Start of Something New

Parties had never been his scene.

He'd attended many, of course. As part of the football team, he could hardly get out of going. But more often than not, he found them to be a waste of his time. There were too many people — too many drunk people, the music was too loud to have a conversation, and all the games involved alcohol.

So he'd usually stand out of the way in the corner of someone's kitchen nursing a Solo cup filled with soda he pretended to add vodka to just so his friends wouldn't call him out, or outdoors if the few people out there were keeping their mouths off each other.

He hadn't expected to attend one on New Year's Eve. Not while on a family vacation at a ski resort. But the plans changed when his father bumped into a medical school friend earlier that day and was invited to a party he was hosting at his house. "They have a kids' party downstairs at the freestyle club," his father had said.

"Young adults", his mother quickly corrected, as she exited the hotel bathroom still putting on her earrings.

Of course his sister, Claire, had immediately perked up at the idea of dressing up and going to a party where there might be older boys to ogle and, better yet, girls to set him up with. "Come on, Jack," she'd said. "Loosen up a little."

She had been more than vocal about how she didn't think he was living the high school experience to its fullest and he just thought she needed to watch fewer romcoms and teen movies on the Disney Channel.

Ever since he'd broken up with Sarah, his girlfriend of three years, over the summer, Claire had been insistent that he should find love again, even though he wasn't even sure he had found it with her in the first place. He was in no rush to do anything or meet anyone. His future was pretty much carved out for him, thanks to his dad's big plans. He'd be going to Columbia after summer and he'd rather focus on getting it done and making his dad proud than on the frivolous activities linked to adolescence.

The party the hotel was throwing for the teens who were dangerously happy about having no supervision was a toned-down version of the parties he'd attended through high school. The lack of alcohol was something he expected, and something he welcomed, since having to explain to his parents why his 14-year-old sister was drunk was definitely not part of his plans for the evening.

He would have preferred his previous plan of reading a book in bed over this, but Claire was excited and, with her new rebel streak, he knew his presence was needed or the consequences would make the year start on a bad note. For all of them.

He grabbed a cup of Coke and sat down on one of the couches spread around the area for lounging and watched as Claire made her way to a few of the girls they'd met earlier that day at the heated pool. They were around her age and they'd seemed to hit it off pretty well, and he had caught them stealing glances in his direction as if they'd all been talking about him, then. It wasn't too different at the party.

The shrill voice of a teen girl singing the pop hit of last summer pierced his ears and he tried to keep his whole body from shivering. He gulped down his drink, for once wishing there was some alcohol at this party, so he could make time go faster and loosen up a bit; it was going to be a long night.

He thanked the powers above when the duo stopped singing and a guy not much older than him, probably one of the instructors of the lodge, came on stage to talk to the growing crowd of teenagers. He didn't fully register what he'd said, however, until a spotlight shone brightly above him.

Who's gonna rock the house next? What's that supposed to mean?

Before he could even look around, his sister and her new friends were pulling him up and pushing him forward until he found himself on a small platform stage facing a beautiful girl who looked as shocked as he did. Her green eyes, framed by a sea of freckles, as well as the dark curls that cascaded down her back rendered him speechless. Heat rose to his cheeks, painting them a faint shade of red, and his stomach fluttered and did flips.

He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was, with her delicate, feminine features, when she gave him a small smile just as the melody for another summer hit — a duet — started to play. He recognized the song, he'd heard his sister play it in the house and in his car enough times that he knew the lyrics by heart, mostly so he could sing along and at least attempt to not let it drive him insane.

When she started to sing, he felt warmth spread across his chest. Her voice wasn't perfect, he could tell she wasn't a singer, but she could hold a tune and sing well enough to not butcher the song like the girl who'd sung before them had. He watched as she grew more confident singing the first half of it, her half, and as she did, her voice got better — more steady, more powerful.

Then he joined her at the chorus, like he knew he was supposed to, and he noticed a new glow in her eyes, mischievous and playful as he tried his best to keep the right tempo. Unlike her, he definitely couldn't sing and he was sure he was off-key, like Claire always said he was the few times he'd sung in the car with her. But she didn't seem to mind, she just kept singing and guiding him with her voice, moving her hand in the air with the beat to help him keep track of his own timing.

