Infinite

Stand Tall

𝄆 ♫♪ 𝄇
Whatever happens, even if I'm the last standing
I'ma stand tall, I'ma stand tall
Whatever happens, even when everything's down
I'ma stand tall, I'ma stand tall
I gotta keep on dreaming
'Cause I gotta catch that feeling
Whatever happens, even if I'm the last standing
I'ma stand tall, I'ma stand tall
𝄆 ♫♪ 𝄇

After spending almost two months with the guys, Julie was positive she'd taken up Alex's obnoxious habit of pacing while stressed. It was that or she'd magically gotten it while watching another show. But, that didn't stop her from walking briskly back and forth in her outfit. The skirt sashayed around her legs, while the bodice hugged her Hispanic curves perfectly. A black leather jacket that she found in her mom's stuff hung over her shoulders, a geometric pattern bedazzled on the back, but nothing could make her feel better about the situation at hand.

The situation at hand: the boys were late and she had no idea what was going on.

"What if they're already gone? What if they don't get the chance to cross over?" Julie's panicked voice didn't seem to panic either of her friends, but they both understood why she was so upset.

Mari's stomach churned with anxiety. She never got to say goodbye to the boys—to Luke. She wiped her hands on her jacket. The sweat built up quickly thanks to the situation they were now in. Mari didn't want to lose Luke, but there wasn't another option.

"They're fine. Probably just held up because of some stupid ghost thing. They'll be here." Flynn tried to console her friend, but it didn't seem to be working. Julie was visibly panicking.

"Julie, five minute warning." The stage manager shouted through the door. He had no idea what was going on behind the literal closed doors.

"Alright, thanks!" Julie's breathing got faster, shallower, then she was out of the door. The pressure and the sheer anxiety mixed with the fact that none of the boys were there yet made for a Julie that was about to explode. Unfortunately, it wasn't in a good way.

"Julie, where are you going?" Flynn asked, trying to see if she could see Julie, but she had no such luck. "Dang it. Julie!"

"Flynn, when she's ready, she's ready." Mari set a hand on Flynn's shoulder. Her words didn't do anything to calm Flynn's mind. "Following her won't change her mind."

"Mari, how can you stay so calm? Julie is about to blow her only chance." Mari knew that it wasn't easy to stay calm, but it was far more productive. Flynn was not the kind to stay calm, and her three sodas were only fuelling her jumpiness.

"Flynn, there's nothing we can do. Nothing. We're just stuck here—sans Julie—until she shows up or the time passes for her to be on stage. She has to figure it out for herself." She learned that after being pushed away by Julie when her mom died. And that hurt so much to go through, but she learned a lot. At sixteen, she had the maturity of an eighty year old, but a quarter of the life experience.

"She just has to come back soon," Flynn said with a sigh. She didn't get it, and her stress levels doubled in response. A couple minutes later, but still before the stage manager came to grab Julie to go on stage, Flynn turned antsy. "Should we go after her?"

"Nope. The right time is the time she walks back in here on her own. If she doesn't, I'll go out there," Mari promised. She had been practicing a new song: one that would go over well with the Orpheum crowd, but that wasn't its original intention. "And, if anyone asks, you're my manager."

"Wait, you're serious? Because I'm all for this if you are." Flynn couldn't contain her excitement, and it kept the stresses of Julie being absent off her mind. "Your music is awesome."