End of May // Luke Patterson

20

Luke let out a sigh. "This is an interesting little friendship you, Ruth and I have."

Julie chuckled lightly. "Oh my gosh, I almost forgot to tell you two. Flynn said the video that my dad made is trending on YouTube." Luke and Ruth stared at her, confused. "That's a good thing. That means people love our music. We'll definitely be getting calls from managers now."

"There's something we have to tell you."

"Oh... Okay."

"We figured out that we have unfinished business," Ruth explained. "That's why we came back as ghosts."

"Oh. What is it?"

"We have to play the show we never got to play," Luke answered.

"At the Orpheum; that makes sense," Julie said as Luke and Ruth were jolted back.

Luke and Ruth yelled in pain and groaned before the former said, "We don't have a lot of time."

Ruth stumbled in Luke's arms and he held her tightly, stroking her hair.

Julie frowned. "What was that? Are you two okay?"

"We did something we shouldn't have," Luke replied. "The night that we missed the dance, we met this ghost and he put a curse on us. And if we don't do what he says, the jolt will destroy us."

"Well then you gotta do what he says! What does he want?"

"He wants us to be in his house band for eternity," Ruth explained. "But if we can play the Orpheum soon, then we can avoid all of that and actually cross over."

""Cross over?" As in like what? Go to Heaven?"

"That's what we're banking on," Luke said.

"So it's either you cross over, be in his band for eternity, or be destroyed by jolts?"

"Yeah," Luke and Ruth replied.

"That's just great."

"Julie-"

Julie walked into the house.

---

A knock on the door sounded and Flynn said, "Hey. I got your text."

"Don't come too close," Julie muttered. "Anyone I seem to care about disappears."

"You can't get rid of me. I'm like the crazy glue of best friends."

Julie frowned. "I just don't get it. Right when my life starts to get good. Great friend, great band, great couple to root for... then bam!" She showed a picture of something imploding.

"I seriously don't know why this is happening to you, but that's gonna be a great album cover one day." She knelt next to a trunk of clothes and folded Julie's sweater.

"You don't have to do that."

"I know, but I get to check out all your mom's cool stuff." She looked through the trunk. "Whoa... Did you know these were in here?" She held up a bedazzled Sunset Curve shirt from Julie's mom's stuff and a folder with a copy of Perfect Harmony with neat and messy lyrics, in Ruth's neat cursive handwriting and Luke's chicken scratch handwriting, a heart around Ruth's name and an 'I love you' in Luke's handwriting. Flynn opened the folder. "Jules, check this out."

Julie scoffed. "What the heck?"

"How do you think she got them?" Flynn wondered.

"I... I don't know, but the guys and Ruth said they didn't know my mom. Why would they lie?"

"Maybe they didn't. Maybe she knew them. Or at least the boys. She could be a fan!"

"I mean, Sunset Curve was playing the Hollywood scene around then," Julie replied. "But then what about this Ruth? I suppose that explains the chemistry I saw during that song." She pointed to the still crisp copy of Perfect Harmony.

"Oh my gosh. What if you were right? What if the guys and Ruth are connected to your mom? You know, through music or something."

Julie frowned. "Because she bought their T-shirt and there's a copy of a never-released Sunset Curve song?"

Flynn looked at her friend. "Think about it. She was the one who made you wanna play music again. Maybe she knew they could help you."

"So, you mean to tell me that my mom is somewhere out there planning all this? If she wanted me to play music again, why wouldn't she just tell me herself?"

"Maybe she can't. Maybe they have to do it another way. You know, through signs. You've been through these clothes how many times and haven't found this T-shirt or this song?"

"Why now?"

"This is another sign."

"I'm just saying."

"It's not over, Julie!"

"Really? "Signs"?"

"You're in a ghost band. It's a crazy world. Look... you're gonna lose them no matter what. And it sucks. But they helped bring you back to life. Now it's your turn to help them. They have to cross over. Let them go."

---

The four ghosts sat in the garage. Reggie plucked on his bass strings while Alex tried to balance his sticks on his nose. Luke was laying in front of the couch. Ruth was curled up next to Luke, playing with his fingers.

Julie entered the garage and studied the mess before saying, "Snap out of it!"

Alex grunted and fell to the floor. One of his drumsticks flew into the air.

Reggie looked between them and stopped plucking his strings before saying, "Jeez, I think you broke Alex."

Julie looked between them. "Do you guys wanna cross over or what?" Luke pushed Alex back onto the couch, making sure to be careful of Emilia. "Get it together!" She clapped.

"They're never gonna let us play the Orpheum," Luke said.

"We're nobody," Alex added.

"We're less than nobody," Reggie corrected. "We have no bodies." Luke and Ruth snapped, pointing to Reggie.

Julie looked between the ghosts. "Someone once told me that you don't ask for permission. You book gigs by doing."

Reggie smirked. "That was me."

"No, it wasn't," Julie, Ruth and Luke said.

"Yes it was."

"This isn't over!" Julie exclaimed. "We were brought together for a reason! To help each other!"

"Yeah, but like Luke said, people don't just play the Orpheum 'cause they want to," Alex reminded them.

"Yeah," Luke agreed.

Julie smiled. "People don't, but ghosts do."

The five shared a look.