By the time Alex made it back, it had gotten pretty late, and the party was starting to wind down. People were leaving and shouting promises to return on New Year's Eve and the people who planned to stay through the holidays were finding places to finally get some rest.

"Alex, where were you?! I've been looking for you for at least two hours!" Jo rushed up to Alex the second she walked into the house.

"I'm sorry, I went for a quick walk! I didn't mean to take so long, I really am sorry."

"Yeah, you better be. Now go find Stone--he was looking for you too."

Alex nodded and patted Jo's arm, apologizing again and thanking her for noticing her absence before heading off to find Stone. He greeted her in the same manner Jo had.

"I'm an adult, you know," Alex grumbled. "I didn't grow up just for this."

"Yeah, yeah, you're an adult. You're also one of my best friends and I'd hate to see anything happen to you, okay?"

"Fine, I get it." Her tone was still one of mild annoyance, but there was appreciation in her eyes.

"So you're staying, right?"

"Um, yeah. But I gotta go get something from my apartment."

"Oh. Uh, need a ride?"

"Nah, I wanna walk. I just kind of need some time to think. You know...alone."

"Okay, just don't come crying to me when your kidneys get stolen."

"Stone." She lightly hit his shoulder and shook her head. "That's not gonna happen. I'll be back in a bit, okay? I'll be careful and everything."

"Good, 'cause if you're not...well, there's not much I can do about it."

Alex laughed and nodded. "See you soon, Stone. Tell Jo where I went." And she turned and left the house once again.

It was still snowing, but somehow, she wasn't cold. The city looked pretty; every streetlight had Christmas lights running up it and a little bit of mistletoe at the top. Alex looked up at each one, trying to picture a very different scene.

"Hey, Alex, wait a second!"

She stopped under the light of one of the street lamps and turned around. "Stone? What--"

"I wanted to give you something," he said as he caught up to her. "Here." He held out a single quarter.

"What's this?"

"It's a quarter, what's it look like?"

"I know that, smartass. I mean...why?"

"Don't you remember? Just give me a quarter."

Alex's eyes widened. "Oh...my God. How--why--haven't we all just been doing our best to forget high school?"

"Well yeah, but I remember the fun parts..."

✩✩✩

Just a few more minutes. Just a few more minutes. Just a few...

Alex wanted to scream. Detention was so lame. She hadn't even done anything wrong...in her mind, at least. Now her mom was going to yell at her and probably ground her.

She rested her chin in her palm and sighed, her eyes moving to look out the window. It was snowing; she should be out there making snowmen and snow angels and having snowball fights and...

Something hit the back of her head. "Hey, Alex."

She turned around. Her friend Stone was sitting a few rows behind her, looking at her with a little smile, holding a marker in one hand and a notebook in his other. "Yeah?"

"Quick, before Mr. Wilson comes back: what do you want for Christmas?"

"You're supposed to be doing homework."

"I know, I am! Just...quick, tell me."

"I don't want anything."

"I'm getting you something anyway."

Alex rolled her eyes and put her elbow on the back of her chair. "Just give me a quarter."

Stone blinked. "Okay."

The day before Christmas break, there was a quarter waiting for Alex in her locker, along with a box of her favorite candy and a note simply saying "here's your quarter."

✩✩✩

"It's supposed to be an early Christmas present. What do you guys think?" Jeff asked as he dusted off the seat of his brand-new bike.

"Bitchin'," Alex said. Stone nodded and gave him two thumbs up and Charlie admired the glossy paint while Andy asked how many speeds it had.

"Early Christmas present, huh? Damn, I should go Christmas shopping sometime soon," Stone mumbled to himself. He turned to Alex while Jeff showed Andy and Charlie how easy it was to switch gears on the new bike. "What do you want this year?"

"I don't know. Uh...nothing."

"You say that every time," he replied in a frustrated groan.

"I can never ask for stuff! Okay, just give me a quarter."

"No doubt."

Alex awoke that Christmas morning to her doorbell ringing. She yelled to let her mom know she would get the door and jumped up to see who it was. When she opened the door, however, there was no one there; just a quarter taped to a book about airplanes with a note bearing only the words "here's your quarter."

✩✩✩

"...and Ben keeps stealing my hot chocolate mix! I'm telling you, everyone's out to get me this holiday season."

Alex put a hand on Charlie's shoulder. "Leave your window open tonight and I'll bring you some of my chocolate mix, alright?"

"Yeah, okay. I'll have the fire going."

A car pulled up right next to them. "Hey guys, hop in! You're late!"

