TRACK #7 MUSIC:

🎵 "Can't Fight the Moonlight" - LeAnn Rimes

🎵 "The Next Time I Fall" - Peter Cetera and Amy Grant

🎵 "MMMBop" - Hanson

🎵 "Baby, Baby" - Amy Grant

🎵 "Shimmer" - Fuel

__________

TRACK #7 - FALL

"Can't Fight the Moonlight" - LeAnn Rimes

There was a slight tinge of regret for missing the opportunity for a second date with Brock while I drove Emma and me to the church I hadn't attended since the end of sixth grade– Elevate United. The large stone building with tall windows looked more like a fancy office than an actual church.

"Tell me why it's going to be fun to spend the entire night locked in a church again?" I reluctantly trailed behind Emma as we entered the main foyer. A long rectangular table was set with large silver platters displaying various snack foods.

"Trust meee! I know you're bummed, but you'll see Brock next weekend, and we get to hang out! You're going to love it," she assured me. I couldn't help but smile when I saw how happy she seemed to be about my presence. We continued walking before spotting Noah and Elijah's mother. Emma's face instantly lit up upon seeing her. "Mrs. Walker!" she beamed warmly as she leaned in for a hug.

"Oh, hello, Emma!" Mrs. Walker returned the hug lovingly. Her eyes widened as she looked me up and down. "Well, if it isn't Aria Gray! You're so grown up!"

"Hi, Mrs. Walker." I smiled and accepted the hug she was already giving me.

"I ran into your father the other day at the produce shop. He said you were all back for good," she commented. "I thought I might see you soon. I know how close you and Noah used to be..." she trailed off as a look of concern washed over her face. "Your father looks like he lost quite a bit of weight." It was a comment rather than an accusation, but I immediately understood the inference. She was implying that he didn't look well, and while my head knew that, my heart wasn't ready to admit it.

"He's been watching what he eats," I said warily. His chemotherapy didn't allow him to eat much, but it wasn't a conversation I was ready to have, and certainly not with someone I hadn't seen in years. Emma's eyes were glued to me, obviously sensing my omission of truth. I figured this was something we'd probably revisit later and took a beat to consider how it was that someone I had known for so little time seemed so in tune with my thoughts and feelings. It was like she was a mind reader.

"I see. You remember Micah, don't you?" Mrs. Walker pointed to a miniature version of Elijah who bounced around the lobby with a toy truck in hand. He couldn't have been more than five.

"Oh, my goodness– I remember him as a baby!" I blurted out, stunned that this little person was the same tiny human from years past. He immediately bounded towards Emma and me to show us "how cool" his truck was.

"They grow fast." Mrs. Walker smiled affectionately at Micah. Everything about her was incredibly hospitable, from her patient demeanor to her kind eyes. "Don't worry; he'll be out of your hair before the lock-in begins. So glad you girls could make it!"

"Thanks for having us. We're happy to be here," Emma responded politely.

"Oh, Aria," Mrs. Walker began, and my eyes rose to meet hers. "I hear you teach piano lessons, hm?"

I nodded in response. "I actually just started. Seems my mom had more business than she could handle."

Her eyebrows raised hopefully. "Maybe you could find time to fit Micah in?"

"I'd love to." I smiled as I watched him vroom his truck across the lobby floor. "I decided that I would teach on Saturday mornings. I have a 10:00 opening. Would that work?"

"I'm sure it will. I'll confirm with you once I'm positive. Thank you. I think he's going to love it." She gestured to the auditorium. "Everyone is meeting in there. We'll see you girls later." We waved goodbye and set off for the auditorium.

Elevate United was a large, non-denominational church that drew many young families in Bridgeview as people searched for alternatives to traditional services. The church held at least four hundred people in its large, completely remodeled amphitheater, which looked more like a concert venue than an actual church. A large screen hung behind a stage to project video and other information relevant to the sermon as people worshiped.

When we entered the auditorium, I spotted Noah sitting on the edge of the stage, drumsticks in hand. He was surrounded by Elijah, Adrian, Kody, and many others I didn't recognize. I took a few deep, steadying breaths while Emma and I approached them.

Noah smiled, giving off a courteous air that would make his mother proud. "Hey! Glad you all could come."

"You are welcome to place your belongings on the stage and help yourself to some refreshments." Elijah pointed to the pizza, chips, soda, and other treats that were set up along the stage. We thanked him and moved to do as he suggested, but not before he held up my path by leaning in to hug Emma a minute too long. She flushed, only managing to offer him an awkward smile before glancing up at Adrian, who had quickly leaned in to kiss her.

