The Times Square Ball Drop is the perfect way to celebrate and welcome the new year with friends and family. My family watches the ball drop every year, and it’s become a tradition in the household. This year, I moved away from home to go to my dream college in New York, so I had the privilege of attending the ball drop in person. Let me tell you, it’s nothing like how it’s depicted on tv.
“A little tighter… little more… perfect, that feels great” I motioned a thumbs up at my friend, Nikki, who was tying a knot on the back of my dress. Nikki and I have been best friends for as long as I can remember, as our mothers are also best friends. We do everything together, so it wasn’t a surprise when we both got accepted into the same college. I was the first person she came out as a lesbian to, and my love for her has only grown from then.
“We look so hot”, Nikki stated as we posed next to each other in the mirror. She flicked her sunglasses on, grabbed me by the waist, and pulled out her phone for a quick selfie. “Smile, gorgeous.” Snapping the picture, we stared at it for a few seconds. I can’t deny, we looked super hot.
We grabbed our coats and purses and strutted out of the room, looking like a million bucks. Since our dorm was close to Times Square, we took the subway to not catch any traffic. Of course, with two beautiful women sitting by themselves on the train, the pigs were definitely staring us down. “Could I get your numbers, ladies?” A man asked and sat down next to me. Nikki scooted me closer to her and yelled “Scram, you douche. We’re a thing.” The man got up, mumbling homophobic slurs as he trudged away. “I cannot believe you just said that, Nikki!” I exclaimed. “It got him to leave, didn’t it? Besides, we’d make an amazing couple.” I nodded at her and we snickered the whole way to our destination.
Exiting the train, it was completely crowded with people. We left really early, but the place was still surrounded by people. My claustrophobia started to kick in as Nikki dragged me through the crowds. We managed to make our way to the front of the stage, where Usher was soon to perform. “Can you believe it, Niks? I’ve always dreamed of being here on New Year’s!” I gripped her arm in excitement as she glanced at me like a proud mom. “I know.”
Once the event started, people with huge cameras scanned the crowd and stopped on us. Johnathon Bennett, the host of the event, stepped over to us as we squealed in happiness. “Is there anything you wanna say to the viewers at home?” He asked us and handed his microphone to me. “Hi, family! I love and miss you guys, and I know you’re watching this right now! I can’t wait to see you guys again!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, with a bright smile spread across my face. This was literally everything I was dreaming of. Nikki took the microphone and shouted out to her loved ones and a few of the celebrities that performed. Johnathon gave us a high five and walked away, continuing his duties.
As the night continued, it was time for the New Year’s Ball Drop Countdown. Nikki grabbed my hand and stared into my eyes. “I love you.” I gave her a soft smile and replied, “Aw, I love you too!” She chuckled before pushing my chin up to look at her. “No, I love you, like, love love you.” Time stopped for a moment. I always knew Nikki had loved me, but I never thought she’d confess to me. Honestly, I too had grown feelings for her after she came out to me. She eyed me expectantly as the countdown was almost over. I had to time it perfectly. “I love you too.” We pulled each other in for a kiss as the ball dropped.
My happiness at that moment was at an all-time high. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, and I didn’t even realize the people around us were screaming and running away in terror. Nikki pulled away from me and stared behind me in a trance-like state. “Nikki?” I turned around, only to see a large bat-like creature standing on the stage. The creature seemed to be standing on someone, its claws digging into the person’s flesh. I soon realized it was the host, Johnathon Bennett. Snapping out of it, I grabbed Nikki’s hand and dragged her away from the stage. The creature roared before jumping into the air. “What the fuck?!” Nikki yelled as we sprinted away from the thing. Suddenly, the ground shook. We lost our balance and fell to the floor. I screamed in pain as I felt the bones in my leg snap. Tears streamed down my face as Nikki tried to help me up.
The monster crashed into the ground and screeched so loud that I’m pretty sure it had awakened all of the East Coast. I covered my ears as the monster stepped over to us. Nikki got in front of me and used herself as a shield. “Nikki, no!” I tried my hardest to stop the monster, throwing anything in my sight at it. Nothing worked. The monster got closer and closer, when suddenly, a loud whistle got its attention. It looked over at what the noise was and stomped away. Someone grabbed my arms from behind, dragging me away. A group of people also grabbed Nikki, who was frozen in fear. “Don’t scream, or it’ll come back, okay?” I looked at the owner of the voice. It was a young-looking man with dark hair. He pulled me into a bunker-like room that had all its lights off. I whimpered in pain as the lights flickered, revealing a bunch of other people in the room, including Nikki.
“What the fuck was that?!” I whisper-yelled as everyone glanced around at each other. “We don’t know, it comes every New Year.” An elderly woman spoke up and got on her knees to bandage my leg. “Then why does everyone still attend the Ball Drop?” I questioned between groans. Something as huge as this would’ve been all over social media, but I’ve never heard anything like this before. I looked over at Nikki, whose expression was just as confused as mine. “Why is this the first time we’re witnessing this?” The woman gazed at me with a sad smile. “They’re covering it all up. The government is scared of what would happen if people knew the truth, so they use some sort of gadget to wipe everyone’s memories every year.”
My mind was all over the place. The man from earlier stepped forward and handed us a book. “You can choose to remember this night with this book. Write down everything you remember from tonight. Read it when you wake up tomorrow.” Everything everyone was saying was scaring me, and I couldn’t wrap my head around anything. Nikki took the book and started writing with a pen she had in her purse. Once she was done, she handed it to me, and I began writing. If I remember to, I’ll try to give an update tomorrow.