The invitation couldn't be missed.
The New Day had made sure the network broadcasted their video at least once during Raw and Smackdown every week throughout December, and squeezed it between commercials during those programs as well. There was no possible way any WWE superstar missed it.
The video featured Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and Big E standing in Times Square, the hustle and bustle of a Saturday in New York at Christmastime unable to disturb them. "Ladies and gentlemen!" Big E began, his potent voice carrying well without the aid of a microphone. "Your attention please! At this moment, we are weeks away from celebrating the new year!"
Kofi and Xavier each puffed into party horns, the noise honking next to Big E.
"And soon enough! Weeks will dwindle down to days, days will dwindle down to hours…and hours will shrink to mere moments before midnight!"
Kofi put his face into the camera next. "And the New Day wants to help you…"
"You!" Big E chimed.
"You!" Xavier echoed.
"Ring in the new year with style."
"With style!" Big E declared.
"With swagger," Kofi stated.
"Swagger!" Xavier whispered, still somehow as loud as his normal speaking volume.
"And above all else…with smiles!"
"Mhmm!" Big E affirmed, swinging his head from side to side.
Xavier took over from there. "The New Day is hereby inviting everyone who's watching this right now—and we do mean everyone, superstars, Divas, any and all members of the WWE Universe—yes, even you, Michael Cole…"
Kofi put a hand over his mouth and widened his eyes.
"…to attend our post-Smackdown, poppin' New Year's Eve party!" He cocked his hip, and Big E looked his way.
"Now, what does that mean, Xavier? You mean poppin' like a booty?" Big E wiggled his hips, and Xavier nodded enthusiastically.
"That, my boy, and! 'POP' also stands for…power of positivity!"
New Day hooted and danced without music—but plenty of rhythm.
Xavier went on, "We have reserved the ballroom at the Hotel Harrington in Washington, DC! And New Day will provide the nutriment, the liquor, the music, and…goody bags! Yes, we even have goody bags, which each hold a special—uh, Big E, what are you doing?"
E was shimmying again. With artificial chagrin, he said, "Oh, goody bags? I thought you said booty bags!"
"Well, this party will have plenty of booty, too, E! Don't you worry!" Xavier faced the camera again. "So swing by after Smackdown on December thirty-first, the very last day of the year, to ring in the new year…New Day style!"
"See you then!" Kofi hollered with a wave.
The video faded to black.
"We have truly outdone ourselves, gentlemen."
Xavier Woods draped an arm around Kofi Kingston and Big E, admiring their work. They'd gotten to the hotel this morning with nothing but time and spent money in preparations for tonight. The New Day hadn't cheaped out on this celebration. A twelve-foot long banner stretched above the stage, reading in bold blue letters HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016! Red and blue paper lanterns hung in clusters of three or four, spread over the entire ceiling. The lights were dimmed, the ballroom illuminated instead with lamps to set the mood of the evening and a shimmering disco ball above. A flatscreen television was stationed in the corner, to be turned on towards the end of the night so the party guests could count down to the new year and watch the ball drop. The round tables were overspread with thick white cloths, adorned with multicolored spray centerpieces, and encircled by eight chairs per table. Xavier hoped they wouldn't run out of places for guests to sit—then reminded himself, if the party was really rocking, everyone would be on their feet dancing anyhow. Chairs weren't a concern.
E had rented two speakers which currently thumped with pop music from E's laptop, plugged into the speakers and situated behind one of the apparatuses so he could play DJ.
A long rectangular table, shrouded in the same tablecloths like the others, contained rows of refreshments and snacks. Veggie trays, deli plates, platters fringed with cheese and crackers, a variety of chip and dip flavors, and other dishes crowded with tasty goods like burger sliders, fried pickles, lamb meatballs, oven-roasted chicken wings, and something called chipotle black bean cakes—Kofi had made them at home this morning. Drink options ranged from sparkling cider to Coca-Cola to lemon-flavored vodka.
