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Magnolia Grace couldn't sleep.
It wasn't like she couldn't sleep to begin with, but to just think in an empty, dark space was maddening in itself. There seemed to be endless possibilities on what to think about, it was as if anything and everything kept crashing her train of thought, her constant worries making it harder for her to breathe.
Her family, biological family, her career as a dancer, her condition-
Her thoughts and worries felt like a heavy weight on her chest, the airiness she had been so familiar to felt nonexistent as her own words seem to poison her. Everything felt warm all of a sudden, her body feeling on fire as the dull pain in her head came back, throbbing against her skull and hot to the touch.
Who did this to me? Why am I here? Did I do something wrong?-
Magnolia sat up from her makeshift futon, wishing that her ghostly body could produce sweat to cool down her warm skin. It was never like this before, she had never felt so overwhelmed to the point of ultimate exhaustion. Sure, there were days where she'd just stay up to think, things that she would be able to control like her outfit of the day or if she decided to skip ballet practice altogether, but things were different now. The world around her never felt so foreign.
Rubbing her hands over face, the sleep-ridden girl tried to look lively as possible, despite the moon still shining brightly above her head. It was too early in the morning, too early to wake up and push her worries aside for the next twelve hours, or so. Reggie's snores were quite comforting, even if she thought they were loud and obnoxious the night before. It made her feel less alone, it reminded her that she no longer stayed at the hospital, but rather with three ghost pals that annoy the hell out on her every once and a while.
It was... nice.
Leaving the comfort of the loft, Magnolia threw on her black Doc Martens, leaving her jacket altogether and teleported outside of the Molina garage, her senses feeling like television static. Everything felt numb, her head heart from her knack of overthinking and constant worrying. The Japanese girl honestly felt exhausted over worrying about herself, knowing that she had been stuck walking the Earth for eight months with no body, her perspective of life just shifted.
She just wanted to worry about nothing, to feel genuinely happy for once. Of course, it'd be wrong to say that she wasn't happy back in her physical body with her loving parents, fairly good grades, a somewhat stable relationship between her and her biological family and a talent she could strive in, but why did it feel so surreal to her? The image she painted for herself didn't feel right at all, like a puzzle piece that fit in the right spot, but didn't make the picture.
"Hey, was I playing too loud?" A voice asked her softly, his tone calm and concerning. Magnolia tore her eyes off of the pavement, looking up to see a boy with his green-brown eyes staring at her figure, his hair messy and taut before he had quickly thrown on the orange beanie on top of it, wearing the same black muscle tee she had seen earlier in the day with the band reference the Asian girl had barely recognized.
She smiled softly in his direction. Luke.
That's right, from the comfort of the loft, Magnolia was able to hear the soft strum of an acoustic guitar, the bare whisper of a voice singing lyrics to the tune. Admittedly, the song Luke had been strumming was beautiful and even though she knew he was part of a band, she hadn't expected him to be this good.
She kept forgetting that their times were so different, that boys bands today relied on autotune and fame to boost musical careers, rather than having actual talent.
Luke was seated at the end of the driveway, his legs crossing like a pretzel with a guitar in his lap and a composition notebook by his side. The moonlight provided the ghost with little light, but it seemed that the brunet had been barely looking at the scrawled margins of the piece of paper. He had sung the verse of whatever song he had been singing from his head, the lyrics themselves reciting like a mantra in his brain.
"No, it actually sounds kinda nice." The Japanese girl complimented him, making him smile warmly at her praise. Magnolia took a few steps forwards, silently asking Luke if she could join him, which made him move his notebook from his side for her to sit. "What song was that?"
Luke pluck at the guitar's strings, his eyes falling onto the Asian girl, her own tawny eyes falling onto the instrument in his arm. The brunet barely glances at the strings, the fingers of his left hand using muscle memory to play the right chords at the neck.
"Just a 'Sunset Curve' original. Wanna hear it?" The ghost offered her, making said girl nod eagerly as she tucked her legs underneath her. Luke beamed at her, happy to see her interest in his music as he handed her his notebook, the page already open to the song he had been singing.
"'Life is a risk, but I will take it. Close my eyes and jump, together, I think that we can make it. C'mon, let's run.'" Luke sang, his voice softer as he played the chords on his guitar. Magnolia couldn't help but feel a flutter in her stomach at the sound of his voice asher eyes followed the lyrics on the page. The brunet then pointed to another section of the page after brushing her away from the page to show her, "Then, here's the chorus."
