I simply could not comprehend what my mom was talking about. Maybe the attack on our family confused her?

"Mom, I can't go with Riley to Cherry Blossom Hill. Just like Riley pointed out, I have to go back to Oregon a few days later. Besides, what am I going to learn there, I already finished high school?" Mary asked my mom trying to figure out what she was up to.

"Don't worry, girls. I haven't lost my marbles yet. I am sure you remember the girl named Katie, the one that gave you the tour. She is also part of the school newspaper club and she wanted to do an interview with the both of you. Riley as the new student and Mary as her big sister and role model." mom  told us.

Mary and I both nodded slowly and  let mom continue.

"Mary would only stay with Riley a few extra days. After seeing you two playing basketball, some of the students became interested in both of you. Katie spoke to the principal if it would be okay if Mary could join Riley for a little while. The basketball coach heard about Mary's performance and would like her to participate in a practice session and talk to the students." mom explained.

Mary and I were smiling at each other.

"What do you think?" mom asked the both of us.

"That sounds great. I would love to get to know Riley's new school a little bit more. Only if you are okay with it, babe?" Mary asked with a big smile on her  face.

"Are you kidding me? A few extra days with my big sis at my new school? Sign me up." I replied, almost bouncing off my chair.

"Great. The school will provide you room and board and pay you a bit of money for your time. You can just book a plane ticket that gets you back to Oregon directly from Boston." mom let us know.

"Fantastic. College students are poor and could always use a little extra money." Mary told us excitedly.

"Then this is settled. Let's finish our breakfast and get you girls back to your temporary families." dad stated.

We finished up and Mary and I texted our respective hosts to pick us back up soon. This was arranged swiftly. Dad created a group text for all of us so we could stay in touch regarding all future developments. I was excited when Sammy's mom arrived. I could not wait to tell my girlfriend the big news. Finally, Sammy's mom pulled up with Sammy in the back. I hopped in with a big smile on my face.

Sammy and I kissed briefly and then I started talking real fast trying to make sure to let Sammy and her mom know everything that happened.

"Slow down, girl! I know you are excited but please start at the beginning." Sammy asked me calmly.

I told her everything that happened and did not leave out any detail.

"Yes, and then Mary and I thought our mom lost her marbles when she suggested that my new school asked Mary to accompany me." I told my girlfriend.

Sammy laughed.

"I can imagine that. I am happy for you that your big sis can join you for a few days. I wish I could too." Sammy told me, looking a bit sad.

I squeezed her hand and looked her deep in the eyes.

"I am sorry, Sammy. I wish you could come too. I will not forget you when I start at CBH. Pinky promise."

"Thank you. It means a lot." Sammy said, seeming deeply in thought.

Sammie's mom interrupted our moment while we pulled in the driveway.

"We are home, ladies. Why don't you two go up to Sammy's room for now. Read some books or fashion magazines." Sammy's mom said with a smile and a little wink .

"Oh, and please leave the door open. I might need you two to help me with getting the house ready for Christmas eve  tomorrow." she requested more serious looking.

We both nodded and went right up to Sammy's room. We made ourselves comfortable. Sammy's mom brought us up some snacks and beverages after a short while.  After reading fashion magazines and discussing various outfits, Sammy and I started talking about our new Italian friend.

"What do you think Angela is doing right now?" Sammy asked me.

"I have no idea. Why don't we text her and find out?" I suggested.

I texted Angela and she answered right away. She was reading a book but wasn't doing anything else really. Later this evening she was going to have supper with her mom.

"I have an idea. I know it might be a bit extreme, but I think this is our only chance."

"What are you talking about, Riley?"

"I think we need to find a way to have a big fashion show with all the girls. You, Mary, Alyssa, Angela and me. Since Mary and Alyssa will be going back to College soon, Angela will go back to Italy and I will of course start CBH. This is our only chance. We could have it the day after Christmas." I suggested.

Sammy started smiling.

