"Ow, what the frick? I squeal as my best friend, Caroline, tugs a brush through my tangled  mop of champagne blonde.

She rolls her eyes and replies for what has to be the seventh time. "Hold still! I'm almost done."

"You said that like twenty minutes ag–" Tug. She cuts me off mid sentence and yanks the brush even harder. "Ow! Oh sh–"

"Finished!" She exclaims and carelessly tosses the brush on the counter.

Caroline expertly proceeds to curl my hair in under ten minutes, and runs her fingers through the waves, giving me that perfectly windswept look. After adding the finishing touches to my hair, which consists of a few sprits of hairspray, my best friend lugs out her makeup kit. As soon as she opens the shiny black box, I swear I get Hannah Montana vibes. Inside her makeup stash is an endless supply of high end foundation and concealer, an array of brushes, at least ten tubes of mascara, and every lipstick shade you can imagine. And that is just half of her collection.

Oh the perks of having a best friend who will be starting her first year at a highly acclaimed makeup and hair academy in New York City this August. She is going to make an amazing makeup artist, and I can't wait till she does makeup for famous actors and actresses, so I can meet them!

And what about me? What do I want to do with my life? I have absolutely no clue. I am a senior, about to start my last semester of high school, and I have no idea what I want to major  in. I am running out of time to decide, and I cannot catch a break from my parents about it.

"Earth the Alice!" Caroline snaps me out of my thoughts as she lightly taps my head with a comb.

I come to and peer at my reflection in the mirror, my rich navy eyes dominating my other features. "Hmm?"

"Are you excited for the party?" She smiles knowingly at me in the mirror. To say I'm excited would be an understatement. This was my first time being invited to one of the "popular's" parties. As soon as Caroline and I received the invitation, we were ecstatic. This is going to be the best New Year's party, and anyone from Charlotte High that has connections to the populars will be there.

I swivel around excitedly in my chair to face my friend and reply, "Yes! I have been looking forward to this party since we got out for Christmas break." I beam childishly as she spins the chair back around, and I'm facing my reflection once again. "Are you excited?"

Caroline shrugs nonchalantly and resounds an unenthusiastic, "I guess so." In reality, I know she is just as pumped as I am. To most, her flat reply may seem indifferent and uninterested, but I, her best friend, can easily detect the flicker of excitement lingering in her eyes, radiating the true adrenaline that lie underneath her detached exterior. According to the social hierarchy of high school, Caroline and I are somewhere towards the middle of the spectrum. Although I don't consider myself part of the deranged idea of social statuses, the populars must deem us likable enough to invite us to a party, a New Year's eve party nonetheless.

I am not exactly sure what to expect, other than the booming pop music and the empty beer cans strewn everywhere, like all of those cheesy teen fiction novels mention. Quite frankly, I'm not even sure if I even believe that aspect of parties are true, but I guess I should prepare myself just in case. I know for a fact there will be alcohol, but I have already decided that drinking is not really my scene.

Caroline, on the other hand, I'm not sure about. She is a pretty mild teenager compared to most of the girls at our school, but I will not be surprised if she has a drink and finds a guy or two while she's at it. I don't necessarily agree with her idea of a good time, but I love and respect my best friend regardless.

The creamy texture of a pinky nude lipstick against my lips halts my thoughts from it's runaway track, as Caroline finishes up my makeup. "Finished," she states and twists the product back down into its container, shutting it with a resounding click and placing it back into the endless depths of her makeup collection.

I stare into the scummy bathroom mirror, appalled at the reflection staring back at me. My eyeshadow is absolutely gorgeous, silver tones melting into milk chocolatey ones. My navy blue eyes pop dramatically against the assortment of colors painted onto my lids, and my eyelashes look like they are straight out of a mascara commercial. As for my eye makeup, Caroline kept the look natural, with a beautiful subtle baby pink blush and some bronzer to tone up my ghostly countenance. As for the highlight, it is popping like a popped p from all those wattpad novels.

Caroline pivots the chair back around so I am able to stand up. Pins and needles shoot through my legs as a result of them falling asleep, but I ignore the feeling and push myself up off the seat. I grab my pair of black heels to match my outfit, which I proudly picked out myself. The look consists of black leather jeans and a sparkly crop-top with shimmers of gold, silver, and black to compliment the neutrals. I glance at my friend and can't help but notice how similar we look, disregarding our outfits. Our hair resembles almost the exact same shade of champagne blonde, and both of our eyes are the same deep-toned blue.

I exclaim and grab my friend by the arm, "Let's go!" I had agreed to drive since I wasn't planning on drinking any alcohol. I am only seventeen, after all, and I don't plan on breaking the law just to maintain a "cool" image. Caroline and I trek down the stairs and out of the front door to my small black suv parked in front of her house. As soon as I twist the key in the ignition, the engine roars to life, and music floods our ears. Internally I cringe at the overplayed pop song, and share a look with Caroline.

"Aux!" We practically scream in unison, and I quickly push the auxiliary cord over to her. As I drive off down the road, she shuffles one of her Spotify playlists and we sing along.

