“Hello?”

“¡Hola!”

“Chris?”

“Sí.”

“Um . . .”

“Fiesta.  Mi casa.  Be there for seven, sí?  ”

“Um . . . Chris.  You’re only like, a quarter Spanish, dude.”

“So?  I just want to spend some time con mis amigos.  So you, Timberloco, Chavez, and Bastillo had better be there.  Got it?  Great, Jose.  See you there.”

*        *        *

Chris was already mildly buzzed by the time everyone arrived.  And he was definitely drunk by the time everyone had eaten and he declared that they all “sit down in a circle and share New Year’s resolutions.”

“Chris.  It’s August.”

“So?”

Joey knew not to argue with Chris when he was in this state, so he just gave up with a shrug of his shoulders.

“I’ll go first,” JC offered when no one spoke up.

“No!  We’re starting on my right and going counterclockwise,” Chris insisted.  “Justin, that means you go first.”

JC shook his head.

“Can’t JC go first, I’m not ready yet-”

“No!  Go!  Now!”  Chris could get very pushy when drunk.

“Okay, okay!”  Justin thought for a moment.  He really hadn’t considered a New Year’s resolution until now.  He felt pressured with four pairs of eyes anxiously watching him, and he knew that he’d be held accountable for whatever he said for at least the next three group get-togethers.  Which meant, at the current rate, that he’d actually have to keep his resolution for an entire year.  And now that he thought about it, he wanted his resolution to be meaningful.  For all of them.  “I resolve to not say bad things about us in interviews.”

“Feeling guilty, huh?”  Lance asked.

“You wish!”  Justin answered.  “Now go, it’s your turn!”

Lance didn’t even hesitate to think.  “I’m going to be more honest with people about myself.”

“Dude, you can’t make a resolution about coming out.  You already did!”

“I didn’t say ‘coming out,’ J, I said ‘being honest.’  And who said you could decide what constitutes a decent resolution, hmm?”

“Okay guys, my turn,” Joey said, interrupting the two youngest group members before the inevitable catfight began.  “I resolve to lose ten pounds.” 

Justin and Lance snickered.  JC petted Joey on the head and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  “Good job, Joe.  I’m proud of you.”  Just as he was about to tell them his resolution, a loud snore came from his left and Chris’ head hit his shoulder heavily.

“Did he just fall asleep on us?”

“Why yes, Justin, he does appear to be sleeping,” Lance said.

“It was a rhetorical question, ass.”

“Guys, shh!”  JC shushed them both and looked to Joey for help as Chris started to drool on his shoulder.

The four men sighed and each grabbed Chris by a limb and hauled him off to bed.

“Think he’ll remember this in the morning?”  Joey whispered as they tiptoed out of the room.

“Nope,” JC said.

“Guess we’ll never know what his resolution was, then.”