"I found him in the bathroom, kissing my sister" – 10 New Year's Eve parties from hell

My girlfriend forgot to mention that her parents and their fancy friends would be there, so everyone gave me weird looks when I showed up shouting "Woohoo!" wearing a purple wig, leopard-print jumpsuit, and a glittery tutu. There were only four young people there; everyone else was stiff adults. After half an hour of awkwardness, I said goodbye—but my car wouldn’t start. While walking home in the cold, I saw two girls struggling to drive on the slushy road. I kindly pushed their car, only to get covered head to toe in freezing mud from the spinning wheels. Without a word, the girls sped off, and I stood there, unable to believe I was stepping into the new year on the worst night of my life.

I was seeing a guy who had a metal band. He invited me to their New Year's Eve concert, but I was supposed to work that night. Then I found out I didn’t have to go in, so I decided to surprise him. During the second song, he announced, "This song is for a girl who means a lot to me." I got teary, then he said, "Come up on stage, Barbi." My name isn’t Barbi. I watched as he kissed a blonde girl on stage, then went home crying.

We were partying with the guys when my best friend Janesz was telling a funny story. Suddenly, he went silent, bent over, and collapsed without moving. At first, we thought it was part of the story—but it wasn’t. His heart stopped, and he passed away. He was 28. Unbelievable. I haven’t been to a New Year's party since; it’s just too painful.

I invited seven people and hosted the party at my place. I spent the whole afternoon making sandwiches, baking, and decorating. No one showed up. In the end, I invited my 78-year-old neighbor over to toast with me.

We were at a friend’s party when a girl I knew liked me came over at midnight. I had gently turned her down several times over the past year and a half. She asked me to kiss her, but I said no, sorry. Then she pulled a razor blade from her pocket and pressed it to her wrist right in front of me. I remember blood splattering on my white shirt. Three of us managed to wrest the blade from her and hold her until the paramedics arrived. We were still scrubbing the blood off the carpet at dawn. Definitely not my favorite party…

I went out with four guys to a party where there were four girls. After a while, each of my friends was flirting with a girl, and I was left sitting alone on the couch, watching some terrible New Year's Eve show until dawn.

At a house party, my girlfriend told me she wanted to break up and I watched her kiss another guy at midnight. I grabbed three beers, drank them on the way home, and went to bed hoping the next day would come faster.

I got out of the taxi in my most dazzling dress and headed to the gate where all my friends and an amazing party awaited me. The next thing I remember is lying on the ground, covered in blood, with my friends anxiously asking if I was okay. Someone threw a bottle from an apartment, and it hit me on the head. Ambulance, emergency room, three hours waiting, half my head shaved, and 18 stitches—that was my New Year's Eve.

I went outside for a smoke with a guy I liked. I slipped on ice, sprained my ankle, and landed right in some vomit. I spent the rest of the night icing my foot on the couch—in the host’s sweatpants—while watching the guy flirt with my girlfriend.

Feeling pleasantly tipsy, I was thinking how lucky I was to spend New Year's Eve with my love and my sister—my two favorite people. With only minutes to midnight, I went looking for my boyfriend to kiss him as we welcomed the New Year. I found him in the bathroom, kissing my sister. In an instant, I went from heaven to hell. They blamed it on the alcohol, but I never accepted it and haven’t spoken to either of them since. It’s a heavy burden on my whole family, especially with my sister, but I can’t forgive such a betrayal.