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6 Months Before The Apocalypse
                          
Just do it, Lily. Just add your name to the list. Just do it. It's not that hard. You'll just have to sing a song in front of all of the people here in this arcade with everyone staring at you and possibly recording you and if you make any mistake it will be stuck in everyone's mind for the rest of their lives and you will be standing up there waiting for your knees to buckle as you collapse onto the floor turning into the damn worm that you are.
                          
"Come on, Lily," I spoke under my breath, attempting to give myself a pep talk to be able to quickly just sign the damn thing.
                          
"Yeah, come on Lily." Someone spoke from behind me with obvious annoyance in their tone. I turned around in shock and surprise to see a boy a bit taller than me with blonde hair, a grey baseball cap, and a light pink shirt. "Are you going to sign it or not?"
                          
I panicked and stepped to the side and muttered out a quick "sorry." Realizing that he just stepped forward and no longer paid me any attention I quickly scurried off to a table in the back of this section.
                          
Sure I wanted to spend my 17th birthday here. That's why I even chose this place. I wanted to come to this specific arcade because I knew of the music room with karaoke, with instruments, with amazing music and livelihood and fun. Everyone was always so happy here, yet I was sitting in the back just wishing I could be as confident as everyone else.
                          
I wanted to spend it here, without friends, without family, just on my own to work up the courage to finally use the karaoke machine here. Finally, be able to sing some songs at the top of my lungs with a crowd of people I didn't know and to just be happy and carefree, but that wasn't easy for the wannabe singer who had stage fright. 
                          
I sat there and just watched the stage, so many going up there and singing their hearts out. I wish that could be me. It could never be me. How could my dream ever come true if I couldn't get myself to step onto a stage? I thought maybe it'd be easier because there was no one I knew there but instead I almost felt worse because if I were to majorly fuck up, no one would be there to comfort me and pick me back up.
                          
It was hard to pay attention to any of the people who went up on stage because it just would remind me of how much of an embarrassment I was. How stupid I was to think I would have a fun time here, thinking I would somehow find the courage to do something I knew I would never be able to do. That was until that boy was called up for his turn on stage and sang his damned heart out. Weirdly enough it made me smile. Seeing that annoyed boy completely wash away the world just to sing at a karaoke arcade. What was even nicer was that he was an amazing singer.
                          
After his turn was finished, he nonchalantly hopped off the stage and walked back to the line to sign up for another round of karaoke. It wasn't until we made eye contact that I noticed I was staring at him. Out of complete embarrassment I immediately snapped my head to look down at the table I sat out. In a complete panic with trying to figure out how to distract me to make me look less guilty, I took out my phone and scrolled through whatever apps or texts I had just to seem like I was doing something else when I didn't know what else to do.
                          
I scrolled through random things on my phone for about a minute and let out a breath I didn't even notice I was holding in. I had assumed that whatever awkward encounter had happened had successfully passed. That was until I turned my head to look back towards the line and instead I saw the boy standing next to me.
                          
I jumped, almost falling out of my chair. I was able to catch myself getting myself together pretty quickly but also fast enough to see him laughing at me. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I continuously apologized feeling nothing but heat rise up to my face and knowing that my entire body was occupied with fear. After the boy finished his laugh he pulled out the chair next to me and then took a seat.