Meet Me at Midnight

04 | Karaoke Queen

Stella

The limo is full, and the energy inside is chaotic. Sarah is leading the charge, waving a flute of champagne in one hand and trying to get everyone to sing along to a throwback playlist that seems to be half 90s pop and half 2000s dance remixes.

"Where exactly are we going?" I ask. She perches herself on my lap. Her arm dangled around my neck, pulling me closer to her. Her tiara was slightly askew as she sips her drink like royalty.

Sarah just grins, a devilish sparkle in her eye. "That, my dear Stella, is a surprise."

"Why do I feel like this surprise is going to end in regret?" I mutter, sinking back into my seat. Grace hears me and elbows me with a smirk.

"Regret builds character," she teases, raising her glass to toast to my misery.

I glance at the other girls in the limo, all of them giddy and enveloped in their own conversations. A part of me wonders how I got roped into this, you know, besides being the maid of honor. Oh, that's right. Because I'm the responsible one.

"You'll love it," Sarah says, grabbing my hand with a reassuring squeeze. "I promise it'll be fun. A little crazy, sure, but you need that sometimes. Consider it... therapy."

"Therapy?" I laugh. "Is that what we're calling it now?"

She shrugs, taking another sip. "When in doubt, drink and dance. Works for me."

I roll my eyes but can't help smiling. Sarah's enthusiasm is contagious, and as much as I hate surprises, I trust her. Mostly.

The limo finally slows down, and I lean forward, craning my neck to see where we're pulling up. My stomach tightens when I spot a bright neon sign flickering against the midday sun. The contrast to the snowy landscape is a little offputting. I assumed this entire thing would be Christmas themed, but I guess Sarah has a few more surprises up her sleeve than expected.

BLIZZARDS END

The flashing sign is hard to look away from.

"Oh no," I groan. "This cannot be happening."

"Oh, yes!" Sarah claps her hands, practically bouncing in her seat. "Welcome to the wildest bachelorette brunch! with a side of snow for fun."

Grace bursts into laughter. "I think Stella's about to bolt. Somebody lock the doors!"

I shoot her a glare, but there's no escaping now. The limo doors swing open, and we're greeted by a woman in a glittery pink matching tracksuit who is practically radiating spirit.

"Ladies! Welcome! Are you ready for the time of your lives?"

"Hell yes, we are!" Sarah shouts, hopping out first and dragging me with her. The next thing I know, we're being ushered into the loudest, most glitter-covered place I've ever seen. The music is already thumping, and the smell of fruity cocktails and... is that cotton candy?... hits me like a truck.

Sarah spins around, her arms wide. "Alright, ladies, let's get this party started! Drinks first, then... we'll see where the day takes us."

Somehow, I already know this day is going to spiral.

The first round of drinks comes out almost immediately—giant fishbowl cocktails garnished with every type of candy imaginable. Sarah squeals when hers arrives with sparklers sticking out of the top, the flames barely clearing the ceiling.

"Cheers!" she shouts, lifting her glass high, and we all clink our oversized drinks together. The sugary cocktail is sickly sweet but surprisingly strong, and after just a few sips, I feel the heat rising to my cheeks.

"I don't know what's worse," I mutter to Grace, eyeing the servers who are now passing out glow sticks and tiaras. "The fact that I'm drinking something called 'Unicorn Punch' or the fact that I might actually like it."

Grace laughs, tossing a pink feather boa around my neck. "You're loosening up already. I knew you had it in you!"

Before I can protest, the lights dim, and a spotlight appears on a small stage at the far end of the room. The music cuts off, replaced by a drumroll.

"Ladies!" a booming voice announces. "Get ready for The Bachelorette Games!"

"Oh no," I whisper, already dreading whatever is about to happen.

"Oh, yes!" Sarah yells, dragging me toward the stage before I can escape. Grace is right behind us, laughing so hard she nearly spills her drink.

The host, a man in a glittery tuxedo and an absurdly large top hat, grins at the crowd. "We need six volunteers for our first game!"

"Sarah, no," I hiss, but it's too late. She's already shoved her hand in the air, and the host points right at her.

"You, tiara girl! And bring your friends!"

The crowd erupts into cheers as Sarah grabs my arm and Grace's, pulling us onto the stage. The other three volunteers are bridesmaids from another party, already tipsy and giggling uncontrollably.

"Alright, ladies," the host says, pacing dramatically across the stage. "This game is called Bachelorette Karaoke! Each of you will spin the wheel to get your song, and then it's up to your group to perform it—complete with choreography!"

My stomach drops. "Nope. Absolutely not. I'm not doing this."

"Yes, you are," Sarah says, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "You're not dragging me down. This is my bachelorette party!"

I pout at her and tease, "oh, who's being a Bridezilla now?"

Her instant frown makes me smile. Seeing her frown probably shouldn't evoke a smile from me, but she was the one who said to tell her if she ever becomes like those crazy brides you see on reality tv.

"Let's spin that wheel!" the host shouts, and the giant wheel behind him lights up, its segments labeled with song titles ranging from Britney Spears to Beyoncé.

Sarah spins first, and of course, she lands on "Single Ladies." She screams with excitement and immediately starts practicing the iconic hand wave. Grace spins next, landing on "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls.

She grins at me. "You know the words, right?"

"I hate you," I mutter, but the grin on her face is contagious.

By the time it's my turn, I'm praying for something easy—maybe a song that doesn't involve dancing. But the wheel has other plans.

"Looks like you've got 'Pour Some Sugar on Me' by Def Leppard!" the host announces, and the crowd goes wild.

I bury my face in my hands. This is going to be a disaster.

The music starts, and Sarah takes the lead, completely unbothered by how ridiculous we look. Grace jumps in, shimmying across the stage like she's auditioning for a music video. And me? I'm stiff as a board, clinging to my mic like it's the only thing keeping me upright.

"Loosen up, Stella!" Sarah yells, grabbing my hands and forcing me to dance. The crowd cheers louder, and I can feel the cocktail courage kicking in.

Before I know it, I'm belting out the lyrics and spinning around like a total lunatic. The stage lights are blinding, the music is deafening, and I've completely lost track of time.

By the time we finish, we're all breathless and laughing so hard we can barely stand. The host declares us the winners—probably because Sarah's tiara flies off mid-spin and lands in someone's cocktail, which only makes the crowd cheer louder.

We stumble off the stage, sweaty and exhilarated, and collapse back into our seats.

"I cannot believe we just did that," I say, still trying to catch my breath.

"You were amazing!" Sarah beams, throwing her arm around me. "See? A little chaos is good for the soul."

Grace raises her glass. "To Stella, the unexpected karaoke queen!"

I roll my eyes but clink glasses with her anyway. For the first time all day, I actually feel like I'm having fun.

But then, just as I relax, my phone buzzes in my bag. I pull it out and see a name that makes my stomach twist.