The lead guitarist of Sunset Curve nodded at Magnolia to join in, starting off with a light strum of the strings to avoid getting carried away and waking up the boys in the garage behind them. Despite Magnolia's lack of confidence in her singing ability, the look Luke had thrown her, encouraging her to join in on the melody was something she couldn't ignore.
"'And rise, through the night, you and I. We will fight to shine together, bright forever.'" Both Luke and Magnolia harmonized, their voices blending quite beautifully in a sort of unspoken chemistry. The Japanese girl stared ahead of the page, tapping her finger against her knee to time out the intervals of the song, trying to keep herself on beat just as Luke was.
Admittedly, she was afraid of Luke's reaction to what she sounded like, shyly tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. She had thought he would laugh at her, or judge her. Maybe even judge her in silence, her forte never on her singing ability but rather the way she moved, but Luke seemed to not care at all.
The brunet's eyes trained on the ballet dancer in front of him, going into shock at the sound of Magnolia's voice. It was softer and angelic, a sound airy enough to put anyone that listened to it feel lightness through their bones. His lips parted, suddenly forgetting his own lyrics to the song he wrote for Sunset Curve. He focussed on her, keeping the same tempo on his guitar as he dropped their little duet, letting Magnolia take the lead.
"'And rise, through the night, you and I. We will fight to shine together, bright forever.'" Magnolia's voice hit a higher note towards the end, but winced at the sudden pitch. She didn't have to put any special riffs through the lyrics to make them special, or memorable. Her offput talent shined on its own through the melody.
Luke slowed down on his guitar, his eyes never leaving the Japanese girl's face, a look in his eye not even she could describe. Magnolia looked up from the lyrics, only to find his hazel eyes searching her face, a certain fondness to his features. The ballet dancer shifted nervously under his unwavering gaze, pulling a face at the sight.
"Was I that bad?" Magnolia asked, a frown settling on her lips at Luke's gaze. She gently punched his shoulder, making him blink back at the girl. "Stop looking at me."
Luke licked his lips, getting over the chills and flutter in the pit of his stomach the girl had sent through the sound of her voice. Admittedly, the teenage ghost was a tad lost and in awe, not expecting to see this sort of side coming from a girl like Magnolia. Despite Julie knowing she had the voice to pursue her passion, Magnolia seemed to focus on the one thing she believed was good at and strived in it, not bothering to dabble in any other hobby.
"You can sing." The brunet remarked, making Magnolia pull another face with a small laugh, gently shoving him with her shoulder. She seemed to be deep in thought, sitting there and looking at the road ahead of them, she just shrugged.
"Oh, no. Not really." The tawny-eyes girl responded, fiddling with the aglet of her shoelace with pursed lips. Feeling a pair of hazel-eyes on her head, she looked up momentarily to catch Luke with a look of disbelief written all over his face. Magnolia shook her head, her dark hair flying around her shoulders lightly. "Seriously, Luke. It isn't that big of a deal."
Said ghost scoffed at her self-claim, slipping his prized acoustic back into its case before fully turning to the girl, using hand gestures to emphasize how serious he was being.
"Are you kidding? You can sing! Like sing, sing." Luke announced, almost yelling at the top of his lungs out of excitement for her. Magnolia hushed him with a small laugh, covering Luke's mouth to try to make sure that their loud mouths hadn't woken up their the other boys. "You have an incredible voice."
His compliment was muffled behind her hand, his eyes resting on her as Magnolia blushed, shyly smiling at the hazel-eyed teen. He had a dopey smile playing on his lips behind her hand, Magnolia could tell by the crinkles at the corner of his eyes.
"You're not so bad yourself, Ghost Boy." The Japanese girl smiled cheekily at him, slowly removing her hand as she cleared her throat, her eyes flickering down at her lap to the abandoned composition notebook. Luke tore his eyes off of her, following her gaze to the scratchy handwriting written in the notebook. "'Bright'. Wow, that actually looks really good, even with the scratchy writing."
Luke pouted, looking at the handwritten lyrics. The words on the page were messily written, all scrawled in black ink and the title of the song itself written in capital letters at the top. There were a few words and verses here and there scratched out with a thick scribble.
It made Magnolia realize how dedicated he was to his music.
"Hey!" Luke responded as Magnolia giggled before handing him his composition notebook back. The guitarist of Sunset Curve took it back, thumbing through the pages in a way to distract himself. "What are you doing up this late, anyway?"
Magnolia looked back at him, finding his gaze settled on the fluttering pages of his notebook. It made a light and airy sound, the noise drowned out by the occasional hoot of an owl and maybe a grasshopper rubbing its legs.
