"Aw naw, honey I'm good, I could have another but I probably should not!" We sing coming out the Diner. "Guys, please! Stop singing!!" Aaron shouts as Max, Tommy and Logan cover their ears.

"I've got somebody at home, home, home, home! It's been a long night here, and a long night there!" We continue. "Please!" They groan, I roll my eyes and we say, "Fine..." "Thank you!" Max shouts as they remove their hands from their ears and we all get in the car.

"Ooh! Ooh! Let's go in there! Please!!" Sophie shouts pointing out her window to 'Karaoke 24/7' "Please!!" Kate shouts from the back of the truck. "Please!!" Me and Gracie agree.

"Fine, but after this no singing for two weeks. At least, not while we are around." Logan sighs pulling into the parking lot.

"Yay!!!" Kate and I cheer.

"Thank you!!" Sophie and Gracie shout.

We all head in, but each one of us had to drag one of the guys along. "Female/male duet right now. Get your tickets here, and enter. Female/male duet right now. Get your tickets here, and enter. Female/male duet right now. Get your tickets here, and enter." Shouts a man sitting behind a table.

"Oh yeah!" I shout as we drag the guys over to the table. "No. Not happening, we are not singing!" Tommy shouts.

We leave the guys standing by a wall as we grab tickets and sign ourselves up. "Yes. You are!" Gracie shouts looking over her shoulder.

"Okay. So, I'm singing with you, Tommy. Lex is singing with Aaron. Soph is singing with Logan and Gracie is singing with Max." Kate says handing a ticket to each of them.

"Come on!" We say in unison as we drag them inside the Karaoke room. "Next up! Nicole Smith and Fred Doyle!" The hostess shouts.

"Is that who I think it is, Tommy?" Kate asks. "Yeah, that's her. Lex, come with me." Tommy replies pulling me by my hand towards the hostess, who is now at the bottom left of the stage.

"Tommy, where are we going?" I sigh as he continues to pull me.

"Hey, Tommy." The hostess says as we reach her. "Hey Lys, this is my sister, Alexa. Lex, this is Alyssa, my girlfriend." Tommy introduces us.

"Hi! I've heard so much about you." Alyssa says putting out her hand. " Hey, I've heard a lot about you too!" I lie and smile shaking her hand. "You guys singing tonight?" She asks. "Yeah. We just signed up." I reply.

"Oh, well then go ahead and pick your song over there."  She says pointing to the back of the room to a small machine thing. "Okay, bye, I'll call you tonight." Tommy says kissing her cheek as we head back to the others.

"Let's choose our songs," I say and point at the machine. "Okay." They say.

I pull on Aaron's arm and drag him over to one of the five machines. "Alexa, last time we talked, you kind of left me hanging." Aaron says as I scroll through the song list. "No, I gave you a solid answer." I reply, not meeting his eyes.

"No, you said you liked me too and that you would go on a date with me. Then you told me to forget about it. But, I won't stop until you say yes." He continues.

"Fine, Aaron, I'll go on a date with you." I smile looking up at him. "I'll knock on your door tomorrow at 8." He smiles back.

"Okay, now, let's pick a song." I turn back to the machine and continue scrolling.

"Found one!" I shout as I click it, and type our names on the 'Write Names Of Singers Here' part. "Which one did you choose?" He asks. I whisper the name into his ear, and then say, "Come on, let's go practice it." "Next up, Cynthia Herman and Adam Jogan." Alyssa says.

*******************

      "Okay, we still have four more duets to go, but only have time for one more. I'm sorry for those who can't perform, but feel free to come back tomorrow. Next up, Alexa Richards and Aaron Keith." Alyssa informs. "Sorry guys." I say to the others.

"Nah, it's okay, we'll just come back tomorrow." Sophie smiles. Logan replies, "Uh, no. We won't, we made a deal, no more singing for two weeks after this."

"Oh, right. Well, then we'll come back in two weeks. Just, go, before they give up your turn." Gracie smiles and Kate gives a thumbs up. 

"I wish I could sit this one out." Aaron sighs and I lightly slap his arm before pulling him up on the stage.

  "Midnight,
You come and pick me up, no headlights
A long drive,
Could end in burning flames or paradise
Fade into view, oh, it's been a while since I have even heard from you, heard from you." Aaron and I begin singing 'Style' by 'Taylor Swift.'

"I should just tell you to leave 'cause I
Know exactly where it leads but I
Watch us go 'round and 'round each time" We continue.

"You got that James Dean daydream look in your eye
And I got that red lip classic thing that you like
And when we go crashing down, we come back every time
'Cause we never go out of style
We never go out of style ..."

After approximately four minutes, we end the song.

"That was so good! You guys seemed very into the song!" Sophie says as we head back to them. "Thanks." I reply. "That was the worst few minutes of my life." Aaron complains.

"Shut up, you loved singing on that stage." I laugh. "In your dreams." He replies. I roll my eyes as we walk out of 'Karaoke 24/7.' "For a place that's called 24/7, it doesn't seem to last that long." Sophie says.

