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warning: some mild use of language, nothing too major (i don't think so, anyway)
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The world seemed to have a lot more surprises than it let on.
Truth be told, Magnolia Grace didn't bail on her favourite boyband, she could never do that to them. Rather, she left that night to go visit her parents. It had been eating the Japanese girl on the inside, feeling as though she had abandoned them to party with some boys and a human girl. Something about that just didn't sit right with her, so she went to see them.
They were in their usual spots in the couch, the cushions most likely housing imprints of them from the long periods of time they would stay there. It made Magnolia angry and feel unbelievably selfish, her adoptive parents putting everything on hold for her, whether it be their jobs, social lives or even their own well-being. She couldn't just go home, she's tried and tried and tried.
Her condition stayed the same, the same it has been for the past eight months, neither getting better or worse. She was just... neutral. Her heartbeat was normal, her pale complexion was still paler than ever and the same tubes, needles and ECG scans that regulated her body were still stuck in the same places she had left them. Nothing's changed, yet everything has at the same time.
The next day, Magnolia walked phased through the doors of Julie Molina's garage, acting as if her entire night had never happened. Lucky for her, Luke didn't ask any questions about her random disappearance last night, but smiled in her direction and offer her a seat next to him on the couch.
She didn't know it then, but it was all a ploy to get her to learn the guitar. It was something Luke had wanted to share with her, seeing as last night's blurb of a performance seemed to spark something within him.
Luke was passionate about music, something he was undeniably good at and practiced it to make it absolutely perfect. She could understand that, finding her own sort of talent falling into dance, expressing herself through body language. That's where she guessed how both herself and Luke seemed to click, the two couldn't stop moving.
Magnolia Grace had found herself on Luke's couch, an acoustic tucked beneath her arms with her fingers dancing around the neck of it. Said guitarist was seated next to her, his own black electric guitar in his hands, helping her with a few chords. Reggie was with them, making comments and encouraging the girl with his own bass at hand.
"Then move your fingers here." Luke commented, moving her dainty fingers onto the right strings. Magnolia's hand was clenched tightly, the strings of Luke's acoustic creating angry red lines on her skin. Satisfied with the placement, the brunet moved away to let the Asian girl 'rock out'. "Yeah, just like that."
Magnolia gave him a wary look, wondering if this was still a good idea, which he nodded and smiled to encouragingly. He copied the chord she was trying to strum, strumming it from his own guitar to show her the sound she had to replicate.
With a small huff, blowing her bangs from her face, Magnolia strummed the guitar, the sound muted and slightly off-key that had both boys slightly wince at the sound.
"That didn't sound right, at all." The ballet dancer frowned, her aching fingers rubbing against the palm her hand in an act to soothe the skin. She carefully tucked the acoustic closer to her body, afraid that it'll slip onto the floor. "My fingers hurt."
Magnolia stared at the pads of her fingers, a small ache at the tip of it, just below her nail. Since her ballet school required presentable hygiene, she had clipped her nails short, which benefited her for this situation.
Luke softly laughed at her, taking her hand to take a look at the angry red marks, examining them before looking up at her once and a while. She had a pout on her face, her tawny-eyes finding Luke's before quickly looking away, listening to Reggie's words of encouragement rather than find herself lost in a pair of hazel-green eyes.
The Japanese girl pushed down the feeling once more, internally rolling her eyes at the recurring feeling. Maybe she was getting motion sickness, or something.
"Don't worry, Magnolia. I'm sure you'll get it in no time!" Reggie beamed, using the nickname Luke had given her yesterday with a nod of his head. He went on-and-on about how he wasn't exactly the best at playing the strings at first either, giving her tips and tricks to help her learn. Magnolia did understand some of his terminology, nodding along and listening eagerly.
"Julie looked happy this morning." Another voice had entered the garage, his tone sounding like her papa when he had found out she had skipped another practice. The three turned in unison, Luke dropping her hand as he had finished inspecting it. Magnolia retracted her hand, staring at the divots with a frown, poking at them with the nail of her thumb.
Reggie pulled a face, slouching into his seat across the two on the couch, hugging his bass. The dark-haired ghost teen pressed his cheek against the body of his guitar, frowning at the blond that had entered.
"Why do you make it sound like we're in trouble? Did you two do anything?" Reggie responded, pointing at the pair on the couch with his two fingers. Magnolia and Luke shared a glance before shaking their heads, making the bassist gesture of them, flabbergasted.
Alex rolled his blue eyes at their shared braincell, occupying the other arm chair across the couch. The blond drummer leaned on his knees, leaning in on the three other spirits on the room with a slight shrug of his shoulders.
"I'm just saying." The ghost hummed, taking notice of their little guitar circle. Magnolia plucked the strings mindlessly, filling the empty space with sharp tones of different strings. "Hey, where did you run off to last night? I didn't see any flying pillows."
The Asian girl giggled at Alex's teasing, the three boys claiming that she slept like a Princess after finding out she was a light sleeper. That, and the four pillows she needed to sleep with.
"Luke and I went to talk to Julie last night about her getting kicked out of her music program." Magnolia confessed, looking up from her guitar to give Luke a small look of confirmation, which he nodded to. Looking at the two other boys in the room, the Japanese girl pulled a face at their smirking faces, eyes flickering between herself and Luke. "What?"
Her and Luke shared another look, the guitarist smiling at her lightly before she turned away. The brunet gave his bandmates a little glare of his own, as if telling them to cut it out with all their teasing.
Magnolia caught Alex's eye, in which he wiggled his eyebrows at her, making their conversation from yesterday come back into her head. it made her cheeks flush, a bit embarrassed to what he might be implying to, although not admitting the entire truth.
If they found out herself and Luke hung out last night, their teasing would never end.
"Nothing, nothing. Just curious." Reggie mused, plucking random strings on his bass. Both himself and Alex shared a teasing grin before looking back at their confused friends. "Don't worry so much, Mags."
Luke's hazel eyes widened at the use of her nickname, their own little conversation playing back in his head. He glared at the two giggling boys, something Magnolia didn't pick up. She didn't seem to pick up on Reggie's teasing though--much to Luke's relief--but rather pushed him on it.
"You're making it weird." Magnolia whined, cradling Luke's acoustic as she slouched in her seat. The bassist hummed, opening his mouth to let her in on his little secret, but closed his mouth and zipping it, throwing away the key. The ballet dancer groaned, gently nudging his knee with her socked foot. "Reggie, stop it! Tell me."
