Tales From the (Not So) Average Mixed Kid

New Year, New Day (Not)

January 1st, 2014.

The first day of the year.

About damn time.

The house smelled faintly of chicken. Very good chicken at that. Also, that star fruit Sangria that I couldn't get my hands off of. That was the shit. Sweet Margarita taste with a slight burn as it goes down your throat.

Perfecto.

Silver and I bounced around on the couch, bumping into each other every so often out of drunken clumsiness.

"Stop iiiiitt!" Silver whined when I bumped into her with my shoulder.

"And what exactly am I doing that you want me to stop?" I slurred in a bitchy matter-of-factly way.

"That!" she said as she shoved me to the other side of the couch.

My ribs collided full force with the arm of the couch. I winced slightly. That hurt like a bitch.

"That's it!" I half-shouted, and tackled her on the couch, resulting in both of us wrestling.

"Say uncle!" I said.

"NEVER!" she squealed.

"Silver, I am two years older than you, I hope you know that I am going to win this," I grunted, pinning her arms down.

"Hey!" I heard someone yell. My head shot up like a meerkat, my body still on top of Silver's as I slowly got off of her.

"Uh-uh." I heard them say.

"She started it!" Silver whined again.

"Well I'm ending it!" they replied, surprisingly sober. Well, I thought to myself, somebody got voted  designated driver.

"Urrrgh" she groaned.

"Hey, don't make me turn this car around!" I heard a voice drawl. Well, now I know who's drunk. I mean, it's New Year's, what should I expect?

Suddenly, I heard the doorknob jiggle. I was up on my feet as soon as it opened, excited as possible when drunk. I noticed those dark Chestnut, ocean-like waves anywhere.

"JACKIE!" I shrieked, pushing past everyone to make my way to the front door, and enveloping her in a much needed hug from her.

"Hey, sweetheart." She said, chuckling as she smoothed down my unruly black ringlet curls.

"I missed you!" I exclaimed.

"You too! We have a lot of catching up to do!" she said, squeezing my shoulders.

I nodded excitedly.

She was one of the few adults I got along with, mainly because her first question she asked me wasn't "Wait, you're HER daughter?!" Or, "You're Black AND Hispanic?!". Nope. She never tried to get answers out of me. She was my friend. Hell, she was more like my aunt now.

"But, " She said, interrupting my thoughts. "Before we do anything... Do you know where the beer is?"

I nodded and pointed to the cooler in the kitchen.

" Thanks, lemme go get one and then we can talk, okay?"

"Okay," I quipped.

She kissed my forehead, then turned around and headed towards the kitchen.

I sat down on the couch and waited for her.

Damn, I loved her.

★♥★♥★♥★♥★♥★♥★♥★

"Okay, okay, another one. Crazy faced," Jackie breathes, out of breath from laughing.

"On the count of three.  One. Two. Three!" She says, and we both make the craziest face we can.

We turn her phone around so we can see, and burst into laughter.

I can barely keep my hands steady around the glass tea cup of Sangria in my hands.

We take a few more pictures before we go to get more drinks. When we get back, Jackie's phone is full of crazy selfies of Silver.

"SILVER!" we yell.

Suddenly, a mop of dark Chestnut waves (just like her mother's) pop up from behind the love seat's cushions.

Jackie gives a little chuckle as she pulls Silver onto the other side of it.

"Come here, my little nut," Jackie said as she pushed the hair out of Silver's face.

"Surprise?" she mutters awkwardly.

♥♣♥♣♥♣♥♣♥♣♥♣♥♣♥

Start spreading the news,

I am leaving today,

I want to be a part of it,

New York New York....

They played the song on TV like they did every year on New Year's, I knew the lyrics by heart now.

I slow danced around the house with Silver, teaching her the lyrics as we clumsily waltzed around the house, the alcohol still in our systems.

"I'm gonna make a brand new start of it, New York New York" Silver murmured in my ear, still trying to sneakily pull the hair flower out of my hair.

"These little town blues are melting away

I'll make a brand new start of it

In old New York

If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere

It's up to you, New York

New York

New York!" I sang at the top of my lungs, and at the last note, I dipped Silver, stealing my hair flower back in one swift move.

"Nice try" I whispered in her ear after I had pulled her upright again.

"Lanie!" I heard my dad say.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?!" I whined.

"We have to go home."

"What?!?! We just got here!"

"It's 2 AM, we've been here since 8 PM, and your mother's drunk."

"Oh. Well why didn't you say so?! I would've agreed much sooner," I spoke in a sort of obvious tone that got me a  chuckle from my father.

"Now," he started. "Go say goodbye to everyone.

"Gladly," I replied with a sassy flick of my curls.

★♣★♣★♣★♣★♣★♣★♣★

"Bye everybodyyyyy," My very drunk mother slurred.

"Bye" They said in unison.

"Bye my sweet Silver," I mumbled as I picked her up in a bear hug.

"See ya soon," She mumbled back.

"Lanie."

"Gotta go," I said putting her down. I shrugged on my coat, and blew her a kiss, then proceeded to run out the door to my dad's car, where my mother was already out cold.