Walking across the two yards, Brianna walked into her backyard, not wanting to go back inside quite yet. Even though she knew she had just done what was right, Brianna still couldn't help but be sad and upset about having to break up with Brandon. After all, she had spent almost three months with him as his girlfriend, and except for the past three and a half weeks or so, she enjoyed it. But she kept reminding herself that their relationship was just physical, and nothing good would come out of it, especially with the way it was going. She finally let a few small tears slide down her cheek. She sat down at the picnic table thing in the grass in her backyard for about fifteen minutes, deep in her thoughts, until she heard the sliding glass door open, and Amy stepped out, laughing at something that was going on inside.

"Anna, why are you out here? Why didn't you come back in?" Brianna didn't say anything, but sniffled. Amy could then tell that she had been crying. She walked over and sat down next to Brianna. "What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

Brianna remained quiet for a few minutes and then took a deep breath. "I think Brandon and Patty were about to hump." She hated it when people saw her cry, so when that did happen, she always tried to remain somewhat humorous.

Amy slightly laughed. "Hump?"

"Yes, hump." Brianna wiped away the leftover tears and began to tell the story. "I went over there, and Patty opened the door with her hair all strung about and her lipstick smeared, and I started bitching at her because I hate her, and Brandon must have heard all this going on because he came into the living room with no shirt on."

"What a manwhore!" Amy exclaimed.

"Well, Patty was saying something," Brianna continued, "and I didn't want to hear her, so I punched her in the face and followed Brandon upstairs, since that's where he went, and I told him I was sick of dealing with his crap and he was like, 'I love you, blah blah blah ...' and I didn't want to hear him, so I just kinda left and he followed me and he was like, 'please don't do this, yadda yadda yadda ...' and then I told him to zip up his pants because they were unzipped. His pants were unzipped, Amy!" She paused and took in a shaky breath, feeling as if she wanted to cry again. "And then I left and came back here because I wasn't ready to see anyone yet."

"His pants were unzipped?! They were totally gonna get it on. Anna, you did the right thing, so don't beat yourself up over it, okay?" Amy said reassuringly.

Brianna nodded. "I know I did. But it was weird, ya know, to walk in and see my boyfriend about to do it with some other chick."

"Yeah, I know," Amy said, "no, actually I don't because I've never been in that position, but I kinda get your drift I guess."

The girls laughed and there was a few minutes of silence. "What time is it?" Brianna asked.

Amy checked her watch. "Almost 11:30. Another half an hour and it's gonna be 1996!"

"Oh, yippee skippee!" Brianna said sarcastically.

"Well, I think I'm gonna go in." Amy mentioned, standing up, "you coming, or are you gonna stay out here for a little longer?"

Brianna stood up as well. "I'm fucking freezing out here. Of course I'm going in!"

Brianna followed Amy inside the house and saw that Benji and Kaylei had claimed the 'love seat', where Kaylei was leaning against Benji and she was holding a magazine that they both looking at. Paul was blowing a kazoo into Ryan's ear, and Ryan was blowing one into Steve's face, which was obviously making Steve mad.

Brianna laughed at the antics of typical guys and took the seat that Natalie had vacated when Brianna came back, which just so happened to be next to Joel. She sat down and leaned over, whispering something to Joel.

"Where did they get those awful racket making instruments?"

"I think Ryan just so happened to have them in his car. They wanted them to make noise with at midnight." Joel informed.

"Oh. Do they realize that it's not midnight yet?" Brianna asked. Joel shrugged. "Hey, morons!" she called out. Everyone stopped blowing into their kazoo's and looked up. "Can you not do that yet? It's not midnight."

Paul looked at the clock, which read 11:47, and then back at Brianna. "Oh. Sorry." He then faced Ryan and the rest of his friends. "Thirteen more minutes guys, and we can make all the noise we want!"

Brianna laughed a little and leaned back onto the couch. Joel did one of those fake-yawn-and-put-your-arm-around-the-girls-shoulders thing, and Brianna laughed at his cute dorkyness.

"Where'd you go?" he asked her.

She sighed, but smiled, happy that Amy had come outside to talk to her earlier and she was now cuddled up there next to Joel rather than sitting in the backyard reminding herself of Brandon. "Broke up with Brandon."

"Oh really?"

"Mmhmmm."

"That's good." Joel said mischievously.

Brianna smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, watching whatever was on tv, which was MTV'S New Years party in New York. She stayed in that position and listened to Paul and Ryan countdown obnoxiously minute by minute until the New Year.

When the clock struck 12:00, Paul, Ryan and Steve ran like psycho's round the house, and then finally outside, blowing their kazoo's as they went. Kaylei and Benji began making out, Amy, Julie and Natalie ran after the guys who were running around outside, and Brianna and Joel just sat there for a second. Brianna looked up at Joel, who was looking down t her. They both leaned towards each other and began kissing, just like Benji and Kaylei.

For Brianna, it was the perfect beginning to a brand new year.