Better Off As Lovers

6.18.17

I hand the cupcakes to Danny as I lock the door. "Don't drop those, don't even shift the wrong way or they'll move in the containers and the icing will get all messed up, ok?"

"Uh, yeah. Got it."

I finish locking the door and take the cupcakes back. "Oh shit, we're gonna have to blast the AC, the icing's already starting to melt. Only here would it be 10 at night and still be 80 degrees." I walk carefully down the porch steps, cradling the cupcakes near my chest. Danny opens the passenger door and I maneuver my way into the car.

He closes the door and jogs around to the driver's side. "Hurry, we're already late!"

Danny starts the car and sighs. "It's your fault, you were the one who started the cupcakes at 8:30."

"I wanted them to be fresh."

"Whatever."

***

We arrive at Rick's at 10:23. Danny parks across the street, and I hand him the cupcakes while I get out. Baffles me why Rick would start a party at 10, but I'm just 14, so what would I know about parties?

Danny knocks on the door as I take the cupcakes back. I look inside and I notice everything is dark. There's no music, no lights, and no talking, despite the plethora of cars lined up and down the street.

"Do you think we can just go in?" Danny asks.

"Well, I'm doing it."

"Julie wait - !"

I open the door with difficulty, and immediately lights blind me.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" I stumble back and hit the trim of the door, a shriek escaping my lips. Faces stare at me, smiling and happy. I look around, seeing all my friends and a few family members.

"Holy shit, you scared me!" I yell. They all laugh. "I almost dropped all the cupcakes, you assholes!" I start to laugh with them. Music starts playing in the background, and Danny enters behind me.

"Hey, what's going on?" He inquires.

"I have no idea," I respond.

Missy walks up. "If you haven't noticed, this is your surprise birthday party. And after last time's fail, we decided to not tell this idiot about it till he got here," she gestures at Danny.

"Hey!"

"Ok, well you did ruin it," I say. Danny glares at me. I shift my arms lightly so as to make sure the cupcakes don't get ruined, which makes me come to a realization. "Oh my god, did I make cupcakes for my own party? What the hell, isn't that bad luck or something?"

Rick walks up and smiles at me. "Surprise!"

"Tell me where I can set these down, you evil giant."

"That's no fair, I threw this whole party for you!"

"Yeah, and you couldn't even get your own cupcakes."

"You wouldn't have come had I not asked you to make them," he explains, taking them out of my hands and walking to the kitchen. I follow, Danny on my trail.

"Thank you, though. For all this. I wasn't even gonna have cake. Means a lot." Rick smiles sympathetically at me.

"Come on, let's go join the rest of the party."

***

"Alright, next is karaoke! Who's first?" shouts a booming voice on the stage. Some starts to yell 'BIRTHDAY GIRL!' And soon, it becomes a chant. I sip root beer from a plastic cup, and someone starts to shove me towards the front of the room. I spit out my drink.

"Hey!" Suddenly, I'm on top of a very large stand, overlooking all of the party guests. Somebody shoves a microphone into my hands, and I grip it like I'm holding on for dear life. My mouth goes dry, and I hear a buzz next to me. "What?" I snap out of my daze and look to my left.

"What song do you want to sing?" whispers a senior. I turn sassy.

"I wanna sing the 'Get-me-the-eff-off-of-this-stage-song.'" I hear people chuckling throughout the crowd, and realize how close the microphone is to my mouth, so I lower it. The random boy-man stares at me, exasperated. It dawns on me that I won't be allowed off of this thing until I am finished singing, so I tell him to find a random 80s song.

He jogs off to tell the DJ my surprise song pick. I set my cup down and grip the microphone. When the music starts to play, I count to my cue, and start to sing. Good thing I know more about the past than the present.

"Jessie is a friend, yeah I know he's been a good friend of mine. But lately something's changed that ain't hard to define, Jessie's got himself a girl and I wanna make her mine. And she's watching him with those eyes, and she's loving him with that body I just know it," the melody continues. The lyrics roll off my tongue, as though they are a part of me. The audience shouts in encouragement. After I the chorus, the people don't seem as frightening anymore.

"Woo!" Says a random voice.

"You go girl!" Shouts a deep man tone. I smile as I recognize Rick's voice. I prepare to repeat the chorus. I sway to the music, letting the words flow. The music changes, and fifteen seconds later I'm singing with all my strength to end the song nicely. As the music fades out, I hear a roar of claps and screams. I blush, and step off the stage. My friends crowd around and congratulate me on doing well. We all squeal and celebrate, and then Danny comes over to pull me away. He grins, and then a slow song comes on. My smile turns to a sad look.

"What the hell is this am I the only one they're gonna embarrass? That's not how it works."

"You're the birthday girl, of course that's how it works."

"No fair. Anyway, I can't dance," I say. He leans into my ear.

"Neither can I," he whispers. 

Author's Note: No copyright infringement intended, all rights go to Rick Springfield for being so amazing and writing this slightly sexual but great song.

-J