[Stand Tall]
Below the Orpheum sign, the marquee read 'PANIC! AT THE DISCO DOWNSLIDE'.
"Don't worry, guys," Alex said. "Willie said he'd get us on the marquee." The four walked down the street.
"This is gonna work, right?" Reggie and Ruth asked.
"It has to," Luke replied as they were hit by another jolt.
"It's getting worse."
Willie appeared behind them and asked, "Hey, are you guys okay?"
They held their ribs and Alex said, "Yeah. It's nothing we haven't felt before. How'd it go?"
Ruth narrowed her eyes at Willie. "What are you doing here?"
"When the opening band wakes up, they're gonna find their bus 200 miles outside of Vegas." He turned with a Downslide tour jacket. "With no chance of getting back in time."
Willie and Luke did a handshake. Luke glanced at Ruth. "It's okay, Ruthie."
"And that means there's probably a promoter upstairs right about - now freaking out," Luke said.
"Nah, this is Hollywood, man," Willie replied. "I bet he's being very professional."
---
The promoter slammed the phone a few times. "What do you mean the bus drove itself? Buses don't just drive themselves!"
---
Luke, Ruth and Reggie walked away from Alex and Willie.
"I know... how much you're risking. Thank you, Willie," Alex said.
Willie smiled. "I told you. I'd do anything for you."
Alex breathed heavily and hugged Willie tightly, then pulled away and cleared his throat. "All right. You, uh... You'd better get out of here before Caleb catches you with us."
"Yeah. I'll see you around, hot dog." He chuckled and skated away.
"Alex, you all right, man?" Reggie asked.
"Yeah," Alex replied. "Yeah, I'm okay."
The ghosts smiled and Luke said, "Well, thanks to Willie, Panic! at the Disco needs an opening band."
Ruth frowned. "I don't get that name. Why would anyone want to panic at a disco? That doesn't sound fun."
"Then I guess someone up there needs to let them know we're available. It's a good band. I've heard some of their music."
---
"No," a man said. "No, stop saying the bus drove off." He hit his phone on the desk.
"Yeah. Willie was right," Reggie said. "This guy is a total pro."
"All right, guys," Luke stated. "Let the magic happen. Alex, no dancing."
Alex chasséd and pirouetted his way to the desk and smacked something off the desk. The woman went to pick it up and they wrote their number on a piece of paper and typed their name into her computer playing a video of them.
"She's coming," Reggie and Ruth said as they played the video.
Edge of Great began to play and the man yelled, "Tasha! Get me CJ! Tell him I need a band to open in three hours."
"Sure," Tasha replied, "but you might want to check this out."
"What? I'll call you back." He stood.
"Somehow this video started playing on my laptop. It's got half a million hits in just two days."
"Who are they?"
"They're a hologram band. They call themselves Julie and the Phantoms."
Reggie smirked as he said, "Tell your friends."
"Where are they located?" the man asked.
"Our very own City of Angels," Tasha replied with a smile.
"Book 'em!" The ghosts jumped in excitement.
"Sure, I just don't know how to-" She looked around as she picked up her notebook to see their number and looked around in confusion.
"Your handwriting is better than mine!" Luke commented as he pouted angrily.
"Definitely. Yeah," Alex said with a smile.
"Mine's the best!" Ruth said with a smile.
Luke glanced at her and smiled. "You do have nice handwriting, Ruthie."
---
Carlos was sitting in a rocking chair on his iPad as he said, "I'm telling you, tía, it was a win-win. The ghost is gone, and me and Dad got a killer French dip sandwich." He held up the recipe card.
"But how do you know the ghost is really gone?" Victoria asked.
Carlos leaned his head back. "I don't wanna get emotional, but I felt something when I took that last bite. Like his tortured spirit was set free."
"You sure it wasn't one of your little tummy toots?"
Carlos lifted his had slightly. "I don't tummy toot! I'm a ghost hunter now. I'm starting a channel called "Carlos the Ghost Toaster.""
"I like it." Carlos set down the recipe card. "Mijo, the ghost." Carlos noticed the album cover and a picture of Ruth and the band and picked them up. "Did you check the closet upstairs?"
Carlos sat up. "Hold on a second, tía." He looked at the album cover and picture, seeing Alex, Bobby, Luke and Reggie, and Ruth and the band. "I knew it. Ghosts. Tía, I gotta go."
"Carlos..." She was cut off as Carlos ended the call.
---
A door closed as Carrie sat in the kitchen while watching something on her laptop.
Trevor sighed.
Julie sang, 🎶...tripping on the now.🎶
Trevor groaned and pulled off his sunglasses.
🎶What is lost can be found...🎶
"Hey, baby," Trevor greeted.
"Hey," Carrie replied with a small wave.
Trevor exhaled sharply and climbed a step.
🎶And like a rubber ball...🎶
"What is that?" Trevor asked.
🎶We come bouncing back...🎶
"Sounds good." He walked towards his daughter to get a closer look at the video playing.
"Please don't say that," Carrie replied.
🎶...inside of us...🎶
Trevor chuckled and pointed at the screen. "Is that -- Is that Julie?"
