A Second Chance

Millie lingers in front of her mirror, checking out her outfit one last time before leaving. She's wearing her favorite pair of skinny jeans with the hole in the knee from the fence she hopped last summer, and a plain black v-neck t-shirt. She scoffs, kicking off her shoes, and pulls the jeans off, opting for the pair without the hole instead. She then tears her t-shirt over her head in exchange for a black scoop-neck, flare-sleeved top. "And the finishing touch..." she whispers to herself, switching her low-top sneakers with her pair of boots with the two-inch heel. "There. That should be party-appropriate enough to keep them off my back for a change," she states decidedly, grabbing her wrist-let and heading for the living room to wait for Lindy and the others.

She'd managed to avoid going to any more of these parties since that one at the beginning of the summer. Despite the great time she'd ended up having with Vinny, she still was not much into the party scene and much preferred spending her summer nights lounging by the pool. When fall came around, she chose to go home after the football games instead of to the after-parties. She's out of excuses now, which is how she finds herself on the way to a Christmas party at yet another unknown person's house.

"Mark is hilarious; you'll love him!" she barely registers Lindy chirp from the front seat as she drives the group to the house.

"I'm sure I will," Millie answers politely. "Who the heck is Mark?" she whispers to Natalie sitting next to her in the back seat.

"Just her newest conquest, I guess," Natalie answers nonchalantly, giving a small, one-shouldered shrug.

"Is Steve gonna be there? That idiot never called me back..." Emma whines from the passenger seat.

"Did you ever notice that none of these guys call you back?" Natalie pipes up. "Adam didn't, Dennis didn't, and now Steve... Maybe you should go after Jeff tonight and see how that works out for you instead," she finishes sarcastically, rolling her eyes for good measure.

Kill me now, is the only thought that runs through Millie's mind as she lolls her head back against the top of the seat. This is definitely not her ideal way to be spending a Saturday night, just three days before Christmas.

"Or maybe, you could go for Matt...he's cute!" Lindy offers up her advice.

As much as this conversation annoys her, Millie is glad to have Natalie on her side. Lindy and Emma get so caught up in their roll-a-dex of different guys, that it's hard to take them seriously most of the time. Natalie, while she enjoys going to a good party and maintaining a very active social life, at least isn't completely boy-crazy and can poke fun at the other two with Millie once in a while.

Millie sighs as Lindy pulls into the long, stone-laden driveway. The four girls step out of the car and make their way into the house. Millie ambles into the unfamiliar living room and is immediately greeted by the usual scene: people milling about with drinks in their hands, laughing, joking, talking... It's the typical opening image to any party before the alcohol takes over and the hoopla really begins. She slips out of her coat and hangs it in the massive closet off to the side where all of the coats have been hung.

Natalie titters. "This is a Christmas party! Why are you wearing black? Here, take this so at least you have something red and green on you," she says, removing a thin, handknit red and green scarf from her neck and draping it around Millie's.

Lindy and Emma are already off flouncing around and canoodling with who-knows-who. "Should we get some drinks then?" Millie asks Natalie as the two weave their way through people until they come into the kitchen. Millie immediately spots the keg and the dozens of bottles of booze spread across the counters. The fridge is stocked with multiple kinds of beers, as well as fruit juices and soda to mix with the hard stuff. Natalie grabs for a can of Bud Light while Millie reaches for some Coke, pouring it into her Solo cup, nixing the alcohol portion.

Soon Natalie is off mingling and playing drinking games with some of the other people there, leaving Millie to do what she always does at these things: become a wallflower. It's not that she minds people-watching every once in a while - it's always interesting to observe her peers in these kinds of situations - but there are about a million other things she could be getting done right now in preparation for Christmas. She makes herself comfortable in a chair off to the side of the room and begins making mental checklists as a means of entertaining herself until the real entertainment begins when everyone is well intoxicated.

Before long, her cup has run dry and she needs a refill. She makes her way back into the kitchen and towards the fridge. She pours herself another cup full of soda and closes the fridge door. As she turns around, someone comes ramming towards her, knocking the drink right out of her hand and all over her shirt. She gasps and looks down to survey the mess she's now wearing. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" a familiar male voice apologizes.

