Happy New Year
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Happy New Year
It was New Year’s Eve.
Glancing sideways at my calendar, the day only meant one thing to me. It meant that it had been exactly one month ago, today, that I had last spoken to Soda.
Staring out my window at the falling snow, I realized that this would be the first time in eight years that I wouldn’t be spending New Year’s Eve at the Curtis’ house. Even before Soda and I started going out, we had been best friends since we were little kids. Every year, my parents went out partying at skanky clubs, leaving me on my own. Mrs. Curtis had invited me over to their house for New Year’s Eve when I was seven years old, and I had made a sort of tradition of going there every year.
But now, this year, I felt more alone than ever before, as I watched my parents drive out of the driveway. I knew I would wake up tomorrow morning to find them both passed out on the couch.
“Happy New Year, Sandy.” I told myself, brushing away the tears that fell down the side of my face.
The house seemed even quieter than usual. I had stayed by myself numerous times; I spent more time here alone than I did with my parents. Yet, this time, every creak of the foundation seemed to echo through the house a hundredfold. I don’t think I had ever felt so alone in my life.
Glancing out the window, I caught sight of the family next door through their living room window. They were gathered in the living room, wearing the most ridiculous party hats I had ever seen, and munching on popcorn while they watched TV. It wasn’t exactly the most traditional thing I had ever seen, but at least they were together. At least they had each other. Who did I have? No one, really.
I was not typically the sort of person to sit around and wallow in her own misery, but there was nothing I could do, really. My parents were gone for the night, Soda wouldn’t talk to me, and my friends were all out with their own families.
Suddenly, I whirled around, and slammed the wall with my fist, bringing with it all my pent-up anger about tonight.
“Damn you, Sodapop Curtis.” I growled, a growl which quickly turned to a sob as I suddenly found myself crying hysterically while nursing my fist in my other hand (I had probably broken some bones).
And that was when I decided I had to do something about it.
************************************************************************
Soda’s house was right down the street from mine, so it really was no big deal to walk there. However, the cold was icily bitter, and I was pretty much a Popsicle when I got there.
The lights were on in the Curtis’ living room, so I decided that I had a right to be nosy and glanced in. Quickly taking a head count, I counted them off on my fingers. One… two… three… four… I stopped, then glanced up. The light in Soda’s bedroom was on. A-ha. There you are, number five.
I glanced around, then decided to do things the old fashioned way. Finding a good-sized rock on the ground, I looked up and winged it as hard as I could at the window.
Well, the window didn’t break, at least, but it probably did put a good-sized scratch on it. Way to go, girl.
In any case, it got his attention. The window opened, and he stuck his head out, staring down at me. The moment he caught sight of me, he withdrew his head and slammed the window shut again.
I’m not sure what I felt at that point; it could’ve been sadness, anger, self-pity, misery, or probably all of them. Fine, I told myself, my tears frozen onto my face. If Soda was going to still be mad at me, then I could be mad at him.
I had turned on my heel and was trying to properly storm away angrily without completely breaking down and sobbing hysterically again, when I heard the front door open behind me.
So much for storming away angrily. I turned around hopefully, still crying silently.
Soda was standing there, barefoot and without a coat, watching me.
“Where did you think you were going?” he asked me finally. “Get back here.”
Was he angry at me? I looked into his eyes, which were usually a pretty good gauge at his emotions, but, the moment I made contact, he blinked and looked away.
“I don’t even know why I came.” I sniffled, trying to be a big girl. “I hate you, Sodapop Curtis. You were wrong, and I never want to see you again.”
I tried storming off angrily a second time, but it didn’t work, because Soda wasn’t about to let me go that easily.
“You don’t mean that.” he said. He looked hurt, he really did. He should’ve known that my heart wasn’t totally into that ’I hate you’ thing I just delivered.
“Oh, hell, I don’t!” I sobbed, pounding my already-injured fist against the side of the house, then cried all the harder because, damn it all, it really did hurt.
Soda looked torn for a moment, like he didn’t know what to do, then he walked out toward me, even though there was snow on the ground and he wasn’t wearing any shoes, and held me for a moment. It was just like the good old days, until he spoke up again.
“Why did you come, Sandy?”
“I don’t know!” I wailed. “I just… missed you.”
It came out before I even thought of saying it, but I knew it was true. I hadn’t come here because I was lonely at home. I had came because I missed Soda. I missed his laugh, his warm brown eyes, and the way he hated to see me cry. I missed everything about him. I loved him even when he was yelling at me, which was more than I could say for my parents.
“I’m sorry.” I choked, now freely crying and not trying to stop. “I was wrong, I should’ve told you about Jeremy, but I didn’t… I just…”
By that point, I was crying so hard that I couldn’t get another word out of my mouth.
“It’s okay.” Soda said quietly. “I know I haven’t been the most understanding person in the world. Just promise me this.”
I froze, looking up. Anything with an asterisk usually boded ill.
“Just promise that you won’t be generating any new ex-boyfriend stories while you’re still with me.”
“I would never cheat on you, Soda.” I sobbed, burying my face in his shirt and breathing his sweet scent that I missed so much.
Soda didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to.
We were standing out there in the freezing cold, me crying into his chest, when, suddenly Soda’s watch started beeping. Glancing at it, Soda smiled.
“It’s midnight.” he grinned. “Happy New Year, Sandy.”
And then, as our lips interlocked for the first time in a month, we embraced our oldest and noblest of New Year traditions.
Ok, this doesn't totally relate to the theme, but the original idea is that Soda and Sandy are taking a 'fresh start' when it comes to their relationship.
"I would never cheat on you, Soda." Oh, the irony...
