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"I still can't believe we were able to drag your ass out here with us." Emerald said, steering her car into a parking space outside the karaoke bar she had invited her brother and Angel to. Angel had been delighted to accept, but OJ seemed less than excited to attend. OJ was quiet and kept to himself. He didn't like to talk much, and he disliked loud sounds. However, he couldn't exactly say no to Emerald once she started to beg him with no signs of stopping. "Mhm…" OJ grunted, looking out the window at a group of noisy drunks stumbling towards an Uber. Emerald flicked off the ignition and turned around in her seat so she could look at OJ, who was seated in the back. "You don't gotta sing, but you sure as hell gotta come and pretend like you like us." She stated, an excited grin on her face. "Yeah, or at least drink with us. Maybe with enough alcoholic influence, you'll even sing!" Angel added, unbuckling and flinging his door open at the car's passenger side. "Yup." OJ said. He knew for a fact he wouldn't even touch a bottle of alcohol. Angel and his sister would get wasted, leaving OJ to give all of them a ride home. OJ was happy to be included as he loved his friends, but he didn't know why they would have to go somewhere where they would be a lot of screaming. He clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth as he got out of the car with his sister, wishing he had brought his earplugs.
"I feel all groovy tonight… Enough to where I think I could even bring a pretty little lady home." Emerald said to Angel as she sashayed towards the entrance. OJ stuck his hands into his hoodie pockets, the same neutral expression he always had on his face as he followed behind his friends. "Right? Like- going here sorta makes me feel confident!" Angel said, responding to Emerald's comment. OJ let his mind wander to the thought of horses as he tuned out his sister's poor flirting and endless rambling to the worker at the front desk, who giggled along at Emerald's antics in the hope of getting a good tip. As they followed the worker to the room they had rented, Angel started to talk about what songs he wanted to sing with Emerald. It was mainly a lot of electronic music with loud instruments and intelligible words.
"Have fun! If you want to order anything, just fill out the iPad that's left on the desk. You have the option to leave it on a tab or pay directly." The employee explained, unlocking and opening the door into the room. It was a bit small and had metropolis-themed decor on the walls. There was a comfortable couch pushed up against the side, a television with a few microphones plugged into it and lying on the table holding it up. "Alright! This is what I'm talkin' about!" Emerald said, stepping inside with her brother and Angel. OJ closed the door behind the three of them and then sat down on the couch with a heavy sigh.
"Okay… First song… First song… How 'bout Bad Romance by Lady Gaga?' Emerald suggested as she flipped through the different songs to choose from. "No, I sort of wanted Lone Digger by Caravan Palace." Angel said, pointing at a different name on the list. As the two bickered, OJ leaned further into the couch, a bored expression on his face. "You can just do one after the other. Just do a game of rock-paper-scissors for which goes first." He suggested. This seemed enough for Angel and Emerald, and after three games of violent hand movements, Emerald came out victorious. "Yeah, let's goooo! I always come out on top, don't fuck with a Haywood!" She cheered, laughing to herself as she selected the song she wanted. Angel grumbled his words of disappointment as he picked up two microphones and tossed one to Emerald. "You sure you don't wanna sing?" Angela asked OJ, who shook his head in response. "Alright. Your loss, man." Angel said, turning to the screen as the music started.
OJ tuned out the singing of his friends, his mind wandering back to horses. Lucky had become his favorite since the 'incident' that happened last year, the stallion being almost a good-luck charm for him. Not to mention, Lucky was a sweet, obedient boy and a strong runner.
"I WANT YOUR LOVE!! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, I WANT YOUR LOVE…" OJ's attention suddenly jerked away from his daydream as Angel screamed a lyric as if his life depended on it. For someone who was so against the song at first, he seemed to be having a good time now. "YOU AND ME CAN WRITE A BAD ROMANCE!" Emerald was somehow even louder than Angel. Though, to be fair, she seemed to have a talent for that.
Though, it was nice to see his friends so happy. OJ felt a slight smile tug at the corner of his lips as he sat back and watched Angel and Emerald jump around in a poorly choreographed dance, feeling relaxed for the first time in a long one.