29 || New Year, New me?

Once Christmas is over New Year's approaches like a speeding bullet. Before I know it it's New Years Eve. Which means...

"SLEEPOVER!" Chanel screams.

Every year Ivy's parents have a barbecue and invites all her friends. Barbecue starts at six and ends at midnight. Not to mention Ivy's house has a great view of the fireworks. So every year we have our annual New Year sleepover.

The girls and I arrive at her house early because we always help set up. Ivy opens the door.

"Sup bitchtachos," she greets us. "Mi casa su casa!"

I snap a party hat on her head. "For you."

We dump our sleeping bags and overnight stuff  on her floor before heading out to the backyard where Mr. Miller is hanging up streamers.

"Hey girls," he gets down from the ladder. "Just in time. I need you to blow up some balloons."

"No problem," Nikole walks over to picnic bench and picks up the pack of balloons.

"Thanks," he heads back inside.

"I hate blowing up balloons," Chanel frowns.

I laugh. "That's because you don't know how."

She flips me off.

"It's really not that hard," Ivy says. "Watch," she blows up a perfectly round balloon.

Chanel tries and just ends up wheezing into it. We all double over laughing.

"It's not funny," she throws the unblown balloon at us. It hits Nikole in the face.

"Ew your spit is on it!" She quickly flicks it off.

So Ivy, Nikole, and I blow up balloons while Chanel hangs out on her phone. Sometime later Ivy's mom comes out.

"Great you've got all the balloons blown up," she checks something off a clipboard. "We'll need to hang them up. I'll go get Mike. Thanks girls."

We leave the rest to Ivy's parents and head up to her room to get ready. I put on a high waisted mini skirt with pink fishnets and a turtleneck crop sweater. For shoes I wear my knee high pink boots and use the PINK headband Carter got me for Christmas to push my hair back.

"You look cute!" Nikole compliments me.

"Thanks," I run a brush through my hair.

"So what are some of your New Years resolutions?" Chanel asks swiping on some lip gloss.

"Have a fling," Ivy says. We all turn to her shocked.

"What?" She asks defensively. "I'm open to trying new things."

"But it's so....," I try to come up with a word. "Bold."

"-of you," Nikole finishes.

"Look I know you think I'm Mrs. Uptight but I can have fun. I'm not looking for anything serious but a fling could be fun you know? As long as it's the right guy."

"Well I fully support you," Chanel slings an arm over her shoulder.

"My New Years resolution is to lose my virginity," Nikole announces.

"How far have you guys gone?" I question.

"Far enough."

"Come on we need deets!" Chanel says eagerly. "Like how far?"

Nikole blushes. "I shouldn't kiss and tell..."

"But we're your friends!" I jump up and down. "Pleaseeeee?"

"I promise I won't think you're a slut," Ivy says straight faced and Nikole throws a pillow at her. Ivy catches it laughing.

She takes a deep breath. "Third base."

We all scream.

"You're practically a woman!" Chanel exclaims.

Nikole shrugs still blushing. "I guess."

"And I'm a virgin in all senses," Ivy pouts. "You guys have all had first kisses!"

"Hey mine was stolen!" I exclaim.

"Please so you're saying you didn't like it?"

I huff. "That's besides the point."

"So Nikole is the most experienced and Ivy is the least," Chanel nods. "Makes sense."

Ivy swings a pillow at her and knocks Chanel off the bed. She proceeds to beat Chanel with the pillow.

"I'm sorry," Chanel says in between gasps of laughter. "I had too!"

"Back to New Years resolutions!" Nikole claps. "What's yours Chanel?"

"I want to start a vintage collection."

We all stare at her.

She continues on. "You know like old vinyl records, brooches, thermoses, thimbles, perfume bottles."

"Why?" Ivy asks.

"I just think it's cool," she replies.

I'm not surprised. Chanel has always been the more eccentric one, even when we were little she liked to collect lady bugs and keep them in jars that she had poked holes in so they could breath. When everyone else ran screaming on the play ground from worms and snails she picked them up and moved them to a place she deemed 'safe' so they wouldn't be crushed.

"And now you," Ivy turns to me.

"I don't really have a resolution."

"Well I have one for you," Nikole says. "Tell Carter how you feel."

I laugh. "No way."

"Come on we're all dying for you to be a couple already!" Chanel clasps my hand.

"You'll never know until you try," Ivy adds.

"You forget to say 'and get shot down.'"

"Carter would be crazy to reject you!" Nikole argues.

"You're only saying that because you're my friend," I cross my arms.

"No I'm saying it because you're an amazing, beautiful person and anyone would be lucky to call you their girlfriend. And if Carter can't see that then he's the idiot, not you."