"Yeah. She has a band with those guys. Of course she needed a gimmick. They're holograms. And somehow, because the world hates me, they're playing the Orpheum tonight."
🎶...crazy, our best is yet unknown🎶
Trevor's eyes widened as he watched his deceased bandmates, his daughter's old friend, and the girl who'd written some songs for his old band's perform.
🎶That this moment is ours to own...🎶
"How is that even possible?" Trevor wondered.
Carrie glanced at her father. "I know, right?"
🎶...standing on the edge of great...🎶
Trevor stood straighter and pulled out his phone.
He dialed a number and a voice on the other line said, "Yeah? Hello? What's up, dude?"
"It's Trevor," Trevor said. "Get me into the Orpheum tonight."
"You got it."
He pointed to Carrie. "Plus one."
Carrie turned as her father began walking upstairs and asked, "Why do you hate me too?"
Trevor pointed to her. "Only love, baby." He turned away and darted up the stairs. "Only love."
Carrie huffed and slammed her laptop shut.
---
The four popped into the garage as Julie paced.
"Oh my gosh!" Julie cried. "What took you guys so long? Did Willie do it? Did you talk to them? Did they watch? Did they like us? Are we playing? Someone answer me! Why is no one talking?"
Ruth held her hands up in front of her. "Julie, breathe."
"Whoa!" Reggie exclaimed. "That's a lot of questions! Luke, why don't you take this one."
"Sit down. It's fine," Luke said. "Everything is fine."
Julie sat on the couch.
The ghosts knelt next to the coffee table.
"Yeah, you should be getting a call right now," Alex told Julie, gesturing to her phone which received nothing.
"Good try," Ruth said.
"Quiet. Okay... right now!" Julie's phone rang and everyone cheered.
"Go!" the ghosts yelled.
Julie answered. "Oh, um, hello?"
"Hello. This is Tasha from the Orpheum in Hollywood. Is this Julie of Julie and the Phantoms?"
They all jumped up and down in excitement. Ruth hopped up onto Luke's back and he spun her around before setting her on the ground.
"Yes it is," Julie replied.
"Hi. Are you available to open for us tonight?"
"Yeah. totally."
The boys lifted Alex into the air like in Dirty Dancing.
"Thank you so much!" Julie exclaimed, watching the boys holding Alex. "We're playing the Orpheum, baby!"
"I'm swimming!" Alex exclaimed.
---
"Julie, Ruthie and I were thinking we start with Stand Tall," Luke said, circling something on a clipboard.
"Sure," Alex agreed.
Reggie shrugged. "Sounds good."
Luke frowned. "Sounds good? Dude, wake up! I wanna hear it "sounds awesome". I know this isn't how we wanted things to turn out, but we gotta be all in tonight."
Ruth slid down on the couch, spreading her arms to either side, and sighed.
"We get it, but it's hard," Reggie said. "Do we even know what's on the other side when we cross over? You guys are the only family I have."
Alex nodded. "Yeah. I don't know what's gonna happen either, but it's not like we have a choice."
Another jolt hit them, causing them to stumble back, and Ruth whimpered softly. Luke pulled her up and held her, arms around her shoulders.
Reggie sighed. "I'm pretty sure we do." They coughed and groaned in pain. "And it rhymes with the Hollywood Ghost Club."
"Are you ready?" Julie asked as the four turned.
"Yeah. We just got rocked pretty hard by those jolt things," Alex told her as they walked up.
"Pretty sure I ghost-peed," Reggie added.
"But we're fine," Luke reassured.
Ruth nodded. "We're fine. Julie, are you okay?"
"Actually, guys, I'm a little nervous," Julie admitted as she pulled Luke to the side.
Outside, Carlos held up the phone to the garage door and said, "That's my sister having an actual conversation with her ghost band. Let's listen in." He brought the phone closer to the door.
"Luke, uh, can I talk to you for a second?" Julie asked.
"Yeah," Luke replied as her walked closer to her.
Julie set her outfit to hang on the door and Carlos moved the phone back slightly.
The teen tucked her hair back and stood close to Luke as she looked up at him.
Luke smiled at her and asked, "What?"
"Um... Can you do me a favor?" Julie inquired.
"Anything, Julie. You know that."
Julie glanced down a moment. "When you cross over, if... if you happen to see my mom," Carlos was still listening, "can you tell her I love her... and... thank her for bringing you to me?"
Luke nodded. "Yeah, I will."
Julie smiled and Carlos put his phone away as he thought about the conversation he'd just heard, despite it being one-sided.
Moments later, Julie said, "Ruthie, can I talk to you?"
Ruth walked over to the girl, holding her stomach. "What is it?"
"I already asked Luke, but will you thank my mom for sending you to me?" Julie said.
The brunette ghost nodded. "Of course I will, Julie. We're friend."
Julie smiled. "And you're mine. Whenever you and Luke get together, just know that Flynn and I will be your biggest supporters."
Ruth laughed and smiled. "Um, thanks."
Luke walked towards Ruth and took her hand with a soft smile, which the blonde returned.
"Band circle?" Ruth asked with a teasing smile.
"Yeah."