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Forty Five

Aubrey Hart

It's New Year's Eve.

I'm sitting in my living room with Zayn and Jade, one of Zayn's friends being in the bathroom. Zayn insisted on bringing him so I didn't feel like I was third wheeling, but this is worse in my opinion.

He's the most boring guy I've ever met.

He's nice. There's nothing really wrong with him. Nothing about him interests me, though. I can't make myself care about what he's saying. I don't want to know more. Every time he opens his mouth, all I hear is one of those incoherent babbling voices like the adults in the Charlie Brown cartoons.

I'm trying my very best to be nice, planning on giving him a pity kiss tonight for the sake of the holiday. After that, I'll be happily sending him on his way out of here so I can go to bed alone while Jade and Zayn go get laid.

Jade wanted to go to a party tonight, but I couldn't go to one of those without Harry due to people watching me, so I declined on that. Speaking of, he still hasn't said a single word to me.

I just know seeing him again is going to be awkward, so I'm avoiding it for as long as I can.

I stand up to go get a refill conveniently at the same time that Zayn's friend comes back into the room. I'm not trying to be rude at all. I feel like faking being interested is more rude than causally avoiding so I don't give him the wrong idea.

This is really not how I wanted to start off the new year.

I pour myself another glass of bourbon, remembering how he playfully called me weird for this being my drink of choice. After that, he proceeded to sit there and talk to me about himself. That would be fine if I was interested, but sadly, I'm not. Not in the slightest.

He's an engineer with a big family from Arizona. He said why he moved here, but I don't remember. I'm assuming for work. I also forget the part where he explained how him and Zayn met. Zayn has a lot of substance and interesting layers to his personality, so I'm surprised to find one of his friends boring.

Maybe I'm just distracted.

On top of all of the negative energy I'm feeling today from this along with the creepy texts I got a few days ago, it's raining. I'm usually a sucker for rain, but when I'm not in a good mood, thunder and lightning don't really make me feel any better. It hardly rains in California, and it decides to do so on a holiday. Not just any holiday, either. One where I'm not having the best time. What a coincidence.

My life is like a shitty comedy at this point. One of those comedies that goes too far to the point where it isn't even funny anymore. It's just sad. Borderline tragic.

I see Jade walking up to me, holding out her glass for a refill. The sound of performers in New York City comes from the TV, there not being much longer until the ball drops and I can get this over with.

I fill her glass with the same alcohol as me, allowing her to have a generous amount since I know she isn't driving. Zayn's friend is, and he's sipping on some bottled water right now. He prides himself on the fact that he doesn't drink.

There's nothing wrong with that at all. I applaud people who don't, actually. The way he is about it, though... it's annoying. He subtly gloats about it in your face. He sat there going on and on about his self control and restraint like I was supposed to give a damn about it.

"You're not having fun." She pouts.

"No, I am." I shake my head with a lie.

"You don't like Trevor. I can tell."