We all clink our glasses.
Margie goes up onto the makeshift stage to introduce the next singer. “We have a special treat tonight, lovelies. Please welcome to the stage Skye Ainslie and Kate Donnovan.”
I look at Skye, my heart filled like a party balloon. “What are you two going to sing?”
Kate just shakes her head, pulls sunglasses out of her pocket, and puts them on.
Skye whispers in my ear, so close her lips touch my skin, sending goosebumps down my arms. “You’ll see.”
She pulls a matching pair of sunglasses out of her back pocket, winking at me before her eyes are covered in the mirrored surfaces. They go on stage, their backs turned dramatically to the crowd, their legs in a wide stance. I elbow my way through to the front, not about to miss a single moment of this performance.
Kate starts by counting, and after the three, Skye lets out a guttural, “Uh.”
The music kicks in, and I know exactly what song they are singing. I laugh in delight. It’s OutKast's “Hey Ya!”
It was the theme song to my teen football movie, so I know the lyrics like the back of my hand. And apparently, so does Skye. Kate struts around behind her, clapping at all the right moments as Skye belts out the song, emphasizing each “uh” with a little hip shake.
By the time she gets to the chorus, everyone is singing along, “Hey ya!” over and over. Thora and Callum are doing something between a jig and twerking, both their faces rosy with laughter. Skye and Kate are performing synchronized dance moves that they must’ve practiced a thousand times.
Skye belts out the lyrics, and everyone cheers. The crowd is moving like a living, breathing beast. Skye sings out the call and response like a pro. When it’s the fellas' turn, I yell along with everyone else.
And here comes the breakdown. Skye and Kate get down in thecrowd and dance lower and lower, inch by inch, while everyone is shaking their Polaroid pictures all over the space in front of the stage. It’s joy personified.
I dance my way closer to Skye, and now we are moving in sync, too. Her eyes are on mine. Kate claps along with the crowd, everyone shouting the lyrics at the top of their lungs.
When the song is over, the crowd cheers. Margie yells from the back, “Give us an encore, Skye!”
She shakes her head, her cheeks flushed from dancing, her eyes alive. I want to grab her and kiss her right here.
The crowd won't be deterred. They all chant, “Skye! Skye! Skye!”
I join in. The look she gives me sends shivers from my head to my toes.
Kate is next to me, chanting it as well. Skye moves away and whispers with Callum.
After a beat, she catches my eye. I give her a wink and continue the chant, relishing the feeling of her name on my lips. “Skye! Skye!”
SKYE
It’s been an age since I sang. The room is chanting my name, but all I hear is Miles.
“Skye! Skye!”
I know what song they all want to hear. I used to sing it all the time, every month for almost a year, and before that, I used to sing it with my mom. Shaking my head, I head back to the stage to call someone else up to sing, when Dad stops me. His smile is so wide, it fills the room.
“Don’t listen to them.” He laughs. “I know you won’t. You never were one to go with the crowd.”
I return his smile and try to hand him the microphone. “I’m sure they’d love something from you.”
He shakes his head. “Oh, I’m not saying you shouldn’t sing your song. I’m just saying, don’t do it for them.”
I open my mouth to let out a million reasons why I can’t, but my dad puts a gentle hand on my arm. “It used to bring you so much joy. Do you remember when you were wee and I asked you what your favorite thing to do was?”
The memory is there in an instant, like it happened yesterday instead of so many years ago. I was sitting on my dad’s knee. Hesmelled of grass and mint. He asked if I could do anything, anything at all, what would I do. I whispered in his ear like it was a precious secret.“Sing.”
“You don’t have to sing it for any other reason than it’s a song you love, surrounded by friends.”
Idolove the song. I haven’t even let myself sing it in the shower. Looking around at the warm, familiar faces filling the room, I see Kate standing with Miles. She gives a little wave and a gesture to the stage. Someone in the crowd hands me a whiskey, which I sip before making my way up to the front once more.