New Day definitely had not cheaped out.
"Truly, truly outdone ourselves," Xavier said. "E! What time is it?"
"Ten minutes past ten!" E answered, checking his silver watch. "Smackdown probably just wrapped up."
The New Day had requested their match against the Lucha Dragons to kick off the show for the evening, so they'd have plenty of time to shower and change for the party. The company had granted the request—and Lucha beat them in record time. Xavier wasn't discouraged. He'd hobbled with his teammates down the walkway with a bruising ribcage, but paused in his walk and waited for the winners to make their way down the ramp.
"Hey, Lucha!" he called. "You guys coming to the party tonight?"
He couldn't exactly read their reactions through the masks, but without a nod or a shake of the head, Xavier figured they had no idea what he was referring to. "Wait, let me try this…" He cleared his throat. "Vas a ir a la fiesta esta noche?" He thought that was right.
Still, Sin Cara and Kalisto didn't seem to get it. How could they not? Hadn't they seen the video? Hell, it had aired just moments before their match!
"Alright, well, we'll see you around, anyway!" Xavier said, waving his hand in defeat. He didn't need the Lucha Dragons for his party to rock.
"People should be coming in any minute," Kofi said. "Damn, I'm hungry, but I can't be nibbling on munchies when our guests arrive. I'd look like a terrible host."
"I can't wait to try those black bean cakes," Xavier noted, rubbing his hands together. "They look delicious."
Kofi Kingston beamed. "Thanks!"
The boys were dressed for style. They'd promised style at this party, hadn't they? Head to toe, they were garbed in matching powder blue suits, pink ties, and white undershirts. Their heads were capped with triangular pink party hats. Any unicorn in the universe would be proud of their attire. Each chair was furnished with its own party hat, so the guests could be unicorns with New Day.
Spared no expense.
Two or three thudding hip-hop songs started and faded to an end, and still nobody had arrived. Kofi bounced towards the door, his hair—he'd worn the frizzy ringlets in pigtails tonight, the way he'd sported his mane at TLC—ricocheting off his ample shoulders. "Don't worry! Everyone's actually being really considerate right now. They're all showering before they show up. We don't want this place to stink like body odor and sweat, right?"
"Right!" Kofi was radiating, and Xavier just needed to imbibe a bit of it for himself. The power of positivity was perhaps the most important guest at this party tonight.
Well…second-most important.
If you counted whom he had in mind one by one, it could be considered the fourth most-important guest of the night.
Xavier decided to ring up numbers one, two, and three. He did have their phone numbers, after all, some of the only numbers he had of anyone on the roster.
He was met with six drawn-out rings, followed by a voicemail for the first call. "Hey, Naomi, it's Xavier calling! Listen, uh, I was just wondering if you were gonna make it to the party tonight. We're over at the Hotel Harrington if you wanted to drop in, say hi, have a drink. Uh, hope to see you tonight! Later."
Xavier sighed. If she had other plans with her husband and stepchildren, he wouldn't be offended. Family came first.
He tried Sasha Banks next.
This time, he was met with an answer. It cheered him. "Hello!"
"Hey, Big Bad Boss Lady! What's good?"
"Xavier, hi, honey! How's it going?"
"Good, and you?" There was a lot of commotion from her end of the call. She sounded trapped in a loud area.
"Sorry, sweetie, what was that? It's packed in here."
Xavier had a feeling he knew her answer already, but he decided to try anyway. He was never one to not try. "I was just wondering if you were gonna make it to the party tonight?"
"The party? Oh, your party! Oh, honey, I'd love to, but I'm actually with my mom and brother tonight. We're over at the Red Derby."
"Oh." Even hearing what he already knew deflated him like a balloon. "Well, no biggie! You have fun tonight, and be careful, okay? Lotta crazy drunk guys this time around."
"You be careful too, Xavier. And if you guys get bored, come on by! Drinks are half-off until midnight."