"So are you!" Charlie yelled, seeing that it was Stone. She opened the front door and climbed in while Alex dove through the open back window.

"Go, go, go!"

"Jeez, Alex, this isn't Formula One," Stone grumbled as they drove out. "Anyway, why are you two just now walking to school?"

"We got chased by a dog and had to take a detour. Look, we're not asking why you're late--"

"I am," Charlie interrupted. "Why are you late, Stone?"

"I had to go get gas. But who cares? It's the last day before winter break."

"Shit, it is?" Alex asked. "Then why are we even going? Aren't the classes all like half an hour long?"

"Yeah, so?" Charlie asked.

"So what's the point?"

"I--never mind, let's ditch and go to Barry's."

And so they did. Barry's was the burger station that they regularly went to after school. Barry, the owner, usually gave them free milkshakes, ensuring their continuing visits.

When they'd finished their meals of burgers and fries and shakes, they sat there feeling full and happy, playing cards and talking about winter plans.

"I still have to go buy Christmas presents," Stone absentmindedly said as he reached for another card. "What do you guys want?"

"Hot chocolate mix and a locking box to put it in so that Ben can't take it," Charlie grumbled.

"Don't think I won't actually buy that. Alex?"

Alex sighed. "Just give me...a quarter."

That Christmas Eve, the friends all hung out at Alex's place, and when they were gone and Alex was cleaning up before going to bed she found a small red-wrapping-paper-covered box sitting on the couch. "For Alex" was written across the top, so she took it to her room and waited to open it. On midnight that Christmas, she opened it to find a Seattle Seahawks hat nestled in tissue paper in the box. A quarter was taped to the inside lid, and "here's your quarter" was scrawled next to it in red marker.

✩✩✩

"This movie sucks," Jeff whispered.

"You know what makes it even worse? You talking every five seconds," Alex whispered back, making him cross his arms and stick his tongue out at her.

"Where's the popcorn?" Charlie asked.

"Stone ate it all," Jeff replied, jerking his thumb in Stone's direction.

"No I didn't!" Stone defended.

"Then where is it?" Andy whisper-yelled.

"Jeff ate it all."

"Did not!" Jeff actually yelled.

"Well, where is it?!"

"Wow, if this was a movie theater, we'd have gotten kicked out by now."

"That's why drive-ins are the best. Now shut up so I can watch the movie," Charlie said, looking around herself for the bag of popcorn.

It was the first day of winter break, and the friends were watching a movie at the local drive-in. They were sitting in Ben's truck, Charlie having borrowed it from him for the occasion. Jeff and Andy were sitting on the tailgate, Jeff swinging his feet back and forth ad he sipped soda and Andy looking for the popcorn while trying to keep an eye on the movie. Alex and Charlie were sitting cross-legged in the bed of the truck while Stone lay on his stomach behind them, kicking the air with his feet as he wrote something down in the open notebook in front of him.

Alex turned and tossed a pebble she found on the truck bed floor at him. "What are you writing, nerd?"

"Christmas gift ideas. Any requests?"

"Just give me a quarter, will you?"

He nodded and wrote it down.

He came by that Christmas Day to give her his gift in person. He didn't stick around, instead leaving immediately after delivering the present. Alex opened it right away, delighted to see it was a Led Zeppelin tape and a new tape player. There was also a piece of paper folded into a little packet that Alex found to contain a quarter and the words "here's your quarter--love, Stone."

✩✩✩

"That was so long ago," Alex said, shaking her head. "I can't even believe you remember. Or that for four years in a row, I asked for a goddamn quarter for Christmas."

"Yeah, I always wondered why that of all things, but I wasn't gonna deny you it. Anyway, here. Here's your quarter."

Alex reached out and he put it in her hand. Before he could pull his away, she took hold of it, studying his face and noting for the first time how much he had actually changed since high school. "You're great, Stone. I'm pretty convinced you're one of the best people to ever exist."

He laughed. "Probably only to you, Alex. But hey, that's all that even matters."

Alex laughed before turning to sneeze when a snowflake landed on her nose.

"Bless you."

"Thanks. I'm gonna go now--before it gets too late. See you in a bit, alright?" She lowered his hand and let go, waving before turning to leave with the quarter in a tight fist.

✩✩✩

The days leading up to the last of the year were somewhat quiet. The friends all stayed over at Stone's, milling around with random snacks in their hands or watching football. Alex and Eddie were extremely disappointed by the Bears' Saturday loss to the Chiefs, but still had cause for celebration: the Seahawks brought home a win the very next day. The Redskins also won their game, which helped a bit more.

