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this chapter includes familial topics and ideals and light mentioning of death. please read at your own risk! (also, idk if its THAT sad but like get tissues or something).
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Magnolia Grace never particularly liked school dances with the awkward intimacy, crappy slow songs and stiff dancing, where your date puts their hands on your hips and barely moves an inch. Maybe that's why she preferred guys with dance experience, she's just never had a good partner.
She could vividly remember when she had went to a school dance, just last year, which was her sophomore year. The early days where Magnolia was on the brink of getting her braces removed and the climb of the high school food chain had started. That year, her best friend at Beverly Hills Prep School, Nicole "Nick" Zheng, had a date, which made the Zheng girl beg for Magnolia come with.
Given that this was a school for misfitted youth in society, it would be better to bring someone you trusted.
Eventually, she did bring a date by the name of Elliot Hargreeves, an English boy with a polite mannerisms and a kind heart. It baffled her to find out why he had been recommended to such a place in the first place, only to find out from the boy himself that he was a shoplifter. The two were a lot more similar than they had originally thought, forming an unexpected friendship from changing the spiked punch bowl to water and vandalizing the Principal's mural.
Admittedly, the school dance that Los Feliz High School had held was a tad bit mild for her taste. Sure, it was cute little setup with a balloon archway and the school's colours as streamers to decorate the walls of the stage. Other than the decorations that seemed to be unrecognizable against the strobing disco lights, the punch bowl serving a sugary liquid that seemed far from refreshing as students danced around with different people.
It was... okay.
"Magnolia! Thank God you made it!" Julie rejoiced, a massive weight being lifted off of her shoulders at the sight of the Asian girl. Magnolia snapped out of her trance of the mass of sweaty bodies, blinking a couple of times as she smiled at the Puerto Rican girl. "Where are the guys?"
To be fairly honest, Magnolia had waited four hours for the boys to come back. She knew that they made it clear that they'd come back in time for the gig, but she couldn't help but feel overwhelmingly anxious. Something didn't sit well with her the moment she left them behind, maybe she should've went with them.
"By this hour, their probably following Bobby, Trevor, whoever- around like a bunch of puppies." Magnolia responded with a joking tone laced through her voice. The Asian girl did her best to lighten the moon, but it didn't help much to see Julie laughing through her rigid posture. "Are we on yet?"
The Japanese girl looked back on stage, over the Molina girl's shoulder to see Flynn bobbing her head rhythmically, her fingers moving across spintables. The speakers blasted out some catchy pop song, the sound waves practically earthqualing the floor beneath her feet.
Magnolia felt it quite comforting, feeling the beat of the drums and the low drop of the bass. If she could, she would've pressed her hand against the speaker to study every interval and every jump of the beat.
"Is everyone fired up for Julie and the Phantoms?" Flynn called out into the microphone, making the crowd cheer and holler. The dark-skinned girl threw a look towards her best friend, seeing her shake her head lightly, making her frown. She turned back to her mic. "Good! Keep that fire up 'cause we're a bit behind schedule. For now, enjoy these fire beats!"
Flynn tapped something on her laptop, another drop of the bass rumbling vibrations through the entire gymnasium. Everyone between the ages of fifteen-to-eighteen cheered, some dancing and bobbing their head as others--most likely the seniors of Los Felix High School--grinding up against each other as if it were a nightclub.
The dark-skinned girl stalked towards the Puerto Rican girl just as Magnolia's almond-eyes widened in surprise.
"I was told to be here at nine, I'm..." The Doran girl mumbled, pulling back the sleeve of her coat to take a glimpse at her wrist. Julie amusedly stared at the girl as she looked up from her care wrist to the gymnasium clock, red, blocky numbers meeting her eyes. "thirty minutes behind. Sorry, I don't own a watch."
Magnolia smiled sheepishly, making Julie shake her head at her. As Flynn waved the girl down, leaving her spotlight on the stage to approach the Molina girl. As soon as the fashionable teen came into view of the pair, the curly-haired girl couldn't help but raise a brow at the new band name her 'marketing team' had come up with.
"'Julie and the Phantoms'?" Julie repeated the band name as soon as Flynn entered within earshot, making the fashionable teen suck in her cheeks with a small shrug. Magnolia brightened and nodded in approvement, the name ridiculously accurate under these circumstances.
