Lydia's room looked as if a clothing tornado had ripped through it by the time Keeley arrived. Shirts, skirts, and jeans were strewn across every surface, and then some. Keeley wasn't sure where to step.

"Don't mind the mess," Lydia said. "I was looking for a specific belt, and things got a little dicey. Come on in! I have the perfect outfit for you!"

Keeley eyed the chaos distrustfully. "Alright, show me what you've got."

Her friend produced a slouchy gold sequined top seemingly out of thin air and waved it like a flag.

"This top," she announced, digging around some more, "with these black skinny jeansand black ballet flats! I have some fun gold dangly earrings you can wear, too. And gold eyeshadow! You'll be as radiant as the sun."

"Are you trying to blind people?" Keeley demanded. That was a lot of sparkle for one outfit.

"It's New Year's Eve! Everyone will be sparkly. You'll see. Look, I'm doing it, too."

Lydia pointed to a silvery tunic she planned to wear with the thick black belt that had caused the room's mayhem.

"You're going to freeze," Keeley predicted.

"I'm not," Lydia said. "I'll be wearing leggings and knee-high boots. We'll be inside most of the time, anyway."

Keeley, used to being styled by others, didn't argue. She and Lydia were the same size; even her shoes fit.

A glance in the mirror after she dressed surprised her. Keeley didn't look like herself—past or present. Gone were the trendy wannabe socialite and the casual college student. She looked bright, shiny, and new—a fitting ensemble for a fresh start.

They left the apartment around 8:00 p.m., since the party started at 9:00 and they didn't know how long travel would take. On the train, they chatted idly about their college lives.

Lydia mentioned she was casually dating someone; they'd been texting constantly during the break.

Jeffrey flagged them down near his older brother, James, and a few unfamiliar people. The guys were simply dressed, but Keeley noticed the other women looked a lot like her and Lydia. She should have trusted her friend's fashion sense.

They knew James; he was three years older than Jeffrey and had lived at home during their freshman year of high school. He attended college in New Jersey but was home for the holidays. He introduced them to Ellie Madden, Trey Folla, and Brad Stimpson. They settled into their pre-rented booth.

The karaoke bar had booths surrounding the stage and a dance floor to the side. New Year's Eve festivities included games with prizes every thirty minutes; otherwise, it was regular karaoke.

The first game, announced at 9:15 p.m., was a handstand contest. Ellie, a former gymnast, volunteered. Everyone cheered for their friends, but a man in his late twenties named Greg won an iTunes gift card. Ellie got third place.

James and Jeffrey then devised a modified Truth or Dare: refusing your choice meant singing a song of the asker's choice.

Everyone was in a good mood, energized by the atmosphere. Trey dared to propose to a random girl; she looked disgusted, and he apologized profusely before returning to his seat, cursing Brad.

Lydia chose Truth and shared her most embarrassing moment: locking braces with a boy she kissed in eighth grade. The trip to the orthodontist was awkward. Her face reddened as the table howled with laughter.

Ellie refused to answer "Who do you have a crush on?" and sang "My Heart Will Go On" in an opera voice, at James' request. Some found it hilarious; others thought she was crazy.

Keeley chose Truth. Jeffrey asked, "Who was your first kiss?"

She scowled. In both her lives, the answer was the same. She hadn't been interested in boys before him.

"You should already know this—" Collective gasps filled the table. James and his friends thought she meant Jeffrey.

"—since you're the one who didn't stop him from stealing me away on Valentine's Day."

Jeffrey gasped. "You mean he actually kissed you? I thought he just cut in on the dance!"

"You thought wrong," she said sourly.

"That wasn't even their first kiss," Lydia sang. She knew about their previous, poorly-ended middle school relationship.

Keeley buried her face in her hands. "I hate you guys."

"Excuse me, but you haven't answered the question," Trey pointed out.

She sighed. "Aaron Hale. His name is Aaron Hale."

More gasps.

"You mean the Aaron Hale, heir to Hale Investments? Or just someone with the same name?" Brad asked incredulously.

"The first one," Lydia said helpfully. "He went to our high school and was obsessed with Keeley, even after their junior high breakup."

"I wouldn't say obsessed," Keeley hedged, uncomfortable with the attention and the reminder.

Her friend scoffed. "He's more obsessed with you than a monkey with bananas."

Jeffrey was scandalized. "You can't compare Aaron Hale to a monkey! He'd kill you."

"Do you really think he'd be here? He's probably at some fancy uptown party!"

He was at a fancy party two blocks away, but Lydia was close.

They argued semantics, and Keeley wished she could disappear. Why did Aaron keep coming up?

(The final promotional sentence has been removed as it is not part of the text needing cleaning.)