"I'll try it, then." He headed towards the table. "Don't you want some?"

"Later. I'm watching the movie right now."

Once he left, she inwardly congratulated herself. Jeffrey was distracted, Tommy was distracted... one crisis averted.

Looking over at Tommy, he seemed invested in his Hot Wheels. She decided to quickly give her presents to Max and Lola and then excuse herself to the bathroom for the rest of the party.

She pulled out her presents–a new video game and necklace–and they showed her the jacket. Again, she had to feign surprise and express her gratitude for the second time.

"We didn't know whether to get it. I mean, you have enough clothes as it is," joked Max, like he had before.

Her friends were always teasing her about her obsession with clothes. She privately thought they didn't care enough about them.

Michelle quickly put her jacket in her bag and started to walk back, but stopped just in time when she saw Tommy in the way. He was sprawled in front of her, playing with his toy cars. She carefully walked over him.

"It's time for gifts!" announced Talia.

"I have to go to the bathroom," said Michelle, but she wasn't heard over the excitement that erupted from those words.

She walked over to Talia to announce it, but then stopped. If she left, her Harry Potter books would be in tatters once she returned. Better to stop Tommy from ruining them again. She quickly placed the shopping bag in a different corner of the room so Tommy couldn't find it.

Once it was time for her present to be opened, she quickly took the box. "Thank you!" she exclaimed, trying to sound excited, but not overdo it. She better get an acting Oscar for this.

"Let me see," said Tommy as Talia moved onto the next person, trying to take the box from her.

"No!" She held it above her head, so Tommy couldn't reach. He jumped up and down, but it was too high.

"Where's the rest of your presents, anyway? In there?" He grabbed the handbag hanging from Michelle's arm, tugging. Michelle hesitated. What could she do? If she tried to stop him, she'd have to let go of her books.

Before she could decide, Tommy turned the handbag upside down, causing several items to fall to the floor–including several tampons.

A few guests had turned to watch the exchange, a few laughing and a few having the decency to look away. One of them was Jeffrey, who reddened and glanced in the other direction.

If Michelle could've died at that exact moment, she would have chosen to, without hesitation. Even if it involved killing herself. Especially if it involved killing herself.

Sympathetic to her friend's embarrassment, Talia quickly left the present she was unwrapping and gathered all the items that had fallen back into her handbag. Too embarrassed to thank her, Michelle picked up the bag and rushed out, her boxed collection in the other hand. She ran to the guest room, fully planning on hiding there for the rest of the party, when she saw her parents inside.

Her mother glanced at her, noticing the look on her face. "What's wrong, Shel? Aren't you enjoying the party?"

"I am," she replied, only half lying. "I just thought I could use a breather."

"Probably good that you did," remarked Mr. Webster. "I think it's about time we show you guys your presents. You should tell Tommy."

"Actually, why don't you tell them?" she suggested. "I'm kind of worn out from the party."

Her father nodded and left the room. Her mother turned to her. "Why don't I show you your present?"

"Sure, Mom." Michelle felt tired at the thought of having to act out her surprise and gratitude yet again. She was definitely getting a chance to practice her acting skills.

She watched her mother take the package out of the bag and carefully unwrap it, forcing a smile on her face when she saw what it was. "Oh, thank you, Mom! I've been wanting it for so long." She ran up to her mother and hugged her.

"Glad you like it, dear."

Just then, Mr. Webster and Tommy came in. Her brother's eyes traveled to the phone. "Cool!"

Oh no! She didn't have time to pack it.

"Mom, why can't I have a phone?" whined Tommy.

"When you're older, dear."

"Let me take a look!" He reached for it.

"Maybe later, dear," said Mrs. Webster. "Don't you want to look at your presents first?"

"Yay!" Completely distracted, Tommy reached into his bag and pulled out a present, wasting no time in ripping off the wrapping.

Michelle quickly hid her phone in her handbag, then started to inch towards the door, hoping her parents wouldn't notice. She was planning on hiding it in her present bag.

