#FictionFriday – The Decision

This came from the magic I process. Yes, you read that right. I have magic. I can sit down with a pen and paper and write to see what comes. I never know what it will be. This time it was this. With the help of AI, I completed the picture in my head with this exact image.

I drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly as I stared at the four people seated around the table. Danny wanted a house party, Alfie to go to out somewhere – less clearing up that way, he said. Shona preferred to go to a nightclub, and then there was me. I wanted a night in with a Chinese takeaway, a rom-com, and hopefully a visit from Cool-Guy.

“Well, we have to decide one way or another,” Shona said with exasperation. “Look, the way I see it, is if Danny wins, Alfie has the choice, and I can still go out if I want to.”

“Except,” I interrupted, “I’m not going to watch the telly and have food delivered easily with a party going on.”

All eyes fell on me.

“You could turn the telly up.”  Danny smirked.

I pursed my lips with disapproval and glared at him.

Shona scraped back the chair and grabbed a bottle from the overflowing waste bin. She placed it in the middle of the table.

I stared at her. “Spin the bottle?”

“Why not? No one else can decide.”

Alfie chuckled, “Not done that since secondary school.”

Danny barked out a laugh.

It took four spins. Two were controversial, landing in the middle of two people. One spin pointed to the window before settling on one of us.

Danny’s chair crashed over, and he whooped, circling the room with his hands in the air. A typical Danny overreaction.

I pushed out my bottom lip, scraped back my chair and returned to my room. I hated when decisions didn’t go my way.

So, on New Year’s Eve, we had the party of all parties. I also had the bottle point at me and landed with sorting food. We all supplied a little booze and asked everyone to bring a bottle as well.

As they arrived, I collected money and ordered a load of pizzas. Both Shona and Archie stayed for the party too. I still hoped Cool-Guy would show up later, knowing he had said had to work.

Our shared house overflowed with people; their loud voices and laughter mixed with the blare of loud music.

Unfortunately, my night still did not go as planned.

As I came down the crowded staircase, someone knocked into me and I tripped. I tried so hard not to hit anyone on the way down. Instead, I hit the newel post with an almighty crack and a shed load of pain.

Shona came with me in the ambulance to the hospital. It wasn’t a surprise to find my arm was broken. Still, there were some benefits. The doctor who looked after me was Cool-Guy himself.

 He treated me with kindness, and his gentle hands soothing.  At the end of his shift, he insisted on coming home with me. It was a good job he discharged me in time, so Shona and I could travel home together. It was gone midnight when we eventually returned. The party was in its dying embers.

Cool-Guy and I went back to my room and enjoyed the rest of the night. His soothing hands did a perfect job and my new year got off to a cracking start.