Happy New Years

New years eve and Harriette, Collin, Fedora, Tamarai, and Bentley were sitting in the living room in front of the TV watching the live coverage of the time square ball drop.
“Next year I’m gonna be there,” Fedora said, “I’ll bring you with me.”
“That would be awesome,” Harriette said.
“I’ve been there before, you know?” Fedora said, “Have I told you about that time? I was only four years old and my dad decided that he wanted to take me to see the ball drop. My mom had a fit, she said it wasn’t safe for me to go out into the city so late at night but of course my dad prevailed, he always does. I don’t remember it much, I was only four years old as I said. But I remember the screaming, the count down, the riot afterwards. People milling about, hugging strangers, someone hugged me even though I was only four. It was crazy and even when I was four I thought that craziness was fun.”
“Oh, wow,” Harriette said.
“Hey, what are you guy’s new years resolutions?” Tamarai asked.
“Hm,” Harriette said, “I don’t know.”
“Mine is to do ten totally insane things every month,” Fedora said.
“Like what?” Harriette asked.
“Uhm, like driving around naked in my car,” Fedora said.
Harriette made a face, “Is that legal?”
“Duh,” Fedora said. “I wouldn’t do anything illegal, I do want to be a lawyer.”
“That’s insane,” Tamarai said.
“Well that was my point,” Fedora said. “Gotta live life to the fullest. I won’t be able to do crazy stuff like that when I’m a lawyer, then I’ll have to be professional.”
“Anyway,” Tamarai said, “What’s yours, Collin?
“I don’t know,” Collin said.
“Hmph,” Tamarai sighed, “Well mine is to lose weight.”
Fedora frowned, “Why?”
“Because,” Tamarai said, “I’ve obviously gained a few pounds and I want to be slimmer.”
Fedora just shrugged, “Whatever you say.”
“Also,” Tamarai said, “Join more extracurricular activities, maybe a sport. And get my driver license, study more, talk to more people, audition for a school play, and go to every school dance. Other than Prom of course, unless a senior asks.”
“You sure are going to be busy,” Collin said.
“Yes, but in a good way,” Tamarai said, “Me and DaeRi are doing it together, except she’ll probably go to prom since she’s dating Payton.”
Harriette frowned, the idea of DaeRi going to prom before her upsetted her. Of course she didn't let it show too much, except for the frown, that came out accidentally.
“I just thought of mine,” Harriette said, “To be nicer and to get a boyfriend.”
“Aw,” Tamarai said, “That’s sweet.”
Fedora just laughed, “Cop out. To be nicer? That’s a basic one, and to get a boyfriend? Is that really that important?”
“Shut up,” Harriette said, “Those are my resolutions. I also don’t want to base everything I do on popularity.”
“Now that’s a good one,” Fedora said, though she doubted Harriette would stick to it.
“Okay, Bentley, how about you?” Tamarai asked.
Bentley shrugged, “just to have a good time I guess.”
Fedora laughed, again, “cop out! You guys are such losers. Mine is a real resolution.”
“Well, no need to be rude,” Tamarai said.
Just then the doorbell rung and Fedora jumped up, “It’s probably AeGuk,” she said.
And she was right, AeGuk and DaeRi had arrived. They couldn’t stay till twelve because AeGuk was nervous about driving around at twelve o’clock.
“But everyone will be inside then,” Fedora said when he told her.
“O-or everyone will will be d-driving home th-th-then,” AeGuk said.
“No, that is incorrect,” Fedora said, “Nobody leaves at twelve o’clock.
“And n-neither will I,” AeGuk said, “So I’ll b-be on the street... w-w-with a bunch of of other sssleep deprived d-drivers.”
“Nobody is sleep deprived at twelve o’clock,” Fedora said.
They went on like this for awhile until finally AeGuk lost. Nobody won against Fedora. But unlike AeGuk DaeRi had a real reason, Payton had invited her over to his house where they were going to play games with his family. And since Payton refused to get into cars ever since his accident AeGuk would have to drop her off.
