n e w  y e a r s ; p a r t  o n e

The frozen wind whipped my cheeks and stung my chapped lips. It wove its way through the roots of my hair. I smiled toward the starry sky, puffing a cloud of my breath through my lips.

This? This was what high school memories should be made of.

I ducked my head back into the car, closing the skylight and finger-combing my tousled hair. My friends grinned at me.

"We haven't done this in so freakin' long," Summer commented.

"Um, well, New Year's Eve is typically once a year," Grace quipped matter-of-factly.

"Hmph. Ha, ha, Grace, you kill me," Summer deadpanned. "I mean we haven't hung out in a while."

"Not all together," Jen added meaningfully, glancing at me discreetly from the from the driver's seat.

I blushed. It was true, I'd been flaking on them a lot. Weekends, I often skipped out on sleepovers in favor of ones with Reed, and I skipped class a lot to hang out with him. Besides lunch and hanging occasionally, I barely saw my friends. Even lunch wasn't the same, with stupid Olivia Price being her stupid, pretentious self and butting in on conversations.

I shrugged off the comment. "Well, we're all here now!" I grinned at the girls.

We rode to the huge banquet hall where the New Year's party was going on. Inside, the light was golden and opulent. The dance floor was a sea of black and white, with glimmers of sparkling costume

The  town did this every year: a New Year's Eve party for anyone sixteen and up. Usually, though, there were only a few adults, but enough so the event made us feel like we were at a ball or some place fancy, rather than your usual rager.

Grace gasped from behind me. "There's Aiden!" She scampered over to him. "See you guys later!" she called over her shoulder. She could barely run in her slinky black dress.

Jen laughed at her eagerness. "Have fun!" she called after her, and Grace winked at us.

"There's Matt and the girl," Summer grumbled, referring to the homely brunette next to Matt, Olivia. We pretty much all shared a negative opinion of her, honestly. As much as we tried to like her, for Matty's sake, it was kind of impossible. But she grinned at us anyway, our forced smiles completely going over her head.

"Wonderful," I hissed under my breath. I wasn't sure if me and Matt were okay yet, and I was honestly scared to find out.

"Hey guys," Matt greeted us. He looked, like, really good in his suit. Like, really freakin' good.

Oh Lord.

Summer, Jen and I all greeted Matt and Olivia, who was way too excited to be Matt's date. Clingy and annoying, she was like a puppy with a brand new owner. She was constantly giving him these overly-cute butterfly kisses, and I was constantly wondering why I cared.

I decided to call my boyfriend. You know. The one that I love. The one that is really hot. The one I should be focusing on.

Reed took forever to answer. "Hey, babe."

"Hey, how's the party?" He and his friends were staying in with a small group for New Year's.

"S'good, Lexi. How's your little supervised soirée?" I could see him in my head, rolling his eyes. Reed? At a party with parents? Ha.

I chuckled, weaving my way past people holding delicate flutes full of golden liquid. "Wonderful. Classy. Not your scene."

He laughed, full and probably a little drunk. "Yeah? I'm hurt, Lex, real hurt. I'm sophisticated as, well, right, Jared, tell her I'm sophisticated."

An even drunker voice crackled through the phone, slurring, "Really sophisiticated, he is. Like, he drinks with his pinky up and stuff." There was a burst of laughter on the other line, and I had to stifle my own.

"Who's there, anyway?" I asked, leaning against the wall of the ballroom. I watched Grace dance with Aiden, her blonde head laid on his shoulder in the cutest way. Summer and Jen were dancing with these really good-looking twins we'd met, and Matt slow-danced with Olivia. They were the only couple that didn't make me smile to myself.

"Oh, um, just Jared and Alex and the guys..."

"Don't forget mee-eee!"

The voice in the background was drunken, giggly, and unmistakable.

"Reed," I ground out.

He sighed, the speaker crackling.

"Reed, is that Marin?"

"Alexa, I didn't want you to worry-"

"Reed! Come on. What's she even doing there? You said it was just the guys." I felt myself getting whiny, and hated it. But I hated the thought of Marin, draping herself all over my boyfriend, a lot more.

"Uh, Danny brought her." He sighed again. "Look, babe, I promise, nothing's happening. Ever."

"Awwww, Reed." Stupid Marin again.

I shook my head. "How many more girls did Danny bring, Reed?" I asked coldly.

"Baby, I really didn't want you to worry-"

"How. Many."

"Like two others, okay? But I promise you, Lexi. Nothing is happening."

I sighed. Sounded legit, but I could never be sure. But what was I supposed to do? Make him leave? I was determined to not be that type of girlfriend.

"Alright, Reed. I'll see you later. Don't get too drunk," I told him. I wasn't joking, though. With Marin around, I wanted his judgment clear.

A/N ok reed how bout u just go somewhere mkay

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xx janai