Jennica had been texting Cameron for hours about random things; neither of them wanted the conversation to end. She didn't realize it was nearly 11 PM until Valentina came home.

"Is Keeley not back yet?" Valentina asked, hanging up her coat.

Looking around, Jennica realized she hadn't even noticed Keeley had left. Oops. She saw a message from Keeley in her inbox—time-stamped hours earlier but unopened.

"She's staying at her dad's and asked us to feed Molly," Jennica replied.

"Okay. She hasn't done that in a while; I guess she missed him," Valentina mused. "What have you been doing all day? I was working long hours at the hospital."

A blush crept onto Jennica's face as she said, "Do you remember Cameron, the guy I introduced you to on Halloween? We've been texting." She anticipated her roommate's reaction.

Valentina didn't disappoint. She squealed and jumped onto the couch cushion next to Jennica. "All day?! He must really like you! What have you been talking about?"

Jennica hugged her knees to her chest. "All sorts of things: books, movies, music, childhood pets…he's really easy to talk to."

They spent an hour guessing movie quotes and discovered they knew many of the same ones. Another hour was dedicated to funny pet stories. He even sent her pictures of his dog, Ziggy.

She hadn't enjoyed chatting with a guy so much in years.

"Has he asked you out?" Valentina asked eagerly.

Jennica's face fell slightly. She wished he would, so she could see him again. "No. But we only started texting today."

"It's a good thing you met him after your play finished; otherwise, you wouldn't even have time for him to ask you out," Valentina pointed out.

She had a point. Jennica's play had ended two weeks before Halloween; it had eight performances a week, and her role was small. During the play's two-and-a-half-month run, she only played the understudy part four times because the lead actress had a bad cold.

Since the play ended, she'd been resting at home, but it was time to start auditioning again. What a bother.

The stage was her passion, but if she didn't find work in the next month or two, she might have to resort to commercials or music videos to pay the bills. Worst case scenario: clowning or princessing at kids' birthday parties again.

It was unfortunate that prime audition season coincided with her play's run. Most directors had already cast their holiday shows.

"Don't remind me about work," Jennica moaned, stressed at the thought.

Valentina patted her arm. "You'll find something."

"You're lucky; at least doctors always have work."

"Too much work. Do you know how many hours I'll work during my residency? Eighty! I'm going to die," Valentina said dramatically.

"Keeley's going to have the most normal schedule of all of us."

"Once she finishes school, you mean. Her schedule is as bad as mine right now."

Valentina yawned and rubbed her eyes. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight! Let me know if your cute guy asks you out!"

Jennica stared at her phone. Cameron hadn't texted back. Did he fall asleep? It was late.

With a sigh, she got ready for bed, deciding to check for a response in the morning.

"Jennica, your phone is ringing off the hook! Wake up!" Valentina shouted, pounding on her bedroom door.

Blearily, Jennica checked her phone: nine missed calls from her mom. Oh no. She fell out of bed, scrambling to answer the ringing phone.

"Hello?" she asked, panicked and tangled in the sheets on the floor.

"JENNICA RAY STEVENS, WHY DIDN'T YOU ANSWER YOUR PHONE?!"

Jennica held the phone away from her ear. "Mom, I just woke up! What's wrong?"

"It's almost noon, why are you still in bed?! Oh, that doesn't matter. I just got the call; your brother's deployment is ending. He'll be home the week of Thanksgiving."

"What?!"

Brian, her twin brother, was a Navy officer and had been at sea for almost eight months.

"He gets two weeks of shore leave before returning to base, and he's bringing his family. I don't care what you're doing; you better come home to see them for a few days," her mother said impatiently.

Jennica was offended. Of course she would see Brian! They were close, and she adored her two-year-old nephew.

The problem was that she couldn't afford a plane ticket. Her play earnings covered rent and expenses before she found another job.

"…could you pay for my ticket?"

"No! I just replaced all four tires on the car; I can't. See, this is why you should get a real job. You'd be able to afford things! Figure something out," her mother snapped before hanging up.

Conversations with her stubborn mother, Anna Stevens, always ended like this. Their relationship had been strained since Jennica moved to New York to pursue acting.

Jennica had always loved performing arts. She'd taken every dance class imaginable since toddlerhood and starred in school plays from elementary school through high school. Her mother allowed this, believing it would boost her college applications.

Little did she know, Jennica had no intention of becoming a dental hygienist.

Jennica attended community college, earning an associate's degree in theater, claiming her major didn't matter before transferring to a four-year university. Her mother actually believed her.

When it came time to apply to Ohio State, Jennica secretly moved to New York, staying in a hostel until finding a room with five other aspiring actresses. Her mother was furious that Jennica wasn't home for Christmas that year.

This cold war lasted a year until Brian, recently graduated and joining the Navy, begged Anna to let Jennica come home to see him off. Anna reluctantly agreed but gave Jennica a hard time at every opportunity.

Four years later, Jennica was finally making progress in her career; her mother needed to back off. It was better to be happy pursuing her dreams than miserable in a dead-end job.

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