"Youths!" A tall, handsome combination of Elijah, Noah, and Micah laughed heartily while he made his way to the stage. He tapped on a microphone several times before speaking into it. "Welcome to this month's youth event at Elevate United!" The small crowd cheered. "We're going to give people a few more minutes to get in and get settled before we shut off all the lights and lock all of you in for the evening. If you've never attended an event like this, I hope you're prepared for a lot of fun! Everyone should get their glow-in-the-dark gear from the table next to the pizza. Pile it on so it'll help you see throughout the church because many of the events run tonight will require total darkness. How many of you love to play Manhunt?" Again, everyone in the vicinity went wild. Apparently this was a pretty popular event because people were still filing in. "Awesome. Well, I'm Kent Walker, so if you need anything, please see me or our Youth Pastor, Dave Sanders. Let's have a great night!"

Emma and I found the group again, carrying pizza on paper plates. I was feeling more at ease with a trusty Diet Coke in my hand. Kody nearly tackled the both of us in pursuit of some of the several long strands of the glow-in-the-dark gear Emma had also brought over with her. She cracked some to make bracelets, necklaces, and other items to outfit the both of us ridiculously.

"You know this stuff isn't going to help if we're playing Manhunt, right?" I asked, somewhat rhetorically, while I adjusted the purple crown that now sat on my head. Emma's mischievous grin was illuminated by the neon green necklace she had made for herself. She poked my side, and I giggled.

"Who cares? It's cute," Kody added while looping a few more blue ones around himself. "Plus it brings all eyes on us. Where they belong, I might add."

"Even if you are supposed to be hiding?" Adrian wrapped his arms around the back of Emma while she slid a matching green necklace around him. He kissed her forehead, which she leaned into with a smile on her face. My eyes scanned for Elijah in the small crowd that was gathering around us, but instead landed on a girl with a short, heavy-set frame with thick, frizzy hair parted down the middle. Her eyes were burning upon me as she stared from behind thick-rimmed glasses. When I turned my body more towards her to confirm that she was indeed staring, she quickly looked away. Noah's voice cut in while I stood there bewildered.

"Oh, you don't know our group yet, do you?" Noah gestured to the tiny crowd before him. "This is Zach, the bassist in our band, and his girlfriend, Carly." Noah pointed to a burly young man with more facial hair than a high schooler should really have and a pretty petite brunette who clung to his side. "Will plays the keyboards," Noah nodded towards a tall, clean-cut figure with broad shoulders, dark hair, and dark eyes. I swallowed hard as I took him in. "And Quinn, Carly's best friend." Standing next to Carly was the ogler, and she was definitely watching me again. "Everyone, this is Aria."

"Oh! You're Leo Gray's daughter, right? The one that was on tour?" Zach chimed in with his charismatic smile, effectively loosening the tension I felt from Quinn's glares.

"That's me," I confirmed.

"I love your dad's music! My parents started me on Phantasic Phunk when I was a kid," Zach beamed. Hearing the name of my father's band out loud made me almost spit out my Diet Coke. I was so not used to hearing people my own age talk about older music. Especially when that older music was my father's band. "Being on tour had to be so cool! I have A LOT of ques–"

"We should allow Aria some time to settle in before we bombard her with questions," Elijah swiftly came to my rescue. I smiled gratefully before I was cut off by Will's voice speaking over the crowd. I was once again struck by how good-looking he was.

"Alright, everyone," Will announced. "Gather 'round. We're going to say a little prayer just to say thank you for this evening and bringing everyone together. Then, it's time to pick teams. Manhunt is on!"

Teams? I didn't want to be picked for teams. I was always picked last for those things in middle school. I felt my palms begin to sweat while I nervously looked at the floor. Emma said this was going to be fun, didn't she?

After the prayer was said, Will and Elijah sat on opposite sides of the stage to serve as captains. I ended up being picked for Elijah's team after Noah and Emma, and while I'm sure he was doing it to be kind, I was appreciative. His next pick was Adrian, while Zach, Carly, and Quinn ended up on Will's team. Before I knew it, the rest of the people playing were split evenly between each team.

"Okay, rules," Will began before we officially started the game. "One group hides while the other group seeks. We'll set the time for two minutes. You have to stay inside the church, but hiders do not have to stay in one spot the whole time. Once you're caught, just meet back here. We switch once all of the hiders have been found. Good?"

Everyone nodded their heads and prepared for the epic battle. I was just worried I would be the first one found. We flipped a coin, and Elijah's team was the first to hide.

"Ready?" Will's eyes danced with excitement, his smile wide. His eyes met mine, and his smile only broadened. Huh. Someone like him had to have a significant other of some sort, right?

