“Time to get this party started, my people! My request list is still pretty light, and you know it won’t be that way for long. Bring me your songs, babes!”

With a wink, she launched into the first song of the night.

Kiki liked to kick off karaoke herself, which, considering she was going to spend the next several hours of her life listening to drunk people screech and holler in her ear, she fully deserved. She had a great voice, a cute little shimmy, and she always chose the best throwbacks.

Although when she launched into Jennifer Paige’s classic 1998 hit, “Crush”—which I would have appreciated on any other night, because, hilarious—I nearly thwacked my forehead onto the table.

Instead, I steadfastly stared around at the rest of the room, only glancing at the back of my #1 KC’s head for the briefest of moments, telling myself Jennifer was right. It was just a little crush. Not like I fainted every time we touched. Not that we had ever touched. So perhaps the jury was still out on that one.

And then Kiki was back behind her little table, and shouting into the mic: “Here we go, everybody! Put your hands together for crowd favorite, Lilyyyyy!”

#1 KC—Lily, how did I always forget that, so pretty—got up from her table. She walked over to Kiki with a smile and took the mic. Her yellow dress swished.

And I couldn’t tell if I was excited, or if I was sad. Excited, because it was going to be awesome. Sad, because once Lily sang Carrie Underwood, Kiki would let a bunch of other losers sing until she gave Lily another round. Which meant that after this, I’d truly have no excuse to be here anymore. And dammit, coming all the way out to Moonie’s without getting to have a true Moonie’s night was a disappointment of epic proportions.

But then Lily opened her mouth.

And okay, maybe the awesomeness beat out the disappointment. Even though I’d heard Lily sing “Before He Cheats” at least ten times before, it still kicked me in the gut as soon as she started.

I never knew what she’d end up singing later on, but every single time she was here, Lily started the night with “Before He Cheats.” And I admired the hell out of it every single time, because I had to be at least six drinks in to even think about approaching a microphone, and even then, only when one of my friends dragged me with them. But to be one of the first singers of the night meant putting yourself out there to a half-full room of sober people. And it wasn’t like Lily chose an easy one to start with, like a Lisa Loeb “Stay” kind of selection, one you could quietly croon while everyone else got their cheap drinks and shitty fries and ignored you.