Infinite

Epilogue Part I - Now And Forever

𝄃 𝄞♬♪ 𝄂
You're here now and forever
Now and forever
I'll never wonder if you'll
Wander off and leave me
Because we're better together
Now and forever
Now and forever
𝄃 𝄞♬♪ 𝄂

Julie and Carrie stood at the entrance to Lollapalooza, in awe of what lay before them. The festival was grander than anything they'd ever seen and the music seeped through the gates and showed them what was to come. The magic that they were about to witness.

The both of them were going to school in Boston—Julie to Berklee and Carrie to Massachusetts College of Art and Design—and it made both of their fathers happy to know they wouldn't be alone, despite going to different schools. Carrie had found her true passion in art, which was why she decided to go to MassArt. She auditioned for Berklee the very same day Julie did, however she realized music wasn't where her heart lied. Art and the act of creating something people could see and admire was what she loved.

Mari was the first person to push her towards visual art after seeing what she drew for an album cover.

Julie, on the other hand, loved music despite also being a good artist. She promised to help Carrie if she ever got stumped with a project and Carrie promised the same when they realized their paths would be different. Mari had chosen a more local school—though just as expensive as both of their schools—LACM, Los Angeles College of Music. Flynn, on the other hand, decided that she wanted to go to Belmont in Nashville. Of course, it was one of the best music management programs in the country, which was her argument when she explained it to her friends.

"Are you ready to see this amazing music festival?" Carrie didn't push the fact that Julie had declined her spot. They called and, by that point, Julie knew she couldn't do it. Her life had ramped up beyond belief, between school and preparing for school, and the guys agreed. They wanted a break, but they promised to do a couple gigs a month and, by the time she had to leave for college, they'd be completely done with gigs.

There was also the matter of her commitment to Destiny Management, and they promised not to push her to make album after album, but did have a requirement of three singles per year at minimum. If she wished to do an album, that was up to her. And it would just be her. The guys had their own lives (according to the web of lies she'd created), and they were moving on, too. Somehow, her manager was okay with it all.

"I am so ready." Julie held up her phone with her ticket on it to security and was let in shortly after Carrie.

"This festival is so much cooler than Coachella. Literally and figuratively." They'd both noticed that the temperature in Chicago was considerably cooler than the City of Angels. They'd have to get used to it because Boston was not any warmer. In fact, they would finally see snow for the first time ever. Both of them were excited for that experience.

"Okay, but Coachella has nothing on this place," Julie said, looking at the stages filled with musicians she could only wish to be one day.

"No kidding. My jaw is still dropping." They took steps toward the nearest stage. Pictures, of course, were required. Mari and Flynn would kill both of them if they didn't document everything. It helped that they wanted to remember this for the rest of time. "Come on, I think I see P!nk over here." Carrie pulled Julie towards another stage, which had a huge crowd surrounding it.

"I can't believe we're here. Can you?" Julie asked.

"Now, this is much better." Julie heard the guys, and nearly jumped out of her skin. They agreed to the terms. No contact while she was in public. No contact while she wasn't at home. What was she to do about them? It wasn't like she could yell at them to leave her alone.

Of course, she didn't see them as a burden. She never would. At the worst point in her life, they turned her grief around and showed her the bright side of music. But, with them around, she had to censor everything she said. Had to think about who said what and only respond to certain things. She wasn't performing with them anymore—they had their own afterlives to get back to—and saw no reason to tell Carrie or anyone else about them.

At least, she didn't want to tell Carrie she'd been lying to her and the rest of the world about those boys. She saw straight through the whole thing originally (or, at least, she definitely seriously questioned who the guys were really), but after they mended their bridges, she rarely ever mentioned where they might actually be from.

"This place is awesome!" Julie did her best to ignore them, but even Carrie noticed how on-edge Julie was.

"Julie, are you okay? You seem weird." She couldn't very well tell Carrie her band of ghosts was in Chicago, twenty feet away from them.

"There's just some people that are giving me weird vibes." Carrie seemed to interpret that as Julie expected, pulling her closer and looking back at the crowd of people. Her hopes to find the creeps would be in vain, but Julie didn't need to tell her that much.

"Well, why don't we head to one of the other stages. I hear OneRepublic is playing at one of the other stages." Carrie dragged her along. Julie was lucky to have a friend like her. Really, they were both lucky to have each other.

The guys, however, were having the time of their afterlives. Not only were the three of them at Lollapalooza, drooling over the talent on the stages for everyone to see, they were also with their partners—Reggie with Lynn, Alex with Willie, and Luke with a friend he'd met after Mari broke his heart.

She broke her own at the same time, but it was for the best. College was where her mind needed to focus, not a ghost boyfriend that no one else could see. Plus, her life was just starting and, eventually, she would get married and have kids. Luke could never give her that.

"I want to see Eminem. Can we go see where he's performing?" Willie asked Alex. They headed off to one of the other stages, closer to where Julie and Carrie were, however they had no intention of disrupting the peace Julie now had.

"Reg, I will go where you want me to go. This is not my scene, but you're happy." Lynn had been urging her boyfriend to go where he wished for the last ten minutes to no avail.

"You pick. Anything." Reggie would not move an inch until she picked a singer.

"Fine. Kelly Clarkson." Lynn caved, knowing he secretly liked the singer; his mock distaste was just for show. "Come on. You asked me to pick. Plus, she's got some pretty good songs."

"Have fun," Luke laughed, choosing to go to pretty much any other booth. P!nk was not a bad option. There were a couple others he was interested in as well. "So, where do you want to go, Isabelle?"

"I think Dan + Shay is a good option." She was teasing him—it was how they got to know each other when they met. Luke's panic-stricken face and groan were enough to make her laugh. "I'm kidding. I want to see Green Day."

"I really thought you were serious there for a second." Luke let out a breath of relief.

Somehow, in the grand scheme of things, they all turned out okay. They were all happy and, despite not having a band anymore, they had their own things to do. Julie had college and the boys had their afterlives and their partners. Nothing needed to change. They were happy. And needed nothing more than what they already had.

"So, Jules, are you ready for college? I can't believe we're almost there," Carrie wondered, hoping to gauge how Julie really felt despite the loud music blasting in from all sides of them.

"I really think I am." Julie didn't really feel that way, though. Some part of her was terrified. Was she really ready to move on and be two thousand miles away from her family? "Maybe, I don't know."

"Well, I'm here for the next four years if you ever want to talk." They were the only people they would have for the next four years outside of any friends they made in their respective schools. "Always."

Author's Note: I'm going to keep this short since there's still another part of the epilogue. Make sure to vote and let me know what you think in the comments. All the best, MistyRider921.