New Year's Eve got off to a crazy start. More people came to that party than the Christmas party and quickly polished off the food they had left. They were about to run out of beer, and no one really wanted to run out into the cold to get any, especially when it started snowing heavily.

"Well, maybe it'll be nice to have a sober start to the new year," Jo suggested, but even she agreed a few seconds later that that was lame.

"Shit, I'll do it. Only someone's gotta give me money because I'm down to my last..." Alex patted her pockets, "...quarter."

Ben laughed and Charlie pushed him off the couch.

"I can go get it." Jerry stood up from his spot on the couch. "I have enough. I think."

"Here," Ben said, standing up and holding some money out to Jerry.

"But I wanted to go...damn, the universe hates me," Alex said as she sat back down. 

"No one said you can't go, Alex," Jerry said, taking Ben's money after a few seconds of Ben waving it in his face. "Come on, we'll go just you and me and have fun getting lost on the way back."

"Don't take too long," Sean said. "Here, take this so you have something to keep you warm." He held out a nearly full bottle of Jim Beam.

"Is this McCready's?" Alex asked.

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Alright, don't tell him we took it and we'll be right back with more." She looked down and caught sight of McCready's brown cowboy hat. "He won't miss this for a minute." She took it and put it on her head. "Let's roll."

Jerry laughed and turned to Sean. "I had nothing to do with that, alright?"

And they were gone. It was pretty cold, but they didn't pay the weather too much mind; they were too busy arguing over some random thing they were both wrong about anyway.

Thanks to one of these arguments that they both may have gotten just a little too into, they did get lost on the way back, going about six blocks further than they need to before they realized their mistake. They finally made it back to find the party had really taken off, with the house practically shaking from the loud music.

"We gotta enter in style," Alex said.

"What'd you have in mind?"

They ended up bursting into the house with Alex sitting on Jerry's shoulders, waving the cowboy hat with one hand and holding the now nearly empty bottle of Jim Beam high with the other. "We're back!" she yelled in sing-song. "And we got a shit ton of beer!"

Everyone looked up and cheered at the sight of the beer in Jerry's arms. Jeff took the cases from him, declaring both of them crazy before heading into the kitchen.

"Hell yeah. Alright, that was fun. Now don't move or I'll break my neck and die." Alex put the hat on her head and hesitated. "On second thought, that might be kinda nice--if you feel like dancing around for a while, I wouldn't be opposed."

"No, dummy. Just be careful."

"Shut up, I know what I'm doing." Alex jumped down, finding it was a longer drop than she'd expected. "Damn, you're tall. Shrink."

"No, you're just short. Grow already."

"Am not."

"Yeah you are."

"No I'm--hey, I want my hundred bucks."

"What hundred bucks?"

"From the bet. Layne and Charlie aren't together yet."

"Whoa, there's still time. I won't give up until 1991 is here."

"It's not gonna happen."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Charlie doesn't just get with people at parties..."

"Well, Layne isn't just anyone, is he?"

Alex thought about it. "Damn, I hate it when you have a point."

Jerry laughed and gestured for her to follow him into the kitchen. "Good luck to you, anyway. I don't hope you win. Here." He opened a beer and handed it to her.

"And I don't hope you win. Thanks."

"Yeah. You don't think we've been drinking too much, do you?"

"Uh...no."

"I mean we haven't stopped chugging beer since Christmas Eve."

Alex took a sip and lowered her bottle. "So what's your point?"

"You--never mind. What do we do now?"

"I don't know. Wanna go watch TV and wait for the new year?"

"Yeah, why not?" Jerry took her hand and pulled her into the living room. They ended up watching Home Alone and Inspector Gadget with Charlie, Layne, Jeff, Mike, and Ben until the football game started.

"Finally, the game! Saints or Rams?" Jeff asked the living room.

"Saints," Alex said at the same time a voice behind her said, "Rams."

"And just what the fuck is your problem?" Alex asked, turning to face the owner of the voice.

"What's yours?" Chris asked, putting a hand on the headrest of the couch.

"You like the Rams?" Alex tapped his hand.

"You like the Saints?" He lifted his fingers and trapped her hand under his.

"And what if I do?"

"Well, what if I like the Rams?"

"Then I don't like you."

"What's wrong with the Rams?" Eddie asked as he walked into the living room with Stone trailing behind him.

"Don't tell me you like them too," Alex said, suddenly flicking her fingers up so Chris's hand was now on the bottom. She turned back to face Chris and grinned. "Ha. Now I have the upper hand."