"It's fine, it'll wash out. Any idea where the bathroom is?" she asks, trying to swipe some of it off, not looking up.

"Down the hall, to the left," he instructs. "I'll walk you there," he offers, not knowing what else to do to fix this situation.

"Thanks," she mutters, finally looking up to see who this considerate guy is.

Vinny.

The considerate guy in none other than the guy she'd spent an entire night talking to and getting to know last summer. She hadn't seen him or talked to him once since that night, and yet somehow it seems as though that time hadn't passed at all.

"Millie?"

"Yeah, hi. How've you been?"

"Better than you it seems," he jokes, gesturing to her still-damp shirt.

"Right...bathroom."

"This way."

Vinny leads the way down the hall and into the large bathroom, grabbing a hand towel from the small closet once they've both entered, and running it under some water before handing it to her.

"Thanks," she says in a small voice, taking the towel from him.

"So how are you? How was your summer? How's school going?"

Millie laughs. "You're just the question man tonight, huh? I'm good, summer was good but went too fast, and school is going about as good as it can."

Vinny chuckles. "Glad to hear it!"

"You know, you're lucky my shirt is black, or I might've had to hurt you for ruining it."

Vinny laughs again. "If I had actually ruined it, I have a t-shirt I could have given you."

"Ah, so you just carry around extra t-shirts in case of an event such as this?" she teases.

"Something like that," he jokes back before explaining, "I tend to keep extra clothes here since I spend so much time at this place. This is Drew's house," he tacks on when he gets a look of confusion from her.

"Ah, the infamous Drew," she muses thinking back to that party from the summer in which Drew had been the one responsible for orchestrating the whole ordeal.

"Yeah, his parents are out of town for some Christmas party, so he couldn't pass up the opportunity to have one of his own."

Millie nods in understanding before a silence falls between them - one that's just as comfortable as all the others had been from that night so many months ago.

"There, that should do it," Millie states decidedly, giving her shirt one final swipe before rinsing off the small towel and tossing it into the hamper in the corner.

"You look good as new," Vinny compliments, opening the door, allowing for MIllie to pass through and head back down the hall towards the kitchen. She grabs a new cup, opens the fridge and reaches for the Coke bottle. "Allow me," Vinny says, taking the bottle from her and pouring the liquid into the cup. "It's the least I can do."

"Thanks," she mentions as he places the bottle back in the fridge, grabbing for a can of Michelob Ultra, popping the top and taking a swig before his friends call him over.

Millie resumes her place in the living room as the wallflower, sitting on the ottoman by the Christmas tree that's been pushed up against a wall, criss-crossing her legs and leaning back to watch the action unfold. Emma is taking her friends' advice and flirting with both Jeff and Matt, taking turns bouncing back and forth between the two. While Jeff plays a round of Kings, she sidles up to Matt. And when Matt takes off for a round of Ride the Bus, all eyes are on Jeff.

"That's a disaster waiting to happen..." Millie mutters, lifting her cup to her lips for another sip. Lindy traipses in, looking all starry-eyed, with who Millie can only assume to be Mark.

"Yeah! Take that! I totally creamed you - how does that make you feel? Pussy!" Natalie's not-so-ladylike voice comes booming in from the kitchen. Millie ventures to guess she had just won her game of Flip Cup.

"Hey, what are you doing hanging out by yourself?" Vinny asks, approaching Millie.

"Haven't you noticed? It's kinda what I do," she jokes with a laugh.

"I was just heading for the porch for some fresh air, if you wanna join me," he offers.

She smiles. "Sure."

They grab their coats and head outside, taking a seat on the porch swing. Vinny promptly starts gently rocking it back and forth with his foot.

"It's pretty nice out, don't you think?" he asks. "Kinda on the warm side for December."

"Definitely. I wouldn't mind a little snow though. White Christmases are always the best."

"Agreed."

Silence takes over for a moment as the two just look out over the quiet street. A dog barks somewhere off in the distance, and the stars twinkle overhead.

Vinny chuckles, and Millie catches him looking at her. "What's so funny?" she asks.