The dark-haired teen laughed at her impatience, tutting at her making Magnolia huff. She threw one of the pillows on the couch behind her at Reggie, making him shriek and use the body of his guitar to shield himself.
"He said it was nothing." Alex cleared his throat, trying to wipe the teasing smile on his lips although failing miserably. He gestured for her to continue, which Magnolia obeyed, steadying the instrument on her knee. "C'mon, let's get to the G chord already."
Luke gave them a small look, pursing his lips before leaning forward to adjust Magnolia's fingers. The two snickered, the pair promptly ignoring them and focussing on their little guitar lesson. Both Luke and Magnolia fought off the blush that dared to grow on their ghostly appearances.
"You want me to suffer, huh?" Magnolia remarked, her words having a double meaning to both Luke and Alex--seeing as she only had this sort of conversation with him--and promptly looked at her fingers, adjusting to the new angle. "Fine, it's whatever."
With a small huff, blowing her bangs upwards and away from her forehead, the Japanese girl pressed her fingers against the neck and strummed.
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𝗹𝘂𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘃
After last night's achievement of getting Julie Molina to showcase her talent to the whole school--which took some convincing and giving her a whole new song to perform--the boys and Magnolia all wanted to be there, watching their favourite human girl show them who's boss. Of course, they hadn't told Julie that they were coming, rather wanting to surprise her.
They were her number one supporters, after all.
Despite their wholesome surprise for the Molina girl, it was Julie who wasn't all for it. She was a nervous wreck, sweating bullets at the thought of conquering that stage and singing her heart out to her peers. Doubts and worries filled her mind, thinking about screwing up or her lack of practice on the song.
God, she just wanted to go home.
"Look who spent all of daddy's money on costumes and Katy Perry's choreographer." Flynn retorted, her face etched with utter disgust at the sight of Carrie Wilson, Julie's ex-best friend. Carrie's performance looked like a fever dream with the strobing lights and perfected choreography, her minions dancing behind her.
Julie's stomach twisted into knots.
"Well, it paid off." The Molina girl admitted, her eyes trained on Carrie, a bright pink wig adorning her head, the same colours on her band's uniform. They performed extremely well, their look matching the sort of music they sang, giving Los Feliz High School major Katy Perry vibes. "What are you guys doing here?"
The Puerto Rican girl shrieked, her eyes flickering upwards towards the students on the bleachers, all distracted by Carrie Wilson's colourful light show to even notice her. There beside her with the quick gust of wind were the three of the four ghosts she had been housing, all looking at her with massive grins on their faces.
"We wanna see you stick it to the man. Isn't that right, boys?" Luke told her, nudging the Reggie's arm for a response. The bassist had barely batted an eye in either Luke's or Julie's direction, his eyes trained onto the five brightly coloured girls performing.
"Man, I miss high school." Reggie muttered, his jaw dropping slightly. Luke blinked at his response, eyes flickering upwards to see 'Dirty Candy' singing a pop song, something that wasn't exactly for his particular taste in rock.
It took a few seconds of becoming engrossed by their performance to snap himself out of it, his hazel-eyes widening in surprise at the flash of a white light, only to have Magnolia tumble right out of it. With quick reflexes, both Reggie and Luke caught her before the Japanese girl could even hit the floor.
"Sorry, sorry." Maggie apologized, helping herself off of both of the boys before dusting off the top of her plaid skirt. She thanked the two, her smile meeting her eyes at Luke's look of amusement, noticing her fashionably late entrance. "I'll get it, eventually."
Magnolia waved dismissively, her eyes flickering over to the five brightly coloured girls, all entertaining the students of Los Feliz High School. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, watching them as the did synchronizing work, something that required all members to be perfectly on beat with each other rather than messy, individual work.
"Where have you been?" Luke asked her, making her look up at him with a sheepish smile, not wanting to admit she had spent the last couple of hours after their guitar lesson to pick a nice outfit. Maggie strongly believed that presentation was everything, even if no one would see her.
"I wanted to change." The spirit replied, making the brunet smile down at her.
"You look good." The lead singer of Sunset Curve complimented, taking in her new appearance. In exchange for a pair of jeans and t-shirt, Maggie wore a green plaid skirt with an army-green jacket layered on top of a white tube top. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, letting the heavier pieces fall down her back.
Luke couldn't help but shamelessly glance over her, a small smile tugging at her lips.
"Thanks, maybe you can take a page or two out of my book." The Japanese dancer teased, making Luke bit his lip to contain his massive grin. Maggie gently nudged her covered shoulder to his bare arm. "Y'know, when you decide wearing sleeves."
The brunet crossed his arms over his chest, biting tongue lightly at the sight of Maggie's playful grin. She mimicked him, crossing her own arms over her chest as she copied to look on his face, making the familiar flutter in his stomach rise.
"You love 'em." Luke teased her back, flexing his arms slightly. The girl's eyes widened slightly, something Luke had barely noticed as he stared down at his arms before looking back at her. Though, he did catch her staring, making his confidence go through the roof. "I didn't hear you complain the other day."
Maggie scoffed, flicking a strand of her dark hair over her shoulder before pushing on his chest, leaving a small bit of distance between them.
Luke frowned slightly, only to brighten up at the sight of her pink blush that spread across her cheeks.
"I love sleeves even more." The ballet dancer retorted, her eyes flickering towards Dirty Candy, all obviously done their synchronized work. The brunet followed her gaze onto the girl band, barely hearing the small whisper from the girl beside him. "Uh, oh."
He looked back at her, his hazel-eyes trained on her in confusion to why she had been quietly muttering to her breath. It seemed that Maggie had barely realized that she was doing it subconsciously, her analytical gaze on the girl group as Luke gently bumped the shorter girl's shoulder to catch her attention.
"See orange wig?" The spirit whispered towards him, leaning a little closer, enough for him to feel her dark hair brush against his arms. She said it in a way as if it were supposed to be a secret. "She's a tad off beat."
Luke followed her direction, his hazel-eyes trained on the high school girl in the orange wig with an outfit to match, her steps that were supposedly following the others a beat behind or so. His eyebrows furrowed at Maggie's observation, looking down slightly at her with a look of bewilderment and a hint of astonishment.
