Loud music, so many bodies you can barely move, this was what the typical house party was like in Montreal, Canada - or anywhere, for that matter. The drinks were always stocked up, non-alcoholic and alcoholic. The host of the party always made sure all of the top music hits were played. If you were a block away from the house, you could probably hear the bass from that far back. On New Years Eve, the excitement was only heightened.
Ashlynn was all too familiar with this scene. She had been attending these New Years Eve parties every year since she was 16. Now at the age of 25, there was barely any difference. She still spent an hour getting ready, only after another hour deciding what to wear. She still drove her red '96 Ford Mustang that she had bought off her dad. There was only one thing different this year, and in her mind, it was the most important: she didn't have anybody to kiss when the ball dropped.
Every year, ever since she was about 17, she had a boyfriend to kiss on that night. She believed that if they were together for New Years, they would be together for the rest of the year. Unfortunately, that wasn't always the case. Most of the boys Ashlynn dated ended up breaking up with her within the month of January, all for various reasons. This time, her boyfriend (or rather, exboyfriend), Justin, had ended it just the previous week, saying he "needed space". This unexpected event left Ashlynn dateless to her best friend's party.
As she was walking up to the house that she had been in many times before, she was considering turning around and going home. Ashlynn Walker never went to a party without somebody on her arm. After a minute or so of deliberating, she decided it would be a waste of time to go home now; she was already there. She walked right through the door, hearing the Black Eyed Peas' new song pumping through the house.
The house was crowded, and Nicole, her best friend, had told her she was only inviting "a couple of people". Ashlynn giggled to herself, knowing she was going to be the one helping Nicole clean up after. Sighing, she walked over to the bar, saying hi to people she knew on the way over. She ordered a bottle of beer from the bartender. This is going to be a long night, she thought.
"Ashy!"
Looking to her right without moving her head, she saw the familiar face of her best friend walking closer to her. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and she was wearing a you-can't-miss-it golden dress that people like Ashlynn would find repulsive, but Nicole loved it. Ashlynn was used to this from Nicole, as all her clothing was so "out there", so she wasn't embarrassed, "Hey Nicole. Only a 'couple of people' eh?" She raised her eyebrows and laughed, taking a sip of her drink that burned her throat on the way down.
Nicole grinned, "Shut up." The song playing changed to Love Game by Lady Gaga. Nicole immediately squealed, "Ash, it's our song! Let's go dance!"
Ashlynn agreed as she led the way to a more open spot on the dance floor and the two started to dance, not caring that they probably looked like fools.
***
Sebastien sat perfectly still, staring blankly at the TV screen that wasn't even turned on. He had been in that position for what seemed like hours. He had no plans for tonight, New Years Eve. He did have plans, he was going to go to some local party with his girlfriend. That plan went right down the toilet when she came over just an hour prior and decided it was a good time to tell him she had been cheating on him. He had been completely distraught. He loved her. He was sure she was the one. He had even planned to go buy an engagement ring. What made it worse was that she didn't seem have any remorse, claiming he had been "boring" her.
So now, he had nothing to do on New Years Eve. He definitely wasn't planning on going to that party now, not by himself. Being there, around all those happy couples would just remind him of her, of how happy they used to be (or at least, how happy he thought they were). All of his friends were most likely already at the party, drinking the night away. Maybe he could order Chinese and watch the ball drop from home? Yeah, Sebastien liked that idea. The Chinese store across town wasn't closing until 9, and it was only 8:15.
Just as he was about to pick up the phone to start dialling, it started ringing. The Caller ID told him it was his fellow friend and band mate, Pierre. He considered ignoring it, but he decided not to. He pressed the talk button and held the phone to his ear, "Hello?"
"Seb, where are you? Aren't you and Jamie coming?" There was a lot of background noise, making it hard to hear Pierre.
Sebastien sighed, "I'm not going."
"Why? What happened?" The noise lessened, and Sebastien assumed Pierre moved to a quieter area.
"She broke up with me."
"Awe, dude, that sucks balls. Why?"
Sebastien sat back down on the couch and massaged his forehead with his free hand, "How do I say this? She was," he paused, thinking of how to word it, "having more fun with somebody other than me."
"Are you serious? Wow, dude, that really sucks. I'm sorry. Why don't you just come here by yourself, get your mind off it?"
"Nah, I think I'm just going to chill here. I didn't really want to go to the party anyways. I'll talk to you later."
"Come on, Seb," Pierre whined, "there are tons of hot babes here. If I didn't have Lachelle, I would definitely bang at least one of 'em."
Sebastien chuckled, "Well, that's uh, nice to know, but I think I'll pass. It's much quieter here."
A sigh came from the other end of the phone, "Sebastien, please, just come. It'll be fun. There's lots of drinks here, you could use some of that. All you need is a couple of beers, and you'll be fine. Please come?"
It was Sebastien's turn to sigh again, "Alright, fine. But if I don't like it, I'm leaving. I'll be there in 10 minutes," They both bid their farewells and hung up.
Sebastien walked upstairs to his bathroom and washed his face, staring at his reflection in the mirror. His chin had a slight stubble on it; he had been too lazy to shave in the morning. His shirt] was maybe too casual, but he didn't feel like changing it. He pulled his loose-fitting blue jeans up, hiding his The Simpsons boxers. Deciding he looked presentable, he walked back downstairs, grabbed his keys, and walked out to his car.
