2015 || H.S

The Resolutions

"Happy New Year!"

She slipped past the stumbling drunk man and searched the partying crowd for her older brother.

There he was. With her.

"Jack..." He wouldn't pull out of her mouth. "I want to go home, Jack."

"Walk home, Maia," Catherine mumbled between his tongue. It sickened her right to her core.

She turned away from them slowly, clenching her fists at her side. If she could just assert herself...

Two laughing girls trampled through her, almost knocking her over. She elbowed her way through forty-year-olds to the front door of her brother's boss's house.

She fell onto the curb, sighing in despair as her ears rung from the now distant music. It just seemed everything was going wrong to her.

Here are her reasons to assume so: 1. Her close friend, Gemma, moved away to another small town and they haven't seen each other in person for a few years 2. Jack got together with Catherine Morris. The ultimate betrayal of her stupid brother. Why can he never keep it in his pants?

"Excuse me, Miss," a voice said from above her. She looked up at the young man with bright blue eyes, almost glowing in the street light.

"Do you need some help?"

She glanced down the road at the long line of cars. "I don't think so. Thanks for the care, though."

He stared at her for a split second, wondering if she was lying.

"I really don't mind offering you a lift or something, dear."

"Actually I'm just waiting for my brother to come out."

"Can I wait with you then? You never know what kind of crazies are around here..."

She looked up at him, immediately caught by his smile. "I guess so."

He lowered himself onto the dirty sidewalk, wiping off his hands on his jeans. His eyes flickered over to her shortly before he watched a drunk couple stumble to their car. "So I'm guessing you also got sick of seeing your parents go wild with their friends who were innocently pinching your cheeks last week?"

She laughed softly at the ground. "My brother's in there."

"How old is he?"

"Twenty-nine."

"He works for a sports' equipment store?"

She shrugged before folding her bare arms to fight off a shiver.

"Do you want my jacket?" He murmured.

She cringed at the cliché to it, but excepted out of politeness. He handed her the black leather jacket, warmed for her already. It didn't hurt to be polite, she thought as she slid it on.

"So what's your deal? Are you going to wait here in the cold for the rest of your New Year's night?"

"If I could drive I would leave him here."

He nodded to himself before looking away again.

"Why are you here?" She asked out of interest, or boredom. "Why not go in there and have a drink?"

As she said it, she heard a count down from five. Cheers and fireworks went off. 2015.

"I don't want anything to do with that party. Seeing my dad do the mop dance on the bar counter was enough to drive any son into madness."

This really sparkled her curiosity. "Mop dance?"

"Don't bloody well ask. Just don't ask," he muttered with a disgusted expression. "I just want to get home and sleep- and wish my parents heavy hangovers."

She chuckled and held out her hand. "I'm Maia, by the way."

He smiled again. His eyes shone intensely and his entire face seemed to light up. "David."

"Who are you?" Jack yelled, sweeping over the two as if about to fall over. He was steadied by Catherine who was quick at his side, giggling to herself for no apparent reason.

"That would be my brother," she murmured.

"Dave- David," the guy stammered.

"Well, you don't want to go for this girl. She can barely keep committed to a shade of nail polish for more than a day."

She rolled her eyes at her pathetic brother. He acts like an absolute child while drunk. Or sober.

"I... I wasn't," he said, glancing at her irritated expression briefly.

"I need to go, Maia," he whispered sharply as if in panic. She tore off the jacket and mouthed a thank you as he offered a smile, but soon he was gone. Like all the others.

"I'll see you later, baby," The Devil whispered into Jack's ear. She drew back and strut off into the house again in her designer heels.

The ride back to their house was quiet as if no one was in the car. They soon reached 14 Malva Way and Maia trudged into the two-storey house, drowning in self pity. It was like a snowball, anything and everything was somehow a negative. "Tonight has been tons of fun," he muttered with a smirk.

"Tonight has been a nightmare."

He put his arm over her shoulder but she dodged it and sprinted up the stairs in the dark.

"Sorry," he whispered.

She shut her door and fell onto the carpet next to her bed, a heavy lump hanging in her throat.

She yanked her jagged and loose journal from under her mattress, she'd had it since she was thirteen, and opened it to a fresh page while professionally clicking her pen.

She was sick of it. Sick of being told she's uptight. Sick of having people order her around. Sick and tired of behaving like a puppet, each year slowly rolling by with no importance. She was going to make 2015 count.
My New Years Resolutions
1: Go to the grocery store to buy something for ME.
2: Finally start that photography class
3: Find better hiding places for my journal
4: Get a tattoo
5: Go to a party
6: Ride a motorbike
7: Visit Gemma again
8: Take public transport

Nine was obvious to her: Kick him out.

She lifted her pen off the thick paper and questioned her last resolution.
10: Fall in love?

Hellllllloo
Just a few notes:
Maia (pronounced m-I-ya / mai-ya / my-ya
Disclaimer:
Malva Way is not a real road in Oxford.
The story line is not based on reality or anyway related to real people.
Please:
Vote/comment/follow/GIVE ME REASON TO BELIEVE YOURE ALIVE
Thank you.
Oh and Almost Happy New Year