"You can see that kinda stuff?" The brunet remarked in amazement, his eyes now back on the Asian girl. Maggie shrugged as if it weren't a big deal, shyly smiling under his gaze. That sort of detail would have remained unnoticed by anyone, but to the only dancer in the room, it was like a black streak on a white piece of paper.
"I dance for a living, Luke. I think I would know if someone was even a smidge off beat." Maggie admitted, making a tiny gesture with her hands. She finally looked up to him, seeing his calculating gaze, having her elaborate further. "It's like, if your tempo was sped up, and you were half a beat behind, it would mess you up, right?"
Luke nodded, a fond smile finding its way onto his handsome features. He tried to understand her, seeing a little more than what meets the eye when it came to Magnolia Grace. She was like an unsolved puzzle, the layers that made her her unscathed by the eyes of the public.
That's what made her so interesting.
"That's how I kinda see it. Like, like a band! You have all your major components and you perform together to make it perfect." The spirit explained, using elaborate hand gestures to get her point across. Her attention was no longer on the orange-wigged high schooler, but rather the hazel-eyed guitarist.
"No, no, I get it." Luke nodded, biting the tip of his tongue at her little analogy. Satisfied with his answer, Maggie nodded back at him with her very own charming grin on her face.
"Maggie," Julie called out for her, snapping the two idiots from their gaze on each other. Maggie smiled at her before the Puerto Rican girl jutted her chin in Dirty Candy's direction. "you think you could do better than Katy Perry's choreographer?"
Luke watched as her tongue poked out of her mouth--a quirk he had found absolutely adorable--observing the band of colourful girls, prancing around the gym floor to improvise for the instrumental beat.
"Katy Perry's choreographer?" The ballet dancer repeated, her tongue touching her cheek. She gave the side-eye to the Puerto Rican girl and the two other boys in the room, giving Luke a quick glance. "We'll see, shall we?"
With a tug of her collar and an easygoing grin, Maggie poofed out of their view and right next to Carrie, dancing alongside them unknowingly. It was a strange sight to see, watching the half-dead girl perform an upbeat dance that seemed totally out of line of her work. With the Japanese girl added to the mix, her enthusiasm and skill made the performance better.
It was as if she was puppeteering the group of five, all mimicking her dance moves with the same level of excitement. There were a few moments through her dance were she'd goof off, gesturing with her fingers for one of the dancers to come near her, remaining untouchable to Dirty Candy.
Julie's jaw dropped, her expectations of watching her performance skyrocketing as she watched the Asian girl mimic some of Carrie's solo dancing, unknowingly having the girl follow. The five girls, including Maggie, all diving to the floor in performing the floor dance.
"I thought she was a ballet dancer." Reggie gawked, watching the performance from the sidelines. He probably was the one who had enjoyed it the most, his mouth hanging open the entire time. The three ghosts and Julie watched as Magnolia pirouetted across the stage, a dancer going right through her. "She's amazing!"
Maggie had noticed Luke's gaze on her, giving him a childishly bright smile before winking at him, continuing to dance with the group of girls. It was understandable how excited she was, ballet required an immense amount of control and elegance, and dancing to a girly pop song with zero control and hip hop coordination seemed like a thrill.
"Yeah..." Luke agreed, his hazel-eyes watching the ballet dancer with an unknowingly dopey smile growing on his lips. Julie, Reggie and Alex--luckily--hadn't noticed the brunet's rooted attention to the Asian girl, dancing her heart out to the beat of the music.
Alex, at some point, copied Carrie's--Maggie's--dance moves, a look of pure joy on his face. Well, until he had bumped into Luke's shoulder, making him stop at the notice of Julie's discomfort. Sure, Maggie one-upping her ex-best friend was entertaining in itself, but the Puerto Rican girl couldn't help but feel an overwhelming feeling at thought of performing again.
"You looked like you were having fun." Reggie teased her, making her grin massively from the adrenaline rush the Asian girl must've been feeling from her improvised number. As soon as the dance number had ended the ballet dancer poofed back to her spot between Reggie and Luke.
The brunet put his hands on her shoulder, gently shaking her back-and-forth to contain his own excitement for her.
"It was exhilarating!" Maggie expressed, pushing back her bangs before letting them fall back down on her face. She looked behind her, right at Luke as she began to explain with her hands once more. "I felt, like, Meryl Streep in that Dancing Queen scene!"
Luke knew who Meryl Streep was, and he knew the song Dancing Queen by ABBA, but he didn't exactly know what the spirit was referencing to. Instead of questioning it, he nodded and smiled at her for now, wanting to ask her about it at a better time.
"Thank you! Thank you!" Carrie Wilson's voice pierced through the entire gymnasium, almost drowned out by the cheers of the students of Los Feliz High School. It was obvious that crowd hadn't noticed their troubled features, wondering what the hell had happened to their choreography, but enjoyed the applause nonetheless.
"We love you, Carrie!" Someone yelled out from the crowd, making the pink-wigged girl gasp and softly wave in their direction, a fake, cheery smile painted on her lips.
"Oh, I love you, too!" Carrie Wilson giggled, speaking into the mic piece on her head. She looked like an overdressed cheerleader, her attire consisting of bright pinks and whites, cheerfully waving at her audience. "Make sure to check out my new YouTube video. Oh, go Bobcats!"
The students on the bleachers screamed and clapped them as Dirty Candy flipped their colourful wigs over the shoulders, walking away in unison. Both the Principal of Los Feliz High School and--what looked like--the Music teacher walked into the spotlight.
"Thank you, Dirty Candy!" The Principal thanked them, getting the students to calm themselves down as she delivered a terrible pun--making all the students grow quiet at her attempt to amuse them--and gave them a few announcements.
"Now's your chance. Go talk to her! See you in music class!" Flynn grinned ear-to-ear, waving goodbye at her best friend as she left to join her class's spot on the bleachers, leaving a nervous Julie in her wake.
Julie gulped, eyeing the stage.
"What are you waiting for?" Luke asked her, confused to why she hadn't even made it an inch towards the stage.
"Vamos! Now's your chance!" Maggie urged, shooing the girl towards the stage where it had one electronic piano to the side. Julie looked back at the four ghosts, all of them realizing that the Molina girl was positively green in the face.