"Where are you going, Michelle?" Her mother's voice stopped her.

"I just wanted to return to the party," she replied.

Mrs. Webster frowned. "Wouldn't you prefer to see your brother unwrap his presents? It's such a joyful time for him."

But not for me, Michelle thought. She realized she had no choice but to stay.

"Why don't you take a picture of him?" Mrs. Webster suggested. "Doesn't he look cute?"

Looking at Tommy unwrapping each presents with joy, a grin lighting up his face each time, Michelle had to admit he was kind of cute.

That was the second time in the span of a day she had thought of her brother as cute. What did the time travel do to her?

However mildly cute he might be, she still didn't like the idea of the first picture in her new phone being of Tommy the Terror. "I don't know."

"Take a picture of all of us, then." Mrs. Webster turned to Tommy. "Tommy, your sister's going to take a picture of us!"

He looked up from his presents. "Can I try the phone?"

"Let her take a picture first, sweetie." Michelle's parents both moved to stand behind Tommy who was sitting in the middle of all his presents. "Say cheese!" said Mr. Webster.

Michelle clicked the camera app and quickly snapped a photo. Tommy ran up to her. "Let me see!"

She held it out of his reach. "No, Tommy–"

"Michelle, please," sighed Mrs. Webster. "What's the harm in letting him look?"

She reluctantly lowered the phone and let him see the picture. "Can I take one? I wanna try!"

"Michelle, go on. Teach him," urged Mr. Webster.

With a sigh, Michelle taught him like before, snapping another picture of her parents. "Now let me try!" He snatched it from her before she could protest, running to the living room. She followed him like before. No way was she going to let this happen again.

He ran to the other end of the room, raising the phone to snap a photo. "Hey, Shel! Catch!" He threw it to her, but this time, she was ready. Her eyes fixed on the phone, she managed to catch it with surprising ease.

Huh. Maybe it had been an accident. If he was purposely trying to break her phone, he would've thrown it further away from her to make it harder to catch.

Well, still. He didn't have to be stupid enough to throw it, and then not even apologize when it broke!

She returned to the guest room, cradling her phone like a newborn baby. She was so excited to catch it, she almost jumped up and down with glee.

Mr. Webster checked his watch. "I think it's about time to leave."

"I wanna stay more!" whined Tommy.

Mr. Webster hesitated. "Alright. But only a little while."

"Yes!" Tommy ran off to the living room, while Tommy followed him, headed to the bathroom instead. Upon entering, she stayed there for the rest of the party, which was quite a long time. She managed to pass time by constructing a story in her head.

After about two hours, she heard a familiar voice. "Sheeeeel!"

She groaned. Tommy.

"Shel?" She heard another voice, her father's. "Where are you? It's time to go!"

"Coming!" she said, exiting the bathroom.

Mr. Webster frowned, the bag with their presents in his arms.. "Were you in there the whole time?"

"Of course not!" she denied.

"I didn't see her," added Tommy.

"Well, it's time to leave," said Mrs. Webster.

Michelle followed her family through the house and out the front doors, where most of the guests were leaving. She saw Talia come up to her.

"Lemme guess, you spent the rest of the party dying in the bathroom?"

"That obvious?"

"Can't say I blame you. If that happened to me..." Talia shuddered, seeming horrified by the thought. "Still, you should've come back to the party. We had a great time, and nobody really cared about what happened. They were over it a minute later."

"I'll take your word for it." Michelle hugged Talia goodbye, then piled into the car with her family.

"Did everyone have a good time?" Mr. Webster asked as he started the engine.

"Yeah!" Tommy replied.

"I did," Michelle replied honestly. Aside from the tampon disaster, she did.

It was only as they were heading out of the driveway that she realized something. She had forgotten her presents! Her Harry Potter collection was in the guest room and her bag was in the living room,

Oh well. Aside from those two things, it was a much better party than before. Maybe when she woke up tomorrow, things would be normal again.