Lindsay Anderson

As Shauna washed the color treatment residue out of my hair, I could not help but smile to myself. I was in love with the new color that I had chosen. It truly went well with my hazel eyes and olive com-plexion. On a different note, I was also smiling because I felt happy. Besides having the most wonderful boyfriend and best friends that a girl could ever ask for, I was also very excited that I had finally come to a decision about which school that I would be attending in the fall. The best part? I don't have any doubts that this is the school that I was meant to go to.

At 5:10 AM on Sunday morning, I heard my cell phone beep. Glancing at my iPhone 5, my heart skipped a beat. It was a text from Ryan. Good Morning, Beautiful. I just wanted to tell you that I love you and that my family and I will be there in 5 minutes. Love, Ryan Blushing, I replied back: I love you, too, Ryan Aaron Swiss You are the best thing to ever happen to me. I will see you in 5 XOXO, Katie Suddenly overcome with giddiness and joy, I went over my checklist one last time. Whenever I go on trips, I always make sure to check my list a minimum of three times. Hey, it never hurts to check, double check, and even triple check things. This is especially true this time. Since I will be gone for a week in Denver, it is especially imperative that I did not forget to pack anything. Ten minutes later, the Swiss family and I made our way to Albuquerque International Sunport." Are you ready for the best Christmas vacation ever?" Ryan whispered into my hair, putting his arm around me. Leaning into him and placing my head on his shoulder, I smiled, "You have no idea."

For a moment, no one said any-thing. How could Maria do this to us? Didn't she under-stand that it was vital and man-datory that she sing her solo? Didn't Maria also under-stand that if she did not sing, it would put the team in danger of having to forfeit? After all, one of the require-ments of com-peting was that some-one from each Honor choir had to sing a solo. "Are you serious, Miss Bree?""Unfort-unately, I am." Trying not to panic, Miss Bree contin-ued, "Unless we can find a soloist in two minutes, we will have to forfeit." For a second time, the room went silent. It was obvious that every-one was trying to con-vince them-selves to be the bigger person and take the stand. How-ever, they were having trouble doing that." Miss Bree, I'll take her place." Haven volunteered, confi-dently. "Besides the solo being one of my all-time favorite songs, I also happen to know it by heart."

The air was crisp and the leaves covered every inch of the tree tops and ground. The scent of freshly cooked turkey and mouth-watering pies wafted through out the James household. Laughter and chatter filled the entire living room and kitchen. Due to recent events, the James' family decided to host a Thanksgiving lunch for Andrea O'Connell, Ashley Martin, and their families. Without a doubt, Ryan Swiss was included. It was nice to be together on this special day. It was also a necessity. Due to Kendall Johnson and Jake Knight's passing in late October, the girls and their families had decided that it would be nice for all of them to be together. Now more than ever, everyone was so thankful for one another. After all, isn't thankfulness the main ingredient of Thanksgiving?

It was the last day of school before Christmas break, and Katie could not be more grateful. She also could not be more ecstatic. Tonight was KCA's Winter Ball, and Katie could not be more pumped. Her best friends, Ashley Martin and Andrea O'Connell, were just as excited. To add onto her excitement, Katie had a trip with Ryan and his family to look forward to. However, it wasn't just any trip. Oh, no, not at all. Katie and the Swiss family would be heading to Denver in two days to be with Ryan on the set of his new movie. When he had invited her to join his family in Denver, Katie had become filled with excitement. She was so excited, in fact, that she had almost fallen out of her computer chair. Thankfully, Katie's parents had agreed to let her join the Swiss family on their Denver escapade. Before she knew what was happening, the dismissal bell rang. Immediately, Katie and Ryan packed their things and started for the door." Have a nice break, everyone " Miss Sims called, as her class headed out the door. Don't worry, I plan on it, Katie smiled to herself.

"This is cool that we are getting to hang out this afternoon." Andrea said, as the five friends took a seat at the large round table. "But, why isn't Katie here?""I was wondering the same thing." Ashley frowned. "Is she okay?" She's fine." Ryan smiled, reassuringly. "She doesn't even know we are meeting today.""Why not?""I have a big surprised planned for her for tomorrow, and I need your help.""Believe me, it is going to be big." Michael Lane added." Actually, it is HUGE." Brendan Clark sighed." Wait a minute...how is it you guys know something that Katie and I don't?" Andrea wanted to know. I told them what the surprise was over the phone, and I told them not to tell you." Ryan explained. He quickly added, "I wanted to tell you ladies in person.""I can appreciate that, Ryan.""I definitely can, too." Ashley chimed in. "If you don't mind me asking, Ryan, what exactly do you have in store for Katie?" Taking a deep breath, Ryan replied, " I am going to ask her to marry me." As you can only imagine, Ryan's news sent the girls into excited and high pitched squeals. Thankfully, they weren't high enough that they caused the other guests in the food court to stare. They were chatting loudly enough as it was. After Andrea and Ashley gained their composure, Ryan explained to the group why he wanted them to meet him here today. Because the two couples were best friends with him and Katie, Ryan wanted them to help him pick out the perfect engagement ring. Without giving it a second thought, everyone agreed that they would be happy to help. After all, isn't that what best friends are for?