"Yeah. I mean, you look really nervous. Like, yack-in-a-bowl nervous." Alex noted, making Maggie gently slap his arm in a way to tell him that he wasn't helping. The blond raised his hands up in mock defense at the Asian girl.
"I just don't think I had enough time to work on the song." Julie admitted, her own nerves eating her up inside as the Principal's announcements came to an end, signalling for everyone inside to gymnasium to leave. They left in ribbons, flooding the exits with their bodies.
"I wouldn't have given you that song if I didn't think you were gonna rock it." Luke persuaded, pointing to the electronic piano on stage, a white spotlight raining down on the instrument as if it were a sign from the heavens above. "Now, there's a piano on that stage with your name on it."
With a quick deep breath and a new look of determination, the Puerto Rican girl nodded and marched up the stairs onto the stage, taking a seat behind the piano. Nobody seemed to notice her presence on stage, continuing to make a beeline for the doors.
"Go Julie! Rock their faces off!" Maggie cheered from the sidelines, cupping her hands around her mouth to project her voice. The curly-haired girl stealthily gave her ghosts a thumbs-up before letting her fingers dance across the keys accordingly, the sound of the piano alone making the students of Los Feliz High School look back at her in confusion.
Julie's voice bounced off the walls of the gymnasium, the melody of her piano following behind her. Her voice alone attracted more and more students to surround the stage, all of them bobbing their heads to the rather slow first verse.
It wasn't until Julie had hit the chorus, things had escalated to where the students in the building had gasped, gaping at the sight of the performers. It was moving from point A to point B, Maggie and the band of ghosts were no longer watching from the sidelines, but rather on stage with the Molina girl.
Sunset Curve had assumed their positions as drummer, bassist and lead guitarist, but with the exception of the two newest additions to the band. Julie Molina taking the role as lead singer of this unexpected band of misfits and Maggie taking the position of rhythm guitarist.
In her hand was a muted yellow electric guitar, her fingers dancing along the neck of the six-string as if it were muscle memory. The ballet dancer gaped at it, the guitar exactly the one she kept in her adoptive parents' apartment, recognizing it by the small Totoro sticker peeking by the bridge.
Luke found her gaze, grinning at her adorably with his own black electric guitar in hand. He seemed to absolutely love being back on stage again, hopping and dancing around whilst the Japanese girl tried to focus on keeping the rhythm consistent, closely following Julie's lead.
"Maggie." The brunet called out to her, lightly bumping shoulders with her to catch her attention from her hands. The Asian girl flickered her eyes between him and her own guitar. "Just relax, okay? Go with the flow."
Luke had watched as the tension in Maggie's shoulders disappeared, her stiff fingers relaxing and easily reciting the chords Luke had reviewed for her in the morning. With a lick of her lips, she looked back up at him with a glint in her eye that he couldn't decipher, but liked it nonetheless.
It was like a star, or some sort of spark.
Taking the next verse to the song, the four spirits and Julie all jammed out to the music they were making together. Despite the random turn of events, it seemed almost natural to have the five of them perform together as a team. As a band.
Luke and Julie's voices harmonized well with each other as they shared a mic, both having equally strong and powerful voices. Maggie had joined both Reggie and Alex as their backing voices. The guitarist looked at the Japanese girl, a smile playing on his lips as he watched her lose control just as she did dancing with Dirty Candy, jumping around with Reggie and singing backup into his mic.
He winked in her direction as he delivered his verse as soon as she caught his eye, making the girl bite back a smile.
The performance ended sooner than they would've originally liked, the fun coming to a stop as soon as Julie belted out the last note. Maggie and the ghost band, along with their instruments, disappeared before the very eyes of the public. Their applause and gasps filled the air as the Molina girl was left standing alone, her eyes flickering back to the four ghosts who stared at one another with confused, yet excited smiles on their faces.
"Hey, where did the rest of the band go?" A boy called out, wearing all black with a headset on with a clipboard in hand. He was probably the technician for Dirty Candy's group, managing the lights and soundcheck.
From their safe distance away from the stage, the four ghosts could see Julie chew at her bottom, eyes fluttering around the room in hopes to look for some sort of explanation.
"Wait, were those holograms?" Carrie's Dirty Candy dancer, a girl in a purple wig, asked. A lightbulb went of in Julie's head as she nodded eagerly, bringing her mic back up to her lips as she pointed to girl with a timid smile.
"Yes! Yes, they were holograms." Julie agreed, a nervous laugh leaving her lips as she pointed to the projector above their heads, having everyone turn in unison. "I plugged it into the ceiling projector before the show. I'd explain it, but it involves algorithms and science stuff."
It didn't take much convincing before the students below her feet cheered happily, not wanting Julie to spare them the details about her boring setup.
"That was absolutely insane!" Maggie expressed, the adrenaline from both performances coursing through her veins. They could all tell her demeanour changed as the unshakable smile on her face grew wider. "I would so check my pulse if I still had one."
Reggie laughed and agreed with her, spurring out details about their performance just a few moments ago.
"It was wild. They could see us when we were playing, but not when the music ended." Luke revised, draping his arm around her shoulders with a nod of his head. Maggie curled in on herself, feeling his ghostly sweat on her despite the jacket she wore over her tube top. "Told you you'd be a great vocalist."
The Japanese girl laughed as he gave her a prompted look, squeezing her slightly before she gently pulled a face--which Luke laughed at and told her to stop being such a big baby about sweat--and pushed his warm, sweaty body away from her, feeling cold all over once he was away. Weirdly enough, the warmth presence he had grown accustomed to once she was away was gone, leaving him, too, cold all over.
"Whatever, it was a one-time thing." Maggie retorted, flicking a bang away from her forehead. Her tawny-coloured eyes trained on the audience that stood by their side, nudging Luke once with her shoulder to guide his line of vision. "Do you think they can still see us?"
Reggie had nodded at her thought.
"We should double check." The bassist hummed, climbing up to the corner of the stage and shaking his butt with a small quip of his hips. He looked over his shoulder, noticing the lack of attention by the living around him. "Yeah, I don't think they can see us."
Alex frowned, blinking as he didn't exactly have a comment to what he saw.
"I wish I couldn't see you." The drummer muttered, his tone full of disappointment as he closed his eyes for a second, or two. Luke snorted, patting Reggie on the back, who seemed quite disappointed himself that no one had been able to seen him.