About forty-five minutes later, thanks to downtown traffic and the time it took to search for a parking space, we finally find ourselves standing outside of the venue. The populars had chosen to rent out a vintage high rise warehouse which is used for parties and receptions now. The most interesting feature of the building was the rooftop view overlooking the skyline of Charlotte.

We eagerly make our way up to the roof where the main hub of the party is going down. My eyes are automatically drawn to the breathtaking view of the many lights accentuating the silhouette of the skyline in the distance. My eyes remain trained on the beautiful sight in front of me, and the sound of blasting music and people hollering around me can't even break the effect it has on me, until someone literally breaks my line of sight.

A body rams right into me, sending my slender frame to the ground. I am instantly grateful I am wearing pants. If this had happened to Caroline, everyone would have seen a lot more under that short black dress of her's. My butt aches as soon as I tumble to the concrete ground.

"I am so sorry!" A recognizable voice calls in my direction, and my eyes snap to the guy standing in front of me who is holding his hand out in an attempt to help me up. As I place my hand in his, a familiar warmth spreads up my arm and shoots throughout the rest of my body like a bolt of lightning exploding violently through the ground. The pair of emerald green eyes staring back at me causes my heart to skip a beat. A few strands of his coffee brown hair has fallen in his face, and I have an aching urge to brush the silky locks back into place, desiring to feel the soft texture against my fingertips. "Oh my gosh. I am about to sound super stupid if I'm wrong, but is that you, Alice?"

As soon as his lips form the syllables of my name, I am dumbfounded. I am completely shocked to find that the figure towering in front of me is someone I used to know very well.

"C-Conner?" I choke out, unsure of my assumption. If I was right, this was my childhood best friend standing in front of me. Throughout our entire childhood, Conner and I were the best of friends. We pulled pranks on our siblings together. We went on secret spy missions in the park together. We played sports and other games together, and anything else you can imagine. We were inseparable, and nothing and no one could pull us apart, until he moved away five years ago.

How I recognize him is beyond me, because five years time makes a heck of a difference. When he left North Carolina for the big state of Texas just years before, he had been the same chubby little Conner I had always known and loved, but standing in front of me now was a completely new Conner. Long story short, puberty was kind to him.

He gently releases the grip on my hand and his eyes soften as he speaks, "I haven't seen you in forever. How are you?" Heat burns slowly up my neck as I realize he had been holding my hand. I used to have a little crush on Conner back in the day.

"I've been good. What about you?" I croak out, confusion clogging my voice. I know Conner always flies back to visit his grandparents on Christmas, but I'm not sure why he is still here on New Year's Eve, and at a high school party nonetheless. Chances are, the populars don't remember him from elementary school.

He shrugs casually, "I'm good, I guess." His green eyes peer into mine, and I swear I might melt under his gaze. This guy standing in front of me is... How do I describe him? Adorably hot? His features are defined and chiseled–I can only imagine how his taut muscles must ripple with each movement–but the line of freckles tracing a path under his eyes soften his sculpted build. "Hey, I know this might sound kind of crazy...but would you maybe want to get out of here?"

My lips part slightly in surprise at his declaration. What exactly is he suggesting?
He must pick up on my hesitation because he quickly adds on, "I-I mean to catch up on things of course! We haven't seen each other in years, and I...we were such good friends, and I kind of miss you–us...being friends I mean." I am tempted to laugh at his rambling, but force myself to control my instincts. Why does he sound so nervous?

I contemplate his request but decide I would rather hang out here. Caroline and I were invited to this party, after all, and I want to enjoy this high school experience. Speaking of Caroline, where is she? "I would love to, Conner, but I came with my friend, and we were kind of planning on just hanging out here. It was really nice to see you again, though!"

"That's alright! I'll see you around!" He waves, and I push through masses of bodies dancing wildly to the music blasting from the speakers, leaving Conner behind without another thought. Searching the crowd for Caroline, I finally spot her standing with a guy and drinking a can of beer. Do I really want to third wheel? Not really. I will just find some people from school to hang out with.

I pick apart the crowd to find a fellow classmate until I notice everyone here is people I don't ever talk to. This whole party thing is starting to feel a little stupid, and I wonder why I ever thought it would be a good idea to come.

I spin around abruptly as I feel a tap on my shoulder. I instantly recognize the girl facing me from my third period French class. "Hey Alice. Are you having a good ti–" She instantly freezes, and a green hue pushes its way onto her pale face. Without any warning, she lurches over and pukes, the contents barely missing my heels. I jump away and make my split second decision that will forever change the course of my night.

I spot him through the crowd and practically sprint in his direction. When I reach him, I interrupt his conversation by linking my arm in his. "If you will excuse, we have something to take care of." I send a wink to the people he had just been conversing with and pull him away. Conner sends me a questioning look and his eyes drop to my arm snaked around his. "Ok, I thought things over, and I would love to get out of here!"

He chuckles his same boyish laugh, and I instantly smile at the familiar sound. With his emerald eyes staring into my own, he chimes, "I thought you would never ask."

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Happy New Year's Eve everyone!! I hope you enjoyed part one of my original short story New Year's Eve.

What do you think about Conner? ;) Should Alice have stayed at the party, or was it a good idea to leave with her childhood guy friend? Let me know what you think in the comments!

Don't forget to vote and follow!

-Lizzy West :)