𝚃𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚟𝚎
𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙾𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛
'𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚌.'
"Man, dude, I knew I recognized him." Alex said when the applause died down. "He's the guy that bumped into me outside the Orpheum."
"Wait. Isn't he that magician dude that died a horrible death doing a trick?" Reggie asked Willie.
"Yeah, I wouldn't really bring that up when we meet him." Alex suggested.
"You should come back when he shows one of his movies." Willie chuckled. "I mean, for Titanic, he literally floods the entire place. I mean, the guy has got skills"
"All right, but he can wave his arms and make ghosts visible to lifers?" Luke said.
"Told you, the guy's got skills." Willie nodded.
"So where'd he go?" Reggie wondered, looking around the room, and Caleb appeared behind Alex's chair. "Oh wow! Found him! Ha!"
"Hello, boys, and girl." He nodded my way. "Caleb Covington. Welcome to the Hollywood Ghost Club. Enjoying the show?"
"Yo, that was... I mean... Did you... Like..." Luke stumbled, lost for words.
"I know." Caleb silenced him.
"Right?" Luke exhaled as he placed an arm around Ash's chair.
"This is Alex, Luke, and Reggie." Willie introduced the guys. "And Ashton."
"Yeah, it's really nice to meet you." Alex said politely, whereas Reggie didn't care much for manners.
"Yo, sup?" He held two fingers up and chuckled.
"The pleasure is mine." Caleb smiled. "Nothing warms my heart more than sharing this magic with new friends. Please, sit. Sit."
"Uh, thank you for the invite." Alex said, trying to redeem the boys' reputation to the ghost.
"Of course. Of course! It was nothing." Caleb shook his hand dismissively. "Now, my friend Willie tells me that you boys have some magic of your own."
"Well..." Alex said high-pitched. He immediately went into gay panic mode, looking around the room as heat creeps up his neck and takes place on his face. "Willie and I? I mean, I wouldn't really call it magic, but I mean..." Ashton rested the side of her face against Luke's arm as she cringed for her best friend.
"Oh no, he means your ghost abilities." Willie explained, feeling embarrassed for himself and Alex. "You know, like, to be seen by everybody when you play with Julie."
"No, totally. Right. No." Alex nodded, clearly feeling more awkward than before. Ashton looked up at Luke, and saw a smirk on his face identical to her own. There was something going on there, and she was going to get to the bottom of it. "Cause when you said it, I was like, 'is that what he said?' 'Cause... Yeah, but we can't really, uh, wave our arms and do all this magic stuff."
"Well, I've had some practice." Caleb grinned. "Our gifts are so rare, so special. It's not often I come across other spirits who possess similar talents. It's no surprise we found each other."
"Yeah, that definitely..." Alex trailed off, not knowing what he was going to say.
"If you'll forgive me, fellas, I gotta go pay the bills, if you know what I'm saying. I'll be back later to chat." Caleb Covington gets up and leaves our table, leaving the group shocked for words.
"Uh what do we do now?" Alex looked around the table awkwardly.
"Mingle." Willie said, and Luke immediately pulled Ashton up and he ran off, expecting her to follow.
"Come on Reg." She pulled the boy up by his hand and smirked at Alex. "We'll let these two get back to their magic." The two of them ran up to Luke, who was speaking to a lifer couple.
The pair seemed thrilled to be speaking to a ghost. Ashton wrapped her arms around Luke and rested her head on his back gently. He tensed up when she first touched him, but soon relaxed in her embrace.
"So, who's this?" The woman gestures to Reggie and Ash.
"Oh, my bandmates." Luke says, stepping out the way so Ashton could become visible. "This is Reggie and Ashton." He pulled Ash close by her shoulders as the lifer couple smiled.
"Hey. It's been a while since I've spoken to someone alive." Reggie chuckled. "Well, unless you count Julie."
"Focus, Reg." Ashton reminded him as she smiled at the pair in front of her. "Hi, it's nice to meet you."
"We're happy to be here with you." The man told them. "Any questions about twenty-twenty?"
"Yes!" Reggie sighed in relief and began quizzing the couple on their knowledge regarding his favourite tv shows and movie franchises.
Ashton buried her face in Luke's shoulder when Reggie mentioned 'Star Wars'. She really didn't want him to find out about Han Solo, it would crush his little soul.
"They made eight more Star Wars movies, and they killed Han Solo?" Reggie frowned when he was told. Luke sighed as he pulled Ash further into his touch. "What kind of future is this?!" Reggie groaned and began sulking as he went to complain to Alex.
Luke stepped forward, pulling Ash with him, "We found out, like, two weeks ago, OK? We just didn't have the heart to tell him. But just please don't mention Jar Jar."
"Of course." The couple agreed, laughing slightly at Reggie's reaction.
