"Five...four...three...two...gulped".
Selina finished the last sip of Pinot Noir at 11.59 p.m. on December 31, 2023. The sound of shattered glass followed Selina's collapse to the ground. Everyone around her stopped dancing. Her friend Ally rushed towards the commotion with her partner and found Selina unconscious. Beside Selina was a bottle of broken Pinot Noir. The crowd surrounding Selina sniggered and teased at Selina's sorry state.
Five hours before the event, Ally rushed into her room to greet her roommate and invite her to a New Year celebration at the club in downtown New York. Selina was not in the mood. She was already preparing a few bottles of alcohol, hoping to drink the night away and wake up next year on the second.
Ally: "Selina, come on. Let's go out and have some fun. Come to the club with me, and you shall drown all your sorrows there. Who knows, you might meet someone!"
Selina: "No, thank you, dear. I've prepared stocks of alcohol in my room and the fridge. So, I am good to drink my night away. I will see you on January 2, 2024."
Ally: "You are insane! No! No way am I going to let you be a hermit and trap yourself in this room. Besides, this room is going to smell of alcohol by the time I get back, and I will have to clean it up! NO! You are coming with me! Get yourself cleaned up, put this on, and let's go!"
Five hours later, the people surrounding Selina wished each other a happy new year! Then they proceeded to keep an eye on Selina, waiting for her to get up and walk off. Ally and her partner were trying to wake her up.
Ally: "Selina! SELINA! This is not funny. Wake up! Come on! You will be kicked out of the club soon!"
Selina's once elegant neck-fit mini-red dress was creased and folded up, revealing her thighs. Her legs spread wide, enough to invite every pervert to see through the gap between her legs. No one, not even Ally, empathised with Selina's situation and noticed that she was in trouble. The people in the club continued to tease at her disheveled situation.
A man then walked through the crowd, kneeled on one knee, took off his blazer, and gently covered her. Then he carried the unconscious Selina out of the club.