Keeley rubbed her hands together for warmth and hopped from foot to foot trying to ward off the chill as they waited for the ball to drop.
To get a decent spot, the group had to leave the karaoke bar fifteen minutes to midnight. It was getting boring in there anyway.
The last game of the night, at 11:15, was a trivia game. Keeley participated and got knocked out in the second round because she couldn't remember the name of some vice president from the 1900s. There wasn't any point in staying after that.
Everyone in the group got sick of playing Truth or Dare around 10 o'clock after Brad dared James to order a pizza and consume the entire thing in less than ten minutes. He did it but threw up on an employee's shoes not long after.
That kind of killed the mood so they all sang at least one song if they hadn't already and spent the rest of the night watching the games and dancing.
Lydia and Jeffrey were arguing again and James' friends chatted among themselves so Keeley was left staring up at the giant sphere two minutes before midnight.
She wondered how this tradition started—it had been going on for nearly a hundred years but she didn't know anything more than that. It was an interesting concept.
The ball slowly began making its way down the pole at 11:59 and the crowd stared up at it in anticipation as the timer ticked away on a jumbo screen. Keeley craned her neck to look up at it.
39…38…37…36…
It was almost 2007, a brand new start for her.
24…23…22…
The tension released from her shoulders as she thought about all the positive changes she wanted to make this year.
11…10…9…
A hand clamped down on her arm and dragged her several feet away from her group.
Before she could even react enough to see who it was, she was swept up in a princess carry and kissed the moment the crowd broke into cheers of "Happy New Year!"
She struggled against her captor and hit and kicked enough that he put her down. She looked up at him furiously, ready to give this stranger a real piece of her mind, when she saw who it was. It derailed her completely.
"Aaron?!"
He stood there wearing the same tuxedo he wore in her first life. He must have just come from the party but what on earth was he doing? How did he even find her?
Confusion overtook her anger momentarily. This didn't make any sense!
Aaron's gaze was as unfathomable as the depths of the sea; a common occurrence since her rebirth. And she used to know his expressions so well.
"Happy New Year, Keeley."
She gaped at him, speechless. That was really all he had to say after kissing her out of nowhere? They hadn't seen each other since graduation! For all he knew, she could have a boyfriend.
Once a jerk, always a jerk.
"I heard once that kissing someone at midnight will give you good luck for the rest of the year. I could use some of that right now," he said nonchalantly, standing tall with his hands in his pockets.
Keeley's anger returned full force at those words. He was messing with her again. If he really only cared about good luck, he could have kissed anyone. He specifically sought her out for this!
"You're full of it," she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest indignantly. "What are you even doing here?"
"I was attending a party nearby and thought I would see what all the fuss was about. I've never seen the ball drop from the street before."
"I meant what are you doing here specifically where I am," she said through gritted teeth. "You could have kissed anyone. Why me?"
He smiled but it wasn't cold like usual. It seemed almost…sad.
"Why not you? Isn't it better to kiss someone I know than a stranger?"
Keeley wanted to hit him. "We're just as good as strangers! Why me, Aaron?"
He stepped closer, looming over her. "Would you believe me if I said it was because you're irresistible?"
He was so close that she could feel his breath warm her face. She pushed him away from her. She couldn't think when he was in her space like that.
"No, I wouldn't. I didn't like you messing with me in high school and I like it even less now. You…I can't believe you! What the heck is your problem?! What did I ever do to you? Why can't you leave me alone?"
Keeley was on a roll. All of the frustration she'd experienced over the past six months when she couldn't forget him came flooding back.
"I can kind of understand playing your stupid game when we were seat mates because you were curious but we're adults now and those games are childish. You have a life in Boston and I'm not a part of it. I don't WANT to be a part of it. All I want is to live my life in peace without you. Got it? Don't ever come near me again. Seriously."
She turned on her heel and began resolutely marching away from him when he grabbed her hand. She didn't even look at him; stomping on his foot and sprinting away to the safety of her friends.
He couldn't snatch her if she had six people blocking the way. He only got to her last time because she was behind everybody else. They had probably already noticed she was missing and were looking for her.
A few minutes later she found her group after texting Lydia, explaining she got separated by the crowd.
Her friend noticed there was something wrong immediately. "What happened? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Keeley had seen a ghost—the Ghost of New Year's Past. That maniac claimed to kiss her for luck? By doing that he'd just cursed her entire year!
What are the odds that he would end up kissing her both times she lived through this day? She hadn't seen it coming at all since they weren't even talking.
She thought Aaron was well and truly behind her. If he could do something like this even after moving away for college, who was to say he wouldn't do it again? How was she supposed to forget him when he kept barging his way back into her life?