Ringing In the New Year: Part 1
"Yeah! It's almost 2001!" screamed Reese. It was 8:00 at night on New Year's Eve. His family was especially excited because the eldest son, Francis, would be there to celebrate with them.
"I still can't believe you convinced me to throw a party," Lois said, turning to Hal. "It's so much work!"
"Don't worry, Lois. It'll be worth it. I promise," Hal gave Lois a hug. Reese, Malcolm, and Dewey made disgusted faces at each other.
"What are we having for dinner?" asked Francis, coming out of his room.
"Francis, you're not even ready! The guests will be here any minute!" Lois yelled. Francis had apparently just stepped out of the shower. His hair was wet, and all he was wearing was a towel wrapped tightly around his waist.
"Fine. I'll get dressed." Heaving a sigh, Francis walked quickly back into his room to throw some clothes on.
"Mom, why do I have to wear a tie?" inquired Malcolm.
"Because we want the neighbors to think that we are a nice, well-behaved family. And if you boys even think about making any kind of trouble, I swear to God, I'll kill you!"
The doorbell rang. Hal ran to open it just as Francis sauntered in, fully dressed. The first guests to arrive were the Kinarbins, followed by Lois's co-worker, Craig. As Hal started to shut the door, it banged open again as a whole parade of people entered in a steady stream.
"Francis, you pass around glasses of wine. Reese, hand out the pate. Malcolm, you're in charge of the caviar, and Dewey, you grab the calamari." Lois distributed trays loaded with food to her younger sons, and gave Francis crystal wine glasses to fill.
Hal looked nervously at the fancy food. "Lois, how did you get enough money to afford all this fancy stuff?"
"I mentioned to Craig that we were having a party, and he was all too eager to chip in. Remember to thank him." Putting on her best hostess smile, Lois strolled regally into the living room.
Aw man, thought Malcolm, this really sucks. It's New Year's Eve and I'm stuck here with a bunch of losers. I bet that there's not one interesting in this entire room. I- wait a second. Who's that girl?
Standing across the room was a pretty, blonde girl about Malcolm's age. When she turned to face him, her sky blue eyes shone with anticipation, and her smile was the most beautiful thing that Malcolm had ever seen. To his amazement, she ambled over to him.
"Hi," said the girl, "I'm Hayley. What's your name?"
Meanwhile, Francis had spotted a guy who looked as bored as he was. They appeared to be around the same age. Seeing as how Francis was bored to tears, he decided to head over to the guy and strike up a conversation.
"Hey, I'm Francis. Who dragged you here?"
"I'm Jeff. I think my dad works with your dad. This really bites, doesn't it?" Jeff smiled and rolled his eyes.
In the meantime, Dewey had managed to get a hold of some half empty wine glasses. Whenever someone set the glass down for a minute, he grab it, and bring it to Reese.
"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Reese asked. He was more than a little tipsy.
"I love you too," answered Dewey, who was almost as drunk as his brother, "You're the greatest!"
Lois wrung her hands nervously. This is absolutely awful! She thought. No one's mixing, or mingling. Nobody's having any fun at all! It doesn't look like anyone is even eating the hours-devoirs! Why did I let Hal talk me into this? This whole party is a big mistake!