"I like it, sounds like a killer band name." The Japanese girl complimented, leaning forward to add her input. The name made sense, seeing as the Puerto Rican girl was able to control their visibility to the world. She didn't know how'd the boys would react to the band, but she would if they were actually here. Despite the fact, Magnolia liked it, which earned her a smile from the Molina girl.
"I had some free time during French class. You better like it because I registered it on Insta, Snapchat, Twitter-" Flynn bragged, listing off different social media platforms on one hand. She was insistent on the name, trying to convince Julie otherwise if she hadn't liked it. The Molina girl cut her off before the dark-skinned girl could ramble on.
"No, I love it, and so does Maggie." Julie interrupted, Magnolia smiling slightly. Flynn nodded in appreciation as she greeted the spirit girl. She smiled at her best friend, only for her face to contort into concern. "But, I'd love it even more if the rest of the Phantoms were actually here."
Julie rolled her dark-eyes in irritance, making both girls frown.
"They will, I made them promise." The ballet dancer reassured her, making Julie mumble something incoherent. Magnolia bit her lip as she bounced on her heel, looking behind the Molina girl as she stood next to Flynn for the boys. They were already late as is, any later they wouldn't have an audience to perform for.
The dark-skinned teen raised a brow at her best friend, jutting her chin behind her before stalking out from behind the curtain and back to her spintables. Julie squeezed her eyebrows, a crease forming between them, wondering why she'd just walk away like that. Magnolia, although not being able to be seen, subtly pointing to the approaching blond.
Julie followed her gestures and whispers, seeing her long-time crush, Nick, with a babyish smile and a fedora that tucked away his blond hair. The Puerto Rican girl's eyes widened, turning back to the Asian girl with a semi-panicked expression on her face. Magnolia urged the girl to turn around, harshly whispering to do so.
"Nick! Look, Flynn. It's Nick." Julie nervously chuckled, pointing at the blond behind her with a point of her thumb. Her best friend gave her a thumbs up, going back to her laptop and spintables. Magnolia perched over Julie's shoulder, making a so-and-so motion as she observed Nick from head-to-toe.
"So, that's Nick. Cute face." Magnolia mused, nodding at the male as he smiled down at the Molina girl. Julie's face reddened at the sight of the blond in a fedora--something Magnolia didn't really get, but respected--waving at him with a shy smile. As she did so, it exposed her tooth gap, something that most people couldn't pull off, but Julie sure did.
Nick seemed quite nice from the looks of him, typically stereotyped as the lovable jock that'll take you to the local diner after one of his games. He practically radiated the "golden boy" energy being the captain of whatever team, polite manners and a pretty average grade in most of his classes.
Magnolia tilted her head, addressing his posture and quirks to understand if he was good enough for Julie.
"Thanks for the introduction." Nick thanked with a teasing grin, making Julie nervously laugh as she scuffed her drawn-on converses against the shiny, laminated floor. Magnolia could tell that she was nervous by the look of her shy smile and the shift of her weight between her left and right leg. It didn't seem that the blond was doing any better with a rosy touch against his pristine and ivory skin, the twinkle in his blue eyes that made the Puerto Rican girl swoon.
"So, you made it." Julie tried, attempting to make conversation with the male with the spirit's eyes darting between the two. It was like following a ball in a tennis match. She couldn't help be slightly embarrassed, seeing the Japanese girl's half-smirk as she listened in.
The Puerto Rican girl had tried to motion with her eyes to get the spirit out of here, but with a wave of her hand, Magnolia decided to stay. She let out a small giggle when Nick had asked her if she had something in her eye, making Julie smile and nod before half-heartedly glaring at the girl, her cheeks flushing.
"Wouldn't miss it." The blond responded, staring down the Molina girl with a fond look in his eyes. Magnolia fanned her face, pretending to swoon, making Julie subtly making a cut-it-out motion. He licked his lips, looking behind him for a brief second as if he were looking for someone before turning away and focussing on the girl in front of him. "The truth is, I can't wait to see you play again. Your song has been stuck in my head for weeks."
Magnolia's eyes narrowed, following his gaze behind the boy before looking back at Julie with a small shrug. Nick resembled a lovesick-puppy, a look of utter awe on his face as the curly-haired girl tried to keep her composure.
