Brother | Julie and the Phantoms [ENGLISH VERSION]

05 : cute skateboard ghost

       DIZZIED OUT AND OUT OF BREATH, JULIE AND I ARE FROZEN-STILL, WITH FORCED SMILES ON OUR FACES WHILE the rest of the school stares stunned at us, confused about what they've just witnessed. I myself wasn't entirely sure of what happened, but at least the weight of my guitar and the adrenaline that coursed through my veins kept me glued to the ground.

I performed... and Luke performed with me. By my side. Physically. And the rest of the school saw them, too.

Somehow.

This was all I've ever wanted, a chance to leave everything on the stage and, in the meantime, be able to share it with my brother. Then, by some sort of force of the universe, my brother's band CD found its way back to me, and with it, three teenage boys fell from the sky, turning out to be my dead big brother and his two best friends and band mates.

If it weren't for the fact that I was wide awake, I'd say I was living a TV show kind of life in flesh and blood.

The tec guy comes in rushing, as confused and stunned as everybody else. "Wait," he gasps, "Where did the rest of the band go?"

Well...

"Oh my God, were they holograms?"

Julie and I exchange looks.

"Of course, they were!" Julie laughs awkwardly. "Amber and I programed the projector before the assembly. We'd explain how it works, but then Amber would bore the life out of all of you with algorithms and complicated science."

I nod to everything she says.

Students cheer again, and in between it, Luke and the boys return in a blip. Thanks to the noise, I can't pick up what they're saying, but then I see Reggie doing some sort of dance with his butt in front of everybody else, which makes me look away quickly, suddenly annoyed.

Boys.

The principial finally ends this year's assembly and sends us all back to class. Aware of Julie heading to Ms. Harrison, I walk away and off the stage, fighting back a wicked smile as I pass by the boys, an eruption of excitement inside of me threatens to drive me mad at last.

I find Flynn instead, but something makes me second-doubt, noticing the betrayal and the hurt look in her dark eyes.

I gulp, reconsidering my options, and chose to walk out of the place.

Think of me as selfish all you want, but I wasn't going to let a fight ruin this moment.

The boys follow suit, smiling and high-fiving each other when a student approaches to congratulate me and Julie for the performance. Once again, dizziness strikes and I feel short of breath, overwhelmed by it all, and the mere thought of returning to class after going through what I just went through felt ridiculously useless.

How in hell do teachers think I'll be able of solving a math equation after that?

Hallways starting to clear out, I pretend to be looking for something inside my locker when, in truth, I couldn't wait to youthfully shout. And as the last classroom door closes, I twirl on my feet and raise my fists to the sky, squeaking.

The boys join me, too.

"I can't believe it! What the hell happened?" I squeal, covering my mouth with one hand. "Half of the school saw us playing! Oh my God, they saw you guys play!"

"It was awesome! We simply just moved, and bam! We were on the stage with you girls."

"Reggie was playing, and Alex was on the drums, and I had my guitar, and—"