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Charlie looked around the room at his group of friends. These people in this room with him were his ride-or-die. The ones who got him through his worst. Likewise, the same ones that he would drop anything for and run to their side. The school year was finally over, the month of May coming to a close, and this movie night was supposed to be their celebration of the start of summer.
They looked… tired. Sad. Beleaguered. Angry. Hurt. Worn-down. Or maybe that was his own projection on the shit year it had been so far. Darcy had moved homes three times, and living with Tara had almost split them up. He had been admitted to in-patient, and had a few setbacks since being home as well. Nick was, well… how was Nick doing? Not well, he knew that much.
“Do you think we can fast forward this year, and just start 2026?” Darcy asked. “I think I’m ready for a new year.”
They leaned over and rested their head on Tara’s shoulder, sighing as Tara’s arm tightened around their shoulders. Elle was mindlessly scratching Tao’s scalp while leaning back against Isaac, and Sahar and Imogen were sitting on opposite sides of the room pretending everything was fine between them while noticeably talking to everyone else in the room and ignoring each other.
Tao’s movie droned on in the background, and even he wasn’t paying attention to it anymore.
A small idea sparked in Charlie’s mind, and he got up, ignoring the questioning glance from Nick, running downstairs to the pile of miscellaneous party supplies he knew his mum kept on hand, and rummaged through until he found what he was looking for.
One more thing to gather up, he thought, thankful that his parents had left for the evening as he nabbed the bottle of prosecco and some glasses before running back upstairs.
“What’s this then?” Isaac asked, surveying the small pile that Charlie triumphantly set in the middle of his friend group, using the long-empty monopoly board as a small holding table.
Charlie put a party hat on Isaac’s head, booped his nose, and said “We’re celebrating. It’s New Years Eve.”
“It’s May,” Sahar deadpanned, but Charlie just ignored the comment, putting a string of beads around her neck. Nick seemed to have caught on, and Charlie heard the pop of the bottle opening.
Small party baubles handed out, Charlie looked to the glasses where Nick had poured a small amount in each - a bottle of prosecco not actually going that far between the nine of them.
“Right,” Charlie said, holding up his glass, giggling a bit, “Happy New Year everyone! We are starting this year over, and we are starting it right!”
Tara’s eyes sparkled as she held up her glass. “To etch-a-sketching the first 5 months, and starting fresh,” she said, downing the bubbly wine, before grimacing. “Its not even cold, Charlie!”
Charlie laughed. “Proof that this is 100% spontaneous,” he said, and then yelled out “Fuck the calendar!” and downed his own.
“Oh, you’re right,” he coughed. “That is really gross when it's warm.”
The off-the-cuff New Years celebration had its desired effect though, as the nine of them huddled closer together, laughing at the ridiculous nature of it. He leaned back into Nick’s arms, and smiled at the kiss he felt on top of his head.
It had been a hard year, but these were his people. And they were starting fresh.