Someone behind her celebrated the declaration with a Ric Flair-esque "Wooooo!"
Xavier planned to be at his party for the night, but he appreciated her invitation. "Sure thing. Bye, Sasha."
The call ended before he heard a goodbye in response.
Ringing up Tamina got him to voicemail as well. He rattled off a pathetic invitation to the jam, not expecting to hear back from her for the rest of the night. She was probably with her father, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka this evening. He couldn't hold that against her.
Xavier turned around, hoping some guests had arrived while he was on the phone. It was still just him, Kofi, and Big E.
Team B.A.D had been the most anticipated guests of the evening. And none of them would be able to show.
The power of positivity was back to being the number-one guest. The MVP.
He welcomed it with open arms.
"Hey, Xavier, go ahead and try one of these chipotle black bean cakes!" Kofi encouraged him.
Xavier helped himself to a blue napkin and lifted a cake to his lips. It was crumbly, spicy, and delicious. Kofi had done a good job. "Very delicious," Xavier praised him, mouth still full. He swallowed the lump of food and helped himself to another. If he wasn't careful, he'd eat all of these himself and there wouldn't be any left for the other guests.
Once they got here.
Once…
"Yo, E. What time is it?"
"Ten-thirty-six," Big E said, voice not quite as lively and high-spirited as it had been last time Xavier asked for the time.
Now the deflated balloon that was Xavier Woods was being stretched into useless plastic. "Huh."
How could nobody be here? That video had been circulated worldwide, spread like an epidemic so nobody could miss the chance to party with the New Day. They'd even invited Michael Cole! Where were they?
"Hey, this song's on!" Kofi declared a millisecond into the next song like he'd been ready to say it without knowing which tune it was. "Let's dance, unicorns."
His energy was difficult to disregard. Kofi Kingston led the way on the designated dance floor, bobbing to the beat of Flo Rida's "GDFR." Xavier couldn't consider himself a fan of the song itself or its artist, but he dug anything with a good beat, and this song dominated with a great beat. Big E swept in with moves of his own, and Xavier found himself smiling again. He enjoyed the four minutes or so on the floor with his teammates. Big E was a riot, and Kofi's heart seemed set on keeping the zest—and the positivity—popping.
"Whew!" he whooped when the song was over. "I think I need a drink. Gentlemen? Drinks?"
"Sure, sounds good," Xavier said, following Kofi to the table. He was a bit hungry, too. He wanted to help himself to more of those bean cakes. If guests showed up late at this point, it would be their own fault missing out on the tastiest option on the table.
Kofi grabbed a sangria-flavored Seagrams Escape from the giant cooler stationed at the end of the table. He held the cooler lid open for E and Xavier, and Xavier nearly declined the offer until he opted for a Wild Berries Seagrams. Then he filled a paper plate to his heart's desire and sat at one of the lavish tables.
He sort of wanted to know the time, and sort of didn't. His morbid curiosity won him over. Close to eleven now. Then there'd be an hour until midnight.
What had he done to piss these people off so much? The New Day's goal was to spread optimism and good vibes everywhere they went. Was this such a cynical world now that the very thought of a little positivity disgusted them? Turned them off? Repulsed them to sickness?
Roman Reigns had been invited. He was probably with his cousins, the Usos, their wives. Dean Ambrose had been invited, in spite of his lunacy. Stardust. The Ascension. Neville. The Miz. The Lucha Dragons. The Big Show. Ryback. Dolph Ziggler. The Prime Time Players. Tyler Breeze. Kevin Owens. R-Truth. Alberto Del Rio. Even the entire Wyatt family. Maybe they hadn't all been invited personally, but it was clear in the viral video that no guests would be turned away at New Day's New Year's Eve Bash. Everyone was welcome.
Everyone who would have wanted to be there, got to be there.
Guess nobody wanted to be there.
"New Day!" a familiar voice hailed.
