Chapter 65
Regina, Carly, and Sam each took a regular beach chair, lined up loosely in a row. Freddie was already standing, holding his handheld camcorder, carefully adjusting his position to capture everything.
I grabbed my guitar and sat on the edge of the deck bench, facing them, my back to the ocean.
I gave the strings a light strum, just to feel the tone, then looked at them with a half-smile. "What kind of music do you want me to sing?"
"A romantic one," said Regina, without missing a beat.
I raised an eyebrow, then gave a quick nod. "Alright. Let's see what I can do."
I adjusted the guitar in my lap, took a slow breath, and started with a soft, mellow chord progression. Then I began to sing.
Girls like you (Maroon 5)
♪Spent 24 hours, I need more hours with you
You spent the weekend getting even, ooh
We spent the late nights making things right between us
But now it's all good, babe
Roll that back wood, babe
And play me close♪
♪'Cause girls like you run 'round with guys like me
'Til sun down when I come through
I need a girl like you, yeah yeah
Girls like you love fun and, yeah, me too
What I want when I come through
I need a girl like you, yeah yeah♪
As soon as I started, I noticed Carly, Sam, and Regina begin to sway slightly in their seats. It wasn't full-on dancing, but their arms moved gently to the rhythm, hands lifting in slow arcs, fingers catching the beat like it was instinct. They were already caught in the song.
♪Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
I need a girl like you, yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
I need a girl like you♪
♪I spent last night on the last flight to you (ey ya)
Took a whole day up trying to get way up, ooh
We spent the daylight trying to make things right between us
But now it's all good, babe
Roll that back wood, babe
And play me close, yeah♪
When I played the final chord, I let it ring out, fading slowly with the breeze.
The three girls clapped immediately, still smiling from the rhythm. Carly, Sam, and Regina all looked at each other and then back at me with wide grins.
Freddie lowered the camcorder, also smiling (for different reason). "Got everything."
I gave a slight bow, still seated, and chuckled.
Regina leaned forward with a playful glare. "How come you never told me you were that good??" She crossed her arms and smirked. "This totally makes up for your complete lack of sports skills."
I just rolled my eyes. Freddie, having been my friend for a while, knew exactly what that meant—we were both the kind of guys who usually got picked last for any team.
I only know how to play soccer. I'm not good at anything else, nor do I have the desire to improve at it
Freddie added, "You should've joined the auditions that day."
Sam didn't miss a beat. "He was busy that day," she said sarcastically, shooting me a teasing look.
"You bet I was," I teased back, not even trying to hide my grin.
---
Meanwhile, in the living room, my dad and Uncle Charlie were casually watching the scene unfold from the window.
"Wow, Jake really is popular," said Dad, still a little impressed.
Uncle Charlie, watching with the subtle pride of a cool uncle, gave a knowing smirk. "And a good line-up too. Three to two. And the kid with the camera looks more like you, Alan. So it's three to one."
Dad turned to him, giving a look of pure disapproval—clearly offended.
Uncle Charlie just sipped his drink, satisfied.
---
"Come on, sing another one," Carly encouraged, receiving a chorus of agreement from the other two.
I raised a hand with a grin. "First, let's decide about the party."
Sam quickly chimed in, "Chocolate fountain."
I scoffed. "I will rent a chocolate fountain. I'll even rent a small one with 'Sam' written on it just for you."
Sam jumped at me with a grin. "Best friend ever."
"I thought that was me," Carly said, smiling, though she didn't really mind the comment.
Sam glanced at Carly, then back at me, correcting herself with a playful grin. "Best male friend ever."
I smirked. "Should I expect a similar comment from Freddie?"
Carly, Freddie, and Sam all said "No" at the same time—with Freddie and Sam a bit more emphatic.
I just laughed.
Carly added, "We need some games—maybe some quiz."
"First," I said, looking over at Regina, "how many people did you invite? From my class, there are sixteen."
Regina smiled. "With me, it'll be fifty."
"So sixty-six in total," I said, doing the math.
Less than half from everyone else, I murmured in my head, not letting it show on my face.
Regina raised a finger. "Now it's my turn—before we decide anything else. What's the budget for the party?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Hm, I didn't think about that." Money wasn't really a problem for this kind of small party. "How about ten grand?"
"Ten thousand dollars?" Carly, Freddie, and Sam screamed. Even Regina looked astonished.
Then Regina's eyes lit up. "With that kind of money, we can throw an amazing party!"
---
Later that week, despite all the chaos, my party actually happened.
Everything went perfectly (incredible enough)
The setup was grand—lights on the deck, music playing just right, tables full of snacks, a two chocolates fountains, one with "Sam" written on it, and even a quiz game Carly had put together that people enjoyed.
But like in Vegas: What happened at Jake's party, stayed at Jake's party.
A/N: I wasn't really inspired to write a full party scene (that is why the lame end), so I left it open-ended —
I might even use it later.
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