"Shake what your mama gave you, Reginald!" Maggie cheered as the bassist gave her a flick of his wrist before doing a little shimmy. Both Alex and Luke watched in amusement, the Asian girl fuelling Reggie's childish behaviour as they had a miniature dance party on their own.
"Okay, people. Show's over. Let's get back to class, please." Julie's Principal's voice cut through their cheers like a knife, sending off every last student to their respective class. Without a single complaint, the students that had once flooded the gymnasium leaving the building in much better spirits.
"Since when did you become a pro at the guitar? I didn't know you could shred like that." Alex had asked the Japanese girl, pausing her goofy movements and having her smile fade ever so slightly. The light in her eyes that had once shone brightly dimming, the three boys noticing that Maggie turned stiff and uneasy.
"It's nothing. I guess this morning's lesson really helped me out." The ballet dancer excused, a bit of a nervous smile on her lips. Maggie had hoped they hadn't noticed how anxious she sounded, wanting the floor to swallow her whole, but even if they did, none of them seemed to push on it.
Luke sensed that she wasn't feeling up to the conversation, noticing her stand-offish sort of stance and the invisible walls she had built around herself. It was something he had never seen the girl do, despite only knowing her for such a short period of time. He had seen her as someone confident, outspoken and rather strongly-opinionated, but to see her so... stiff made him frown.
With a soft smile and a quick wrap of his arms back onto her shoulders, Luke gestured with his head for the boys to follow, bringing them with him out in the halls of Los Feliz High School. He could feel Maggie relax under his embrace, something that brought a hint of a smile on his face at the thought of her becoming comfortable around him again.
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The four spirits that wandered the halls of Los Feliz High School had eventually dropped the discussion on Magnolia's shredding during today's unexpected performance, rather focussing on theories and raving about how alive they felt. Even Magnolia, who hadn't believed to be much of a musician, anyway. It was like the adrenaline they felt back on stage was coursing through their veins, a surreal experience that made them believe in second chances.
That had to be it, right? A second chance at feeling alive, again. Even if it was just for a few minutes.
It was exhilarating.
"Julie!" Three of the four spirits cheered at the sight of the Puerto Rican girl, making her jump. Luke was standing on Alex and Reggie's thighs, his hands on their shoulders to keep his balance. They had originally planned to have Magnolia climb onto Luke's back and cling on to add to the surprise, but she reasoned with them that it wouldn't be a good idea for balancing both of their weights.
Plus, her skirt wasn't made for climbing.
"You, stop doing that! I'm serious." Julie scowled, obviously in a bad mood. She pointed at the three ghosts, finding Magnolia sitting on top of a student desk with her legs crossed over another. She gave the girl jazz hands, making the Molina girl sigh.
"Woah, this one's all on you. We were already here." Reggie clarified, standing up straight as Luke hopped off of their thighs. He had a bit of a proud smirk on his face, as if showing up their group's ghostly abilities. "Well actually, we were over there, but then we came over here."
After Magnolia had hopped off the table with Alex holding her hand to help her off--she'll admit, she felt like a Princess after that--and took her spot next to Luke as he exasperatedly looked around at his friends. It was obvious that the adrenaline that had kicked in during the performance hadn't worn off on him, yet.
To be fairly honest, he looked like an excited golden retriever after consuming six cans of Red Bull. Cute, but slightly nerve-wracking.
"Are we not gonna talk about what just happened?" Luke gushed, his hands clenched into fists out of pure excitement at the revelation of their ghostly ability. Magnolia grinned ear-to-ear, this sort of ability new to her as well. Despite her keeping a rather calm facade after the performance, to say that she was thrilled was an understatement.
The ballet dancer could be seen, again! Maybe she could see her family and tell them she was alright. That was certainly a definite possibility, but would that only happen if she performed? Would she have to perform alone, or with the guys and Julie?
The questions that ran through the Japanese girl's head seemed endless.
"Yeah, our whole school saw you guys. It's kinda freaking me out." Julie confessed, a small sigh leaving her lips. Of course, the guys--minus Alex--considered her freaking out a good thing, both Reggie and Luke sharing massive grins.
"Okay, good, because it's kinda freaking me out, too." Alex sighed in slight relief, running his hand through his blond hair as he began to pace. H began to explain the basics, what they already knew from today's events. "One minute, you could see us, and other people can see us when we play music."
"Does that mean if we play together, people can see us? Like, together, together?" Magnolia clarified, making the Puerto rican girl sigh and shrug before crossing her arms over her chest. She seemed bothered by something, her face contorting as she listened to Alex's little rant and compliments from her ghostly companions.
"My clothes are made out of air! Air! And for some weird reason, I'm getting a wedgie." Alex huffed, shuffling uncomfortably in his clothes. They didn't look like they were out of air, especially since she saw the blond change out of yesterday's attire and donve back into his black trash bag that held his clothes. "So many questions..."
Luke didn't seem bothered by the theory and science behind the revelation like Alex was--though Magnolia had her own questions, she didn't want to kill their mood--rather he was thrilled. The energy from performing practically radiating off of him, the brunet definitely born to put on a show.
"The important thing is that we rocked that place!" The lead guitarist urged, trying to change his bandmate's worry about the entire situation. He noticed Julie's unsure gaze and complimented her knack for drawing in a crowd. "They were loving you!"
The Puerto Rican girl laughed lightly, her gloomy mood she had walked in with brightening ever so slightly.
"Are you joking? They loved all of us together. And that song you gave me, it was amazing, thank you." Julie thanked him, making the brunet shrug slightly as if it weren't such a big deal before draping Magnolia back in, making her yelp as he gently squeezed her.
"Thank, Maggie. She's the one who came up with the idea." Luke grinned, making Magnolia laugh. Over the course of two days, the Asian girl had learned that the brunet was rather physical when showing affection, something she didn't mind at all. Though it took some getting used to with the surprise arm rests and shoulder massages since Magnolia wasn't exactly used to this sort of affection. "But, I will definitely take that 'thank you', since I did write the song."
Luke hummed, making the human girl let out a breathy laugh with a all nod.
"Thank you, Lukie." Magnolia hummed, Reggie slightly snorting at the nickname she had given him. He subtly held out his fist for her bump, the ballet dancer slyly doing so as Luke remained unfazed by her nickname. He just seemed to smile down at her.