"I...I don't even know what to say to that."

"Well, Eddie? Rams?" Jeff asked.

"Nah, I'm just wondering why Alex seems to dislike 'em so much."

"Sean likes them. Once when we were kids we bet on a football game and I lost fifty bucks thanks to the Rams."

"Why would you bet fifty bucks on a game?"

"Eddie, I will bet you fifty bucks right now on the Saints."

"You don't even have money, Alex," Charlie piped up.

Alex gave her a blank look. "You're not my friend anymore--"

"I'll take that bet," Stone said, looking up from the sliding puzzle he was holding.

"So will I," Chris said as he managed to regain the "upper hand."

"Goddamn...I might end up a hundred bucks out..." Alex turned to Jerry after shaking hands with both of them. "I'm really gonna need you to just cough up that hundred."

"Hey, we're not gonna settle until the new year comes. And anyway, some faith in the Saints, huh?"

"Look, I'm taking no chances. But I'm not really worried."

"I don't think I wanna bet against the Saints..." Eddie looked at the screen.

"Come on, I'm doing it, and I don't even have that much cash to spare!" Stone said.

"Yeah, 'cause you're you," Jeff chimed in. "Be smarter than him, Eddie."

"I'll bet, but my money's on the Saints, not the Rams." Eddie put his hand out and Stone and Chris shook it while Alex patted his shoulder with her free hand.

"No one ever takes my advice," Jeff huffed, crossing his arms and sinking back into the couch.

"Your advice sucks," Alex said, not even listening to herself as she tried to pull her hand out from under Chris's.

"You suck."

"That's not what your--hey, touchdown!"

Long story short (and just to forego all the swearing), the Saints won. Chris and Stone almost immediately tried to get around the bet, but there were no grounds for their claims and they were both one hundred dollars poorer while Alex and Eddie gloated from there to New Orleans.

"What a fun way to wait for the new year, huh?" Charlie remarked.

"Oh, shit, I'd forgotten about that," Layne mumbled, making Charlie laugh.

"How much time's left?" Jerry asked.

"Forty-five minutes," Ben replied. "I think. This watch stops a lot."

"Put on the news, they always have the time," Charlie suggested.

"You don't trust my watch?"

"I don't trust you in general."

Ben narrowed his eyes at her. "And to think I almost thought of you as my sibling."

"We are siblings."

"That's what you think--"

"He's right, there are forty-five minutes left. Now shut up before I call your mom," Alex threatened. Ben and Charlie stopped and looked down.

"We're not babies..."

The last forty-five minutes of 1990 went by in a breeze. Everyone was talking about how much they'd done that year and how much they hadn't--well, everyone except the idiots in the living room. Alex and Jo (who finally decided to make an appearance) arm-wrestled while Jeff and Stone tried to play some card game on the same table they were having their wrestle on. Chris and Eddie were still talking about the football game, and Jerry and Layne were arguing with Charlie about cars. Well, Jerry was arguing with Charlie. Layne was actually on Jerry's side but he didn't really want to disagree with Charlie so he just kind of stayed quiet.

"Hey, it's the last minute!" someone in another part of the house yelled.

"Somebody wake Ben up," Alex strained to say.

"You should do it," Jo managed. "I'll let ya forfeit..."

"Not gonna happen."

"Are both of you really strong or really weak?" Stone asked, putting down a card.

"I could beat you in an arm wrestle is all I'm gonna say," Alex said.

"Oh, okay, sure. I'm after Jo, then."

"Forty-five seconds!"

"Do you believe in New Year kisses?" Alex asked Jo.

"Uh, I don't think it's especially good luck, but I think it's nice to have someone to kiss."

"Huh. Well, since you and I are probably gonna be here past midnight..."

Jo's eyes widened a little and she made the fatal mistake of being caught off-guard and loosening her muscles, giving Alex a split-second advantage that she used to finally win the stupid wrestle. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Charlie facepalm and get up to go to the kitchen, Layne going after her a second later with the very quiet excuse that he was going to get more beer.

"God damn you," Jo said, rubbing her arm. "I hate you."

"I love you too."

"Thirty seconds!"

"Alright, I'm gonna go find some water," Alex said, standing up.

"Why? Have you finally decided you should drink something other than beer?" Chris turned to ask.

"No, I need someone to kiss and my reflection's probably my best bet."

Jeff laughed. "Alex, that's so sad."

"Oh, says you, Mr. Loses-Ten-Card-Games-In-A-Row. And to Stone, no less! He sucks!"

"And that's why you're gonna be kissing your reflection at midnight," Stone said as he shuffled the cards.

