As the group tilted their heads in confusion, Alina, who was busy choosing a song from the jukebox, finally selected one. Guitars and drums started beating out as Jason turned to look at Alina with a thumbs up and mouthing the word 'nice'. Alina slid to a stool next to Alice and both started rocking their heads while Alice looked on in surprise.
"Living easy, living free
Season ticket on a one-way ride
Asking nothing, leave me be
Taking everything in my stride
Don't need reason, don't need rhyme
Ain't nothing I would rather do
Going down, party time
My friends are gonna be there too" [1]
The two began lip-syncing to the song with Jason pretending to air guitar and Alina was air drumming. The two would occasionally look at each other and at Alice sitting between them while grinning and moving their hands along with the song. Both raised a finger while bending to Alice's height when the song reached 'Don't need reason, don't need rhyme'. Alice, who was shocked at the beginning, started to move her head in tandem with them as everyone else sat in stunned silence.
"Oh good lord," muttered Emily as she facepalmed. "They're corrupting such an angel."
"I'm on the highway to hell
Highway to hell
I'm on the highway to hell
Highway to hell"
Jason and Alina were now pretending to drive a car as they continued lip syncing and Alice copied them while bobbing her head.
"No stop signs, speed limit
Nobody's gonna slow me down
Like a wheel, gonna spin it
Nobody's gonna mess me around
Hey Satan, paid my dues
Playing in a rocking band
Hey mama, look at me
I'm on my way to the promised land, whoo!
I'm on the highway to hell
Highway to hell
I'm on the highway to hell
Highway to hell"
The trio continued this antic and when Melanie tried interrupting them by calling Jason out, he raised a hand to stop her before syncing with the next line from the song:
"Don't stop me"
All three of them did the air guitar as a solo guitar was playing when Annie returned and smacked both Jason and Alina with her notepad.
"Honestly Jason," she puffed with her hands on her hips. "First it was Alina, who picked up on your bad habit, and now you're teaching it to this little girl? Look what you've done, dad!"
As she shouted at the kitchen again, Joe stuck a thumbs up again with a grunt, approving of what Jason was teaching.
"It's a classic," argued Jason while pointing at the jukebox. "Everyone needs to learn how to appreciate the classics, it's part of our heritage."
"Please, you're not even American," Annie rolled her eyes.
"Nope, I'm your friendly neighborhood Canadian," winked Jason which caused Annie to sigh and walk away.
"Too much?" Jason called out to the retreating Annie.
"Too lame!" she shot back and Jason shrugged while giving a non-committal grunt.
"That was … intéressant," said Michelle while Emily continued covering her face with her hand and Melanie shook her head as though she wasn't sure if she was dreaming.
"I thought you weren't a rock fan, Alina?" Asami asked.
"Classical music is a completely different genre," Alina said. "Don't lump it with anything else."
Annie returned as Alina tried explaining classical rock with several plates floating near her. As she used magic to place each plate with their order in front of them, she pulled a large parfait that was the size of a large cake from behind her and grinned.
"The deluxe, I-can't-finish-it strawberry shortcake parfait," she told Alice who had sparkling eyes as the former set it down in front of her. "Enjoy."
Michelle lightly drizzled her waffles while Asami dug into her devil's food with gusto. Both Melanie and Emily stared down at each other's pudding before trying to eat as elegantly as possible. Alina also got her order as well, which was a big slice of Boston cream pie that she ate with relish. Annie returned with a grimace while holding a large plate that was more than double the size of everyone's' plates.
"Here's your … Pound-me," Annie looked a little annoyed as she placed the plate with a large burger and a mug of rootbeer in front of Jason. Emily choked on her spoonful of pudding while Melanie grinned wickedly.
"Ha, that's what she said!" Jason grinned and Annie smacked him again. "You're the one who said it! Besides, it was too good to pass."
"You're gonna die if you keep this up." Annie groaned while looking at the grease loaded burger.
"I'm a growing kid, I need to eat," fibbed Jason as he dug into his burger. It had two half-pound patties and three thick slices of cheese along with all the toppings possibly available. "Mmm … mmm."
"You do realize that you're not a kid anymore, right?" Annie exposed his shameless lie at once with an exasperated look while Jason hummed from his foodgasm.
"Huh, you think?" Jason waved a hand in front of his face in slow motion. As he moved it away, it revealed a face with smooth cheeks, with not a strand of his beard in sight. Without it, Jason looked like a fresh out of high school teen. "What about now, Ms. Anne?"
"Wow," Annie was stunned. "A beard can make that big of a difference?"
"Yep," Jason said as he continued eating. "It's why I keep it. That and the fact that the ladies love how prickly it is. In the right places."
"Ack," Alina nearly gagged on her dessert as she glared at him. "No one wants to hear that, dummy."
"Yeah, I'm more interested in what happened to your beard," Asami interjected as she glanced at his plate. "Don't tell me it fell into your plate."
"Nah," replied Jason as he took a bite of his burger. "I incinerated it before it even fell."
Jason stopped chewing as a shudder passed through his back and he felt several intense stares. Looking up, he saw three pairs of eyes studying him ardently with zealous passion: Michelle, Emily, and Melanie. Michelle had the eyes of a star-struck teen who had seen her idol while Emily looked at him longingly as though she was meeting and falling in love with him for the first time. Melanie, on the other hand, sent him a scorching gaze like she could see him naked and she licked her lips when their eyes met.
"On second thought, looking older has its perks," he said hastily after swallowing his mouthful and forced his stubble to grow back again instantly. Annie smirked at him, that knowing smile on the corner of her face irritating him to no ends.