Infinite

What I Need

𝄆 ♫♪ 𝄇
I need some love
Can you give me that?
I need some time
Can you give me that?
And with our friendship
Slipping through the cracks

I need a friend
Can you give me that?
I want someone
Who can give me the world
Because I don't want to lose
Everything we have
Our friendship is worth
So much more than that
𝄆 ♫♪ 𝄇

"Mari, come on. We're going to have some fun tonight. Can't you come?" Luke was pestering the young girl, having no idea why she was staying so far away from everyone. He wanted to see her more, and that wasn't the way to do it. "Come on. Let's go for a long weekend, just have fun for a little bit," Luke sang, almost convincing her to reply. She was thankful her step-family was out, because she'd heard from Julie that normal people could hear these ghosts sing.

"You are so lucky my step-family isn't here. You can't just go sing whenever you like." Mari was struggling to keep her focus on her computer, which she was using to compose a new song, while Luke was doing everything in his power to convince Mari to go clubbing. Or, at least, go to one club with good music.

"Mari, really. What is making you hate us after all this time?" Luke leaned behind her computer—a feat unto itself given the layout of her room—and gave pouty eyes that could rival any five year old begging for ice cream on a summer day.

"My step-mother, essentially, grounded me. I can't have friends around or go over to a friend's house and I have to make sure I do every single chore she asks or I'll be grounded more or even kicked out. She has complete control over my life and there's nothing I can do, okay?" Mari snapped like a rubber band, and there was no coming back from an outburst like that.

"Why don't you just leave?" Luke wondered. Back when he was alive, he felt like he didn't have any control over his life, so he left his parents and tried to make his way as a musician.

"I don't have a penny to my name. And my step-mother has raised me, alone, for the last eight years. She only just turned into a person I don't recognize a couple weeks ago." It didn't occur to her that, maybe, her step-mother had started dating someone or learned something she shouldn't have that could've caused the switch in personalities. "I guess there's a little part of me that still respects her and expects all of this to, I don't know, blow over, maybe?"

"Okay." Luke seemed okay with the answer, but she didn't know that he was planning to tell Julie. He was, but only because he was worried about Mari. With her talent, locking her up was treating her like Rapunzel, and it wasn't fair. Not to her or the rest of the world, which would be deprived of her God-given gift.

After Luke had poofed out, she finally felt like she could resume writing and composing her song. There wasn't a single word on the page, but the melody was there and even some of the harmonies. She didn't mind. A melody and harmony was all she needed to get started. It was still music, even if it wasn't her typical song.

At Julie's house, Luke was telling Julie about what he'd learned. She had asked him to check up on her, but, truthfully, he wanted to do it. He was planning to, whether or not Julie asked him.

"She's grounded? Why didn't she just say so?" Julie was confused. A lot of things didn't line up. "Did she say why?"

"No. Something didn't feel right about it, though." Luke refrained telling Julie that Mari had completely snapped in front of him, since that seemed like too much detail. And, there were some things that were better off as secrets. None of them wanted to hurt Mari, but there was something deep and raw about her confession that made Luke hold it close to his chest.

Mari's voice echoed through her empty house, filling up the silence with words and tears. Everything she wanted to say was coming to her in a wave of passion. Mari wished she could leave the confines of her prison, but the music would just have to be enough for now.

Julie's house, on the other hand, was filled with laughter, love, and music. It hadn't been like that in so long that all of them forgot what it was like. With their mom gone, they'd missed the life that had breathed through the place.

"Dad, we should have a dance party! You know, put on some music and have a ton of candy and chips and have fun. Just like we used to." It was a tradition Julie's mom had made years ago to remind everyone that life could still be awesome, and it didn't always involve having a lot of money or a fancy outfit. Back then, they were struggling financially, yet Julie's mom found a way to lift everyone's spirits. Every year since, they did it and reminded themselves that no matter what happened, they'd always have each other. Always. Usually, it happened in July, but nobody wanted to reignite the grief still rampaging through everyone.

"Yeah, I'd love to. Carlos, are you in?" Ray asked his son, who was more than eager to do another dance party. It would be just like before. Before their mom died and music left their lives and grief shadowed every other feeling they had.

Mari continued to pour her heart into her lyrics—another world she was creating because hers was not what she wanted to live in—as Julie's family poured their hearts into their dancing. None of them were any good, really, but they had fun and that was all that mattered. And, the boys were having fun, dancing around and laughing with all of the family even though Ray and Carlos couldn't see them. Luke only wished that Mari were there to dance with them and let go of all her troubles. The pain that radiated behind her smile was something he was all-too-familiar with.

But, what better way to bring a little joy into her life than to bring the party to her?

Luke poofed out of the Molina's living room, hoping to bring a little light into Mari's life when it seemed all was dark. He didn't know it yet, but he wanted to be her whole world. She was the sun, and he was the Earth, revolving around her and worshipping her. If he could, he would've spared her every pain she'd ever experienced and would experience in the future.

"Mari, do you want to dance?" Luke grabbed a CD he recognized from her stack and put it in her CD player. Then, he offered his hand, as if she could touch his fingers with his. As if they weren't separated by worlds.

"Sure. Sounds like fun." Mari smiled, starting to sway her hips to the beat. Next, she started to move her arms to the same beat, having fun with all of it. "I love this song. I forgot all about it."

"It's one of the few I have heard." Luke joined in, dancing a lot more freely than Mari, though he'd already warmed up and gotten loose before going over to her house. "I didn't realize you knew many songs from the 90's." As Luke analyzed the stack of CDs more, he figured out he truly did know quite a few of the artists in her selection. It was a surprise, for sure, considering it had been nearly thirty years since those songs had been released.

All things considered, Luke, along with the other two ghosts, were adjusting quite well and adapting quickly to the modern world. It wouldn't seem difficult to anyone else, but to people who hadn't been around in twenty-five years, it was a bit of a culture shock to see computers and TVs as thin as notebooks and displays that were so clear and sharp. Some things hadn't changed, like using composition notebooks in school or driving on the right side of the road, but Luke wondered if those things would ever truly change.

"Mari! Turn off that music right now!" Luke and Mari heard the threatening voice screaming up the stairs to silence the house as if she were some kind of slave. What woman— what person hated music and other sounds enough to ban them from her home? "Why on Earth were you playing music so loud?" To the both of them, it wasn't loud at all. It wasn't even past twenty percent volume.

"I just wanted to have fun." Mari saw as Laura snapped, angry that she would do anything that violated her wishes.

And all Luke could do was watch as it all unfolded.

Author's Note: Another chapter! This one has quite a bit of angst (and plenty of fear), but shows a lot of sides that Mari hasn't shown thus far. She's just trying to survive, not that I can blame her for it. Be sure to vote and let me know what you think in the comments. All the best, MistyRider921.