A Happy New Year

On a cold and windy night, Oliver tapped his foot anxiously as he glanced at his clock. 9:36 pm. He sighed heavily and looked back in the mirror. Was this turtleneck too fancy? Or the khakis? Will everyone else be wearing sweats and lounge pants? Just as he was about to rip his clothes off in frustration, the door opened.

"Are you almost ready?" Joe asked, peering his head inside. "Everyone will be here soon."

Oliver ruffled his hair and looked at his reflection once more. "Yeah, almost. Is the turtleneck too much?" He turned and presented his shirt to his brother.

Joe quirked an eyebrow at the deep blue, cotton turtleneck. "No, it looks good. Who are you trying to impress anyway?" Joe walked into their room and picked up Oliver's comb on the desk. Oliver's face flushed slightly as the person he was trying to impress flashed through his head. "It's just going to be our friends." Joe put the comb into Oliver's hand before walking out again. "You should fix your hair, though."

Oliver followed Joe out the door with a sigh and turned into the bathroom. He took his glasses off and placed them on the counter. Oliver quickly washed his face and moisturized before fixing his hair. He tried a few new, and quite bizarre, hairstyles before putting it back the way it always is. He spritzed his neck with cologne as well.

He glanced at himself in the mirror, his face without glasses is one that always felt strange to him. It felt like there was too much empty space- something missing. He turned his head around to look at it at every angle. Oliver opened the mirror to grab his contact case. The boy rarely used them, only for the occasional jog or band practice. Without much thought, he put the contacts in and looked back at his reflection.

"New year new me, right?" Oliver whispered to himself.

"Did you say something?" Joe asked around the corner.

Embarrassed, Oliver coughed and abruptly left the bathroom. "No."

In the living room, Joe had decorated for the holiday- gold banners and confetti to be found all around.

"Looks nice. Do you need any help?" Oliver asked.

Joe was digging in the fridge. "Uh, yeah could you help me plate the food?" He turned around with a few covered plates in his hands before looking up at Oliver. The no-glasses look threw him off guard but he decided not to comment on it. Oliver looked nervous enough already.

Oliver and Joe put the finishing touches on the living room and looked proudly upon their creation. As if the universe knew, there was a knock at the door almost immediately.

Oliver froze in fear. Was it Sara? He found himself feeling self-conscious about his image and hid behind the corner as Joe opened the door.

"Hey Vicky!" He heard his brother exclaim. Oliver sighed in relief and came out from hiding.

Vicky jumped into Joe's arms and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Hi babe!" She pulled away to see Oliver and blushed in embarrassment. "Hi Oliver! I didn't see you there... I like the no-glasses!"

Oliver replied with an unenthusiastic hello and slight blush to his cheek. Vicky handed Joe her bags and he took them for her as she hung up her coat.

Vicky plopped on the couch to remove her black heels. "It's cold out there." She shivered.

"You should've worn more than tights then," Oliver replied as he sat in a chair at the island. Joe shot Oliver a death stare for being rude. The boy's eyebrows furrowed and his shoulders rose as if saying, 'what'd I say?'

Vicky laughed. "Hahaha, it's okay, Joe. He's right. I just wanted my outfit to look nice." Vicky was wearing a simple black top with gold buttons on the shoulders and a black and white plaid skirt. The girl rose from her seat to grab a blanket that was draped on the other side of the couch. "Where's Sara by the way?"