“You’re gonna stay right here, okay? No drinking, no bothering my friends, and most important of all, don’t embarrass me, alright? You’re only here because mum forced me to bring you along, don’t you dare get any ideas in that head of yours.”

Your brother’s words had been very clear, as he hissed them to you on your way to the front door. He had been invited to his best friend’s house for New Year’s Eve, and since your friends had ditched you at the last minute, your mother had not so subtly told your brother to bring you with him. Reluctantly, you had accepted, simply because the thought of staying home with your parents was way too depressing.

So there you were, awkwardly standing in the corner of the living room, nursing a red solo cup, filled with water. Your brother would’ve most likely been sloshed by the end of the night, so you had to drive him back home. The house was packed with people, chatting and laughing and drinking. You weren’t that much younger than your brother, but it still felt weird, not being around your peers.

It occurred to you that you still hadn’t seen the owner of the house, Simon Riley, a.k.a. your brother’s best friend, a.k.a. a damn pain in the ass. Whenever the two of you interacted, it seemed like his sole purpose was to annoy you as much as possible. You weren’t his biggest fan either, so ignoring him wasn’t that hard of a chore.

“Didn’t know he was on babysitter duty,” Simon’s familiar voice came from somewhere next to you, startling you from your zoning out. His breath already smelled like booze. “Aren’t you a bit too old to follow your brother around like a little kid?”

“Just shut up already, Simon,” you sneered back. “I don’t wanna be here as much as he doesn’t want me here. Is it on your New Year’s goal list to be even more annoying?” He scoffed at your tease, rolling his eyes. “Actually, I’m making it my resolution to annoy you even more next year,” he replied, raising his glass. “Cheers.”