"Okay," I sighed, picking up the invitation that was in front of me. "How many people have RSVP'd to Katie's surprise party on Friday night?""Out of the twenty-five people that we have invited, all of them have replied." My twin sister, Claire, informed." That's good." Giving my sister a thoughtful look, I asked, "So, out of the twenty-five guests that were invited, how many will be able to make it to the party?""Twenty-five.""That's good." I replied, breathing a sigh of relief. "That is extremely good." On Friday, Katie Russell, my sister's and my best friend in the entire world, will be turning eighteen years old. Katie also happens to be our twin brother, Cody's, girlfriend. Due to how much she means to us, Claire, Cody, and I wanted to do something special for Katie's eighteenth birthday. In the end, my siblings and I decided that throwing Katie a surprise party at our mansion would be perfect." Do you think Katie suspects anything?" Claire wanted to know." Honestly? No." I replied. "She thinks that you and I are taking her out for a birthday dinner." Good." Claire smiled. "Let's keep it that way."

This is not how it was supposed to go, I thought as I laced up tennis shoes. My friends weren't supposed to abandon me. It was the last game before Christmas break began, and my mind was anywhere else but. As a matter of fact, it's been that way since the beginning of November. Before I get into that, however, let me fill you in on how it all began. On the last week of school, tryouts for the Assistant Captain of the Varsity girl's A basketball team had been held. Due to the fact that only seniors could be the captain of their teams, only juniors could try out for Asst. Captain. With this said, my best friends, Alyssa Lancaster and Dana Davis, tried out. In the end, it was our friend, Amy Alden who ended up becoming the Assistant Captain. However, Coach Penny declared me as the substitute Assistant Captain. This meant that if Amy could not fulfill her captain duties any longer, than I would take her place. In November, that is exactly what I had to do. Due to the fact that Amy had been drinking on school grounds, she had been expelled and kicked off the team. For a little while, my best friends had been happy for me. Much too soon, however, things began to change for the worse. Soon enough, Alyssa and Dana had randomly quit the team. They had also started ditching me and ignoring my phone calls, and ignoring me completely at school. Even my best guy friend, crush and Alyssa's twin brother, Aaron, started doing the same thing, too. However, all of those things hurt way less than when they told me that they didn't want to be friends with me anymore. This had happened over Thanksgiving break. Even to this day, I still don't know why Alyssa, Dana, and Aaron ditched me. After all, the fact that I had become Asst. Captain didn't change me. It didn't go to my head. On a different note, being the most popular girl in the junior class and having many friends definitely came in handy. I had many friends to keep me company. I even hung out with some friends from my church and did some volunteering. Pulling my long brown hair into a ponytail, I took a deep breath and followed the rest of the team onto the gym floor. After all, we had the Regional Championship to win.

"Are you okay, Captain?" Jessica Keller wanted to know. "You don't look so good.""I am just nervous about this game, that's all." I replied, tying the laces of her soccer cleats." How come?""Besides it being the last game of the season, talent scouts from Schreiner, Baylor, and Texas Tech are going to be there today.""Simone, there is no reason to be nervous." Jessica smiled, reassuring-ly. "Need I remind you that this team has not lost a game the past two seasons because of you?" Before I had a chance to thank Jessica for her kind words, Coach Sara was informing us that it was time for the game to start.

Well, my friends, it is official. The time for the juniors and seniors of Terrence Hill High School to gather for one special night has finally arrived That's right, my friends, it's time for Prom Due to how excited she is, and with all of the wonderful things that have happened in her life lately, it is only natural that seventeen-year-old Emma Greer is anticipating that tonight will be one of the best nights of her life As she will soon learn, however, things are not always as they seem. When two people from Emma's recent past try to crash the Prom, it threatens to turn Emma's magical night into one of magnificant distaster With the help of her best friends and her love interest, however, Emma makes it her mission to make sure that her Prom night is the best that it can be In this story of love, friendship, and pushing forward, follow Emma and her friends as they make it their mission to make this very special and amazing night, exactly that

By the time I had made it to my locker and put my things away, at least fifty people had congratulated me on a job well done at State. Giving each of the people who had congratulated me on a job well done, I thanked them sincerely. As I made my way to first period Environmental Science to take my final exam, I could not help but smile. Besides feeling confident about my exam, I also felt extremely happy. Knowing that I came through for the team made me feel amazing.

When we think of Prom, we think of fun times of hanging out and danc-ing with our friends and or dates. With this said, it isn't of any wonder that seven-teen year old Haven Kelley thinks that tonight is going to be the best night of her life After all her best friends, Olivia Davis and Alyssa Miller, as well has her love interest, Chris Jacobs, will be dancing the night away to-gether. It sounds like the perfect night, right? It does, but appearances can be deceiving. As Haven will soon learn, Olivia is not who she seems and her secret that she has been keeping has the power to shatter the friend-ship that she has with Haven... for good.