"Did you guys look at those cheerleaders looking at me? Or I think they were looking at me..." Reggie rationalized, trying to think back to the performance to whether or not Dirty Candy and the few cheerleaders present at the Prep Rally were staring at him. He turned back to his friends, Alex looking perplexed by theories and deeper understanding, Julie holding a look and amusement, Magnolia holding back her smile and Luke grinning ear-to-ear. "Please tell me they were looking at me."
Luke moved away from his shoulder rest--Magnolia--and took Reggie by the shoulders, shaking him lightly to hype up the bassist.
"Bro, they were looking at you!" The brunet insisted, making a bright smile appear on the dark-haired teen's face.
"Oh, I knew it!" Reggie guffawed, practically shaking in joy in his leather jacket. Julie joined in on their little moment, raising her spirits slightly as she gave Magnolia a grin.
"I think Maggie takes the cake, she had the whole lacrosse team on her." The Puerto Rican girl boasted, making Reggie 'ooh' at her as he began to poke at Magnolia's shoulder. Luke gasped, mimicking a lacrosse player, mocking their stance and such, making her gently bump him with her shoulders. The Doran girl's cheeks were a rosy shade, a bashful smile on her lips as she could barely meet their eyes.
"They were looking at me? I mean, I'm more of a basketball girl, but uh-" Magnolia flushed, twirling a strand of her dark hair around her finger carelessly. Sure, back when she was 'alive', she received some attention from boys at her school, but an entire team? "That's... That's cool."
Alex--being the only rational one about this entire situation--was quietly muttering to himself as the three other spirits and Julie teased one another. He had been theorizing and quietly complaining before deciding to voice his thoughts to his bandmates and the two other girls.
"I am so confused." Alex confessed, shoving his hands into his jean pockets rather frustratingly. He seemed to be rather stressed on the entire revelation, carrying the stress since neither of his bandmates seemed to care or fuss over the detail. "The afterlife should come with instructions, or a quick start guide, or something."
Julie's quaint smile returned onto her pretty features, becoming pouty and closed-off once her own issue resurfaced. The three ghosts frowned, noticing her sudden change in demeanor once more.
"The good thing is that everyone thought you were holograms and that I made it back into the program." The curly-haired girl nodded, saying it more to herself rather than the spirits before her. Alex looked up from his theory bubble, frowning at the sight of Julie's sudden mood change.
"Why do you look so bummed?" The blond asked, making the Puerto Rican girl furrow her brows, saying something along the lines of, 'I'm not sad, why would I be?'
"Dude, you're making this face-" Luke added, bringing in his boys and Magnolia into an embrace, all simultaneously pouting with big puppy-dog eyes and a trembling bottom lips. It wasn't like they were trying to mock Julie, but rather to cheer up her mood.
"That is not the face I'm making-" Julie retorted back at the four spirits with pouty faces, a slight scoff leaving the human girl. The four exchanged matching grins, further teasing the Molina girl as she turned her face in prompt to ignore them.
"The four spirits in the room say otherwise." Magnolia justified, making the three boys nod in agreement, adding onto her words.
"Well..." Alex winced, making a so-and-so motion with the shake of his head.
"That is the face." Reggie ended for the blond drummer, his puppy-pout coming right back as soon as Julie had given them a look. With a quick sigh and a look around the empty hallway, Julie uncrossed her arms as she stomped her foot against the laminated floor, the words falling from her lips like a water fountain.
"I had to lie to Flynn about you, and things got super weird after that, and I couldn't say anything. It's like the same reason I can't tell my dad, remember?" The curly-haired girl confessed, rubbing her hands over her face in a way to show them how stressed she seemed to be. Despite her miniature rant, two of the four spirits in the empty school hallway didn't take it the way she would've liked.
"Sweet, girls are already talking about us." Reggie whispered in Luke's direction, the brunet grinning and fist-bumping the boy. Both Alex and Magnolia rolled their eyes in response.
"You guys are such dorks." The ballet dancer giggled, shaking her head at the two as she turned back at Julie who held a perplexed look on her face. "What're you going to do, then? Take action, remember?"
The human girl clenched her fists tightly, beginning to pace in her spot. It was obvious that she was stressed, formulating a plan in hopes to get her best friend back on her side.
"I don't know! I can't tell anybody about you without people starting to think that I'm losing it." Julie huffed, pulling at her curls lightly as she further stressed over the situation she was put in.
"Well, this guy might." Reggie pointed out, making the Molina girl look up and sheepishly smile at the custodial staff that had passed her. The older man carrying a cleaning trolley gave her a strange look, walking past her quickly as if her craziness were contagious.
Julie frowned, putting her hands on her face as she groaned.
"Donevan?" Magnolia muttered, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion as she stared down the familiar Scottish male. He looked a tad bit lost, roaming down empty hallways as if whatever he was looking for would magically appear on sight. The Asian girl watched as her old dance partner brightened up at the sight of their empty hallway.
Julie followed her gaze, almost gasping at the sight of the upperclassman with his chiseled jaw and bright blue eyes. She, too, recognized him, Los Feliz High School knowing him as the successful male soloist for his dancing career. He was rather popular, but it seemed that he never seemed to talk to any of the underclassmen, just the students at his level.
"Who's Donevan?" Luke asked, squeezing his eyebrows before resting on the taller male making his way down the hallway. He seemed to be dragging something, or someone, behind him. Julie's eyes widened in panic, ready to turn and sprint in the other direction.
"You know that guy?" Alex gawked, the male standing at six feet with eyes brighter than the sky, taking rather long strides toward Julie, unbeknowingly the four ghosts that had accompanied her. He didn't have to jog to catch up with Julie, his long limbs making enough distance for two steps.
"He's my dance partner, I didn't know he went to this school." Magnolia clarified, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing slightly at the sight of the taller ballet dancer. She watched as he waved Julie down, the Molina girl scowling at their group for not following her out.
Then, again, they were spirits that could poof anywhere. They probably would just follow her out.
"He looks like your type." Reggie marvelled, glancing at the Japanese girl to his right who shrugged. Of course, Donevan Ballentine was attractive with a pretty set of eyes and sure knew how to smooth talk, but the days she'd spend aimlessly dancing in the dance studio with just her nemesis, Bethany Monroe, and Donevan in the room set a lot of things straight.
"I had a crush on him in, like, the seventh grade, but it's never been really more than that." Magnolia shared, tilting her head as he neared them. She squinted her eyes to get a better look at what the Ballentine boy was dragging with him.