"Your nose is turning pink already," he observes. She raises a hand, trying to cover it, and looking embarrassed. Vinny pulls her hand away. "No, no, it's cute," he confirms.

A small breeze blows by and a light tinkling sounds from above them. Looking up, they find mistletoe hung from the ceiling of the porch, the bells attached to which are jingling melodically.

"Subtle touch, Drew," Vinny mutters sarcastically.

A light shiver travels up Millie's spine as she laughs at the antics of the host of the party.

"Getting cold?" Vinny asks.

"Maybe a little. I think I'll head in soon," she tells him.

Vinny angles his body towards Millie, resting his elbow on the back of the swing. "So what did you ask Santa for this year?" he questions playfully.

"Oh, you know, the usual. Some underwear and socks," Millie jokes.

"Sounds like my list," he teases back.

It doesn't go unnoticed when he lowers his arm so it's resting on the length of the swing, now coming behind Millie's back. Millie shivers again, and as badly as she wants to go into the warmth, she suddenly has no desire to move just yet.

Vinny seizes this opportunity to wrap his arm around her shoulders, rubbing his palm up and down her upper arm, pulling her in a bit.

"Thanks," she mutters.

They sit in silence for a few moments before Vinny starts shivering too. Millie giggles. "Maybe we should go in now?" she suggests.

"Just one thing first..." he trails off. Next thing Millie knows, the gap between them is suddenly closing in and becoming smaller. His lips meet hers, both pairs fitting together like two puzzle pieces. He pulls away, smiling giddily, and she can't help but do the same. "I could really go for some cocoa right about now. What'aya say?"

"Cocoa sounds great."

He gets up, taking her hand in his as she rises too. Together they wander through the throng of people in the living room until they get to the kitchen. Vinny knowingly opens the cabinets, collecting the mugs and packets of hot chocolate powder. He gets a pot of water going on the stove before grabbing a spoon.

Millie watches Drew play a game of Beer Pong while waiting for the water to boil. Drew stands poised at the end of the kitchen table, about to toss the ping pong ball aimed for his opponent's cup. He misses and curses under his breath.

A few minutes later, once the two cups are ready, Vinny hands one to Millie and then leads her down the hallway to the room across from the bathroom. It's a den of sorts. The room is empty except for a TV and a couch, with an Xbox tucked in the corner surrounded by haphazardly placed games and DVDs.

"Give me a second, let me run upstairs and grab a couple blankets from the guest bedroom...also known as my room," Vinny tells her, in reference to the cold draft that's coming through. He returns a minute later, handing a blanket to Millie as he takes a seat next to her.

Sounds from the party raging on down the hall begin to trail their way through the closed door. Vinny winces when they hear something crash to the floor and shatter, followed by a round of "oooooh!" They both get a laugh out of this, glad they are away from all the chaos that is undoubtedly going on.

The two of them spend the rest of the night talking and really getting to know each other. They swap stories of their families and their childhood. They talk about silly things like favorite animals and favorite ice cream flavor. They share all sorts of little details with each other until it feels like they've known each other for ages, rather than just the very short time that they have.

As their conversation carries on, they lose track of time once again, just as they had six months prior. Next thing they know, the morning light is beginning to stream in through the windows, slowly illuminating the small room.

"I wonder what ended up happening to my friends..." Millie thinks aloud, as the light pours in.

"Let's go check on them," Vinny offers, getting up to stretch out a bit.

"Here we go again..." Millie grumbles upon entering the living room, gesturing towards where Lindy is gracelessly flopped out on a couch, face down in a puddle of drool.

"This place is trashed," Vinny observes, looking around him at all the garbage and broken things.

Millie grabs a half-full trash bag from next to an end table and begins throwing things into it. "Do you just like to clean or...what?" Vinny teases as he grabs a bag of his own.

"Shut up," Millie says on a laugh.

"Apparently this is a tradition of ours now," Vinny jokes, referring to the night-long conversations and cleaning up the party messes at the wee hours of the morning.

"I'm not complaining," Millie counters playfully.

"Me neither," Vinny assures, grinning madly.