The final bell rang, signalling that school was finally over. I walked down the hall to my locker. Exchanging my current textbooks for ones I needed for homework, I shoved the books into my backpack.
A hand placed itself on my shoulder, causing me to scream in panic. I turned to see Daniel and the boys all standing near my locker.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Ready to hang out?" Daniel asked me.
I nodded. Daniel started walking to the parking lot. The boys all headed to their separate cars. Zach got in with Jonah, apparently he couldn't drive yet.
"You can ride with me," Daniel told me with a smile.
"Okay," I said, returning the smile.
The two of us walked back to his car. It was parked in the same spot we left it this morning. I walked over to the shotgun where I sat on the way to school. Daniel began driving away to his house.
Seeing as it was silent between the two of us, I pulled out my book from my backpack. I heard Daniel chuckle beside me but I ignored it, choosing to turn my attention to the words on the page.
Reading always amazed me. Our minds are able to scan different symbols forming words. Somehow, the words managed to make me feel happy, sad, scared, excited, on edge, and much more. These symbols held the ability to twist my emotions more than anything else.
Caught up in the story I was reading, I didn't even notice we arrived at Daniel's house. I could have stayed there reading for much longer if Daniel hadn't opened the door for me. Blushing deeply, I placed my bookmark onto the page, shutting my book closed.
"You sure you don't read a lot?" Daniel asked, laughing as we walked towards his house, the other boys following us.
"Depends what you consider a lot," I shrugged.
We all walked inside of Daniel's house. The boys all placed their bags near the entrance, so I followed their lead, keeping my book in my hands.
"Let's do karaoke!" Zach screamed as soon as we walked into Daniel's basement.
The boys all agreed, so I just went with it. I probably wouldn't sing, but it would be fun to see five teenage boys make a fool of themselves.
I sat down on the couch, watching Zach turn on the karaoke machine. He grabbed the two microphones, handing one off to Corbyn. They scrolled through the song list, settling on Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus.
"Sorry for my friends. There's something wrong with all of them," Daniel laughed, taking a seat next to me.
"They're cool," I smiled.
"Thanks Aaliyah!" Jack shouted from the couch he was sitting on with Jonah.
Watching Zach and Corbyn, I was surprised at how good they were. Their voices were amazing. I knew Daniel sang, he's performed in our school's talent shows before. I never knew about the others, though.
"So do you all sing?" I asked them.
"Yeah. We even want to start a band," Jonah smiled.
"I'll be your first fan," I grinned.
Zach and Corbyn finished their rendition of Party In the USA. Towards the end, they got a bit dramatic and began doing crazy dance moves. I found myself laughing the entire time.
The two of them still stood by the karaoke machine, whispering to each other as they scrolled through the song list. Laughing as they turned around, Zach and Corbyn shoved their microphones into mine and Daniel's hands.
"Your turn!" Corbyn smiled.
"No thanks, I sound like a dying walrus compared to you guys," I laughed nervously.
"It's for fun, let's go," Daniel smiled, standing up.
As he stood up from the couch, he offered me his hand, helping me up. I gratefully took it, standing up from the couch. The two of us walked over to the machine. Daniel hit the play button. I was still clueless as to the song they chose.
I peeked over to look at the screen, the words A Whole New World sprawled across it. Daniel chuckled, clearing his throat as he began to sing.
"I can show you the world
Shining, shimmering, splendid
Tell me, princess, when did you
Last let your heart decide?"
Daniel turned his attention from the screen which held the lyrics to face me. His eyes connected with mine, as blue and as bright as ever.
Soon, it was my turn to sing. I cleared my throat, trying to sing as high as Jasmine but failing. Instead of trying to be perfect, I decided to let loose for once and just have fun with it.
By the end of the song, Daniel and I were both laughing our butts off. I stood up from the blanket Zach has brought halfway through for us to use as a magic carpet. Daniel followed, handing the microphones to Jonah and Jack.
"I ship it," Jonah whispered in my ear as I handed him the microphone.
I shook my head laughing, taking a seat between Zach and Daniel. We watched Jonah and Jack sing Hakuna Matata from The Lion King.
"I'll show you a whole new world without books," Daniel said, looking at me with a smirk plastered across his face.
• • •
ya gotta love disney songs
-danielle