Xavier craned his neck, looking at the door. Bo Dallas was there, dressed nicely in a black button-up shirt and slacks. He flaunted his signature pearly smile, hands on both hips as he strutted into the ballroom.
Bo Dallas may have been…well, Bo Dallas, but a guest was a guest. Xavier sprung from his seat and greeted Bo near the door with a high-five.
"Hey, Bo, welcome!" he accosted. "Glad you could make it!"
Bo wrinkled his nose. "Boy, this place is a big, dull, dead dud, isn't it?"
"Hey, now, what kind of talk is that?" Kofi asked, relocating to Xavier's side with a plate full of food. "That just means there's more for us to eat! More room on the floor to dance!"
Bo Dallas's smile glinted. Nobody could argue with Kofi. "True! Let's see what we've got over here! I'm starved."
Bo picked and chose his way through food options. Xavier, meanwhile, returned to the table to finish off his plate. Kofi followed him to the table, taking up the chair next to him. Big E and Bo chatted it up at the refreshments table.
"You hanging in there, bud?" Kofi asked, rubbing Xavier's back.
"Trying to." Xavier offered a weak smile. "I'm just not sure why nobody would show up. What a low blow."
"Well, someone did," Kofi mentioned, cocking his head in Bo's direction. It was as annoying as it was soothing. "And you know what? It ain't about how many people show up or who bothered to take us up on our generous invitation. It's about who is here, and what you do while you're here. I spoke the truth earlier, and I'll speak it again now: there's more food for us to eat, and more room on the floor for our dance skills. They just can't handle this much awesome in one room. They're afraid the place will explode or something."
Xavier's smile unfurled. It was real this time. If anyone knew how to remind him of how good he truly had it in this business, it was Kofi Kingston. "Thanks, man."
His delight withered in the slightest when Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" was next to play from the laptop. "Hey, E, skip this song," Xavier said. He'd chosen this song specifically to slow-dance to with a Diva. Someone from Team B.A.D. Sasha. Tamina. Naomi. Someone. Anyone.
That wasn't happening tonight. Clearly.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no," Kofi spurted before Big E could make it over to the speakers. "Keep it going. I like this song."
"Even without anyone to dance with?" Xavier asked, arching an eyebrow above his crestfallen eyes.
"I got someone." Kofi poked his shoulder. "Dance with me?"
Xavier chuckled. "Seriously? I'm alright, thanks."
"Come on, man. Just trust me, alright?" He drew Xavier to his feet with one tug on his arm. Xavier joined him on the dance floor, only partially reluctant. The rest of him was inquisitive about Kofi's idea.
Kofi took both of his hands and swayed with him side to side, rocking from one foot to the other and back and forth again. Like they were children playing London Bridge, slowed to match the downtempo beat of the song. Kofi released one of his hands to spin him, and Xavier gave into his laughter. He couldn't help it. Kofi was such a goof. So sweet. A great friend.
Kofi moved up behind him and took both of his arms in a hold, swaying back and forth. Xavier was jolting with giggles.
"Shut up, this is a serious song," Kofi said in his ear. It made Xavier laugh harder. "This is a tender moment we're having, Woods, dammit, don't ruin this for me!"
They oscillated with one another until the final moments of the song, and Kofi actually dipped Xavier. He smiled up at his friend, who just looked happy to be there.
"You're awesome, dude," Xavier said.
"I know." He raised Xavier to his feet again.
"That was beautiful!" Bo commended, clapping his hands together. "Dance with me next, Kofi!"
Kofi grinned, unashamed about taking him up on the offer. But the next song was Cascada's "Evacuate the Dance Floor": faster-paced, bumping and loud. Quite the opposite of Eric Clapton's amorous track.
"I'll catch you on the next one," Kofi promised.
"This is old-school!" Xavier exclaimed.
New Day and Bo Dallas pirouetted to the pulsating bass. Kofi dramatically mouthed the words to the chorus with rattling shoulders, a frisky figure.
