What A Small World - Julie and The Phantoms - Reggie

Chapter 5 - The Accident

Trigger Warning - Car crash

Julie had been up at the house letting Olivia have the studio to herself. It had been an hour before Julie thought she should go and check on her, make sure she didn't need any thing.

When she got to the studio doors she could hear voices. The boys. She was livid. She'd told them to leave her alone to give her some time on her own but of course they hadn't listened to her. She should have known telling them about the beautiful voice Olivia had would mean they had to listen in, those boys had no boundaries.

When she opened the door they all turned to see her, if looks could kill those boys would be dead....again.
Alex and Reggie jumping behind Luke not wanting to get yelled at.

"It's ok Julie, can all sit down on the couch? I'll tell you about the accident." Olivia said pulling a chair up across from the couch.

"We were driving back from a music show at school. It had been great, I'd done my first solo in front of everyone. They were so proud of me. In that moment everything felt great, perfect almost."

She had a small smile on her face remembering how great it had felt to get on that stage and sing on her own. Julie had a smile too she remembered the show, her mum was so proud of Olivia.

"The traffic was really bad so dad had decided to take a back road, a short cut. We were singing along to something on the radio, probably Trevor Willson."

The boys cringed at the name.

"When I heard a buzzing it was my phone I'd left in my bag in the trunk. I took my seat belt off for like 2 seconds so I could lean and get it. Dad saw and turned round to tell me to sit back down."

She'd lost her smile now not even being able to look at the group in front of her. Reggie already wanted to rap her up in his arms and take the pain away, he almost didn't want her to tell the story he could tell how much it was breaking her. The warmness in her eyes was gone now.

"As he turned back round someone on a skateboard came out into the road from no where. Dad swerved to avoid him, which he did but it had been raining and he lost control of the car."

This made Alex think about the long haired skateboarder he was missing.

"Everything happened so quickly. He went straight off the road and down a ditch crashing into some trees."

Luke didn't want her to keep going. His heart hurt, they all knew what she was going to say. He had tears stinging his face, thinking of his own mum and dad. 

"They died on impact."

They all sucked in a breath. Making the girl finally look up at them. She wasn't crying. She felt numb to this story now, she'd cried so much already it was like she had dried up.

But Julie hadn't, Julie was silent crying. She knew this story but she'd never heard it from the mouth of the redhead. Luke put a hand on her knee trying to comfort her. But she didn't look down at him just straight ahead.

"I hadn't put my seat belt back on but had managed to not fly though the window screen. By the time the ambulance got there I was bleeding a lot. I'd lost so much blood they didn't think I'd make it to the hospital. I was rushed away to the hospital and straight into surgery."

She paused. Taking a shaky breath playing with her hands looking down again.

"I...I tec...technically died for 2 minutes."

It was so quiet in the studio, you could of heard a pin drop. They all stared at the girl in front them. But the only eyes Olivia met where Reggie's. They had tears in them but were still the warm safe eyes from before, she could have looked into them for a lifetime, they gave her the strength to keep talking.

"But one of the doctors there didn't want to give up, he said I was too young to die. He wouldn't stop trying to save me and he did.

I only remember being in a dark room by myself for like a minute and then the next thing I knew I was in a hospital bed 2 weeks later. I had been in a coma."

The dark room was all too familiar to the three boys as they all looked at each other remembering where they had been before.

"No one thought I'd even be able to talk let alone walk again but it didn't take me too long to recover. As soon as I did I was shipped off to England to live with my dads mum.

But being taken away from the only world I'd even known, the place I felt closest to my parents didn't help, it didn't help me move on or grieve. It just made it worse. I just festered in the pain, I wished I had died too sometimes, I felt so disconnected."

She felt a sharp pain in her heart now, she hated that she couldn't move on, that nothing seemed to help, no one could help.

"I fell into a bad crowned. A bad boy. My Grandma didn't know what else to do after I'd been there for 2 years, she knew it wasn't helping. She knew she couldn't help me so she shipped me back here, to live with my mums sister."

Reggie looked down thinking how could anyone possibly be bad to this beautiful girl in front of him, he couldn't imagine ever letting anything bad happen to her again. He wanted to protect her, he wanted to take all the pain away, to heal her heart he just didn't know how.

"I just feel like I don't deserve to play anymore. I feel like it's my fault their gone. If it wasn't for me they would still be here. I feel so much guilt from that night I just can't bring myself to play in front of anyone."

She looked up at the group in front of her, they were all crying.

She lightly chuckled shaking her heard, a small smile on her face. "You all look like crying messes." She said getting up from her chair and grabbing her stuff.

No one on the couch had moved still, she felt like she may have made a mistake telling them. They looked at her like she was glass like she would break any minute. She hated that look. She hated being looked at like she was weak.

"Wait." Alex said standing up looking at her, the rest of band looking up at him. "I'm so sorry for your loss, but all this shouldn't mean you stop making music. You have great gift they'd want you to still share it with people." He wasn't sure if he was crossing a line but felt like she needed to hear it.

"He's not wrong Liv." Luke stood up bring a still slightly crying Julie up with him, she was thinking about her own mum now. "You have an amazing voice, you have to share that gift with people. Let us help you."

He looked serious, like he really wanted to help but she just shock her head picking her bag and guitar up.

Julie could see the excited glint in his eye that he got when they talked about music. One of the reason she loved him. She could see the cogs in his mind going getting an idea. She wanted to help her friend too.

"Olivia please. The boys have done so much for me. Without them I would have never gotten back into music, please let them help you."

"It's just..." She stopped looking at a still sat Reggie. His face so warm, his small smile so soft, his eyes staring right back at her.

Maybe they could help. Maybe these 3 boys, ghosts, could do more than any therapist had ever done.

If they could help Julie than why couldn't they help her too, maybe even if they could just help her get over this first song for class.

And if it meant she could spend a bit more time with the bassist that seemed to be staring holes into her she didn't mind that either. It seemed ridiculous, but what else did she have to loss at this point.

"Fine."

————- Author Note - Hi guys, just wanted to say I hope you guys are liking the story if you are please comment and vote 😊 any comments would be great just to know if anyone is enjoying the story at all thank you ☺️