Michael was in the middle of a homework assignment when he got a text from Sarah. It was a group selfie of everyone in front of the Christmas tree using a selfie stick she had bought on a whim. They must have barely put it up; it hadn't been there when he visited over his short Thanksgiving break.
She had been excited at the prospect of cooking a full Thanksgiving feast after learning how to cook a turkey properly in school. He already knew she was a good cook so there was no reason not to go back.
His college was a little less than two hours away from Topsfield by car so it was close enough to visit semi-frequently but too far to make the trek every day and continue living with everyone else. Since moving away in August he had been back for Labor Day weekend, Halloween, and Thanksgiving.