I bite my lip. "I don't know....maybe."

"It's a start," Ivy smiles.

"Girls! The guests are arriving!" Ivy's mom yells from downstairs.

"Well," she stands "That's our cue."

🎆🎆🎆

I'm drawn toward the barbecue like a moth to a flame. The smell of sizzling ribs is like an aphrodisiac.

"Keep her away from the food or she'll eat it all," Jason latches on to me.

"Let go doofus," I shake him off. "Shouldn't you be flirting with anything that has a vagina?"

"Not anything because flirting with you, your friends, or your friends mothers would be gross."

I roll my eyes and walk away from him. Ivy has been actively running in and out of the house refilling coolers. Nikole is off with Ryan (hopefully trying not to compete her resolution here), and Chanel is stuck watching her little cousins. I had been with her for the first half of the party but those little demons- I mean kids quickly made rethink hanging out with her for the time being.

My parents are mingling and I'm patiently waiting for the barbecue to be done. Because I'm bored I open a can of strawberry Fanta.

I hear the roar of a motorcycle engine and quickly set my drink down rushing to the front. Wait. Must not seem too eager. So instead of greeting him like I want to I hang back.

I see him come in with his little sisters who immediately spot me. They drag him over.

"You look so pretty Aubrey!" Sophia gushes.

"I want to dress like you!" Olivia agrees.

Carter frowns. "Not until your twenty your not."

Olivia bouts. "But why?"

"Because that's no way for a five year old to be dressing. Now go find mum."

They skip off and he turns to be. "Aren't fishnets a little risqué for a family party?"

"Do they bother you?" I tease him.

"Oh they don't bother me at all," he rubs his chin. "Just saying they may not be family friendly is all."

"Don't care," I shrug. "It's not like I'm butt naked."

As soon as the words leave my mouth I wish I can take them back.

"Sexual humor too?" Carter grins. "Who are you?"

"That was hardly sexual. You're just dirty minded."

"Can't blame a guy. So where do I get a drink around here."

"Alcohol is for adults only."

"Relax love I meant a soda."

Of course. "Follow me." I lead him to the coolers. He grabs a Mountain Dew.

"So any New Year resolutions?" I ask.

"Nope. Don't believe in it. Why do you need a holiday to change your life?"

"Wow could you be any more pessimistic?"

"Not pessimistic. Realistic."

"Okayyyy," I give him a dubious look.

"Fine I may have one resolution."

"And what's that?"

He sets down his soda and steps right into my personal space. My breathing accelerates because he close, he's way too close. I step back only to bump into the wall by the sliding door. Now I'm caged in.

He places a finger right on my lips, slides a hand down my practically bare leg and leans in. I'm going to die. I'm going to die of either a heart attack or cardiac arrest and they'll write on my tombstone, 'Aubrey Powers, killed by extreme heart palpitations given by her crush Carter King.'

"My resolution," he whispers, "Is to see how much I can get under your skin. And right now I'd say I'm doing pretty well don't you think?"

My voice is stuck in my throat.

He smirks. "Just a little payback for lying to me."

"Seriously," I manage to croak out. "You're still on that?"

He stares deep into my eyes and I can't look away. It's like I'm being hypnotized.

"If you hadn't been drunk," he finally speaks. "I probably wouldn't have pushed you away."

Then he leans back and walks off.

All the air comes rushing back to my lungs and I slump down against the wall.

Breathe in, breathe out.

"Oh my gosh," I say aloud putting a hand to my racing heart.

If you hadn't been drunk I probably wouldn't have pushed you away.

What the hell did that mean?

"There you are," Nikole comes up to me. "I left Ryan with the guys. Did you know Carters here? And why do you look all flushed? And why are you on the ground?"

I shakily stand up. "I'll tell you later."

She gives me a suspicious look. Just then Chanel and Ivy come over.

"I finally managed to pawn over my cousins to my aunt. So what's up? Did I miss anything?"

"Aubrey's being weird," Nikole says.

"What's wrong?" Ivy asks.

"I'll tell you guys later tonight. During the gossip circle."

"Must be juicy," Chanel rubs her hands together in glee.

I spend the rest of the night actively avoiding Carter and hanging out with the girls. As midnight draws near we all gather around for the fireworks.

"Five!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Happy New Year!"

We all cheer as the fireworks go off.

Let's see what the New Year has in store for us.

Ok so I just recently figured out how to put gifs in the story so expect to see a lot of gifs now.

Happy New Years and I hope you enjoyed these double updates. The New Year for Aubrey and gang will
bring lots of new drama I assure you😉

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