Chapter 6: Open Mic Night
The next day, I met one of my other best friends, Carly Shay, and her friends, Sam and Freddie at Eat n' Park in Squirrel Hill for breakfast. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Carly greeted back. "I'm sorry if Alex doesn't like Eat n' Park all that much," I explained. "That's okay," Mrs. Shay pointed out. "At least, we still love Eat n' Park." "Eat n' Park has always been a family-friendly restaurant to us, even the one in Natrona Heights," Mr. Benson explained. "It all goes back to middle school when I learned that this restaurant was heart-healthy, as well," Carly remembered. I ordered my signature pancakes and bacon with milk, Carly ordered the Eat n' Park Griddle Smile, Mrs. Shay ordered a Belgian waffle, and Mr. Benson ordered a Philly Steak and Egg Scrambler. After breakfast, we headed over to MSG Academy in Turtle Creek for Open Mic Night. Some of my other best friends Alex Russo, Justin Evans, and Max Greenwald were also there. After a couple of solo performances, Carly and her parents sang along to 3 Dixie Chicks hits from their album Wide Open Spaces. Then, my band Angel Kitty and I performed songs from our summer 2019 album, "Summer Fun". After Victoria's stand-up comedy routine, there were flute and clarinet solo performances by Kimberly and Elizabeth, and before I knew it, it was time for Alex, Justin, and Max to give a speech on their disappointment with Disney and then a jazz band finale of 3 famous jazz songs by several other different alumni of MSG Academy. We also had pizza and pop to eat during the show, and went to get Baskin-Robbins ice cream for dessert after the show was over. Then, Alex, Justin, Max, and I picked up Chinese food for dinner at How Lee in Squirrel Hill. We also picked up some cheesecake from the bakery for dessert. "Did you ever grow up with one scary movie, Alex?" I asked my best friend. "I did, and none of them were very fun," Alex replied. "The last scary movie I saw was a rerun of Beetlejuice during my senior year of high school, and it was on ABC Family, which is now Freeform!" "Beetlejuice wasn't all that bad, Alex," Max pointed out. "And, what stuffed animal do you happen to have?" Justin asked. "My favorite teddy bear, who I still happen to sleep with every night," Alex replied. "Yes, I am a sophisticated young honors student who still sleeps with her stuffed animals at night." "There's nothing wrong with that," I pointed out. After dinner and dessert, Alex, Justin, and Max drove me back to my mom's apartment in Highland Park. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Alex replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"