"What happened?" Luke asked, jutting his chin out to the approaching Scottish male. He looked down at the girl carefully, his own eyebrows squeezing together with his signature frown on his face.
"He may be pretty on the outside, but he's definitely ugly on the inside." The Doran girl scowled, her response vague, yet clear enough for everyone who could hear her understand the clear mistrust she had for the taller male.
"I thought you liked this guy." Alex noted, making Magnolia gasp, tearing her eyes away from the human boy. She threw her hands up into the air exasperatedly as if to get her point across to the drummer.
"In the past!" Magnolia cleared, huffing as she rested in her spot. She shook her head as she tutted, frowning as the Scottish boy was a mere two feet away from their band of misfits. "You really think you know a guy."
"Julie! Just the girl I wanted to see." Donevan beamed, stopping a good distance away from the Puerto Rican girl. Julie smiled sheepishly at the upperclassman, squeaking out a greeting, at which he chortled at. "Uh- this Bethany. Beth, you know Julie, right?"
Over the course of eight months, Magnolia had stopped by the studio to check on the dance school. Sure, she didn't like most of the people the there, but was it wrong to say she loved watching drama unfold? Her dance school had a lot of things going on. Things specifically speculating about herself and the accident, Bethany and Donevan becoming a thing and Madame Agathe Zepower with cat-fishing young men on Tinder.
Some had thought Bethany had cut the ropes out of jealousy, others thought it was on the Orpheum's fault. Hell, walking the Earth for eight months and Magnolia still wasn't sure what happened, but all she knew was that even in a comatose state, Bethany was still the same mean, insensitive bitch she was while she was out in the world.
The Scottish male brought whatever trailed behind him into view, her small frame hiding behind the male. Before anyone could say anything, only Julie and the three ghost boys heard the ballet dancer scowl at the sight of the curly-haired dancer, a rather bored look on her face as she surveyed the Puerto Rican girl.
Speak of the Devil...
"Bethany." Magnolia seethed, her name spilling from her lips as if it were a poison. Her face said it all; the distaste on her pretty features, the angry glare that settled on the tan girl and the slight twitch in her shoulders. For a girl practically shaking in utter rage, she looked unbelievably calm, but even the three boys by her side could see hatred rolling off of the girl.
Julie sweated bullets, giving the two upperclassmen a nervous smile. Donevan and Bethany barely had smiles of their own, unknowingly receiving angry glares from the Asian spirit that restrained herself behind the Puerto Rican girl.
"She's hot." Reggie gawked, the flirty bassist looking Magnolia's nemesis up-and-down, without a doubt with hearts in his eyes. Luke and Alex slapped his shoulders, all falling to the Asian girl's side and having a ginger smile on their lips once her eyes had laid on them.
"Right, you're a sophomore, huh? Carrie's ex-BFF." Bethany mused, her acrylic nails tapping obnoxiously against her phone screen, briefly looking up at Julie. The Puerto Rican girl grimanced at the title Bethany had given her, nodding at her. The two upperclassmen shared a small look. "I know this might sound totally off my rocker, but how'd you do that at the assembly?"
Julie almost choked on her own spit, the excuse she used back at the Pep Rally coming back out of her mouth. She spared them the details, but what didn't help was that these people actually knew Magnolia. They knew, knew her. They would be harder to convince than the students in the gymnasium.
"Oh, just projections and algorithms..." Julie responded, fumbling with the zipper of her camouflage jumpsuit. Donevan hummed, unable to read through her lie as Bethany chortled in laughter, biting her lip to hide them.
"Right, 'cause I've never seen Magnolia dance so smoothly." The Monroe girl mused, crossing her arms over her chest as she took petty shots in the Asian girl's direction. Said girl laughed bitterly at her supposed 'funny' comment. "You made projection her seem a lot more tolerable than real life her."
Magnolia could care less what Bethany thought about her. Hell, she could barely remember when the Monroe girl had just left her alone instead of picking on her, but she'd me damned if she let someone like Bethany Monroe walk all over her like a doormat.
"How tolerable would I be if I pulled your hair extensions right out of your scalp-" The ballet dancer growled, only to be gently brought back to her spot with a familiar weight on her shoulders. With Luke's muscular arm holding her down, she doubt she could make it even an inch towards the human girl. Of course, Magnolia wouldn't actually cause permanent damage, she didn't play dirty.
Magnolia liked playing even.
"What'd you stop her? Cat fight!" Reggie cheered on, making Magnolia huff under Luke's grasp, keeping the girl in place. Alex frowned, shaking his head softly at the bassist hyping up the fight between the spirit and the mean human girl.
"Not helping, Reggie." Alex informed him, making the dark-haired teen pout childishly. Julie frowned at her ghost friend, though the Ballentine boy's blue eyes widening at the sight. He had thought that she thought they were making fun of their dear 'friend', quickly dismissing Bethany's comment.
"She's kidding." The blue-eyed dancer clarified, keeping his girlfriend in check as she huffed with a roll of her eyes. Her phone that laid in her hand was brought to life, a notification on screen making the Monroe girl begin to tap hastily against the screen.
"Uh- Who's Magnolia?" Julie asked, painting herself clueless to the two upperclassmen as she looked between them shakeily. Donevan had been the only one to maintain eye contact with her, giving her one of his own charming smiles. Bethany, on the other hand, snorted before clapping her hand over her mouth, looking at the Molina girl with a hint of amusement.
"Just some weird Chinese girl from our studio," The tan girl hummed, making Magnolia gasp at her. Luke's arm moved to her arm, gently holding her to remind her to remain calm, cool and collected. A deep frown had settled on her pretty features, deeply inhaling before quietly exhaling. "just curious on how you managed to get her on your little light show, and why her? There are so many more talentless hacks out there."
Luke's jaw clenched, honestly considering letting the girl underneath his arm duel it out with the smirking human girl. Magnolia seemed ready for it, practically fidgeting in her spot as the brunet squeezed her shoulder.
"Y'know, what? I think I should let her go wild-" Luke considered aloud, making their human girl's eyes widen as he weighed his options. The Puerto Rican girl yelped.
"Don't!" Julie shouted abruptly, the pair in front of her sharing weirded out looks before the Molina girl laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck as heat climbed up to her cheeks. "Don't say that! I uh- Just found some of her old dance videos on YouTube! She's actually incredibly talented."