"Out of convenience we could have it here since you will be staying here for a few days as it seems. I bet I could charm my mom to buy into this idea. Gosh, I want to see what cool and probably expensive clothes Angela has." Sammy replied.

"Me too. She looks so fabulous. Anyways, we should do a really good and thorough job helping your mom with getting the house ready. Maybe we can earn a little credit?"

"Good thinking, Riley. Why don't you text the Italian dream girl and see if she is up for this idea. OMG! This will be so much fun."

"Yes, it will be. I can't wait. I will also text Mary and Alyssa. We just need to promise your mom that the house will look exactly like it was before we had our fashion show."

"Yes, Ma'am!" Sammy said in a serious matter while saluting me.

Angela was excited about the idea and Mary and Alyssa were also thrilled. Soon we went back downstairs and asked Sammy's mom where and with what she needed help. She seemed a little surprised about our eagerness to help but gladly agreed to it. She had us do a lot of cleaning, picking up and we also helped with meal prep. Right before supper time, Sammy's mom took us aside because she wanted to ask us something.

"Okay, mom. What is it?" Sammy asked trying to sound innocent.

"What do you want?" she asked both of us looking at each of us with a serious face.

"What do you mean?" Sammy replied seeming clueless.

"Come on, quit playing games. I can see it coming out of your ears. You two are up to something." she told us.

"Well, alright. Riley had this idea of having one more fashion show before Angela leaves for Italy and Mary and Alyssa leave for College. Could we possibly have it here?" Sammy requested while trying to hit the right tone.

The suspension was killing me. Sammy's mom took a deep breath and I could not read her at all.

"Well, I think about it. I will let you know later tonight." she told us.

We both ran up to her and hugged her. She seemed a bit reserved but I could see a little bit of a smile on her face. I felt optimistic about our chances. After a delicious dinner with Sammy's family, we went back up to her room to spend the rest of the evening there and to get ready for bed. Using the group text my dad created, my family and I decided that Mary stays with Alyssa and her family and I will stay with Sammy and her family for a bit longer. Sammy's mom helped me get set up and ready for the night in their guest bedroom. My girlfriend and I decided to hang out in her room some more and talk.

"Do you think your mom will say yes to our fashion show proposal?" I asked my special girl.

"I hope so. How can she say no to such nice girls like us who helped so much getting the house ready?" Sammy remarked.

"I don't know. How could I?" Sammy's mom said who all of a sudden was standing in the door.

"Oh mom, you startled me."

"I am sorry, sweetie. I actually wanted to check if you two need anything before it is time to go to bed? Riley, just go ahead and grab yourself a bottle of water from the kitchen or anything else you might need. I put a pair of Sammie's old pj's on your bed in the guest room."

"Thank you so much. I am so grateful I can stay here."

"Of course, Riley. You are my daughters girlfriend and therefore part of the family. Oh, one more thing. You can have your fashion show." Sammy's mom said causally and went downstairs again.

Sammy and I started hugging and kissing . This was so awesome. I couldn't wait to tell Mary and all the others. Of course, we texted them right away. After all of this excitement it was soon time to get ready for bed. I fell into a deep sleep and when I woke up, it was Christmas eve.

The alarm clock said 7:47. It took me a few seconds to remember where I was. I had to smile because it was so nice how welcoming and loving Sammie's family has been. The upcoming fashion show made me smile even more. However, first there was Christmas eve and Christmas day. So many things in my life have changed since I became Riley. It is unbelievable. Things have progressed with light speed and I still was only at the beginning. Soon I would attend Cherry Blossom Hill. What awesome adventures would wait for me there?

I heard breakfast noises downstairs and decided to investigate who is up and if I can get some food. Sammy and her mom were in the kitchen working on getting breakfast ready.

"Good morning, sleepy head." Sammy greeted me.

"Sleepy head? You are kidding me. It's not even 8 o'clock yet."

