What A Small World - Julie and The Phantoms - Reggie

Chapter 2 - The Understanding

Olivia was talented.

She could play guitar, piano and write music, she got that from her dad. He was originally from Nashville.

He moved to LA in the 90s to join a band that was where he met her mum. One night when they were playing a club their eyes met across the room and it was love at first sight.

He stayed and they got married young. As soon as Olivia was old enough he filled her ear with the best country music there was, he taught her all the ingredients to make the perfect country song.

He brought her her first guitar when she 10 and she was fluent in a few year. She would sit with him for hours writing music and performing for her mum.

Julies mum was the one who taught her to play the piano. She lived down the road and as soon as her and Julie were friends she was over getting lessons from her mum. She loved it. She loved making music with Julie, with Julies mum and her dad the most.

She hadn't played a note in 2 years. Every word she wrote made her cry.

What she got from her own mum was something special, dance.

Her stress release. Her therapy. She felt grounded as she felt the music move thought her. The dance floor was the only place she let her emotions fly. She wouldn't talk to anyone about that night but as soon as the music started it was like a weight lifted off her chest and she could finally breath.

Olivia left dance class, her last class of the day, feeling so much better than she did at the start of the day. Julie and Flynn kept try to get her attention but she kept to herself and rushed out as soon as it finished to avoid them.

This morning was weird, weirder then normal and she didn't want to know why really. Hearing the girls tell her they didn't want anything to do with anymore would have killed her. Thankfully she didn't have music today either, that would have killed her more, luckily Mrs. Harrison and her mum used to be friends so she knew nothing was expected of her but she could only deal with so much right now.

Olivia stopped at her locker gathering her bits but before she could leave Julie was in front of her with a nice smile of her faces. She let out a breathe that she hadn't realised she'd been keeping in all day.

Julie was the first to say anything. "I'm so sorry about this morning." Julie knew this wasn't what the girl needed on her first day back but she needed to know what was going on. "Please come over later we can catch up and I can explain everything. Please?"

Olivia couldn't say no to Julie, and Julie know that too. They had a friendship that didn't go away even when you had lived a million miles away from each other for 2 years. Olivia gave the first real smile she'd given all day "Ok, I'll see later."

She'd gone right home to catch aunt Sarah up on everything that had happened that day, apart from her super weird interaction with the boy band. She didn't need any other reason to worry about her going back to school. Sarah was a lot younger than her mum by like 10 years so sometime it felt like she was her old sister not her legal guardian.

She liked that, she felt like she could actually talk to her. Like she wasn't going to judge her about everything, like Sarah remembered that she was young once too and that Olivia had to make her own mistakes and find what was right for her herself, unlike her Grandma.

The 2 years living in England were hell. Not just the fact that it rains like everyday very much unlike Hollywood, but because she felt watched. Like every second, she couldn't breath, she couldn't move without her knowing. It was suffocating. She was happy to be back in her home town again.

After freshening up and changing into something a bit more comfortable. She gave herself one more look over in her mirror. All she'd done was put some mom blue jeans on with an oversized band tee, her dads, she throw her mums leather jacket back on and headed down to the Molina house.

She got to the front door and Ray answer looking down at the girl in shock. He pulled her into a warm dad hug. She almost cried but kept it together. She didn't realise how much she missed Julies parents too.

When she left for England she had no idea that Julie would lose her mum a year later. She had lied earlier the day. She knew about Julies mum before she got home. Sarah had called and told her a year ago.

Olivia cried for weeks but she just couldn't call Julie she didn't know what to say and she didn't think she would been any help considering what state she was in herself.

After Ray let her go he told her Julie was in the studio and for her to go straight on through. Before she made it to the back door he told her he was happy she was back. She gave him a warm smile and said me too. She could almost cry for the tenth time that day, but this time happy tears.

He was so warm to her, she didn't think she deserved it.

That all leads up to now, she approached the studio in Julies back garden then she stopped. She could hear voices, hushed voices. She chest was tight with worry. She took a nice deep breath, shook her hands out and pulled the door open.

"Hey guys" She said quietly as she stepped inside. She hadn't been here in what felt like forever. The last time she was in here life was pretty normal and pretty calm now everything was a mess. She looked around taking it all in again, the chairs on the ceiling, and plants all along the back wall, the piano.

The four band members didn't take their eyes off her as she looked around room. Reggie especially. She made him go light headed he couldn't understand why. They were all crowed around the piano obviously having a meeting before she'd gotten there.

Olivia rested her eyes on Julie a tear falling down her cheek as she remembered all the great memories she'd had here.

Julie ran up to the redhead leaving the boys and she pulled her in the big, warm hug.

"I've missed you!" They both said together letting the tears fall down their faces.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't here for you." Olivia said as the girls pulled apart and wiping their tears.

They both chuckled looking at what messes they were. "Don't be silly. I wish I could have done more for you." Julie said fiddling with the sleeves of her jumper.

Olivia took both her hands in her owe "Dude I ran half way around the world there wasn't much you could do." She said laughing. She draw her gaze over to the cute guys gathered around the piano. "So what's up with the boy band then?"