Anna and Elijah laugh. At a Beethoven joke? They worship him. It’s making me feel a little forgotten over here. Time to put on the Party Guy. “Most people in my old town think Beethoven is a dog movie,” I say.

“It’s not the worst dog movie,” Duncan says. “But the ending was a little heavy-handed.”

“Heavy-pawed?” I ask.

“Yes, mate.” Duncan laughs.

Anna leans closer to Duncan. “We didn’t see you all summer, Duncan. Were you busy writing a concerto?”

“Not quite,” he says, then runs his hand through his messy hair. “I was back home in London playing with the symphony. It was incredible.”

“No doubt,” Anna says.

Elijah puts his arm around Duncan. “When will you have time for us to fall in love?”

“I could start tonight,” he says to Elijah, but looks at Anna. Only I catch it.

“I could start right now,” Elijah kids.

I’ve never met a British person. My number of firsts continues to grow every day. Everything about Duncan is sophisticated, even the words coming out of his mouth. I’ve tried on British accents in class sometimes, but I sound like a fool compared to his smooth talk.

“Smile, please,” Anna says, snapping a picture of the four of us and immediately posting it. We talk more and finish our drinks. I grab my phone to check the time and notice I have a bunch of notifications.

“Fifty people just followed me,” I say, stunned, my heart beating fast.

“You’re welcome,” Elijah says. “I shared the photo.”

“Elijah has like twenty thousand followers,” Anna says proudly.

“Lots of Gushers fans out there,” he admits.

“This party needs some life,” Anna says, looking around.

“It’s a little stiff,” Duncan agrees.

My belly is warm from the vodka. I feel the need to dance. I have courage I shouldn’t. I have fifty new followers. I can bring life to this party.

And then I see Yazmin. By the piano. Talking to someone. Hair up in a high bun.

Now there’s more at stake. Party Guy needs to do something big.

I see the answer in the corner of the room. “I can wake this party up,” I say, then walk over to the speaker, hoping it is what I think it is. There’s a microphone and a folder on top—just waiting for me. Jackpot—this is a karaoke machine. I flip through the pages of the songbook and land on a winner. Party Guy is about to get this party started. I type in number 112. Lucky number 112.