The Monroe girl chortled a laugh with a roll of her dark eyes, slouching against her giant of a boyfriend.
"Yeah, for a junior dance class." Bethany scoffed, Donevan smiling slightly at the girl as he rested his hand on her hip. The curly-haired dancer popped her gum, throwing a strand of hair over her shoulder. Julie didn't respond, pressing her lips together.
"Yeah, like she got any stage time. Everyone knows she has two left feet." Magnolia detested, scrunching her nose at the Monroe girl, something that she couldn't see. The ballet dancer popped out her hip, blowing her bangs upwards as she glared down the other human girl.
"The nerve she has." Alex tutted, obviously taking Magnolia's side than the prissy human girl with curly hair. Both Luke and Reggie made noises of agreement, all equally glaring down Bethany and her attention-seeking boyfriend.
"Tell me honestly, did you auto-tune her voice? Last time I heard her, she sang like a mountain goat." The Monroe girl giggled at the distant memory, the Ballentine boy nodding with a soft smile on his lips. Magnolia flushed in embarrassment, the memory from four-or-so years ago conquering her mind like it was yesterday.
I was thirteen! We were all still hitting puberty at that point.
"Well, that's all we have to ask you. I presume you have class?" Donevan excused, clearing his throat as his rich Scottish accent came through. Julie nodded eagerly, wanting to leave the conversation as soon as possible, especially with four spirits ready to full-on attack the two humans. "Just wanted to check on our girl, Magnolia, seeing as she's still hospitalized and not in Cancun somewhere."
"First of all, I'm nobody's 'girl'. I'm a person, not a lapdog." Magnolia sneered, her words falling deaf to the smirking boy. She didn't know if it were to mock her, or if it was some natural smile he had. After years of knowing him, she still didn't know. Julie sheepishly smiled in response, trying her best to ignore her angry calls, revealing her tooth gap to the seniors. "Second, I'm Japanese!"
"Well, I'll see you guys in the hallways." Julie dismissed them, waving awkwardly to the two upperclassmen before she turned to face her ghost friends again. Luke had followed them, mocking Donevan's exaggerated steps, making Magnolia's lips quirk upwards. "Were the snarky remarks necessary?"
Magnolia nodded stubbornly, pouting like a baby as she glared at Donevan and Bethany on the way out, Luke mimicking her to get her to smile again.
She wasn't ashamed to say it worked.
"I thought so. He's a jerk." Luke responded, nudging the Asian girl's shoulder as he jutted his chin in the retreating couple's direction. "What did you even see in him?"
The ballet dancer thought about it for a few seconds, wracking her brain to understand what exactly she saw in Donevan that attracted her to him in the first place. She missed Luke's raised brows as she took a few seconds to get back to him.
"He dances." Magnolia decided before seeing Luke's guffawed expression, mocking Donevan ever-so-slightly. She snorted before pinching his cheek sweetly. "Aw, don't be so jealous."
Luke grumbled and denied it, laughing softly as the Asian girl began to speak to him like he was a baby.
"Look, can we talk about this later? I have class." Julie stated, smiling at their playful behaviour. Magnolia waved goodbye to the Molina girl, just as said girl pointed at the boys, then at the Asian dancer. "Don't let her get into any trouble."
Two of the three boys gave the human girl a salute, making her roll her eyes at their childish antics.
"Tell those cheerleaders that I'm single!" The dark-haired teen requested as the Molina girl passed them, walking down the hallway to what they assumed was towards her next class for the day.
"And that he's dead." Alex added cooly, watching the bassists' face contort into surprise, then into panic at the drummer's words. Julie rolled her eyes, continuing to walk away without a second glance.
"No, no, no. Leave that part out! Julie-" Reggie called out, only to watch as the Molina girl disappeared behind a corner, deflating slightly at the thought of his chances ruined with the human cheerleaders.
Luke watched as Julie left, making sure of it before beaming down at the Asian girl. He placed his hands on her shoulders, massaging them lightly. Magnolia relaxed, feeling the familiar flutter in her stomach once more.
"So, what are you gonna do about those two?" The brunet whispered loud enough for the four of them to hear, afraid that Julie would come back and tell them off if she heard them encouraging Magnolia on whatever rivalry was going on between herself, Bethany and Donevan. Alex and Reggie shared a look, joining the pair on their sheming.
"We should haunt them, or egg their houses." Reggie though aloud, pitching in his ideas as Alex nodded, pointing at him in agreement. Luke raised a brow, wanting to hear whatever thoughts Magnolia had running through her head.
"I have some class, so I won't stoop to their level of petty." The Japanese girl hummed, making the three boys nod. A quick formulated prank/harmless fun formed in her head, making her lips quirk upwards. "I'm gonna wait."
"They insulted you and you're letting them get away with it?" Alex stated, albeit confused to why she was letting off those two so easily. Sure, he may be the lesser evils of the two boys, but even he knew where to draw the line on how far insulting goes, but to hear Magnolia wanted to nothing didn't sit well with him.
"I'm not letting them get away with anything. I'm gonna get back at her one day." The ballet dancer hummed, innocently smiling at Alex. Admittedly, if she pulled her prank too soon, they'd be suspicious, or worst, think Julie pulled something like this. "Not today, but one day."
The lead guitarist of hummed at her wishes, resting his chin on his hand that rested on her shoulder, curiously looking at her.
"They seem all talk, no action." Luke remarked, giving her shoulders a little squeeze as he let his own mischievous smile on his face, seeing she remained unbothered by Bethany's petty comments. It concerned him nonetheless, but watching Magnolia ultimately plan an elaborate prank in her head made him feel all giddy inside. "What's the plan, boss?"
"For now, let's let them think they win." Magnolia mused, a glint of mischief in her eyes that made the boys around her smile. "Then, we'll strike."
They'll never know what hit them. They messed with the wrong girl, which was unfortunate for them, especially with a ghost band in her corner.
⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙
word count: 10274
^^ and i'd do it again.
idk but i'm just loving this chapter, and i'm also thinking about adjusting my playlist for this book since i'm not vibing with it. next chapter, i promise it'll be a tad bit shorter than 10k. I LOVE YOU ALL THANK YOU FOR 2.1K READS OMG.
please dont forget to vote and comment! see you next chapter!