"No, they have some elderly people coming to sing now. Really, it's just a string of events that go on all night." Gracie replies. "Makes sense." Kate says.

"Wait! Miss Richards, and Mr. Keith!" Someone shouts.

We all look back to see a man heading in our direction. He's around the age of 40, and he seems very familiar to me.

"Can we help you, sir?" Aaron asks. "Oh my gosh, that's Rob Heisenberg! He's the manager of only the biggest stars on Planet Earth!" Gracie shouts.

"Yes, that is me. Miss Richards and Mr. Keith, I am hardly ever impressed with anyone around here, but what I just saw on that stage, that was star material.

I would very much like to sign both of you." Rob replies. "Oh my gosh! That's so cool!" Kate shouts. "Um..we-we're going to have to think about it..." I reply.

"I've already got my answer, sorry sir, but no thank you." Aaron says. "He doesn't mean that, sir, he has to think about it, too." I reply giving Aaron a pointed glare. "Alright, just give me a ring when you've made up your mind." He smiles as he hands us his card and walks off.

"A ring?" I ask. "He means a call." Max answers. "Oh, look who's getting their old on." Kate says and we all laugh.

"No! I just happen to like watching old-time movies." He replies and we laugh harder. "Whatever. So, you want him to sign you?" Max asks us.

"Not really. It's just, I still need to go to college, and then I'm not sure, if I would like to sing for a crowd at that time." I reply. "And I don't sing." Aaron says.

"You just did." Gracie smiles.

"I meant, I don't want to sing." Aaron sighs. "But you're good at it." I say poking his arm.

"Nah." He says. "Yeah." We all reply in unison.

He rolls his eyes as we all get in the truck, with me riding shotgun this time.

"Where we off to now?" Aaron asks from the back. "I don't know about you but I need to get home for dinner with my dad." I reply. "Yeah, we are all going to my house, too." Tommy says pointing at himself, Kate, and Max.

"Mkay." Logan asks, "Can I come to the cabin, Soph? Aaron?" They nod their heads, "Sure thing." Sophie replies, "G! You wanna come to the cabin?!" She yells out the window. "Sure!" Gracie shouts back in reply.

"Here ya go, guys." Logan says pulling up in front of my house.

I get out and head to the back of the truck to get my bags that I packed earlier, this morning, as Gracie gets down and into the front parts of the truck.

"Bye guys! I'll come and visit you tomorrow, maybe? I'm so going to miss living with you!" I say hugging Aaron and Sophie. "We'll miss you too! Just remember, that room will always be there for you, okay?" Sophie asks.

"Okay." I smile and wave at them as I go into my house and up the stairs to my room. "So!" Kate shouts, "Can I help you pack out your bags?" She asks.

"Yes, please!" I beg. She puts her hands up and then starts helping me unload my bags. "Thanks, K." I thank her once we finish up unloading my things.

"Okie, so, your dad texted me, and apparently a restaurant opened up while you were missing and he wants me to take you there." She replies. "What's the name?" I ask. "Surprise." She smiles. "Agh, you know I hate surprises!" I moan.

"Yeah, well. Let's go! It'll be fun!" She says. I roll my eyes, "Boys! Come, we are leaving now!" I shout and follow her out to Max's car.

****************

"Here we are! Finally!" Kate shouts as we pull up in front of a restaurant with a white vintage, calligraphic, 'Jacqueline's' sign, and right underneath it a black Arial-font, '1963'. "I thought you guys said it was new?" I ask.

"It was, in 1964. It was originally in Canada, but they relocated it here while you were still missing." Max says leaning in from the back. "

Oh, cool. Okay, I'll see you guys later, maybe, bye!" I shout and wave at them as I get out of the car and head in. As soon as I get in, I look at all the booths searching for my dad. Someone, a female woman, notices me searching and heads over to me, "Alexa, sweetheart, would you like me to guide you to your father?" She asks.

"Yes, please." I reply. She leads me up the maroon colored staircase to the roofless second floor. My dad was sitting behind a table at the back left. "Thanks, Helga, I'll see you soon, okay?" I ask.

She nods briefly, flashes her sweet smile and escalates back down the stairs. "Hi, Lexi, honey." He says as I sit down. "Hi, daddy." I reply. "Are you ready to order?" A waitress asks making herself present at our side.

"No ma'am, I will ring the bell, when we are." My dad replies gesturing to the golden bell on the table. "Alright, sir." She smiles and walks off. He hands me a menu which is a two sided thick cream paper with cursive words on it.

"I think I'll have the lasagne bolognese, please." I inform the waitress. "And I would like the fettuccini, ma'am, thank you." My dad says. "I'll be right back with your orders." She says as she takes our menus from us and heads down the stairs.  "So, honey, how did it feel without your old pops around?" He asks, I smile and begin talking about all the times I missed him most.