"I call dibs," Kody stated as he stepped up beside me. I looked at him sideways, and he pursed his lips. "Don't act like you weren't just making goo goo eyes with that delicious man candy."

I playfully shoved Kody away from me, and when I looked back up, my eyes locked with Will's once again. It was all I could do to just blink at him.

"Aria!" Emma giggled while she grabbed my hand and began running with me in tow. I didn't even hear Will say, "Go." Oops.

Chaos ensued. Will's group was secluded in a sitting room off the main entrance of the church, but our team was not quiet about finding their spots. Most notably Noah, who was hooting and hollering as he ran back and forth through the halls, which he claimed was for tactical purposes. Others were laughing loudly and carrying on like children. I couldn't complain, seeing how I had a huge grin plastered to my face as Emma and I weaved in and out of the dark rooms of the church.

"Here!" Emma pointed at a spot behind what I assumed to be Mr. Walker's desk. We had found our way into his office, where surprisingly he wasn't. I tucked myself underneath, and she slid his chair in to cover me. I was so tiny that anyone would not have expected a teenager to actually fit there with a chair pushed in all the way.

"Wait! Where are you going?" I called after her. She merely shushed me between giggles. I heard a door open and close, which I knew had to be her.

It wasn't too long before we heard Will's team looking for ours. There was plenty of screaming and carrying on while person after person was found. I was certain that I was due, especially when I looked down to the floor and realized that my glow-in-the-dark bracelets were casting an obvious purple light on the floor. Crap. The office door opened and closed quickly, and the sound of soft footsteps rounded the desk. Well, at least I wasn't the first one caught. I sighed as I resigned myself to my inevitable doom when the seeker abruptly stopped pulling out the chair.

"This is my spot!" Noah whisper-shouted, chastising me light-heartedly.

I opened my mouth to argue, but the door opened again, and Adrian walked in. "Noah?" he questioned. I peeked my head up from under the desk. "Aria?!" Adrian's lips curved upwards. "If you two needed some alone time..."

"No!" we both shouted a little too loudly. I was thankful for the low lighting, or else they both would be able to see how red my cheeks were turning.

And as if the heavens above were mocking me, the light turned on, and Will stood there smiling. I felt myself turn an even deeper shade.

"She took my spot!" Noah pointed at me like that changed the fact we were found. There was no point in trying to run as Zach, Carly, and Quinn piled into the office.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Emma told me to hide here!" I defended myself.

"Oh, really?" Noah raised his eyebrows before dramatically turning around to open a closet door. Out fell Emma and Elijah, a tangled mess of limbs as a result of her falling and him trying to prevent her from doing so. Her face was as crimson as mine.

"Noah!" Emma scolded while she got to her feet, taking Elijah's offered hand but not looking at him. My eyes zeroed in on Elijah's wrist that held a neon green bracelet he hadn't been wearing before.

"You gave her my spot," he supplied as his reason for betrayal.

"You also gave away Elijah's spot." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"How was I supposed to know that you two were necking?" he shot back.

"We weren't–" Emma stammered, her blush worsening. "I mean, we didn't–"

"She was unaware that I was also in there." Elijah gave Noah a warning look. I glanced at Adrian, whose mouth was a thin line.

"Well, you five were the last of your group," Will chuckled. "Our turn!"

While we waited in the sitting room for the timer to go off, Emma and Noah continued to bicker about who actually betrayed whom.

"Just because you have been hiding there since you were little, doesn't mean it's your spot," Emma argued.

Noah scoffed before he looked at her sideways from the wingback chair he sat in. "That's exactly what it means."

"You outgrew it years ago, and you know it," Emma laughed, not able to keep a straight face anymore. I realized they weren't actually mad at each other, but teasing. "Besides, you know this place like the back of your hand. You could have picked anywhere!"

"As do you," Elijah chimed in, causing Noah to cheer victoriously.

"That's right." Adrian stepped up to Emma as the timer went off. "I'm not only a better man with you by my side, but a better seeker, too." He extended his hand to her, which she used to stand up. I didn't miss the flex of Elijah's jaw while his eyes followed them. Adrian's grip tightened on Emma's hand before he pulled her along behind him.

I rose to my feet and followed the crowd out into the main hall. "Aria," Noah addressed me, but wasn't looking at me as he struck a battle stance. "You're with me."

"HA!" Kody let out before he could stop himself. Noah froze when he realized how his words could be misconstrued. I didn't acknowledge Noah as I calmly strode over to Kody and tagged him. "Worth it." He shrugged it off. "Time for more pizza." I jokingly saluted the both of them before disappearing to find the other hiders.

