Noel wrapped her hands around her red Solo cup. She felt protective of it; you always wanted to keep your cup close by at parties, as a general rule of thumb. Besides, she'd managed to get the last of the Diet Coke, and she wasn't going to let anyone steal it away from her.
Casey was off dancing with some guy, probably the person she wanted to kiss at midnight. Noel could see them, up by the DJ and the speakers and the flatscreen TV with one of the New Year's Eve programs on.
She took a sip of her drink, glancing around the room. Casey was probably having the time of her life with what's-his-face. Noel was pretty sure he was the guy Casey had been crushing on since September.
She stumbled forward as someone crashed into her from behind.
"Oh, sorry, I... Jack?" she said.
"Hey, Noel," he said, running his fingers through his hair.
"How are you? I mean, we haven't talked in months, so -"
"Can you do me a favor?"
"Yeah, sure, what -"
"Great, thanks. Basically, could you -"
"Jack?"
"Yes?"
"Please stop cutting me off."
"Sorry."
"It's okay. What do you need me to do?"
"Pretend we're talking."
"We are talking, Jack."
"It's a really serious conversation though; no one should interrupt."
"Of course, yeah."
Jack glanced towards the back of the room and ducked his head.
"So, who are you hiding from?"
"Huh?"
"Jack, you're not being remotely subtle. Who are you hiding from?"
"Sarah Miller. We went on one date, and now she wants me to kiss her at midnight."
"Good old Sarah Miller. Didn't she have a crush on you for all of middle school?"
"Yeah, that's the one."
Noel laughed, and took another sip of her drink. She fiddled with the cup.
"Jack, can I ask you something?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Why did we stop being friends? I mean, we'd been friends forever, and then in high school it just... ended."
Jack shifted on his feet, and Noel couldn't help but notice how thick the sudden tension between them was. She could've cut it with a knife. Or scissors. Or maybe even a dull letter opener.
"Geez, Noel, way to kill the mood."
"Sorry, I just always wondered. We were so close back then."
"No, it's fine. I don't really know. I mean, yeah, I've thought about it, but I always figured it was one of those things that was bound to happen."
They stood their in silence, the thick tension having returned full-force.
"Well, we could only have so many years of planning our Halloween costumes together, right?" Noel said, cracking a smile. The slideshow in her head was playing back memory after memory; all those years of friendship and close camaraderie before they swirled down the drain as she watched.
She had missed that.
Now that she thought of it, she had missed him.
But she had never been good at that sort of thing, fixing relationships. Casey was really her only friend at the moment. Sure, she had people she talked to and could partner up with for class projects, but Casey was the only one she really trusted and cared about. Every single time she'd had a crush or cared about someone in that way, it had gone down in burning flames. In terms of these relationships, most of them had ended on New Year's Eve, so she always had that reminder to look forward to this time of year.
And, she didn't even want to think about whenever she tried to repair one of these things. Her hands would get clammy, and her pulse would be racing, and she'd put it off so that it never got done.
So, she thought, I don't think I'll ever be able to fix what happened between Jack and I.
She still wasn't even sure she knew what happened, and she wasn't sure that she ever would.
Noel brushed a piece of hair out of her face and looked down at her drink. Suddenly, the tension wasn't uncomfortable so much as awkward, as if there were a million things that they each wanted to say.
She didn't think that she'd ever say what she wanted to in that moment, and Jack didn't look like he was about to, either.
Then again, she thought, it's senior year. If I make a fool of myself, I'll only have to avoid him for a few more months.
It's now or never.
She stopped abruptly in her train of thought. When did this happen?
"So," Noel said, "were you avoiding Sarah because you didn't want to kiss her at midnight, or because you want to kiss someone else at midnight?"
Jack looked at her, surprised. She couldn't blame him; she was never bold enough to say something like that, and a person didn't generally change all that much in four years. But she convinced herself that she could leave any embarrassment and mistakes behind when the clock struck twelve, and New Year's was so full of hope, and somehow that was enough to give her that last bit of courage.
Not to mention, that drink she'd had a few sips of wasn't exactly Diet Coke. She wasn't anywhere close to drunk; she didn't even feel that telltale buzz in her head, but it definitely didn't hurt. (Thank the stars for liquid courage.)
"I'm definitely waiting for someone," Jack said, grinning, "but I'm not sure she's going to show."
"Really? Why's that?"
"Oh, I've been waiting for her for years. If she shows, it'll be a first."
Noel was surprised, to say the least, but she didn't let it show. If anything, it just improved her mood.
"I think she's here," Noel said.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
She could hear everyone counting down behind her, the final moments of the year ticking by.
Five.
She looked up, and there he was. Her ex-best friend. That, she thought, is probably about to change.
Four.
They locked eyes, and Noel wondered exactly why she let their friendship dissolve into absolutely nothing.
She put her drink down on the shelf next to her.
Three.
Jack took her hand, and wow, she thought the world stopped for a second.
Two.
This was it. Either she was going to get the midnight kiss of her life, or she was going to get another New Year's broken heart.
One.
They both leaned in at the exact same moment, their lips meeting in a moment of pure bliss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and his hands found their way to her waist. The noise of the new year faded to a gentle hum, and god, she was happy.
They broke apart, each of them taking in a deep breath. Noel let out a soft laugh, resting her forehead against Jack's.
"Happy New Year, Jack," she whispered.
"Happy New Year, Noel."