Brent knocked on the door to Eve's room. Kim smiled when she answered the door. "I bet you're looking for Eve."

Brent smiled and nodded. He looked past Kim and saw that Eve was putting on her short leather jacket. Her knee-length black skirt and crimson blouse looked well on Eve's body. "Wow."

Eve looked up and smiled. "I'm just about ready."

As he looked at Eve, Brent knew that everything would be OK, as long as he was with Eve. He had a lot to give thanks for this Thanksgiving, and at the top of his list was the fact that he'd found Eve. That was a miracle.

"OK, OK! I'm coming!" Shannon said, wrapping her red woolen scarf around her neck. The air had quite a chill in it, and the rain didn't help much either.

Chloe stood at the door in her sleek black pants. Her light blue blouse complemented the sweet aura she had about herself. "We said we'd meet Christian at the Arboretum at 1 o'clock sharp. It's 1:10 now!"

Shannon hurriedly threw on her brown parka before rushing out of the room. Chloe quickly followed after her.

"You know, I have so much to be thankful for, Shannon. I've only been here a few months, but I already feel as if I could never leave. I mean, I have such great friends and I'm doing so well in school. Things are a lot different this year than they were last year," Chloe sighed. She didn't like to talk about her life before Midway Prep. It was too painful.

"I know what you mean. Despite having lost the student council race, I've come a long way as well. I mean, I have my column in the paper, and I'm a leading member of the Midway Civic Children's Theatre. Last year I was nobody!" Shannon laughed. "I thank God everyday for my wonderful friends and my wonderful family. Oh, don't forget to remind me! I've got to call Mom & Dad when I get back home, ok?"

"Sure," Chloe smiled as the two continued walking down the hallway.

Allan & Francesca laughed as they walked down the dorm hallway. The uneasiness that had previously been in Francesca's demeanor had disappeared. All they were thinking about today was giving thanks.

"The one thing that I've gained that I'm so thankful for is your love, Francesca. I just want you to remember that. No matter what may come spiraling our way, we'll always have each other. Always."

"You little romantic fool! You're trying to show me up because you know I can't match something like that! Well, all I can say is that I praise God everyday that I have a boyfriend like you who I can always count on," Francesca smiled, squeezing Allan's hand.

"That's enough for me. That's all I'll ever need to know."

The two walked on in silence, but hanging in between them was that common bond, the connection they shared that they were and always would be thankful for.

Jake quietly slipped into Jessica's room. Again, it had taken a while to evade Dr. Erwin, but he finally had. He had to spend this day with Jessica. It was the only thing he could think about.

Jake was thrilled to see that Jessica's eyes were open, which meant she was awake. "Hey, Jess. How's it going?"

Jessica turned over slowly. When she saw Jake, tears sprang to her eyes. Jake, alarmed, took a step back. "I'm sorry."

"No, no-" Jessica's groggy voice was interrupted by a series of coughs. "Don't be."

"What's the matter then?"

"I...heard what...you said. I heard...you say...you...love me."

Jake hesitated. So she did hear him. His words had drifted somewhere into her subconscious mind, where it had kept them there for safe keeping. "So you do."

"Yeah I...do. I...just want you...to know that...I love...you...too," Jessica smiled through her tears.

Jake nearly exploded with joy. He ran up and hugged Jessica. Tears began falling from his eyes as well. Together at last. Together at last.

Mel & Leandra walked into the Arboretum. It was already beginning to get filled with people: students and parents alike. Mel looked upon them with sick eyes.

Leandra squeezed his arm. "You'll do fine, Mel. Just take a deep breath and do it like you always do."

"But Mom...All these people!" Mel gasped as he looked about the expansive room. The stage looked so small on the other side of the room compared to the people.

"Just go up there and speak from your heart. That's all you can do," Leandra whispered before going to find a seat.

Mel looked after her with frightened eyes. He couldn't get up in front of all those people and speak. He just couldn't! But he knew that someone had to, and it looked like that someone would have to be him. He made his way across the room and behind the stage. Before he escaped behind the curtain, though, someone caught his attention from the corner of his eye. It was Chantal. She was waving at him.

Shannon & Chloe walked up to Christian. Shannon squeezed his shoulder. "How're you doing?"

Christian smiled weakly. "I'm holding up. But I'm glad I can have you two here. Who's going to give the Thanksgiving speech this year?"

"Mel Clark. I'm not sure if you know him or not, but he's a really talented speaker. You should hear him! I have a feeling we won't be disappointed this year like years before."

"Why don't we go grab a seat? We want to reserve them before this great mass of people start sitting down. Chloe began walking towards a group of empty seats when someone grabbed her arm. She turned around and smiled when she saw who it was: Brent.

Brent took Chloe to the side and sat her down. "How are you? Are you enjoying your first Thanksgiving here?"

"Oh yes, quite. It's so much different than it was last year. I have some real things to give thanks for," Chloe smiled brightly, her eyes shining.

"I'm glad of that. It's always good to remember to be grateful for the things that we have."

"I totally agree. You know, in a day and age when many aren't half as fortunate as we are, it makes you stop and think how lucky we are. That's why after this I'm going to head down to the soup kitchen for a little volunteer work."

"Really? Is anyone else going?"

"No," Chloe sighed. "It's just going to be me."

"Then I think I'll join you. I think it's about time I started giving back to the community as well. Let's go try and let someone have as good of a Thanksgiving as we're having."

Chloe smiled. She saw that the emcee was beginning to speak. "Look, it's getting started."

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here in the spirit of thanksgiving. As we begin our journey into the 21st Century, it's essential that we continue to remember how our nation began. Here to give a speech on what Thanksgiving means to him is Mel Clark. Please join me in welcoming him as we begin to welcome Thanksgiving into our homes and our hearts."

Mel took a deep breath before stepping out into the applause. The lights were bright, and the room looked even larger before. For one sickening moment he couldn't get any words out of his mouth. Then he remembered something his mother had told him many, many times.

"Share the gift baby, share the gift."

Mel drew himself up. "Thanksgiving means a lot of things to a lot of people. To some, it is a day when you get to travel to see family that you normally don't get to see. To others it means a day of stuffing yourself with turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, and pies. And still yet to others it is a day to gather with loved ones and to give thanks for everything that we have in our lives, to give thanks for the many blessings each and every one of us have in our lives."

"Thanksgiving is a time to look at everything you have. Look at the home you live in, the family that you have around you, and the many friends that you have. It is a time to think about the billions of other humans across the world who have no Thanksgiving food to eat, who have no roof over their heads to protect them from the rain, and who have no family to comfort them in the cold, dark nights. Thanksgiving. Because we are the lucky ones, it is up to us to give back to the people who don't have as many advantages as we do. Do you realize that there are people that are standing out in the rain this very minute that are starving because they haven't eaten in days, or even weeks. Yet they're still giving thanks because they are alive. Thanksgiving is not just about turkey, about seeing Aunt Thelma Mae and Uncle Jeb. It's about being grateful for the advantages that we have, it is about learning to give back to a few of the many who don't and probably never will have as much as we do. Putting a smile on a little child's face is worth more than Bill Gates will ever have. Think about that when you're sitting down and saying grace over Thanksgiving dinner. Think about those children over in East Africa who don't have a Thanksgiving dinner to sit and say grace over. Remember them...and be appreciative. Remember them...and be grateful. Remember them...and be thankful. That, my friends, is what I believe Thanksgiving is about."

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