"There's only so long someone can take while closing their eyes, thinking about everything and nothing at the same time." The Japanese girl hummed, finding a fuzzy dandelion in the crack of the pavement before focussing her energy into her fingertips to grab it. She messed with it as she spoke, petting the fuzz mindlessly. "It gets a little boring after a while."
Luke softly laughed at her comment, nodding along with her in agreement. The two sat in comfortable silence for a little while, simply just enjoying each other's company. None of them seemed to move, both occasionally glancing at each other, but never getting caught by the other.
"Hey, check it out. What do you think they're doing?" The hazel-eyed boy remarked, nodding his head to the two teenagers across the street. Magnolia looked up to follow his gaze to find a boy and a girl, wrapped up in each other's arms.
"I think they're on a date, he's got his arm around her." Magnolia pointed out, making Luke furrow his brows at her observation. His arm was draped around her shoulders, the girl animatedly talking the taller boy's ear off. "Look how happy she looks."
The way she looked at him was something that looked straight out of a movie with a dopey smile and legitimate heart-eyes. She was strung for the taller boy, tucked under his arm to keep the chills of the Los Angeles winds from getting to her.
"I think they're really good friends. Look at the way he looks." Luke whispered back at her, even though the couple across the street couldn't hear them. The ghost jutted his head at the taller male, leaning back with his palms behind him. He may have his arm around the girl, but his face remained rather neutral, despite the small smile growing on his lips at the chatter.
"You're suddenly the relationship expert? Friends don't look at each other like that." Magnolia scoffed, shaking her head at him. The couple before them stopped their little walk, standing perfectly in view for both spirits to watch them. They couldn't exactly make out what they were saying, but the imagery was good enough. The ballet dancer turned to the boy beside her with a grin. "Alright, let's make a bet."
Luke turned back at her, his own grin on his lips at the sight of how invested Magnolia seemed to be in a stranger's life. He nodded slowly, their eyes following each other as the ghost dug himself further and further into their little bet.
"What are we betting?" Luke asked, making Magnolia bite her lip. The two quickly took a glance at the couple across the street, a plan formulating in her head as she watched the boy softly grab her hands in his. She had to act quickly if she wanted Luke to participate in her guessing game.
"If the girl kisses him first, then they're on a date. The guy kisses her first, they're good friends." Magnolia declared, laying out the terms of the bet. Luke barked a laugh at her sort of logic without context, making the Japanese girl chuckle with him.
"What kind of logic is that?" The ghost probed, throwing his head back in another laugh as the crinkles by his eyes appeared once more. Magnolia felt a ghost of a smile brush over her lips, watching the boy from the nineties lose control of the sort of logic he's never heard before. She didn't know it, but Magnolia settled her gaze on him. She had never noticed the dimple in his cheek.
"My logic. I can guess you've never watched a Kdrama before." Magnolia retorted, pulling her gaze away from the attractive male as she spun the fuzzy dandelion between her fingers, quietly making a wish before quickly blowing on it to make the seeds of the fuzzball fly away. The Japanese girl threw the stem a few inches away from them, looking back at Luke to find him staring at the side of her face. "It's a like a TV show, but with Korean actors and way more interesting."
Magnolia immediately assumed that he didn't understand her terminology and elaborated, but that wasn't the case at all. Luke watched her make a little wish before blowing on the dandelion seeds to make her wish come true, something he had done several times while he was still a kid. He didn't realize her had been staring until he had counted four moles on her side profile, one dotting her chin, two on her cheek and the last one on her nose.
Luke tore his eyes off of her, thinking over her words carefully.
It was true to what Magnolia had said. Well, to an extent. She could remember watching those Kdramas until four in the morning, how overwhelming it was until the main protagonist and the mean, hot millionaire suddenly kiss the girl, only for the main protagonist keep her eyes open like a dead fish. It was absolutely excruciatingly painful to watch the next few episodes.
"I think you're a little biased." Luke settled, a small teasing smile on his lips as Magnolia gasped at him.
"I'm Japanese, not Korean, dummy." Magnolia playfully pouted, gently pushing him with her body. Luke laughed at her assumption to what he meant, shaking his head at the dramatic girl. "Are you saying that because you think all Asians look alike, Ghost Boy?"
Luke shook his head with pursed lips, teetering back to gently shove her.
