Chapter 22
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Alex
APPARENTLY, THERE WAS ENOUGH alcohol to get Rose up on stage and belting out the tunes. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough alcohol to drown out her tone deafness. Somewhere between buzzed and totally inebriated, she had texted Lucy and her date to let them know where we were, and for the past hour and a half, we sat at the bar laughing our asses off at Rose’s quest to become a rock star.
“I’m not sure if she’d be more embarrassed by what happened with that asshole she was dating or this,” Lucy shouted over Rose’s massacre rendition of what I believed to be a Britney Spears song.
“If I were her…I’d definitely say this.” I grinned and lifted my beer bottle up to my mouth, taking a chug. “Of course, she’s more than likely not going to have any recollection of this.”
“Thank God! I wish we wouldn’t either. Singing is not her specialty.” Lucy laughed.
“It’s bloody awful.” Declan shook his head and flagged down the bartender, ordering us all another beer.
“We need to be supportive. It’s better she’s here, torturing us all with her singing than at home, thinking about what that jerk did to her,” Lucy said. “And, Alex, I’m very happy and a little shocked that you of all people are here tonight to help her through it.” Lucy squeezed her eyes closed and covered her ears when Rose hit the final high note of her song.
“You guys! Stop being so boring and get up there and sing!” Rose exclaimed as she came bouncing back over to where we were sitting.
“That’s okay, we’re just enjoying your lovely voice.” Declan smirked.
“Excuse me!” Rose shouted to the bartender. “I want to order a round of shots for my friends.”
I held up my hand. “I’m good.” After losing count of how many beers I had drunk and the few shots of cheap bourbon I had downed earlier in the night, I was at my limit.
“Oh, come on, you have to at least have one more shot with me,” Rose protested, turning her attention back to the bartender.
I could handle another shot, but it was clear Rose could not. I was powerless to stop her when the bartender placed the shot glasses in front of us and Rose downed her tequila like it was water. I ignored the shot of bourbon in front of me and was just about to make a plea to call it a night when the person with the mic in their hand requested a duet. Everyone in the place immediately began to chant Rose’s name, since they had all gotten to know her from the serenading she’d been doing all night.
“Oh my God! They want me to sing again!” She laughed and stood up, barely able to stand as she swayed back and forth.
“Rose—” I tried to stop her as she staggered off to the mic.
“We want a duet,” the man with the mic said as Rose approached him.
“Okay. Do I get to pick who I want to sing with?” Rose spoke into the mic.
“You sure do, sweetheart. Who’s gonna be the lucky guy?”
She scanned the bar area, then our eyes locked. With a huge grin cast upon her face, she pointed in my direction. “I pick…him!”
“Oh. My. God!” Lucy howled with laughter.
“No fuckin’ way,” I murmured and shook my head.
“And what’s his name?” the man standing up at the mic with Rose asked.
“Alex!” She laughed. “But I’ll bet any of you in here that he won’t come up here and sing with me.”
“Oh, Alex.” The mic screeched as the man spoke into it. “I think Rose is challenging you. Is she right? Are you afraid to get up here and sing with her?”
I glared at Rose, ignoring the chanting of my name from the rowdy bar goers who were just as drunk as Rose. Downing the shot of bourbon, I stood up, determined to prove Rose wrong—drunk or not, I couldn’t let her win.
“Go Alex!” Lucy cheered as I walked through the crowd of people hooting and hollering.
“Wow! I’m in shock,” Rose slurred when I reached the mic.
“Do we have any song requests for these two?” the man at the mic asked.
“Oh, I do!” Lucy’s normally meek voice stood out over the rest. “‘I’ve Got You Babe’ by Sonny and Cher!”
If there was anyone else in this bar I could possibly be more annoyed with than Rose at that moment, it was Lucy. “I Got You Babe?” Was she serious? I was thinking more along the lines of “Highway to Hell” from AC/DC.
“Oh, I love that song!” Rose beamed.
I didn’t even pay attention to what was in the shot glass the man holding the mic handed me. I just knew it was necessary to get me through the next two minutes or so of utter humiliation. A slow burn invaded my throat, and I suddenly discovered the mystery liquid in that shot glass was vodka. I was definitely going to be feeling this later. I never fared well with vodka…add in all the types of alcohol I’d been consuming all night, and I was suddenly having visions of hanging over the toilet bowl with regrets. I grabbed a mic, the music started, and Rose began to belt out her part. I stared up at the lyrics on the screen and all the alcohol I’d been consuming over the night kicked in once it was my turn…and the rest of the night became a blur.