But they could stay for a while.
“We were just asking about new  years resolutions, what are yours?” Tamarai asked once everyone settled down.
“Oh,” DaeRi said, “You already know mine. Plus I want to keep a diary and write in it everyday, I already do but I want to keep it up. Maybe I’ll finish one of my stories.”
“T-to get in-into one my c-colleges of ch-choice,” AeGuk said.
“Like Harvard,” Fedora said, nudging him.
“Y-y-y-y-y-,” AeGuk stuttered, “yeah.”
“That’s sweet,” Tamarai said.
They talk for a little longer until Aeguk has to go to drop DaeRi off at Paytons. They all say good bye and Fedora make a few jabs at how lame Payton’s family is and then they are gone and they are left alone again.
It’s now eleven o’clock and Tamarai was starting to get tired so Fedora said they should play some games.
“Ha, after all you said about Payton’s family you want to play games?” Harriette laughed.
“Yeah, but now if people are falling asleep we need to,” Fedora said, “Desperate times call for desperate measures.”
After rummaging through the game cupboard Fedora pulled out Twister.
“Ah, yes, good ole Twister,” she said opening the box. She pushed the coffee table aside with the help of Collin and then set up the mat.
“Who wants to spin?” Fedora asked.
“I will,” Collin said.
“You’re so boring,” Fedora said, handing him the spinner anyway.
After playing for about fifteen minutes, which included Fedora elbowing Harriette at least twice, on purpose or not nobody will ever know. Tamarai always got out pretty quickly, which Fedora and Harriette going for long lengths of time because they were both pretty flexible, with Fedora being a dancer and having a short stint with gymnastics and Harriette being a cheerleader.
But Fedora won every time, due to the elbowing.
AeGuk came back around eleven thirty, when they were all sitting on the couch tired out form Twister.
“Wow, w-w-what happened h-here?” he asked after finding all of them slouching on the couch.
“We played some hardcore games of Twister,” Fedora said. “I won them all.”
“By cheating,” Harriette said, “I’m gonna have a bruise on my arm from her elbow.”
“No pain, no gain,” Fedora said.
AeGuk joined them on the couch and they all stared at the television for ten minutes in silence.
“I know what we need,” Fedora said, breaking the silence, “Snacks!”
She jumped up,”who wants to help?”
“I will,” Harriette said, “I am the hostess.”
“Cool,” Fedora said, “snack time.”
Harriette’s mom was not there because she went over to Fedora’s mom’s house for a more “adult” celebration.
“They’re gonna drink alcohol,” Fedora whispered to Harriette after their parents explained the situation.
So they were on their own for the night. “Snacks” consisted of cinnabuns that Harriette’s mom had made beforehand, some cheese and crackers, and chips and dip. After gathering all of that and putting them on a platter they joined the rest of them out in the livingroom where they were talking about favorite moments of 2012.
“You wanna know mine?” Fedora asked after joining them on the couch and eating two cinnabuns.
“Go ahead,” Collin said.
“When I got accepted to Harvard,” Fedora said. “That was great. And prom. And graduation. And of course my summer vacation in NYc, plus actually going to Harvard. This year was great.”
Harriette contemplated hers for a long time, “I think mine was Christmas and having Fedora home again. It’s like the old times.”
“Aw, thanks,” Fedora said.
“Hey look,” Tamarai said, gesturing to the screen, the sixty second countdown had begun.
“Wow, time sure did fly,” Fedora said.
They watched the screen as the time ticked down. 30, 29, 28, 27, 26, 25, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 10.
“Ten!” Fedora exclaimed, the ten second countdown beginning.
“Eight! Five! Four! Three! Two!” They chanted.
“One!” they all yelled and jumped up, hugging each other and Fedora yelling random things for the fun of it.
“Happy new years!” they said over and over again.
Finally at 12:05 they all headed upstairs super tired and exhausted from all that yelling, ready for some sleep. It was officially 2013, a new year.