"It's not that, Maggie." The hazel-eyed boy claimed, sprouting another nickname to give the ballet dancer, bringing a small upwards quirk to her lips. Magnolia almost toppled over, playfully glaring at him as he did so. "I'm saying that you've just never seen 90's TV, that's where it's at."
The boy from the nineties had grown up with the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air airing on his TV, or the reruns of The Golden Girls sitcoms his mother insisted on watching 'til the break of dawn. Back then, he'd just have to worry running into his mother in the living room, quoting Sophia Petrillo and making him join her, but now with a whole new world laid out in front of him, he'd have to learn about Kdramas and what spell it casted on Maggie that made her like it so much.
"We'll see about that." The Asian girl retorted, copying his stance on leaning on her palm behind her. It made sitting a lot more comfortable than what she had been doing earlier, her legs ultimately thanking her from the lack of pressure, despite dancing in pointes her whole life.
"What do I get if I win?" Luke mused onto the idea of her bet, thinking of what he'd want from the ballet dancer. They couldn't exactly change currency, seeing as now that they were ghosts, they wouldn't have anywhere to spend it.
"Like you'll win. Girls always kiss first on a first date." Magnolia grinned confidently, making the hazel-eyed boy next to her raise a brow, the smile on his lips growing.
Admittedly, Luke liked talking to Magnolia, even if he had known her for two days or so. It was a change in pace, especially when he had been stuck with his two bandmates for the past twenty-five years. She was easy to talk to, cracked jokes and didn't take his own the wrong way. He didn't know if she enjoyed their conversations as well, often wondering if she thought it'd be annoying or troublesome to find herself talking to a boy that wasn't from her timeline.
Little did he know, she liked talking to him, too.
"Now I know you are biased." Luke joked, making Magnolia bite her tongue to her snarky little remark. Brushing her bangs away from her face, she gave the brunet a cheeky grin.
"Twenty-first century, baby. Get with the time." Magnolia responded, making Luke gently shove her once more. The two didn't bother to move, feeling their shoulder's brush against each other. It was a foreign feeling, the skin to skin contact, yet it was welcoming a new sense of warmth that erupted. "You can get anything you want, but if and when I win, I want a favour."
Luke pulled a face at her request.
"A favour." The brunet repeated in slight disbelief. He wanted to make sure he had heard her right, but confirmed it with the nod of her head. Luke snorted at her little bargain. "You can have anything, and you want a favour from me?"
"I'm a simple woman, Lucas. What do you say?" Magnolia offered, using his full name that Alex had only exposed to her only two days, rather a night, ago. Said brunet shook his head at the use of his name, biting back a lopsided grin.
"If and when I win, you have to sing with Sunset Curve." Luke offered back at her, using the same confidence Magnolia had used when presenting her end of the bargain. The Asian girl next to him had then pulled a face, one similar to his own.
"One song?" Magnolia hoped, only to deflate at Luke's words.
"You said anything I wanted, right?" Said brunet grinned at her, making her groan. She frowned and shoved him once more, making him come back at her.
"Screw you." Magnolia groaned, making Luke softly laugh. Tiredly rubbing eye with her index finger, the couple across the street began to move, catching the spirit's eye. She gently patted Luke's arm, pointing at the two with a marvelled look on her face. "Look, look!"
The brunet looked over to where Magnolia was pointing, the couple they had been betting over obviously more than friends as their faces was mere centimeters away. Their bodies were flush against each other, the male's hands on her hips. The two spirits--who were heavily invested in their little bet--leaned in closer, Magnolia biting her bottom lip in anticipation.
"C'mon, c'mon. Kiss her." Luke whispered, rubbing the top of his thighs with his eyes trained on the couple across the street. The two didn't move for a good second or two, driving the two spirits mad. Magnolia couldn't stop fidgeting, her fingers twitching before clenching them into fists.
It was like watching a movie, those type of drive-in theatres where a projector would show a black-and-white film, except both Magnolia and Luke got the worst spots. The couple moved in slow motion, the boy's hand curling onto the girl's cheek, the two looking at each other like actors off the silver screen, unknowing of the two ghosts that watched from the sidelines.
Everything happened so fast, both parties leaning in and sharing a small kiss, making the teens go wild.
"Yes! Winner-winner, baby!" Magnolia cheered, dancing in her spot, making Luke stare at the couple in slight disbelief. The Asian girl continued her party of one as the brunet next to her shook his head. "Girls always kiss first!"
Luke groaned, rubbing his hands over his face at the thought of losing to her.
"No way, it was a mutual kiss! They both leaned in, but that's just good news to me." Luke informed her, making Magnolia's face contort from happiness to confusion as he slyly smirked in her direction. "I guess we both go home a winner. Sunset Curve's newest vocalist..."
