Other than the day after my dinner party, I’d never seen Alex tired. Not even after a long shift on the boat. He had as much energy as Greyson did, though the vibe coming from her tonight was... concerning. I was tempted to push him but thought better of it. If he didn’t want to tell me, maybe I didn’t want to know.
Before long karaoke began, and Nina was right, I’d needed the shot and the rum and Coke. My stomach wound itself tighter as I watched person after person take the stage. Sure, I could sing in the galley or the man van with Alex, or in the condo with the girls, but this was different. I’d never been shy, but stage fright had plagued me ever since my kindergarten Halloween pageant, when, dressed as a pumpkin, I froze in the middle of my solo and threw up on the kid next to me. My anxiety wasn’t helped at all by Alex, who drummed his fingers on the table as he stared vacantly at the stage and shot occasional glances Greyson’s way.
Nina elbowed me after the first few performances. “Go put your name in!”
I shook my head. “Let me eat dinner first. I can’t perform on an empty stomach.” Though given my history with singing and puking, maybe I should. Nina rolled her eyes, then left to put her name in. Mia, Kitty, and even Greyson, who still looked miserable, followed her.
I busied myself by taking photos of the stage, the friends around me, the restaurant, my food. When the DJ called Nina’s name, she struttedacross the stage as if she owned it. She was no Whitney Houston, but she wasn’t bad either. Her enthusiasm more than made up for any lack of talent. Ollie couldn’t take his eyes off her.
I leaned over to Alex. “What is cake by the ocean? Is that a drug?”
“You’re joking, right?” And when he realized I wasn’t, he laughed for the first time all evening. “Uh, it’s sex on the beach.”
“Like the drink?”
Alex stirred his drink with his straw. “Kind of, but the song is about, uh,actualsex on the beach.”
“Oh,” I said. My cheeks felt hot all of a sudden, and I turned back to the stage, where Nina seemed to be singing directly to Ollie.
When Nina returned, Mia and Kitty took to the stage, singing a pop song I only vaguely recognized but that Alex and Nina knew all the words to, of course. I videoed their performance and sent it to my sister.Wish I was there, Beth responded, and my heart ached for her. I wanted nothing more than for her to be beside me so I could make her laugh, or let her cry on my shoulder. I’d get up onstage and sing a thousand songs if I thought it would make her feel better.
When the DJ called Greyson’s name, she crossed to the center of the stage, a scowl on her face as she gripped the microphone and belted out the angriest rendition of Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” I’d ever heard. Throughout the entire song she stood motionless, her eyes locked on Alex. I lowered my phone, realizing this was a message, not a karaoke performance. Alex was drumming on the table again, that line of worry deepening with each word Greyson sang.
As soon as Greyson’s song ended, Alex was on his feet and crossed the room, meeting her at the bottom of the steps. He put his arm around her shoulders, but she pulled away and marched back to the table. Alex lingered by the stage for a moment, his face pained as he watched her walk away.
“Whoa,” Nina said. “What was that about?”
“I have no idea.”
Alex returned, taking the seat beside me again.
“Everything okay?”
He gave me a tight-lipped smile. “Teenagers.”
I watched his face, but it was clear he didn’t want to talk about it. I’d never seen Greyson like this. I’d never seen her mad at all, especially not with Alex. What had made her act out in such dramatic fashion? I didn’t have long to think about it, though, because Mia and Kitty appeared on either side of me and pressed their faces to mine.
“Yes?” I mumbled through squished cheeks.
“It’s been two hours, Jo,” Mia said. “Go put your name in.”
I looked at the stage. I didn’t have Nina’s confidence, or Mia’s and Kitty’s ability to carry a tune, or even Greyson’s anger. “I’m still deciding what to sing.”
Mia pulled away from me. “Seriously, Jo?”
“There’s only an hour left of karaoke!” Kitty added. “If you don’t get your name in soon, you won’t get to sing.”
“What about ‘No Scrubs’?” Nina said. She sang the opening of the song, and Ollie nearly spat out his drink when he caught her glare, but I thought I saw her wink at him when she’d finished.
My eyes darted to the stage, the DJ, the lights circling above, and then to Alex, who looked down into his drink.
“I can’t do this,” I said.
“You have to do it; it’s on the list,” Nina said. “Don’t disappoint us. You’ll let everyone down if you don’t sing.” She gestured to the entire restaurant as if I’d be letting themalldown.
“I can’t.” I brought my hand to my throat. “I think I’m losing my voice.”
“Oh, give me a break,” Mia said.