"I only got up a little while before you did, well I guess I am kidding. However, I still got up before you." my girlfriend told me while sticking out her tongue at me.

"Is that so?" I replied while sticking out my tongue.

"Girls, stop being silly and rather help me get breakfast ready. I texted with your parents, Riley. They said they will drop by for a little while today after they spent some time at Alyssa's house. Your mom asked me if you can stay until the 27th. I told her since you are a part of the family that you can stay as long as you like. It makes more sense since you silly girls will have your epic fashion show the day after Christmas." Sammie's mom told us.

I walked over to her and gave her a hug.

"Thank you so much, you have no idea how much that means to me."

"You are welcome, sweetie. Now why don't we have some breakfast and enjoy the next two days."

Sammy and I both nodded. I was starving. It was nice to sit in the kitchen with Sammy and her mom and eat breakfast together.

I had to think how Christmas was going to be with Sammy's family. It felt a little weird not doing the traditional Christmas things we do at my house. However, on the other hand it was interesting and refreshing to change that routine up. I enjoyed my time with Sammy's family. I texted with Mary a bit and later that evening her and Alyssa facetimed with Sammy and me. It was a lot of fun and we laughed and giggled a lot. I noticed that Mary and Alyssa both had a mischievous grin on their faces the whole time. I wondered what they have been up to? I guess I can picture it in my head....

Christmas eve and Christmas day went by in a flash. Both days were a bit overshadowed with preparations for our epic fashion show. We tried to be good and be in the moment. We ate wonderful food, had great conversations and played some board games. It actually was very similar to Christmas at my house. Mom and dad dropped by for a little while. They were still working to get our house back in order. My dad was actually successful with getting someone to come out and temporary fix our window. The actual fix was supposed to happen one week later.

On December 26, Sammy and I were working hard to get our fashion show set up. I intended to take a ton of pictures and maybe even make some videos of this epic event. Sammy's mom took us shopping to buy beverages and snacks. We set up a temporary runway that lead out of Sammy's room and into her mom's office. I created a few playlists to have music that fit our little undertaking. My mom kindly dropped a few of my clothes by. Soon Alyssa, Mary and my Italian dream girl Angela will be here. The girls arrived with bags and suitcases full of stuff. It was totally crazy.

After an exciting "Welcome and hello" beginning with lots of hugs, kisses and smooches, we finally set up our clothes. We decided that every girls gets to present three outfits. The other girls who were not presenting were supposed to take notes on each outfit and share their thoughts with us. We started eating snacks and drinking Coke, Fanta and all kinds of other beverages. Everyone talked excitedly and giggled and laughed. Angela had a huge smile on her face. I got a little bit the vibe from her that she might feel lonely with just her and her mom. Nobody around who was her age.  She really opened up a lot.

The first girl to present her outfit was our guest Angela. It felt a little tight with so many girls within such a small space. Granted, Sammy's house wasn't small but the upstairs rooms weren't that big. I had to say though that I liked that too. It made the whole event more intimate. I felt like I will be connected to those girls for the rest of my life. There was a strong bond that we shared and the fashion show made it even stronger.

Angela was wearing a beautiful creme colored dress made by Gucci. She was wearing suntan pantyhose with the dress. She looked gorgeous. All the other girls and me were in awe. What a beautiful young lady.

Then it was my turn. I decided to got for a simple black dress with black pantyhose. Mary's first outfit was a cute skirt and a top. Alyssa wore a beautiful blue floral summer dress and Sammy decided to wear a short skirt, a cute top, black tights and forbidden looking boots.

Every time  a girl walked on our improvised cat walk, all the other girls pretended to be the audience or be a reporter from the local newspaper. We all made sounds of astonishment and amazement. With the music playing  and our loud and rapid talking, we must have been unbearable for Sammy's parents. I believe they decided to go out shortly after we started. Wise decision.