"Yeah? Who are you gonna kiss? Jeff?"

"Fifteen seconds!"

Alex looked around. "Alright, who the hell was I supposed to be dating..."

"Me," Chris, Jerry, and Eddie said at the same time.

"You're my girlfriend," Chris reminded her.

"We're getting married," Eddie said.

"Ten! Nine..."

"Screw this. Where's the water?"

"Eight, seven, six..."

"Chug this beer instead. New Year's kisses are omens, you know."

"Five, four..."

"I wanna shotgun it, hang on..."

"Three, two..."

"Ready!"

"One!" It felt as if the entire house had exploded. "HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Alex broke her chugging record that night, finished the entire big can of beer in about four seconds.

"Hey, you broke your record!" Stone was sure to point out.

"Yeah, that was--" Alex stopped and her eyes nearly popped out of her head as she somehow caught a view of the kitchen when she turned to high-five Stone. Charlie and Layne and their own New Year's "omen." She reached out and grabbed Jerry's arm, turning him to face the same direction she was.

"Oh, I guess I win. Told you there was hope."

"What? No way, it's 1991 now."

"You don't know for sure when they started."

"Well, they're not together. They're just kissing. For too long. Hey Charlie, what are you trying to do, suffocate him?" Alex yelled.

Charlie hid her face in Layne's chest.

"We didn't actually establish what it means to 'get together' but I kind of think this is good enough."

"You think, you don't know. And that's just you kind of think, not even you think for sure."

"Okay, I think for sure that this is good enough."

"I guess that's just too bad because you're wrong."

"You're wrong."

"Your face is wrong."

"Your life is wrong."

"Your guitar is wrong."

"Your entire existence is wrong."

"Layne is wrong."

"You take that back right now--"

"I refuse."

"Oh my God, you two are gonna drive me crazy. Can't you guys go fight in Portland or something?" Jeff groaned.

"I would, but I don't want to..."

"Hey, where's Jo?" Jerry asked, interrupting Alex.

"I don't know. Why, you in love with her or something? Jeez..."

"You jealous?" Jerry asked, only joking.

Alex looked right in his eyes and replied, "yes."

"Oh, okay." He blinked. "Sorry. I was just curious. You're still my number one girl."

"Yeah, I better be," Alex grumbled. "You still owe me a hundred bucks."

"You owe ME a hundred bucks--"

"YOU KIDS ARE DRIVING ME UP A GODDAMN WALL WITH ALL YOUR WAGERING! WILL YOU JUST FORGET THE DAMN BET AND BE CIVIL FOR FIVE MINUTES? IT'S A NEW YEAR, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!"

Alex turned and put a hand on Jeff's shoulder. "Calm down, Jeffrey. A new year isn't going to bring a new me, I hope you know."

"Yeah, I was worried that would be the case, Alexandra."

"Don't--"

"Hey, where did Charlie and Layne go?"

"JERRY, WHEN ARE YOU GONNA STOP TRYING TO CHEAT ON ME--"

"NO ONE'S CHEATING ON YOU, GODDAMMIT, CALM DOWN--"

"I'm gonna go sleep," Stone said, standing up. He patted Jerry on the shoulder. "Good luck, man."

"Me too. Screw this," Jeff said, standing up and waving to everyone as he left.

"Okay, really, where the hell did Charlie and Layne go?" Alex looked around.

"Probably somewhere they wouldn't be bothered by you," Chris said from behind Alex.

"You're on really thin ice," Alex warned. "Now accept the Rams lost and move on. Alright, I'm gonna go jump off a bridge now."

"Why?" Eddie asked, standing up. "Can I join?"

"Because I kind of want to sleep but there's no way I'll be able to do that here."

"And so dying is your solution?" Chris asked.

"Dying is my solution to everything, Christopher."

"Why are you...like this?"

"If I knew, I'd tell you. For real now, I'm going to sleep. No one wake me up or I'll kill everyone." She took her flannel shirt off and curled up on the couch, using the shirt as a blanket. "Good night, idiots."

"Good night."

"Night, Alex."

"G'night, other idiot."

Alex laughed and hid her face under her shirt, finally closing her eyes. "Happy new year."

"Happy new year," the three guys chorused; the last thing Alex got to hear before finally drifting off.

✩✩✩

well, that wraps up the holidays. over before the real ones even started. i hope everyone enjoyed even though this was trash on crack. anyway, remember to stay safe and hydrated, have fun, listen to good music, be what you wanna be, and stay sober for Layne. until next time!