Words Hurt • Reggie Peters

2

- She was really expecting to be accepted back? - Carrie laughed - Pathetic!

- Carrie, c'mon. - Nick talked - She finally got to sing again.

- Yeah, and she thought she could just step on everyone else? That would never be fair.

Laura wasn't really paying attention to the couple's fight, still thinking about her dream from the night before.

- Is everything alright? - Payton asked her, caressing her hand, a gesture the girl didn't even seem to notice

- Yeah, I'm just... tired

- Because I feel like we've been drifting apart and I'm worried about us. - he seemed upset but she didn't care

- I don't feel like talking now, Payt, sorry. - she said, leaving the table they're in.

Laura didn't know what to do since she had to kill time until the spirit rally. Her plan was to spend the afternoon with Payton, but that was no longer going to happen, so she ended up roaming around the neighbourhood. For some reason, she was attracted to this house on sale and stared at it for a few minutes. She wandered who live there, if there were kids... Laura didn't notice the time passing, and when she "woke up", she decided to get going, or it would seem just weird.

- Hey! - Laura heard Payton calling her - I've been looking for you everywhere! You just vanished, was it something I said?

- No, Payt, I just needed some time of my own.

- Look, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you or something, but I really wanted to talk about us.

Laura didn't get a chance to answer since everyone was already gathering up for the spirit race. "Thanks", not like she wanted to see Carrie and her friends making a stupid performance that everyone would love, but it was better than talking to Payton.

- I think it's better to talk about this later - she said while sitting in a random place in the gym. Although, Payton sat beside her. He was determined to speak to her on that day.

- Hey, you are here! We were looking for you - Nick said, and the other lacrosse players nodded - Mind if we sit?

- Not at all, boys! - Laura answered, with a soft smile on her face. - Excited to see your girlfriend?

- You know I am, always - Nick answered - But are you, tho?

- You know, I'm just not a fan of all the glitter and colour, it's too much for me.

- Still think you should've joined them - Payton cut into the conversation - I would like that.

- Yeah, but that's not my thing. I am not a singer  - she answered shortly.

- That's a lie, Laura, and you know it - Nick sighed - But keep lying to yourself, if that's what you want.

Nick heard her sing one time, when she thought no one was listening, but she made him kept it a secret. She just didn't think she was that good and didn't want anyone to laugh at her. Of course, Nick had tried to convince her to join the music program ever since, but she always refused. Besides, the reason she was singing that day, the reason she started singing more often and Nick caught her was because of her sister, and she didn't want to share that part of her with anyone else.

• • •

The Dirty Candi were performing and everyone around Laura was dancing to their music. The looks were actually amazing, and the song itself was not bad, but it wasn't Laura's style at all. However, the whole school seemed to love, just like Laura predicted. When Carrie decided to form her band, she invited her and Payton pressured her hard to join the band, but she politely declined. Just to imagine spending her time in rehearsals with those girls took her years of life.

Since she wasn't focused on the performance she looked around only to find Julie talking to three guys she had never seen around. "Are those guys... no, no way" she thought about her dream. Yet, she kept looking and eventually her eyes met one of the guys, wearing black jeans, a white t-shirt and a flannel shirt. He mumbled something she couldn't catch because of the distance and the music. They were making eye contact for too long, so Laura decided to check the other two guys. The blond one was vibing to the music, but the third guy punched him, and he stopped; making the girl in the stand laugh a bit. That didn't go unnoticed to Reggie, who was still looking at her. "It's like she can see me; I would actually believe it if I wasn't sure Julie was the only one that saw us."

In the meantime, Dirty Candi performance ended "finally", Laura thought and she glanced at the three guys again, still talking to Julie. They said something to her and she disappeared, appearing again near the piano on the stage. Nobody else noticed, since they were already free to go.

Julie played two chords in the piano but then stopped. "C'mon girl, you can do it." Laura thought. She had never been friends with Julie and pretty much what she knew about her was through Nick, but she respected the girl and she knew how talented she was.

She looked at the guys and started playing again, closing her eyes to the music. Laura's attention fell on the girl, stopping in the middle of the gym. Eventually, everyone did the same, the second the girl started to sing and the lights illuminated her. Then, out of nowhere, the three guys and their instruments appeared by her side. Everyone was sceptic, but soon started cheering and dancing to the music. The four musicians at the stage seemed surprised, maybe because people were enjoying it. But in fact, the three ghosts realized people could see them while they were there on the stage.

Laura's eyes found Reggie again, now playing the bass. The guy knew how to sing and how to play, it was terrific. He winked at her and it didn't go unnoticed to the boy standing by her side. Payton made a threatening face in Reggie's direction, making the boy focus on his bass again.

The crowd was cheering when the performance ended but gasped when suddenly the three guys disappeared? "What the fuck? They appeared out of nowhere and then they were gone again" Laura was perplexed, and it was clearer she wasn't the only one.