Luke patted his lap rhythmically as a little drumroll before cupping his hands over his mouth into a makeshift megaphone, Magnolia staring at him slightly baffled as he gestured to her with jazz hands.
"Magnolia Grace Doran!" Luke hollered her full name, making the Asian girl squeal as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, bringing her into a side-hug. Magnolia laughed, gently trying to pull away from the brunet's strong embrace, the two giggling like children. The familiar sense of warmth enveloped the two, it made them feel alive.
"Shut up! That doesn't count-" The ballet dancer retorted, pushing him away softly as a small laugh left the girl's lips, only for her eyes to catch something. She gently hit his chest, making the ghost boy stare down at her in confusion. Noticing his gaze on her, she held his jaw and shifted his gaze onto the couple across the street. "Wait, is that-"
Magnolia pointed at the couple, another woman coming onto the scene with a vanilla milkshake in hand. Her yells and hollars were clear as day, her voice heard all throughout the neighborhood, cursing out the male for cheating on her with her best friend. The girl he had kissed began bickering with her.
"No way..." Luke gasped, the two watching the scene in front of them unfold. Magnolia had unintentionally gripped at his shirt, the guitarist wrapping his arms around her in someway to squeeze her as the argument began to take a turn. Before any of them could blink, the angry girlfriend dumped the vanilla milkshake on her ex-boyfriend's head, shoving the cup into the best friend's arms before storming off.
Despite the three human beings not being able to see or hear them, Luke began to laugh as Magnolia began to cheer happily. The two turned back each other, a soft look in their eyes that neither could explain and the warmth that engulfed them didn't exactly help with their situations. Magnolia's tawny-eyes widened, just as Luke's did, the two scrambling off of each other, returning to their sitting position with their shoulders barely touching.
Just friends, remember?
"Wanna come raid Julie's fridge?" Luke asked her sheepishly after a few moments of silence, offering her an awkwardly adorable smile. Magnolia pursed her lips before frowning sadly, avoiding eye contact as she stared out to the open street in Julie's neighborhood. The ballet dancer forced that feeling of butterflies in her stomach to rest, trying to keep her mind from racing.
"We can't eat, how many times do I have to remind you?" Magnolia reminded, sighing as she picked at another dandelion on the pavement, making Luke snort at her enthusiasm. "No stomachs, no taste buds."
The boy grabbed her hands, forcing the girl up to her feet with a small whine, trying to get her to join him. Magnolia yelped, moving her hands away from his arms as she crossed it over her chest, making Luke frown slightly at her antics.
"You're very optimistic." The brunet replied sarcastically, tugging her arm towards the path up to the main house. Magnolia trudged behind him, grumbling under her breath at how energetic th ghost seemed to be. "C'mon, I just want to see what she's got."
A light bulb lit in the Japanese girl's head as she stopped walking, making Luke give her another look.
"Wait! Flashlights!" Magnolia beamed, poofing away back into the garage before coming back with two industrial flashlights in both of her hands. Luke raised a brow at her, watching her jut the flashlight out for him to take.
"We're ghosts, Maggie." The brunet reminded her, watching as Magnolia beamed at the nickname he had given her, only to pout once he had gently pushed the industrial flashlight that laid in her delicate hand to her chest. Luke thought back on his words, thinking that the misuse of terminology had got her all pouty. "Spirits."
Despite her satisfaction, Magnolia remained persistent and continued to jut out the flashlight for Luke to take.
"I don't want to miss a step, or step on anything. Safety is number one." The Doran girl insisted, having the Patterson boy stare at the flashlight in her hand, then back in her face. He looked rather unimpressed with her reasoning, thus making her groan at him. "Take the flashlight, Lukie. It'll make me very happy."
Luke had hint of a smile on his face at the teasing nickname she had given him.
With one hand holding out the flashlight, the other shining the light underneath her face with a tiny smile on her face. It was the sort of angle you would use during campfire stories, revealing horrific tales of the Hash Slinging Slasher, or revising the tales of Courage the Cowardly Dog; these references obviously from Magnolia (she tried to tell Luke about them, but he didn't know what she was talking about and just smiled and nodded).
"Stop, that's creepy as hell." Luke shuddered, pulling the light from underneath her face and took the light from her hand. Shining the light ahead of them, the brunet gestured to the path with the nod of his, bringing Magnolia along with the tug of her wrist. "Whatever, let's go."