At approximately midnight, the game was finished, and we all filed into a large leisure space in the basement. The area was used for social gatherings and looked more like a Barnes and Noble than a church. There were TVs mounted on the walls, couches spaced along the perimeter, stylish decor, and an array of gaming tables, such as pool and foosball.

"I can't believe this is the same church..." I leaned into Emma as we entered behind the rest of the group. "This is definitely not how it looked last time I was here."

"To be honest, it's come a long way. They really take a lot of pride in making a space people want to visit, so every year they're rebuilding something. This is fairly new," Emma explained. I nodded my head while I saw Quinn, Carly, Noah, and Zach grabbing pool cues to play a game. We decided to sit on bar stools behind them to take in the scenery.

"Before we start..." Quinn began in a high-pitched tone that matched her face perfectly. Something about her left me uneasy. It could've been the evil glares, but I wasn't positive that was it. "Here," Quinn said shyly, holding a long rectangular-shaped box with a blue bow out to Noah.

"Oh, uh, I... But it's not my birthday?" Noah protested as he struggled to find appropriate words. Quinn blinked at him slowly while Noah stood speechless, holding the box in front of him. The exchange was agonizing to watch.

"Noah, perhaps you should thank her for the kind gesture and open it?" Elijah attempted to throw him a life line. Take it, Noah. Take it.

"Oh, right," he shook his head like he was coming back to reality. "Thank you, Quinn. This was very nice of you." He took a deep breath while he unraveled the bow and opened the box. Inside lay a pair of custom drumsticks with hand-painted flames traveling up the sides. "Wow, these are... These are really cool. Thank you." Noah awkwardly leaned into her to give her a lazy, one-handed hug.

"I'm glad you like them," Quinn interjected before Noah could finish. I took a deep breath myself and slipped off of the barstool. I didn't really want to stick around for any more of this tortuous conversation.

"Gonna use the restroom," I said quietly to Emma before slowly making my way out of the lounge. I suddenly felt the need to get out of there as soon as possible.

I made my way down a dimly lit hallway. There were people lounging in every room throughout the basement of the church. Most were watching TV or playing games. I made a hard turn into a small room that seemed to be used as a musicians' practice space. Feeling for a light switch on the wall, I flipped it to view the interior. There were beautiful wooden acoustic panels mounted on the walls and an impressive mixing station set up on the far side. I wondered what kind of recording the church members did in this room, knowing that whatever it was, it surely had to have sounded amazing.

I began humming aloud to check the acoustics myself. My heart swelled as the sound reverberated against my eardrums. The music felt like home. I closed my eyes and sang the only lyrics that came to mind. The echo of the first verse of Peter Cetera and Amy Grant's "The Next Time I Fall" sounded rich and clear in my ears while my voice filled up the small space.

A voice entered the room, causing me to jump as it picked up the beginning of the chorus, joining me in perfect harmony. I turned to stare Noah Walker in the eyes, a sincere smile fixed upon his face. There was a moment of silence between us before I smiled back, and we then sang the next line together. Noah's voice eased below mine effortlessly, causing them to once again intertwine, like no time had passed between us at all. I let out a contented sigh, and we finished the chorus together.

As the notes faded, I stood staring at him in silence for several moments. My heart was beating wildly in my chest. It was like our voices were meant to sing together. I shook the feeling off as he returned my gaze, leaning against the doorframe.

"Do you remember singing that in the back of your mom's car when she used to take us roller skating?" I grinned while the memory flooded my mind.

"I remember," he smiled genuinely and absently pushed his shaggy blonde hair out of his face. "You would always sing that one song that I kept teasing you had no real words? 'Mmmbop,' was it?"

"I can't believe you remember that..." I laughed with a shake of my head, recalling the hit song by Hanson.

"I have a great memory," he added with a tease. "Like how you would also always sing 'Baby, Baby.' I thought only my mom loved Amy Grant."

"Amy is one of my divas," I confessed. Crap. Why was I telling him this? My cheeks tinted pink when I realized what I said.

"Your divas?" His eyebrow raised. Ugh, Aria. Such a big mouth.

"Yeah... I have this kind of silly thing. When I need confidence, I call upon one of my divas." I realized how ridiculous I sounded, but it was too late. The cat was out of the bag.

"Who else do you call upon?" Noah wore an amused smirk. I knew he was humoring me.

"You know, the usual– Britney, Christina, Celine, Madonna– depends on what I need."

"You do realize you could sing circles around most of them, right?" He entered the room fully now and leaned up against one of the padded walls.

"I doubt that..." I shifted uncomfortably, looking away from him and searching for anything to quickly change the subject. "Wait, why are you even here? Weren't you just playing pool?"

