"Dad?" I said when Dan and I walked into my house. His car was parked outside but there was no sight of him. "Dad?" I called out again.
"In the kitchen!" my dad called back. With Dan behind me, I walked to the kitchen, following my father's voice.
"Juliet, hey," said Dan's mother as she looked up from the stove and saw me.
"Good evening, Mrs. Roberts," I said as I watched my dad pouring wine into two glasses. There was no drinking in our home. My father did not drink.
"It's Veronica," she said with a smile. "I'm not married anymore so even then it's Ms. Johansson."
"Hi, Mr. Vasquez," said Dan respectfully. My dad waved as he handed Veronica one of the glasses and took a sip from the other.
"Um," I started, unsure of what to do next. "There's a burned roast on the counter."
"Yes," said Veronica with a smile. "Yes, there is."
"Did you let my mom cook?" Dan joked, looking at my dad. "Rookie mistake."
The three of them laughed and I felt as though I was in a stranger's home.
"We'll order pizza," Veronica said, shrugging as she reached for the phone. "You guys go wind down."
"Actually," I said, "we need to work on a number for glee club. So, uh, we'll just be busy for a while. Come get us when the pizza's ready."
"Got it," said Veronica. I was expecting an answer from my father but I guess that would do. Our parents continued chatting as I headed upstairs, with Dan trailing behind me. Once we reached my room, he made himself at home, crashing on my bed.
"So what number should we do?" he asked.
"Well," I started, "everyone seems to be headed in the Christina direction. So..."
"You're a huge fan," he said, smirking as I turned to him and nodded. "Look, I'm totally up for it. I think she's great and you kind of have that powerhouse vocal bombasity of hers so, why not?"
I blushed at the compliment and pulled out one of my Christina records, placing it on the vintage record player that was currently sitting on a big stack of old encyclopedias from a set I had since I was ten.
"Nice," said Dan. "I'd never noticed that in here before."
"No one ever does," I told him. "It kind of blends in, don't you think?"
"Yeah," he agreed. "Where'd you get it?"
"It was my mom's," I said, not really sure if that was a road I wanted to go down. "I've had it since I could remember and every year on my birthday, my family gets me a new record and I kind of just collect them here. I have all the Christina ones."
"How are you not the Queen Bee of McKinley?" he asked jokingly. "You're such a cheerleader."
"Oh," I said sarcastically, "I know, right?" I laughed with him and said, "Actually, nobody really knows about this stuff. Just my family, John, and..." My voice trailed off.
"Ryder?" Dan finished for me.
I turned around to the record machine and said, "Sam, actually." I placed the Christina record I had selected off of the machine and then said, "I have an idea." I had gotten it from seeing the cover of one of my other records. I dashed to my computer and selected the appropriate tune. Once the music began, Dan seemed to recognize it immediately because he jumped right in.
Dan: Just shoot for the stars if it feels right and aim for my heart if you feel like and take me away. And make it ok. I swear I'll behave.
He got off the bed, getting into the song, as I giggled from my place against the wall.
Dan: You wanted control, so we waited. I put on a show. Now I make it. You say I'm a kid, my ego is big, I don't give a...
He sang the chorus of the song as I danced in place and I was glad to see that he was enjoying himself.
When he got back around to the chorus, I knew I was going to have to take the Christina role soon, so I began to belt out, Christina style, before stepping in front of him for the bridge.
Julie: You wanna know how to make me smile. Take control, own me just for the night. And if I share my secret, you're gonna have to keep it. Nobody else can see this.
I giggled as he spun me around and I felt the room getting really hot. That was my favorite part-- when the energy of a performance was so much that it flustered me.
Julie: So watch and learn. I won't show you twice! Head to toe, ooh baby, rub me right. But it I share my secret, you're gonna have to keep it. Nobody else can see this.
As Dan kept going and I began to belt again, I turned to the door and stopped. When I had stopped singing, Dan stopped, too, and once he turned he saw why.
"Ryder," I said as Dan turned the music down to an almost muted level.
"I'm just going to--" said Ryder as he headed out. I followed him to the hallway.
"Wait," I said, reaching him and forcing him to listen for once. "It's not what it looks like. I just, our parents--"
"They're dating," Ryder said with a nod. "Yeah, I noticed that when I showed up here to confront you and his mom answered the door."
"Ok, then what's the deal?" I asked, confused as to why he was so upset if he knew the truth.
"So I came up here to apologize for being such a jerk," he said, "and I find you practicing a number with him and it just... Julie, you should've told me. It's fine if you're replacing me just don't act like--"
"I'm not replacing you," I said, a laugh escaping from my mouth before I could stop it.
"It's not funny," he said.
"Okay, look," I told him, "I totally get why you'd be jealous that I'm--"
"No, you and Sam singing together makes me jealous," he interrupted. "You and Jake dancing to some sultry choreography makes me jealous. This, this is more in John's section of things to be jealous about, for me it's just kinda sucky that you couldn't even feel close enough to me to tell me you had a new best friend and brother."
"It's not even like that," I told him.
"I'll see you at school," he said before heading downstairs. He was out the front door before I could even say another word. I watched him leave to his car and then turned back to my home. My infiltrated, usurped home. Then the doorbell rang so I excitedly turned back to the door, hoping that Ryder had come to his senses and was back to make up with me, but instead I found myself facing the pizza man.
"Awesome," I murmured. "Dad, pizza!"
I walked away from the smiling guy without giving him any money, taking the pizza over to the kitchen and slumping down on a chair as my dad rushed to the front door with a couple bills in hand. He returned to the kitchen and we were joined by Dan and Veronica. They chatted away as we ate but I just sat there and stayed out of the conversation, feeling out of place and not hungry enough for a third slice.