Well, my mama told me there'll be days like this

 "Holy shit," Brick didn't expect to see his Aunt Brit back with her kids and no Carson. Weren't they a package deal? Carson and Brit. 

He wished he'd stayed at the dorm instead of coming home for Thanksgiving. He only wanted a snoozefest but even then he shot hoops with Kevin in the cold just to get away from all the fuss.

Oliver showed up with a redhead. Brick thought he knew her, but he didn't really want to know. Just what was Oliver up to?

On the upside he got to see his nephew Theo, who was older now and he wanted to play basketball with them. But as luck would have it, the snow came and the two along with Kevin ended up at Urgent Care with Strep Throat.

His mother was no help. And asked about Harley. Which Brick had no answers. If he'd been with Harley, this would not have happened.

"Well, I don't want to see you, if you're sick," Harley said once he did finally called her by Friday. Truly, the blackest of Friday's for him. She'd gone to Lincoln anyway to spend her Thanksgiving with Izzy and Cowan. 

"Did Rainy go with you?" He got the courage to ask.

"Why wouldn't he?" She was being questionable and he didn't like it, but then she said she hoped he felt better soon. She'd hate for him to be under the weather. Wasn't he in a tournament soon?

He winced. How did she know?

"Oh God, I'm sorry," Brick said as he winced tears. His throat ached. He wanted to sleep, but he was feeling awful. He didn't like this break he was having with Harley.

Darry knew it was the worst idea ever, Junie helping with Thanksgiving at The Mission, but he took it in stride. A good part of the morning he carried her on his back while he was trying to help with the massive food prep. Finally, he'd had enough by the eleven o'clock hour. He got her ready to serve the sweet potatoes as the folks came pouring in for the  Thanksgiving dinner. 

Naturally, she looked at him like a lost puppy. "You know, all you have to do is smile and the rest will be history?"

He left it to her and got back to baking the rolls in the back. It only made him laugh quaintly thinking how she had a lot of growing up to do. He would just  have to wait for her and hope she learned something in kindness on Thanksgiving, but then again it was Junie and she was one of a kind.

Maddie got what everyone else got at work, the upper respiratory virus that was going around. She sounded horrible when KC phoned her. Boone got it too. So he decided to make Thanksgiving dinner even if he'd never baked a turkey before.

Millie said she didn't know how either, but it came natural to her and she knew all the sides, even the green bean casserole.

"We don't have to have to have turkey for Thanksgiving," she shrugged. Sure, she liked the way the turkey looked when it came out of the oven but told him she'd rather have duck.

"Now you tell me," he laughed. Although, he suspected having duck would be quite expensive. After all, there was a turkey in the freezer at his parents and his step-mom had left Junie a cryptic message for good luck. But Junie was being miserable with her toe. He knew Darry was a keeper. Any other boy would have dropped Junie like a hot potato. 

He looked to Millie, thinking she would be long gone now. He wasn't exactly boyfriend material. Sometimes, he took over a situation when he guessed he shouldn't, but she was still here.

"Do you ever think there is a chance-" KC started to ask about their so-called partnership which was basically music and songwriting.

"A chance for what?" She looked at him as if she was certain to give him mixed signals.

"You know, I like you."

"And I like you."

"It's just I want us-"

"To get married?" She looked at him blankly and then pulled a damp container out of the dishwasher to dry before prepping the food they were taking to Maddie and Boone's.

"Married?" That was such a foreign word to him.

"That's the only way I'm going to be with you," she informed him she wasn't like other girls.