After presenting a lot of different outfits, we were exhausted and collapsed all on Sammy's bed. Her bed wasn't small but five girls was a lot for this bed to support. Most of the girls were wearing pantyhose and our pantyhosed legs were touching. This feeling was just indescribable to me.

"That was so much fun. Thank you so much again for inviting me. You girls are awesome." Andrea told us with a big smile on her face.

"No problem. We loved having you. I am so glad I ran into you at the book store." I told her.

"Yeah, it was a ton of fun. I enjoyed it." Alyssa said.

"It was fantastic. We should do this in the summer some time. Then we can do it outside with a lot more room." Sammy remarked.

"Agreed. It was super fun. You girls are the best." Mary said enthusiastically.

We all laughed and hugged each other. I looked at the clock  and could not believe how much time had passed. We slowly had to start cleaning up. I didn't want this to end. After a bit more snuggling and bonding time we cleaned up the place and made it look like the way it was before our fashion show just like we promised. When we were done, Angela texted her mom to come and pick her up. Mary and Alyssa went back home in Alyssa's car and so it was Sammy and me again. Soon her parents were home. They brought us pizza for dinner.

After we had our pizza, Sammy and I went back to her room. We started talking and reflecting about this amazing day.

"This was so much fun. I loved all of your outfits." I let Sammy know.

"I loved all of yours. I loved the big smile on your face the most though."

"Aww, thank you dear!"

"You are welcome. So what's with your sister and Alyssa?"

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you notice the way they smiled at each other the whole time?"

"Actually, I did notice that."

"Do you think, they....you know...are doing it?"

"Yeah, I get that vibe. It's written all over their faces."

"Interesting."

"Yes, very interesting."

"Riley, I really love you. I know that we are both too young for this but I want you to know that I would like you to be my first. In a few years or so." Sammy said looking like she was going to cry in a minute.

I leaned over to her and gave her a big hug.

"You know, I am worried that when you are at CBH that you will fall in love with a cute girl and forget all about me." Sammy told me now  really crying.

"Shhhh...it's going to be okay. I love you a whole lot. I will never let you go." I promised her while gently rocking her back and forth in my arms.

After snuggling for a while we called it a night. I went back to the guest room and changed into pj's. I soon fell asleep because I was exhausted after this beautiful and eventful day.

The next few days went by in a flash. Mom , Mary and I worked hard to get my stuff ready for Cherry Blossom Hill. The big day came closer and closer. Sammy and I hung out a few more times and Angela joined us on occasion. Mary and Alyssa joined us as well every once in a while  but often spent time alone.

New Years Eve and New Years Day was rather low key this year. Our front window had been replaced and everything in the house went back to normal.Sammy and I spent a bit more time together and so did Mary and I of course. I was so excited she was going to join me at CBH.

My big day was only one day away. I decided that Mary and I needed to have a sister conference before we were to depart for the next chapter of my life. We were sitting on the bed in my room and snuggling a bit.

"How are you feeling, babe?" Mary wanted to know.

"I am feeling great. Ready for the next exciting chapter of my life."

"Great. I am thrilled I can join you a bit. I think this will be a great fit for you."

"I agree. I will learn so many things and get to know so many interesting people."

"Yes, you will. I just want you to know that I am proud of you and that I will always be there for you, baby sis." Mary assured me.

"Oh, Mary. I know. I love you so much. You are my rock, my role model, the most important person of my life. I could not have become Riley without your help." I told her, feeling a bit teary.

"Aw, thanks babe. I sometimes can't believe the self confident and wonderful person you have become. You never cease to amaze me." Mary said to me while getting a bit teary eyed herself.

We hugged which felt like an eternity. Soon it was time to go to sleep. Our suitcases were packed and dad was ready to take us to Boston tomorrow morning.

I had trouble sleeping but eventually dozed off. Before I knew it, the next morning was here and it was time to go. With dad's help, we loaded his car with our suitcases and after saying good-bye to mom with lot's of hugs and kisses, we were en route to Cherry Blossom Hill. What adventures were waiting for me there?