Now, with the flashlights, both ghosts made minor chit-chat as they ascended up the path towards the main path, the moonlight and sound of grasshoppers enveloping the pair.
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The Molina house wasn't too far from Julie's mother's studio, taking about a two-minute walking distance between the two buildings. The two spirits knew that they could casually poof into Julie's house uninvited, but didn't want to waste the beautiful glow of the moon hitting their celestial bodies. Plus, it was practically a win-win situation where both Magnolia and Luke could spend a little more time on their one-on-one conversations before they were back in the garage.
Magnolia and Luke kept themselves busy in the kitchen, the Asian girl watching his hand phase through the fridge door handle. Despite the fact they couldn't eat, the brunet claimed that we wanted to see what the Molina family stocked up on. It wasn't until she had advised him on her little secret on grabbing physical objects, then Luke making a little snarky remark on how he could've used that earlier.
With a couple of tried, Luke opened the fridge door with a look of victory on his face, slowly morphing into a one of longing as his hazel-green eyes met a tupperware container of spaghetti. Magnolia watched from a distance, seating herself down on the kitchen island, swinging her feet as she hummed an unfamiliar tune.
"I'm never gonna get used to that." Julie gasped, placing her hand on her chest to calm her beating heart. She had expected to see a burglar or something, completely forgetting about the four spirits she's been housing. Magnolia grinned and waved, though Luke hadn't bothered to look up from his search of colourful fruits and three-day old yogurt. "Can you guys even eat?"
Julie peaked over Luke's shoulder to take a glimpse at what seemed to catch his attention, only to watch as he inhaled softly at the plate of cupcakes.
"I just wanted to see what'cha got." Luke replied, his eyes flickering over at the orange juice in the far corner of the fridge. Julie rolled her eyes before shutting the fridge door on him, his body completely phasing through the door. "Hey! Do you know how long it took me to open that?"
Julie shrugged.
"A long time. It was kinda sad, to be honest." Magnolia added, a small frown on her face at the sight of Luke's hand phase entirely through the door over and over again. As he did, she could tell that he had partially hoped the outcome would change.
Luke threw her a playful glare at her response.
"Sorry, I don't believe in wasting power." Julie retorted, walking over to the kitchen cupboard to pick out a few things. Magnolia observed from afar, watching the Molina girl shuffle through the kitchen grabbing whole wheat bread, a jar of what looked like peanut butter and a butterknife.
"Speaking of power..." Luke hummed, hoping to seat himself on the island next to the Asian girl as Julie prepped her midnight snack. The Puerto Rican girl didn't seem to give the two a single glance, undoing the plastic twist tie. "Do you know the power you have?"
Julie promptly ignored him as she laid her bread pieces flat against the cutting board.
"Other than Maggie, I am aware-" Luke added, nudging the ballet dancer to his right with an easygoing grin on his handsome features--Magnolia rolling her eyes in response--he thought a boost of confidence to the Puerto Rican girl's ego would get her to play again. "Your voice, your piano playing. Dude, you're like a human wrecking ball."
Despite their couraging smiles, Julie looked at them rather unimpressed. She waved her butterknife at them--just as she was about to construct her sandwich--making both spirits flinch away from Julie, scooting down the aisle.
"Is this supposed to be a pep talk?" The curly-haired girl responded sassily, not really feeling up for a ghostly pep talk. It was bad enough that her father had thought she needed therapy and getting officially kicked out from the music program, but if anyone saw her talking to herself?
She would be back to Mr. Turner's office with the snap of her fingers.
"No, what I'm saying is that you have the power to move people-- to knock them off their feet! There is no way your teachers wouldn't let you back into school if they heard you play like that!" Luke replied, swinging his feet in the air to emphasize his actions. Magnolia yelped, being the only person (spirit) in the room to feel it if he were to hit someone.
Luke apologized, which she returned with a small pout.
That's right, Julie got kicked out of the music program at her school.
On the way here to Julie's kitchen, Luke had been quick to fill Magnolia in on the details and what he had overheard while he was here. She couldn't lie, it made an unsettling feeling arise in her stomach at the thought of him listening in on her one-on-one discussion with Julie and Alex. The only sigh of relief she had made was when Luke had told her he had come back to the Molina household to take a peek at Julie's dream box.
He admitted it with a sheepishly adorable smile, if she may add.
"I already asked her and she said I have to wait until first semester." Julie told them, stressfully running her fingers through her curly hair with an exasperated sigh. It seemed that she had already had this music program talk with everyone.
