Hey guys!

Wow, it's been a while. I've spent forever perfecting this chapter, so hopefully, it's a worthy come-back.

It's a bit shorter than usual, but I hope you like it!

Enjoy! And please add #Finally to your comments. Thank you, and the HUGEST hugs to all the people who have been commenting and reading my story even when I wasn't updating. You guys are my biggest driving force.

-Estelle

Home For the Holidays, pg. 52- 53. (Jess's P.O.V.)

"We're going to be reading a snippet from..." Courtney sucks in her breath, "Home For the Holidays! It's book number...five!"

The rest of us slowly exhale. Book five. Which means...

"I have a chance of my point of view being read." Becca says faintly, "Oh no."

"I'm sure it won't be that bad." Theo says soothingly, but I do notice a glint of uncertainty in his eyes.

"I wouldn't be so sure if I was you." Cassidy and Darcy say at the same time. Emma snorts.

I stare at them, amused. They're more alike than any of us cared to contemplate. They grin at each other as Becca glares at the room in general.

"Let's hope the odds favor you." Mr. Hawthorne says, "Phoebe, the book? Page number?"

"Mmmhmm. Let's see..." Mrs. Hawthorne closes her eyes and flips through the book from the backside. She stops randomly at a page and peers at the number, "52."

My mother leans over her shoulder, "Well, that shouldn't be too difficult. Take it from here to here." she points at to different areas on the book, "It'll be short and sweet. And anyway, this is all that's marked readable."

"Yes, that should work." Emma's mother nods, the other moms following suit.

"Girls...here is...Megan's point of view!" My mom announces grandly.

Megan groans, "What?! Again? I've already had my turn!"

"It's not about turns." Cassidy says cheerfully.

"Well, you've just been lucky." Becca says, equally cheerful, "Like me."

"Shut up." Megan snaps.

"Don't worry sweetheart. Nothing too wrong. It's only one and a half pages." Mrs. Wong says comfortingly.

"Hold on!" Becca's mom orders sharply, and, of course, everyone falls silent, "Repeat the page number!"

"Book 5, page 52, paragraph 2, to page 53, paragraph 2. Megan's perspective." Mrs. Hawthorne rattles out expertly.

Mrs. Chadwick notes this down, "Page...fifty-two, you said?...ok...alright, then, let's begin. Who's turn is it to read?"

"How about our menfolk?" Mrs. Sloane-Kinkaid suggests.

The menfolk shake their heads vigorously.

"Fine, then. Party-poopers." Gigi takes the fifth book, "I'll read. And, of course, Calliope," she adds hastily, as Mrs. Chadwick opens her mouth, "I won't forget to read the quote."

Becca's mom closes her mouth, satisfied.

"Megan's point of view." Gigi begins, "Betsy and Tacy went downtown on their Christmas shopping expedition. This was a tradition with them. They went every year, visiting every store in town, and buying, at the end, one Christmas tree ornament."

We all exchange once glance, the burst out laughing. That describes Megan and Becca to a T. Well, actually, they tend to buy things if they can afford it. But either way, it was a good quote.

Gigi skips to the marked page and starts reading again.

To get back at Becca, I mentioned a tidbit I overheard at the football game yesterday. "Can you believe that Zach Norton volunteered to be the equipment manager for the Lady Shawmuts?" I tell her,

"What?" Tristan says incredulously, "What? Are you serious?"

"Yeah." Megan answers brightly.

Tristan opens his mouth, then shuts it, instead glaring furiously at the book.

Darcy snorts, "Tough luck, dude. Guys follow her to Rhode Island, you don't have a chance."

Tristan rolls his eyes, "Already got one, mate."

"He's down in Rhode Island this weekend, watching Cassidy play."

"He took his post seriously." Cassidy shrugs, "So, yeah..."

"Yes, but that's besides the point." Tristan says hotly, "It's ridiculous that he would follow you to a different state to watch you play hockey."

"Please." Simon says dryly, "You flew to a different continent because you missed her."

Tristan scowls at nothing in particular.

Gigi takes this as the cue to continue reading.

Becca's face clouds. She obviously hasn't heard this, but she pretends she has. She hates it when other people know stuff before she does, even me. "Yeah, what's up with that?"

"Exactly. Exactly." Tristan says under his breath.

I feel really mean all of a sudden, because I know how much Becca likes Zach, and it's pretty obvious that even though he asked her to Spring Formal last year, he doesn't like her back.

"Thanks, Megs." Becca says lazily, "Way to make me feel special."

"I didn't mean it like that!" Megan protests.

"I know, just kidding." Becca assures her.

Not the way Simon likes me, which has been kind of hard for her to swallow.

Simon hugs Megan closer.

I've tried telling Becca that Zach is just one small fish in a very big pond called Alcott High, and there are plenty of other boys out there, who would be thrilled if she'd pay them some attention- like Third, for instance,

"Yeah. Third." Stewart says innocently.

"He's dating my cousin now." Tristan says, "Annabelle."

We all exchange a glance and nearly burst out laughing, but we manage to contain it.

who is the nicest guy of the world, even if he is a little bit of a goofball- but she's totally stuck on Zach Norton. And she's not happy that he's spending so much time this year hanging out with Cassidy.

"Nor am I." Tristan snaps at the book.

"It's a book, Tristan." Simon says.

"He's following her! It's like she's stalking her or something!" he answers irritably, "What's his problem?"

I'm still not sure where Cassidy fits into all this.

"Neither am I." Cassidy shakes her head, "I just get dragged into everything. Seriously."

"It's a talent." her mother says wearily.

By the end of last school year, we all thought she liked Simon's brother, Tristan.

Tristan just about glares daggers at the book.

"I did." Cassidy whines, "When I left England, all you said was 'Catch you later, Cass.' Whose fault was it?"

"That's not what I said!" Tristan denies.

"Yes, it was."

Tristan looks thoughtful, "Okay, maybe it was, but what does that have to do with anything?"

I slap my forehead. Even the biggest gentleman can be stupid.

Megan and Becca shake their head in disapproval, but the other guys look confused.

"What's wrong with that?" Theo asks.

Emma sighs, "Never mind. Go on, Gigi."

Every time I ask Simon about it, though, he just shrugs and says his brother is "awfully closemouthed about these things."

"See." Cassidy says triumphantly.

"I wasn't 'awfully closemouthed.'" Tristan says stubbornly, "I was thinking things through. While this Zach character followed my girlfriend around America."

"Tristan!" we all chorus exasperatedly. Somehow, I actually did peg him as the slightly jealous type. I know he'll be sayig stuff like this now, but when he sees Zach again, he'll be as polite as ever.

I don't know when Cassidy would have time to squeeze in a boyfriend anyway.

"Agreed." Cassidy and her mom say in unison.

She barely has time to breathe, what with elite hockey and Chicks with Sticks. Plus, sophomore classes are hard- a lot harder than freshman classes were. Especially math. Cassidy and I are in the same Algebra II class, and if it weren't for Becca's brother, Stewart, who tutors us both, we'd be in big trouble.

"True." Megan says.

"Thanks, Stewart." Cassidy adds.

"That wasn't so bad, was it, sweetheart?" Mrs. Wong asks her.

"That's it?' Dylan asks, surprised, "It was pretty short."

"Well, either way, we're moving on to the next snippet." Ryan points out.

"That's right, we are." my mom says, ruffling his hair, "And can I do the honors of choosing the little slip of paper."

"Of course." Mrs. Hawthorne hold out the bowl.

My mother rummages around, and finally pulls out a 'little slip'.

"Well, the next book is..."

I close my eyes, not knowing whether I'm really ready to find out.