The final week before Christmas break has arrived, and the students of Norrington High School could not be more pumped. This is especially true for seventeen-year-old Simone Smith. After all, she has three blissful weeks of Christmas Vacation to look forward to Even though she is truly looking forward to this wonderful event, Simone must do one of the hardest things that she has ever done in her life: Forgive the two girls whom she believed to be her best friends. Even after Shannon and Shelby Ashton ditched her for no reason at all this past summer, Simone believes that there is a chance that the tattered friendship can be repaired. With this said, Simone is hopeful that it truly can be. In this story of forgiveness and moving forward, follow Simone, her boyfriend, Scott, Shelby, and Shannon as they learn what it takes to forgive and move forward.

"I can't wrap my head around the fact that Kendall is gone." Katie James sniffed, retrieving yet another tissue. "It hurts too much.""I know, sweetie." Ashley Martin whispered, wrapping her arm around her best friend. It was Tuesday morning, and the girls were huddled together on the Johnson's sofa. Their best friend, Andrea O' Connell, was in in the same situation. Without it being said, the girls were grateful to have one another to lean on. This was truer now more than ever. Four days ago, Kendall Johnson and Jake Knight had been killed in a car accident. The fact that they had been two of the girls' best friends had made this situation extremely difficult to handle. Katie had spent all of Saturday in her room bawling her eyes out. The funeral for Kendall had been held earlier this morning. Having to say goodbye to Kendall had been very painful. Katie could not imagine how difficult this must be for Mr.and Mrs. Johnson. The fact that they had even volunteered to have the reception at their mansion was surprising to Katie and the others. If they were in this situation, the last thing that the three girls would want to do would be to hold a reception at their home. It would just be too much to bear.

It is the first day back after spring break, and Emma Greer is feeling both excited and nervous. Today marks the first day of her reign as Captain of the Terrence Hill High School Varsity Lady tennis team. On a less positive note, it is also Emma's first day back to school after her ex best friends pulled a prank on her that landed her in the hospital for three days. At this point, Emma's worst fear is that the kids at school will tease and torment her. However she soon learns that that is not the case at all. As March turns into April, new oppurtunities and longtime kept secrets are brought to light for Emma. As Emma will soon learn, these two things have the power to enhance and rewrite Emma's future...forever. In this story of bravery, new opportunities and revelation, follow one girl on her journey as she finds out what can happen when you conquer your fears, follow your dreams, and open your heart to new things.

"Ashley Brecken?" The nurse called. Running my hand through my pixie-cut red hair, I gave the nurse a smile and stood up. With my parents in tow, I followed the nurse to an examining room. Ten seconds after the nurse checked my vital signs and shut the door behind her, there was a knock on the door. Immediately, Dr. Bolton walked in. Judging by the look on her face, I knew something was up. Judging by the panicked looks on my parents' faces, they knew something was up. Looking at my Mom and Dad, Dr. Bolton said, "I am glad that you both are here with Ashley today, because I have something to tell you.""What is it, Patricia?" Mom asked, gently. "What did the tests show?" Running a hand through her long, blonde hair, Dr. Bolton said solemnly, "It shows that Ashley has developed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia."

"Ash?" Maria asked, taking a bite of her pepperoni and cheese pizza. "May I ask you some-thing?""Of course." I smiled, enjoying my ham and cheese sandwich. "What do you want to know?""How do you do it?" Maria wanted to know. "How do you attend those weekly Chemo and monthly radiation sessions, knowing that you will feel tired, and maybe even sick after-wards?" Putting my sandwich down, I sat quietly for a moment. It wasn't that I was offended by Maria's question. Actually, it was quite the opposite. I was touched that she was asking me about my treatments. When I was diagnosed with Leukemia last May, I was quickly sent to St. Jude's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Even though I made friends with the other patients and staff, no one had really ever taken the time to ask me such a deep question. As you can probably imagine, I was more than happy to answer questions like that whenever my friends and family would ask them. Bringing myself back to reality, I replied, "Even though it is hard to go, sometimes, I go to my treatments because I am inspired by what the future holds, and the many people who inspire me to get better."

For those of you who don't know, Brooke Simone is the most popular teen singer out there. She also happens to be Katie's cousin. In May, Brooke had asked Katie to be a backup dancer on her tour. As luck would have it, the last concert of the tour will be held tonight right here in Denver, Colorado. Due to the fact that the tickets had sold out within five minutes of going on sale, my sisters and I had not been able to get tickets. However, that all changed yesterday afternoon. Around 3:15, Chelsea, Claire, and I had received a package. Contained inside it were birthday gifts from Katie. There had also been a gift from Brooke inside the box that was un-beknowst to Katie. Besides three tickets for tonight's show, Brooke had also given Chelsea, Claire, and me backstage passes and t-shirts. There had also been a note from Brooke. The note had explained that Katie missed my sisters and me so badly. Because of this, Brooke had secretly sent us the tickets and backstage passes so we could surprise Katie at the concert tonight With this said, you can only imagine just how much excited that I, Cody Adams, am about seeing my amazing girlfriend.