"Ok, we're here," Gordie said they walked into the parking lot of the restaurant. They walked considering Gordie's late birthday and his lack of driver's license. Gordie looked over at a wide-eyed Chelsea.
"What? What's with the look?"
"Karaoke!!!" She smiled. Gordie knew that Chelsea dug karaoke, so he found the only place doing karaoke in Castle Rock.
"What have I gotten myself into?" Gordie played out. Laughing, both of them walked into the restaurant. They waited to be seated.
"Where are we?" Desi looked around, it was a beat up small shack with a door so small you could only crawl through it.
"Come in, its an old favorite." Teddy smiled and crawled through the small door. Desi followed. The door leads into a restaurant. There was a bar in one corner and tables taking up the rest of the space. When they saw Teddy, everyone who worked there and some customers said 'hi' in unison.
Two of the workers strolled over to them.
"Hey, Edgar and Allen, this is Desi, my date, be nice to her. Desi these are my cousins, the Frog brothers." Desi held out her hand for them to shake, but they both grunted in response instead. Desi pulled back her hand.
Teddy ordered them both drinks and they took a seat at one of the tables.
"Your cousins, they don't, um, say much do they?"
"Nah, and they aren't the friendliest, they just moved here from Santa Carla, California."
"Gordieee sing with meeeee, please!!" Chelsea pleaded. After five minutes of her begging, he finally gave in.
"Thank you Gordieeee!!"
"You have taken some liking to the last syllable in my name haven't you?"
"Yea, I guess I do," Chelsea smiled, knowing that wasn't the only thing she had taken a liking to.
"May I warn you, before you pick any type of song, that singing is NOT one of my strong points."
"I got one!" She said, as she flipped through the book of songs, she shoved the book at Gordie, "That one, there."
"Stand By Me, great song, I'll go put our name in." Gordie took the book and submitted their name into the disc jockey.
"Teddy, how many of those have you had?" Desi said, she watched Teddy take a swig of another beer. She knew that he has had to many. And she knew she was going to have to get them home.
"I don't know, a few I guess."
They had eaten dinner; he had paid; now they were just hanging out on one of the couches. He had started drinking when the food came, and he hasn't stopped yet.
The waitress came around, taking Teddy's now empty can of beer and replacing it with another one.
"Excuse me, um, Zoë," Desi read her nametag, "He's had enough, if you can, don't bring him anymore."
"Who are you, his mother?" Zoë asked, taking the harsh route.
"Worse, I'm his date, and I have to bring him home, because he can't hold his liquor, and you aren't helping." Desi was furious. At Teddy, at Zoë, at herself for not listening to Gordie, at Gordie for being right, everyone was at fault with this one.
"Oh stand now… Stand by me." The song finished and everyone clapped.
They were the last performance of that night. Judging began.
"I wonder if we won? Gordie, do you think that we were good enough to win? What about those 'Amazing Ackerson Twins' they were really good." Chelsea wondered out loud. Gordie couldn't help but laugh, "What, what's so funny?"
"Well for one, I don't think we could have done THAT great with me singing, and second, you worry to much."
"Third place goes to Gregory and Denise with My Boy Lollipop!" Everyone cheered as they went up and got their trophy, "It was a close run here, the winner won by three points, with 75 points, second place goes to Gordie and Chelsea with Stand By Me and first place with 78 points, The Amazing Ackerson Twins singing Let the Good Times Roll."
Gordie and Chelsea went up and got a coupon for a free meal for two and a small trophy.
"Hey, you're singing wasn't that bad."
"Admit it Chels, I was terrible."
"How can you have been terrible if we got second place?"
"Magic." Gordie shrugged
"Teddy, where the hell are your damn keys?" Desi insisted. The hardest part of all this was getting Teddy through that damn door, why did it have to be like that anyway, what use is that?!
Teddy reached into his pocket and took out a pair of keys, "I got- I got 'em, do ya want 'em"
"No, I just want to look at them you idiot." She grabbed the keys out of his hand and started up the car. She had only been through with the first couple of driver's ed classes, driving a car wasn't something she was good at yet, but doing the best she could, she managed to get him to his house.
"We are home you gigantic pile of shit," Thank god Teddy isn't an angry drunk, Desi thought.
"I had a good time."
"You're the only one Teddy."
"Imgunna bes intgren wiff es gunna eash nope." Teddy slurred, Desi didn't understand any of that mumbo jumbo, so she got out of the car and pulled him to his door. She knocked and when no one answered, she took it upon herself to lead him inside.
Then, without warning, Teddy looked at her and kissed her, shoving his tongue down her throat. All Desi could think about was how she was going to get out of here before something really bad happens. Teddy put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer to him, violently kissing her.
Desi struggled to get away from the drunken Teddy.
She did, because he wasn't focused and immediately after she let go of him, he passed out on the couch. Desi ran out of the house, spitting the whole way as she went home.
Gordie walked Chelsea back to Desi's house. He looked at her and she looked at him.
"I had an amazing time tonight," Gordie whispered.
"Yea, it was great," She replied.
"You know, we are going to have to do it again… I mean, if you want to, I have a dinner for two, if you wanna go back next Friday," Gordie suggested.
"I would love to," Chelsea smiled.
"I'll see you then."
Chelsea turned to walk into the house, but then quickly turned back and kissed Gordie, he kissed her back, mutually.
They were kissing in front of her house until Chelsea heard someone walking towards them. She turned and saw Desi, spitting and walking towards the house. One last kiss and they said good night.