"Thanks." Ashton smiled.
"So when did you two die?" the woman questioned.
"Oh, twenty-five years ago." Luke said happily. "Ninety-five."
"So you've missed a lot, huh?" She asked. "well, I'd be happy to catch you up."
"Actually, our friend Julie's already done it mostly." Luke told her.
"Well, I think it's sweet you two died together." The man said.
"Sweet? We ate hotdogs, sir." Ashton chuckled. "How is that sweet?"
"Not how you died. You two died with your band. You're obviously really close with each other." The woman smiled softly.
"Yeah, they're all important to me." Ash pulled Luke closer and hugged his torso.
"So how long have you two been dating?" The man asked them.
"Wha... no. oh, we're not- at least I'm not. He's doesn't." Ashton cleared her throat as Luke smirked down at her. "We're not dating. At all."
"Shame."
"We should really get going, we need to check on Alex. That's our drummer." Luke thanked the couple for their conversation and pulled Ash away. "That went well."
"It did not." She muttered, before looking over at Alex and Willie.
"There's a... a lot to like here." Willie smiled over the table before getting up and walking to a room at the side.
Ashton and Luke smirked and sat down either side of Alex, who looked flustered yet happy.
"Oh, you got a crush on Willie." Luke grinned as Willie left their vision.
"What? No." Alex rambled, "No, man, no. We're just..."
"I've said it before and I'll say it again. Alex, you're an awful liar." Ashton rolled her eyes.
"I'm happy for you, man." Luke hit his shoulder, as Reggie approached them again.
"You guys are not gonna believe this." He said, a frown forming on his face.
"What is it, Reg?" Ashton sighed.
"Someone just told me they added a character named Jar Jar." He told them. "What's a Jar Jar?!"
"I take it you boys are enjoying yourselves?" Caleb appears behind the group. "And Ashton."
"Yeah, I mean, you'd have to be insane to have a bad time here." Luke grinned as he looked around the room.
"Well, entertainment is our specialty." Caleb clicked his fingers, and a chair appeared behind him. He sat down and placed his hands on the table. "So now, I understand there's something I can help you with."
"Yeah, we hope so." Reggie nodded.
"There's an old buddy of ours who ripped us off big time, and we wanna make things right." Alex told him.
Luke nodded in agreement, "Yeah. We wanna look him in the eyes and make him admit what he did to us."
"So if you could make us visible, that would be perfect." Ashton requested. "Please and thank you."
"Well, sure, I could do that, but we're at a party." Caleb gestured to the atmosphere around the five. "Why focus on those who have wronged us when we're among friends? Now, I understand that the three of you are talented musicians."
"Uh I play guitar." Ashton raised her hand.
"Of course." Caleb nodded. "I doubt your dream is to settle a score. No, your dreams are bigger than that! You're like me, born to perform your music in front of sold-out crowds. What if I were to tell you that with a wave of my hand, you could share the spotlight with me and join my house band?"
"We... We already have a band." Luke told him.
"Sunset Curve." Ashton informed, before Reggie and herself giggled the band's motto.
"Tell your friends."
"Yes. Yes. But when you're done performing, you disappear. You cease to exist." Caleb said sadly. "No bows. No... no soaking up the applause. No real connection with the audience. Here the audience knows what you are, and more importantly, they know how special you are." All four ghosts practically drooled at the thought.
"Well, it could be cool to play here." Luke chuckled.
"Oh, it... it's not just here. We party like this all over the world." Caleb told them. "Tonight, Hollywood. Tomorrow... Paris."
"Oh là là." Reggie murmured in a trance, his mind wandering.
"It is all of your dreams come true... forever." Caleb paused. "I'm gonna give you some time to think about it. Oh, by the way, make sure you try the sliders. They're to die for." The guys perked up at this.
"W-W-We can eat?" Luke asked excitedly.
"Here you can." Caleb nodded, and clicked his fingers. Within seconds, their table was full of three silver platters.
Meatball subs, pizza and hamburgers covered the tablecloth, and all four ghosts (including Ash) began to drool. They all reached for their favourite: Reggie got a meatball sub, Ashton reached for some pizza, whilst Alex and Luke both went for the hamburgers.
"Wait!" Alex shouted, and all four of them stopped their movements. "I want the one without cheese." Ashton stuck to her pepperoni pizza, while the boys stuffed three of everything in their mouths as quickly as they ca.
"Pass me one of those!"
"Wait no I want the pizza!"
"Are these nice?"
"What about those? Are these good too?"
"Try one of these."
"This is a meatball sub!"
"Oh, pizza. Man, I missed you!" Luke groaned as he took a bite of the slice. "Oh my God!"
Small side note, I can
do an amazing impression
of that last line.