"You said you needed to use the restroom and then went the opposite way. I wanted to make sure you didn't get lost." He walked towards a drum kit and sat behind it.

"Oh, I never even made it there," I admitted with a low laugh. Whoops.

"I guess I also just needed a minute," he admitted. "I felt super awkward in there. I hate when someone gets me something, and I don't have anything to give in return. I had no idea she was going to do that."

"Seems like she likes you," I offered sincerely, looking up to gauge his reaction.

"Ehhhhh..." he screeched awkwardly while he avoided giving a real response. His face contorted into a cheeky glance as he looked up at me. "Listen, don't tell anyone I know that song."

"Don't tell anyone about my divas," I countered with an equal face. We both slipped into a fit of giggles just as Elijah, Zach, and Will filed into the space behind me.

"Band practice!" Zach shouted before picking up an electric bass guitar from a rubber stand. Elijah grabbed another guitar, and Will opened a small cupboard to wheel out a keyboard.

I watched while they assembled a barebones setup. I was impressed with how fast they were able to put it together. "That escalated quickly."

"We do this all the tiiimmmeee..." Zach announced into his microphone in a low, booming tone as he tested the sound quality.

Soon the band rolled into the opening chords of "Shimmer" by Fuel. Elijah was singing with a smooth, soft tone much too far from the microphone for my liking. I wanted to correct his form, but I thought it'd be rude if I interrupted the song. Apparently I had been staring for far too long because once the song ended, Elijah motioned his bent index finger to beckon me towards him.

"I am under the impression that you are quite the musician." His hand fell to his hip as he studied me. "Be honest; what do you recommend?" I chewed on my bottom lip to delay my response. Emma had explained that Elijah was quietly charismatic and kind, but it required a lot for him to open up to people. Even Noah admitted that he only ever saw Elijah drop his defenses fully when he was around Emma. So did he really want to know what I had to say?

"Well..." I began nervously. "You are singing much too quietly. You need to adjust the microphone stand to actually fit your height. May I?" He nodded, and I moved towards him, leaning down to adjust the stand correctly. I then tuned the sound on his amplifier to better suit his tone. "There. Umm... everyone needs to actually sing back up into their own microphones because you're the only one I can barely hear." As I spoke, I worked through each microphone, adjusting for the performer's individual height. When I got to Noah, he proceeded to drum on my back while I leaned over him to adjust his set mic. I casually grabbed one of the sticks out of his hand and flung it across the room. A chorus of laughter erupted from the other band members.

"Hey!" he snickered as well, pushing himself off his stool to go and retrieve his stick. Although I smirked, I didn't acknowledge the action further.

"Zach, your E string is flat." I motioned to his bass guitar, though he shook his head in protest. Raising a knowing eyebrow, I watched as he struck the string and widened his eyes as he realized I was right.

"Try it from the top," I instructed, standing back to listen to my handiwork. Being the daughter of two professional musicians had its perks. I was well-versed in many facets of the art form. Elijah strummed his guitar opening to run the song back.

I nodded my head as the rest of the band joined him. A satisfied smile spread across my lips when Elijah's voice rang over the improved microphone sound. "Much better," I said to no one in particular.

"How did you hear that from across the room?" Zach looked up at me once the song ended, seemingly equal parts impressed and confused.

"It's a blessing... and also a curse," I explained as I folded my arms across my chest. "You know, my dad has a full studio in our basement. If you wanted to come over sometime and record, I'm sure he wouldn't mind. I know how to work everything." Their eyes collectively widened like four puppies being shown their first bone.

"Seriously?! I could... meet... Leo Gray?!" Zach nearly squealed.

I had not pegged him for a fanboy. "He would probably be there, yes..."

Zach immediately emitted a high-pitched screech that made my eyes widen and my teeth clench. "Be there tomorrow!" He clapped his hands in delight.

"I'm going to bet we're all going to be pretty tired tomorrow..." I nodded. "I could do it Thursday night?" I remembered my next date with Brock on the following Saturday and felt a wave of excitement wash over me.

"Done!" Zach answered before anyone could reply. A chorus of laughter followed.

"Help meeee!" Emma squealed as she suddenly tackled me from behind. Kody and Adrian shortly entered the room with blow up swords that they were swinging at each other. Soon the other guys joined in, and Emma and I taunted and jeered at them between our fits of giggles.

I had started the evening unsure of how this lock-in would play out, but I ended it not even remembering that I gave up a date with the Brock Miller to attend.

__________

⭐ Hit the STAR if you can also remember singing along to that "song that has no real words"... Mmmmbop ba du ba duuu baa....