"You know this song?" Xavier teased.
"Call it a guilty pleasure. It had to make its way onto the playlist somehow. She's a babe, man, have you ever seen her?"
Xavier couldn't dispute that.
It was far past eleven and Xavier Woods was having a fantastic time.
Kofi was right. It wasn't about who wasn't there; it was about who was. And he couldn't imagine a better time than with his boys, Big E and Kofi Kingston, and a true guest of honor, the only one who'd bothered to show of the entire roster, Bo Dallas.
The place didn't have to be packed full of people for the new year to rock.
All he was regretting now was the high amount of money they'd spent, seemingly for nothing now.
Music filled the ballroom, filled the rest of the hour. Songs that inspired them to hit the dance floor with all they had: "Wake Me Up" by Avicii, "Turn Down For What" by Lil Jon and DJ Snake, "Bang That" by Disclosure. Gentler, smoother melodies that carried through breaks for drinks and more to eat: "Fortuneteller" by Deep Purple, "Blinded By Science" by Foreigner, "Dreamer's Dream" by Tom Cochrane. Xavier had to give it to his boys—they'd crafted a fine playlist for the night.
More for them to enjoy. All to themselves.
With ten minutes until midnight, Big E switched the television on. Wails and applause live from Times Square awaited the timer counting down in the corner.
"This was a good year for us, right?" Kofi asked, glass bottle in his hand by a weak grip. He was tipsy. "Think on it. We beat Tyson Kidd and Cesaro for our first tag team championship at Extreme Rules. Might have lost it at Money in the Bank, but we gained what's rightfully ours again at SummerSlam. Huh? And we've defended it ever since. Xavier came close to getting his hands on Cena's U.S. Title, and with enough hard work, I know it'll be all yours someday, buddy." He patted Xavier's shoulder.
"It was a good year for the New Day," E said. "And you know what? I think next year could be even better!"
"Oh, I believe it. I know it without a doubt. This year was amazing, but the next? The next is going to blow everyone away."
"The New Day will not be unseated!" Xavier said. He was eager again, without much help from alcohol. "We're champs, baby. Champs. We don't need a title to prove that to the world. We've come a long way."
"You're darn right, you have!" Bo declared. "This is why I admire you guys so much—even against waves of negativity, you stay standing! Even if you're knocked down, you don't stay down. Not ever! And do you know why?"
"Because we bo-lieve?" Xavier asked, cracking a grin.
"That! And…New! Day rocks!" He clapped along with his own words, which a tipsy Kofi, Big E, and Xavier joined him in chanting. "New! Day Rocks! New! Day Rocks!"
Xavier laughed at the end of the rally. "Damn right, we rock."
Not a bad way to end the year.
Midnight was close now. Less than sixty seconds away.
Xavier mustered just one more fatalistic thought for the year that was about to be all behind him.
He'd been looking forward to kissing someone at midnight for the first time in too many years.
Sasha wasn't here. Nobody was. Nobody was eligible.
"What's wrong?" Kofi asked.
Xavier blushed. Kofi always saw right through him. "Just, uh…kind of sad I don't have anyone to kiss at midnight."
Kofi smiled coyly. Xavier gave him a funny look.
"SIX! FIVE! FOUR!" Big E and Bo Dallas counted aloud, clapping after every number. "THREE! TWO! ONE!"
Kofi leaned forward and kissed Xavier on the cheek.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" E and Bo hurrahed in unison. They clashed against one another in a hug.
"Happy New Year, Xavier," Kofi said.
Xavier touched his cheek where Kofi had kissed him. His skin warmed with a flush. He was strangely satisfied. Was Kofi an amazing friend or what?
"Happy New Year, Kofi," Xavier echoed.
New Day, with Bo Dallas as a worthy guest, meshed together in a brotherly squeeze.
Not a bad way to end the year at all.