"Asking?" Magnolia scoffed, thinking back to Julie's voice earlier this morning behind the piano. She threw her arms up in the air to show how serious she was being. "With a voice like that, I'd be already in my seat like I own the place."
Luke nodded in agreement, the Puerto Rican girl rolling her dark eyes once more at the two ghosts before continuing to make her sandwich.
"And that is your first mistake, asking." Luke suggested, giving Julie his own little piece of advice, something his band had been doing since the beginning. "Sunset Curve booked gigs by doing. We'd play in front of clubs, back of clubs, even book clubs!"
The Japanese girl blinked, sharing a baffled expression with the Puerto Rican girl across from her. The two girls looked back at Luke, the teenage ghost owning his signature smile at the reminiscence of the earlier days of Sunset Curve.
"Book cubs?" Julie repeated with a raised brow at him, making him nod excitedly.
"They let rock music to play in a place like a library?" Magnolia clarified, making Luke pull a face in consideration, pursing his lips slightly.
"We didn't get many gigs out of that one, but they did have some gnarly snacks." Luke admitted with a massive puppy-like grin. He then kicked the air just as he did earlier, continuing to emphasize his pep talk/confidence booster for the Puerto Rican girl. He jumped off the island, punching his fist into his hand. "All I'm saying is that you don't ask for permission. Swing that wrecking ball of talent you have at your teacher's head, and smash those stupid rules right out of their brains!"
Magnolia laughed at his choice of metaphor, just as Julie looked a tad bit mortified at his words.
"Woah, graphic." The Japanese girl commented, making the teenage ghost beam at her and take his seat back by her side. "Might wanna tone it down there, Ghost Boy."
Julie nodded along with her before shaking her head at Luke's violent advice.
"Yeah, it's a school, not a club." The Puerto Rican girl deadpanned, picking up the small jar of peanut butter she had and twisting the lid open. She hadn't bothered to look back up at them, giving the sandwich she was making the majority of her attention. "And your plan sounds violent."
"We shouldn't give him anymore ideas, next he might wanna commit arson." Magnolia joked, making Julie snort softly to herself, continuing to spread the whatever was in the jar. Luke rolled his eyes softly at the joking mannerisms both girls had brought up, but decided he wasn't going to give up until Julie decided to take destiny by the reigns.
"It's a closed door and you've gotta bust it open!" Luke commented, using another metaphor. Both girls looked at him strangely, one having a slightly amused smile as the brunet fumbled with his words, messing with a chain that stayed on the loop of his pants. "Sorry, once I start with the metaphors, I can't stop. I learned that in book club."
Magnolia looked at what he was fiddling with and found out it wasn't his chain, but rather what was attached to it. It was a rabbit's foot, whether it be real or fake, it seemed to bring the teenage ghost abit of comfort. The nervous energy he had been given off after giving both girls another one of his metaphors seemed to deter back into his positive and happy-go-lucky attitude.
"They're not gonna let me back in." Julie sighed, angrily putting down the butterknife and stacking the two-halves of her sandwich on one another. Her earlier conversation with Ms. Harrison this morning at school was playing in her head like a broken record.
It was too late.
"My papa always told me to, 'screw 'em, it's about you, not them'." Magnolia offered her small piece of advise, to which Julie nodded to. The Doran girl thought over her words before quickly adding to them. "but don't actually screw them. Y'know, it sounded a lot more encouraging from his mouth than it does from mine."
Julie smiled at the girl, just as Luke softly laughed before adding onto her analogy.
"Take it from me, your tainted hotdog could be right around the corner." Luke exclaimed, just as Julie was about to take a bite of her whole-wheat bread sandwich. He watched at the Puerto Rican girl's eyes flickered from the sandwich to Luke before slowly putting it down, back onto the cutting board. Luke smirked.
Bingo.
Magnolia picked up the jar from pure curiosity, focussing her energy into her hands to, at least, lay a finger on it. Gripping the plastic jar, the Asian girl twisted it in her hands and frowned at the label. Almond butter.
Both Julie and Luke saw the distaste on her face and held out his hand to see what the fuss was about, remembering what Magnolia had told him earlier that night. Focussing his energy into his hands, he could feel the weight of the jar in his hands. Instead of seeing what the spirit was all worked up about, he marvelled the weight of the plastic jar between his hands in slight amazement.
"I don't even have anything prepared." Julie stressed, running her fingers through her curly-hair once more. She seemed to really be considering the idea of performing without the permission of her music teacher, riled up to show everyone what she's got.
