16. Happy New Year 1986

As Curt and the rest walked in to grab a table, Sarah greeted them as she entered the dining room from the kitchen.

“I was about to end my shift,” she said.

“Oh, good, so you can sit down and enjoy the pizza you’re probably sick of by now with us,” Curt said slyly.

Sarah looked around for her boss and said,

“Never… I’m never sick of this stuff,” as she took off her name tag and apron. “Hopefully, I don’t smell,” Sarah said.

Kevin arrived with the two missing members of the group and sat down next to Curt.

“Hi,” he said. Curt smiled and said,

“Hey.” Curt reached for Kevin’s hand under the table to hold it in his.

Matt and Dan were walking down the street as they approached Sherri’s with the rest of the basketball team. They stopped out front trying to decide if they wanted pizza, and Matt saw Curt and Kevin inside through the front window.

“Hey, let’s go hang out at my house. It looks crowded in there,” Matt said to the team. As they gathered and headed to their cars, Matt took another look in the window and saw Curt holding Kevin’s hand. He didn’t like what he saw, but at least now it was making sense why Curt was ditching the team for Kevin so much lately. He joined his friends in the car and paused, wondering if he should mention what he had just seen.

Sarah introduced Nelson to her parents and family during the Christmas holiday of 1985, which went very well. It went so well that Nelson was staying for New Year's. For Sarah’s family, that was huge as far as her friends were concerned. He stayed in her room, and Sarah stayed with her sister in her room.

On Tuesday night, it was New Year’s Eve, and much to everyone’s surprise, the Ionia Armory opened as the teen club again to those under 18 for a New Year’s event, and the whole gang returned for a fun night of dancing. Sarah wore a beautiful ‘little black dress,’ and Nelson wore a tie. They fit perfectly, and everyone thought Nelson fit in with the group incredibly well. He was fun-loving and joined in all the jokes as if he had been there all along. Rachel and Red appeared on the dance floor just as Billy Idol’s ‘Dancing With Myself’ started playing. Reby and Mary appeared, and Joyce, and finally Kevin and Curt.

“I’m so excited! And I just can’t hide it!” everyone shouted to the song by the Pointer Sisters playing.

Kevin and Curt mouthed the song ‘I know, I know, I know… I WANT you!’ And they smiled big at each other. When "Rock Lobster" by the B-52s cued up, the group needed a break despite being a great song. They danced off the side of the dance floor towards the mocktail bar to the song, and ordered drinks as 99 Luftballons began to play in German next. Kevin had Sarah to himself for a moment and said,

“It seems like things are going great with Nelson.”

“Yeah, isn’t he great?” Sarah twisted her mouth as if she were proud that Kevin had acknowledged her feelings. “You and Curt look super happy,”

“Yeah… thanks to you,”

“Aww … We both make such great choices. I’m loving this for us!”

Kevin looked over at Curt, who was talking to Reby and Joyce, and he couldn’t imagine life without him. Sure, they were all young, but Curt had impacted his life when things could have been so dark otherwise. He was now in a strange new place with amazing friends and a boyfriend he adored. He grabbed Curt’s hand and led him to a quiet corner where they were less noticeable.

“I want to kiss you at midnight,” Kevin said.

“Yeah?” said Curt.

Curt kissed Kevin on the cheek before they headed back to the group.

“Maybe this will hold you over for now?” Curt said.

“Happy New Year’s Eve,” Kevin said.

“Now let's save the kissing for midnight.” Kevin gave him a singular nod in agreement and a hand salute from his forehead.

At 11:45 p.m., the music scaled back, and the DJ announced the time, saying they would soon begin the countdown. The time was displayed on a lightboard similar to the scoreboard in the school gym. It was now 4 minutes and 29 seconds, and counting. Everyone gathered in the friend group, and the sparkling cider was passed around on trays. The last song of 1985 was ‘Take on Me’ by A-ha. The countdown was announced, and just as the crowd shouted.

“Ten…Nine!...” Curt grabbed Kevin’s hand and pulled him towards the bathroom, where he had scoped out a private one-toilet bathroom. He locked the door behind him and said,

“I really want to kiss you at midnight, and I didn’t know what reaction we would get out there if I dared try it.” They could hear the countdown continuing.

”FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE! Happy New Year!!! 1986!!!” Kevin and Curt had been looking deep into each other’s eyes for the last three seconds of the countdown… And they kissed. ‘Hold Me Now’ by Thompson Twins began.

I have a picture pinned to my wall…

With those lyrics, and that kiss, and this boy, Kevin opened the door and took Curt out into the open, back to the company of his friends, and kissed Curt right in the open. A bathroom wasn’t the place to be with someone this special. The song continued:

But you know that there’s nowhere that I’d rather be than with you here today…

The pair was so engaged with each other that they couldn’t possibly have noticed that across the dance floor was Curt’s nemesis on the basketball team: Matt Lourdes. He was standing with his sidekick, Dan, and they saw EVERYTHING. They didn’t seem happy, which was a serious contrast to their teammate Curt's happiness. Matt’s stare-down was intense, and even he wasn’t certain why it made him so angry.