Serena's Pov
By the time we got to the karaoke place, Sarah was already bouncing like she'd swallowed a whole energy drink. Me? I was just praying the machine wouldn't embarrass us and eat our coins.
The moment the screen lit up, Sarah grabbed the mic like she was Beyoncé reincarnated. "Alright," she announced to literally no one (except me), "this is my stage. If I flop, it's because of you, Serena."
"Excuse me?" I blinked. "How is it my fault if you sound like a drowning cat?"
She gasped like I'd cursed her entire bloodline, then pressed a dramatic hand to her chest. "Watch and learn."
And then boom. She started belting out Bad Blood by Taylor Swift. No warning, no warmup. Just full power, stomping her foot like the floor had personally offended her.
"NOW WE GOT BAD BLOOD,HEY!"
The karaoke machine nearly cried under the weight of her voice, but it kept going, poor thing.
When the chorus hit, Sarah yanked me in by the wrist. "Sing or perish!" she yelled.
So, there I was, mic in hand, screaming along with her like a lunatic:
"NOW WE GOT PROBLEMS AND I DON'T THINK WE CAN SOLVE 'EM!"
We danced like maniacs, hair flying everywhere, jumping on the couch like we'd just been signed to a record label.
When the song ended, both of us collapsed on the couch, panting and laughing like we'd just run a marathon.
"Your turn," Sarah said between breaths, pointing the mic at me.
I rolled my eyes but stood anyway. "Fine, fine. But if I break glass, don't sue me."
I picked a random song, started singing, and halfway through Sarah jumped back in like she couldn't stand not being center stage. Suddenly we were a duo off-key, too loud, but having the time of our lives.
By the time we wrapped up, both of us were screaming "HOW IT'S DONE, DONE, DONE" into the mics like it was some rockstar anthem.
We were still catching our breaths, hair wild, and voices cracked when the door creaked open.
And there they were. The A4s. Walking in like they owned the entire city, shadows long, faces carved like drama posters.
Aaron froze first. His eyes locked on Sarah, and his voice dropped, rough.
"What are they doing here?"
Before I could even blink, Sarah stood up, arms folded like she was about to fight for squatters' rights. "Uh, correction we got here first. As you can clearly see." She gestured to the machine, the mics, the half-finished ramen cup on the table like it was evidence in a trial.
Aaron's jaw clenched. "Sarah, I...."
"Nope." Sarah cut him off sharp, her chin tilting high. "I came here to have fun. Whatever drama we've got going on? Not tonight. Save it for later, maybe write it in your diary, I don't care. But not here."
The room went dead quiet. Aaron looked like he wanted to argue, but all he did was sigh and mutter, "Fine."
The others glanced at each other like they'd just walked into a soap opera. One of them.Ace, maybe muttered something about leaving, but the karaoke manager popped his head in right on cue.
"This is the last room left. Either share or wait outside an hour."
Sarah smirked, all victorious. "Guess that settles it."
So they stayed.
And honestly? At first, it was awkward. Like… dead air awkward. Sarah and I kept singing because, duh, we weren't about to let them ruin our fun. We did duets, silly dances, and yeah Sarah was pulling out all the moves like she was on The Voice.
The boys? They sat there, pretending they were too cool to join. Typical.
Finally, Sarah tossed them the mic. "Come on, you guys are just sitting there like statues. Sing something."
"No," Alex smirked. "Let's make it fun. Spin the bottle."
I blinked. "Excuse me? This isn't Truth or Dare, it's karaoke."
"Exactly." He reached over, spun the empty soda bottle on the table, and we all watched it twirl dramatically before landing right on me.
And then… on Alex.
Sarah gasped like she was watching fate in motion. "Ooooh." She dragged the sound out until I kicked her shin under the table.
Alex just grinned, leaning back, smug as ever. "Looks like it's you and me, clumsy girl."
My brain screamed, but my mouth somehow managed: "Fine."
The track loaded. Free by Jinu and Rumi.
"Serena and Alex!" she announced like she was hosting a talent show. "Ladies and gentlemen, brace yourselves for greatness!"
Greatness? More like instant humiliation. But Alex just gave me that annoyingly calm smile, picked up the second mic, and nodded. "Let's do this."
The music started soft, and suddenly, I forgot this was supposed to be fun. The lyrics felt too raw, too close. My voice wavered as I sang:
"I tried to hide but something broke
I tried to sing, couldn't hit the notes
The words kept catching in my throat…"
The room went unusually quiet. Sarah, who had been hyping everyone seconds ago, froze mid-dance, eyes wide like wait, who gave Serena the right to sound like that?
I swallowed, clutching the mic tighter. "But here with you, I can finally breathe… You say you're no good, but you're good for me…"
My chest felt weirdly tight. This wasn't supposed to feel real. But it did.
Then Alex's voice came in steady, warm, like it was cutting through the fog in my head.
"Ooh, time goes by, and I lose perspective
Yeah, hope only hurts, so I just forget it…"
He didn't look away. Not once. His eyes were locked on me like the whole room had disappeared. And I… couldn't look away either.
By the time we hit the chorus together, our voices overlapped so naturally it gave me chills.
"Why does it feel right every time I let you in?
Why does it feel like I can tell you anything?
We can't fix it if we never face it
What if we find a way to escape it?"
The whole karaoke room erupted into stunned silence. Even the poor machine stopped glitching like it was actually invested in this drama.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aaron's jaw tighten. His hand clenched into a fist on the table. A second later, he stood up abruptly, muttering something none of us caught, and stormed out.
I blinked, still holding the mic, still breathless from the song.
…What just happened?
The door slammed behind him, and the silence he left behind felt heavier than the karaoke machine's busted speakers.
The other A4 guys glanced at each other, like they'd just witnessed something even they couldn't explain, then one by one, they followed him out and in a blink the room that had felt packed a moment ago suddenly felt too big.
Alex was the last to move. He didn't rush, didn't huff like the others....he just stood slowly, slid his hands into his pockets, and looked at us. "Guess music night's over," he said, voice steady, almost too casual. His eyes flicked toward me, held just a second too long. Then, with a small nod, "I'll see you both at school on Monday. Have a great night." Before leaving, he patted my head again, the same way he did the other day, like it was just his thing.
And just like that, he was gone too.
I sat frozen for a second, still holding the mic like it was supposed to explain what had just happened. Spoiler: it didn't.
Sarah plopped back onto the couch, letting out a dramatic sigh. "Well… that was a scene straight out of a K-drama."
I dropped the mic on the table and turned to her. "Are you telling me he just casually said goodnight like nothing happened? After all that?"
Sarah smirked, like she'd been waiting for me to ask. "That's Alex. He's… chill. When we were kids, he always used to save me from Aaron's tantrums. Different vibe, though he still has this whole nonchalant, 'I-don't-care' attitude. But he's not totally like Aaron."
I blinked at her, trying to piece that puzzle together. "Yeah… I can see that."
We both sat there for a beat, staring at the empty doorway. Then Sarah clapped her hands together. "Sooo. Ramen before bed?"
I groaned, laughing despite myself. "Sarah, you just sang your lungs out like Taylor Swift possessed you, and now you want ramen? You cute foodie panda."
"Obviously," she said, already reaching for her bag. "Drama burns calories."
I couldn't even argue with that.