‘Honey!’ A shrill, tired voice came from the other side of the sleeping girl’s bedroom door, accompanied with a loud and persistent knocking.

Honey stirred slowly in her bed, not sure if the calling of her name was part of her dream. The dream had been nice, she’d been lying on a beach somewhere drinking from a coconut.

‘Honey!’ Kadijah said, exasperated, walking through the door, propelled by impatience. ‘I can hear your alarm through the walls!’

‘I’m awake!’ Honey said, sitting up so quickly that she knocked three of her pillows off the bed. ‘I’m awake!’

‘You’re not getting off to a good start, are you?’ Kadijah snorted, reaching for her flatmate’s phone to turn off the alarm that buzzed and bleeped angrily at them both.

‘Good start to what?’ Honey asked, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the light. She’d come back from the New Year’s party and fallen asleep with the curtains open. And her clothes on, she realised as she looked down. And one shoe on. Though not strictly on; the strap that fastened at the ankle remained, while the rest of the shoe dangled from her foot.

‘Do you not remember listing all of your resolutions to me in the Uber home?’ Kadijah asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

‘…no?’ said Honey, shaking her head, and her badly tied headscarf fell onto the remaining pillow behind her.

‘What a waste of my time that was.’ Kadijah sighed, standing up and going to leave the room. ‘Breakfast?’

‘I remember the resolutions though!’ Honey said, climbing out of bed.

‘New Year, Old You’: a short story by Candice Carty-Williams