The song was over before he knew it. He tried not to look at her as he sang his part, too embarrassed of how poorly it came out, but he could feel her eyes on him the entire time. When their eyes met, his heartbeat synced with the music and he could feel it in his entire body, flowing like a surge of electricity.

He'd even risked a few dance moves after she did too during the little instrumental break, her freedom to allow herself to be silly was refreshing and the way she giggled against the mic was the real music to his ears. Then the chorus came in again, and then the end, both of which they sang together, their smiles genuine, lighting up both of their faces.

The crowd around them erupted in applause and whistles. He found Claire, laughing and shaking her head, but clapping excitedly nonetheless, as she gave him a look that confirmed to him that he'd sung it as poorly as he thought he did, if not worse.

The connection he felt to the girl he'd just shared the stage with was undeniable and he couldn't hide his disappointment when he turned back to talk to her and saw her being spun around by another guy. His heart sank when she met his eyes again, this time, over the guy's shoulder as he set her back down on the floor. He lowered his gaze when he saw him lean over to whisper something in her ear.

It was laughable, really. If he told his sister, she would've chalked it up to fate. Or how the stars had aligned in his favor. Or she'd be bold and ask the girl for her zodiac sign so that she could use her pseudoscience to say they were perfect matches. But it was stupid to feel that way over a stranger, he knew, so he turned around and walked away. Love at first sight wasn't real. And what the hell was he thinking? They'd be going back to Los Angeles soon, school would restart and in less than a year he'd be starting college across the country. All he had to do was focus on his studies.

A hand on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks and when he turned around, thinking it was Claire, an excuse to go home ready on his lips, he found himself drowning in the clear green of his singing partner's eyes. "Hi", she said, lowering her gaze shyly and tucking a strand of her long curly hair behind her ear. "Um, I'm Kate."

He could see the boy he'd seen her with walking in the opposite direction with his arm wrapped around a taller brunette and tried to ignore the relief he felt as he stretched out his hand to shake hers. "I'm Jack." He nearly beat himself up at the look she gave him for the formality of the introduction, but her smile was too intoxicating for him to bother. "You were great out there."

"Thank you." she replied, almost shyly, blush tinting her cheeks. But then she regained her confidence and stood up straighter to look him in the eye, before pointing back at the couple. "My friends pushed me on stage when that spotlight was turned on me. But I'm really glad they did, now."

There it was, again. Mischief was written all over her face as she beamed up at him, her eyes squinting most adorably. Was she flirting?, he couldn't tell. But he could never tell. Whether or not it was obvious to other people was irrelevant; to Jack, it never was. From the corner of his eye, he spotted his sister gesturing crazily at him, her eyes wide, her face contorting into an exasperated expression as he watched her, clueless, and trying to make out what she was trying to tell him with her hands.

"Do you want some hot chocolate?"

Kate's voice broke him out of his trance and he chose to focus his attention on her, following her discreetly pointed finger to the bar where he'd gotten his soda earlier only to spot a small woman pouring the hot beverage into mugs for the kids who were outside.

He nodded and was surprised when she boldly grabbed him by the hand to drag him to the counter along with her. Electricity jolted up his hand. He couldn't remember feeling that with anyone, ever. He would give anything to know more about her just then, to spend time with her.

Mugs in hand, they walked together past the large French doors that separated the party salon from the large deck where a few groups of teens stood scattered, chatting away. She walked to the railing at the far end, farther from the other groups, where it was quieter and they talked.

Conversation came surprisingly easy to them, which was unusual for Jack, much like everything that had happened that evening so far. But for once he wasn't mad or frustrated at the prospect of not having control of the situation. For once he was happy to let go and let the night show him where it would go.

They had a lot in common, he learned. She was a good student, top of her class, and was just finishing applications for almost every school he had also applied to, although his early admission to Columbia, courtesy of sports and his father's considerable donation, had already come in the mail.

The fluttering in his stomach returned in full force as he heard the crowd around them start to count down to midnight. Her eyes flitting from his own to his lips, as she licked hers, was enough of a sign, and he took his chance — it was tradition, after all. He leaned in, pressing his mouth to hers and then pushing for just a little bit more. He kept the kiss sweet, like the hot chocolate they'd just drunk and he could still taste it on her, as the fireworks burst in the sky and in their minds.

It had felt so right to be there with her… it really could be the start of something new.