͏͏͏͏b͏͏r͏͏i͏͏g͏͏h͏͏t ͏͏t͏͏o͏͏g͏͏e͏͏t͏͏h͏͏e͏͏r

005. infinite scars

Reggie's jaw dropped and his facial expression turned defensive as he asked, "You're having a bro sesh without me?!"

Alex sighed. "I guess you were there too. But this is just a question for Luke, Reg. It's kinda between him and Julie."

"Ohhhh," Reggie said with an insinuating look on his face. "I see. Have at it."

Luke raised his eyebrows as he poofed out into the driveway outside of the studio with Alex. "What are you talking about something 'between me and Julie'?" He asked. "I already told you and Reg, there's nothing going on between us. I have chemistry with everyone I sing with."

Alex rolled his eyes. "It's not about that, and we both know that's not true."

"Then what are you talking about?" demanded Luke.

"I was talking to Julie, and she said that you gave her the lyrics to Inifinite Scars," said Alex.

Luke nodded. "Yeah. So, what's the problem?"

"She knows you're not being honest with her because you won't tell her who it's about," said Alex. "Reg and I already know, so I think it's only fair you tell Julie. She also said she didn't like it when you keep things from her because you're co-writers, and co-writers aren't supposed to keep secrets about who their songs are about."

Luke sighed. "I know I should tell her about it... but how am I supposed to tell her that I wrote it about my ex-girlfriend who said she would rather see me dead than see my face ever again?! Elle was brutal, man."

Alex felt for his friend. "Just talk to Julie, Luke. I'm sure she'll understand if you can't say it exactly, but she at least deserves some sort of explanation. She hates when you ice her out. I can tell it hurts her."

"I'm not trying to," said Luke. "It's just hard. I don't want something else like what happened with Elle or my parents to happen again."

Alex nodded. "I get it. Just please, Luke, talk to her."

Luke let out a reluctant sigh. "Fine, I'll go talk to her. Where is she?"

Alex shrugged. "Last time I talked to her, she was in the kitchen."

Seconds later, Luke poofed into the kitchen, but Julie wasn't there, so he tried her room. He poofed right outside the door so he could knock and not barge in because boundaries were important.

"Come in," she called from her bed. She was doing Chemistry homework.

"Hey," Luke said with a shy smile.

"Uh, hey," said Julie, "what are you doing up here? If my dad sees you in here, I think he'll have a heart attack."

"Sorry," Luke said with a cute shrug, "I just wanted to talk to you for a second."

Julie rolled her eyes with a smile. "About what? Shouldn't you be finishing Infinite Scars?"

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about," Luke said, sitting on the end of her bed. "I'm sorry for not telling you what it was about... It's just hard to talk about. I know it happened twenty-five years ago, and that probably should make it easier, but it doesn't."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Julie said remorsefully. "I didn't know it was something so personal to you." Maybe he didn't want to be close friends with her at all if he didn't want to share the things from his past life.

"Anyways, if you, still want to know what it's about, then I-- I think I want to tell you," said Luke.

Julie shook her head. "That's okay. It's not like we have to co-write on the song. And I don't want to push you into anything you're not comfortable with."

"It's not that I'm not comfortable with you," said Luke. "It's got nothing to do with you, really. I trust you fully, Jules. It's just that it was a really hard thing to understand back then, so it's still not super easy now."

Julie nodded. "Luke, it's okay. Really. If you're not ready to share it, you don't have to. Take your time."

Luke shook his head sheepishly. "No. I want to share it with you... Just promise you won't make fun of it."

Julie smiled softly. "I promise I won't, Luke."

Luke smiled and scratched the back of his neck nervously. "So, when I was in high school before, I-uh- dated this girl named Elle."

Julie nodded. She had no idea where this was going. Hopefully, it wouldn't be that something... extreme happened between the two of them. She really hoped he wasn't still in love with her.

"And she was great," Luke continued. "But after I told her I ran from my parents, she broke up with me. Which sounds... normal, I guess. But she-- she kinda told me that she would rather have me die than ever have to see my face again. So... I guess that's it. And Infinite Scars is about her."

"Whoa," Julie said, sitting up straighter. How could anyone ever say something like that to Luke? Happy, hopeful, childish but mature Luke? "I'm sorry, Luke. I had no idea. I... I don't even know how someone could say something like that to you."

Luke shrugged with a kiddish grin. "It's pretty easy, actually. I mean, you hated me when we first met."

"Okay, for the record," said Julie, "I didn't hate you. I was just scared. How would you react if three ghosts appeared from nowhere in your late mom's studio?!"

Luke shook his head with a flirtatious smile. "Uh, uh, uh. You forgot the cute part. We're all cute ghosts. You make us sound like 80-year-old undead women."

As Julie laughed she said, "No, I think you are 80-year-old undead women in disguise."

"Thanks for lightening the mood, Jules," Luke said as their eyes made intense eye contact.

"Anytime," she said with a heart-felt smile.