An idea popped into Magnolia's head, snapping Luke away from his thoughts of being able to feel legitimate wight in his ghostly hands.
"Oh! Luke, show her the song!" Magnolia beamed, making Julie raise a brow to what song the Asian girl must've been hinting to. The brunet's eyes lit up, using his free hand to rifle through his back pocket insearch for the pages he had ripped out of his notebook. "It's amazing, you'll love it."
With Magnolia's reassurance, Julie looked at the paper Luke had between his fingers as he laid it out on the island next to Magnolia's legs, pointing at the few words Julie couldn't make out from his scratchy writing.
"It's called, 'Bright'. It's a song that Sunset Curve never got to record, and it's perfect for your range." Luke told her, directing to the song's rhythm with the help with the Magnolia's tempo. "Check out the chorus for a second."
Luke had guided Julie through the chorus, showing her the highs and the lows of the song. It wasn't a secret that the human girl was incredibly gifted, something she proved when she had sang this morning. What made it more interesting was how quick Julie was to learn the song itself, her fingers tapping against the island like a piano.
Julie had thanked the two with a smile, making them nod happily, both eager to help her.
"No problem." Luke hummed, flipping the jar in his hand before examining the label of the almond butter jar he had been holding onto. Pulling a face, he looked at Julie with the a look of distaste. "Man, almond butter, really?"
"Not you, too." Julie frowned, grabbing the almond butter jar carefully before putting it back onto the shelving unit. Both ghosts in the room high-fived, despite the pointed look the human girl gave them. "Both of you, out. I'll see you guys tomorrow."
With her parting words, Julie left with Luke's song 'Bright' clutched in her hands, waving a goodnight to the two before climbing up the stairs. Even if the only person in the Molina house could hear them was Julie, the two kept quiet until they heard the human girl's footsteps dull and listened for the shut of her door before cheering.
"Nailed it." Magnolia grinned, high-fiving the ghost once more with both of her hands. Luke caught them in his own, holding them in place with a matching grin. The two continued to cheer before hearing Julie hiss through the crack of her door.
"Totally did." Luke whispered, the two giggling like children at Julie catching them. Gently pulling their hands apart, the brunet smoothly leaned against the open space of the island next to her seated form. He had a sly smirk on his face. "Now, about that bet-"
Luke started, only to have the girl gasp at him, their earlier argument resurfacing. With stakes of losing to one another on the line, the two spirits were eager to prove each other wrong and overall win bragging rights.
"You so did not win that one, that girl kissed first." Magnolia argued, making the Patterson boy roll his hazel-coloured eyes in her direction, gesturing to the window as if they were there.
"That doesn't even count! It was a mutual kiss!" Luke argued right back, not taking this bet as a loss. This time, the Doran girl rolled her tawny-coloured eyes at him, blowing her bangs upwards in frustration. The guitarist of Sunset Curve smirked, seeing the girl had run out of things to say.
"Boys..." Magnolia muttered under her breath as she craned her neck, seeing the clock in the far corner of the kitchen. The hour hand had barely passed the three, the minute hand just passing the twelve. The ballet dancer bit the inside of her cheek. "The 'Devil's Hour'. Whatever, I'll see you in the morning, Lukie."
Luke pulled a face at her words before following her gaze onto the clock. The second hand ticking lightly, making the ghost wonder where she was going at such a late hour. So, he asked her.
"Out." Magnolia replied, her answer plain enough to make Luke raise a brow at her. Her eyes followed his, as if prompting her to tell him the truth, but no avail. Not wanting to answer anymore of his questions, Magnolia hopped off the counter and landed in front of him. With the smallest hint of mischief behind her smile, Magnolia waved her fingers at the ghost boy. "Ta-ta."
As the white light engulfed her, whisking her away to wherever she had in mind, Magnolia left a grinning teenage ghost in her wake. Luke softly smiled at her--rather mysterious--antics and shook his head as soon as she was gone, taking both flashlights with him before poofing away himself back into Julie Molina's garage.
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word count: 7403
ahhhh, we're back. i CANNOT begin to tell you how grateful i am that we hit 1.1k in reads! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LOVE TOWARDS THIS BOOK! I LOVE YOU GUYS
honestly, this chapter was filler more than anything, but i love it with all my heart. it's a lot less wordy (i guess) than last chapter, i'm sorry for making it so long. i can't wait for you guys to see what i have to offer for chapter six.
LOVE YOU THE MOST, AND PLEASE COMMENT AND VOTE, IT'LL HELP THANK YOU.
see you next time!!