"Well, someone should let it out." Julie replied coolly, making both Magnolia's and Nick's faces contort into confusion. The Asian girl was confused to whether or not the human girl had been flirting with him, or not. "I don't know what that meant either."
Luckily, Nick had laughed along with her. There was still a rosy glow to his cheeks, beaming at her as she laughed. The pair regarded each other carefully with dumb smiles prominent on their faces, making the Asian girl coo at the pair. She brushed over to Nick's side, pretending to rest her elbow on his shoulder with a little pout on her face.
"Stop it Julie, you might make him blush." Magnolia commented in a teasing tone, noting on Nick's dopey smile, still being promptly ignored by the human girl. It looked quite painful to smile that much, but it seemed that the boy didn't seem to mind it. His eyes flickered downwards in a shy manner, only to catch a glance at the converses on Julie's feet.
"I like your shoes." Nick complimented her, making Julie pull a face in confusion.
The Molina girl followed his gaze to the floor and onto her feet. The white converses had been doodled on with black ink, different geometric shapes and music-related art could be found on it. Magnolia couldn't but giggle a little bit at the sight of four ghosts, all of them looking different from the last.
"Thanks, I just doodle on them sometimes." Julie bashfully mentioned, looking up from her shoes. The two teens just stared at each other goofily, making Magnolia suddenly feel as though she were third-wheeling the pair. She shifted uncomfortably, removing her arm off of the golden boy's shoulder, just about to stalk off to go bother Flynn before she heard another voice.
"I can't tell if the crowd is getting restless, or bored. Never a good sign." Carrie commented, walking in with a strut as she assessed the crowd. The Wilson girl pursed her lips as Nick's gaze ripped away from Julie's and onto his girlfriend. She sweetly smiled at him before feigning shock at seeing the Molina girl with him. "Oh! Hi, Julie. Got a new bag?"
In the Puerto Rican girl's hand was a spotlight projector, playing the part of hologram projector for whenever herself and the boys played with her. It was roughly the size of a polaroid camera case, the front of the projector prop holding a protective case over the lens with a small handle sitting atop of it.
"Actually, it's my hologram projector. Just did a little upgrade." Julie explained with a strained smile, her ex-best friend obviously pissing her off. The Puerto Rican girl patted the projector lightly, to show she had some pride in her work. Carrie mimicked the smile, crossing her arms over her chest and sassily popping out her hip.
Both Nick and Magnolia looked over at both girls, their tolerance for each other coming down to zero as the Wilson girl continued to taunt the girl. Unlike Nick, the Japanese girl already knew who's side she was on, stepping closer to Julie with narrowed eyes.
She was more of a pacifist more than anything, but she wasn't going to let Carrie drag Julie through the mud.
"Oh, it's so simple. You know, I was expecting something a little more... sophisticated." The leader of Dirty Candy gasped as she tilted her head, a pout falling onto her lips at the sight of the tiny projector in hand. Julie squeezed the projector's handle to keep her cool, tilting her head mockingly.
"It's what on the inside that counts." Julie retorted, the Asian girl by her side rooting for her internally. With a fake smile, Carrie shrugged her feathery, baby blue jacket to her elbows, in a way to assert some dominance over the Puerto Rican girl. The daughter of Trevor Wilson batted her doll-like eyes, feigning innocence as she was reminded by the presence of her boyfriend, who attempted to stop the fight between the two girls.
"Yeah, that's what a lot of people have to tell themselves." The Wilson girl recalled, putting a hand to Nick's shoulder as if to guide him away from her ex-best friend. Magnolia didn't understand what her deal was, but she didn't need to when she knew Julie didn't like her by the way she acted.
"Maybe if she eats some of that glitter on her eyelid, she'll be pretty on the inside, too." The ballet dancer sassed, noting at both the glittery eyeshadow and highlight that marked the girl's skin. The Asian girl narrowed her eyes further into the auburn-hair girl despite being able to be unseen.
"C'mon, Nick." Carrie mused, taking her boyfriend by the arm and dragging him off to the dancefloor. The golden boy took one last glance at the Molina girl, who admittedly look absolutely dejected as he gave her an apologetic smile. Magnolia frowned, wanting nothing more then to comfort the girl.
For now, all she could do was stay with her until the rest of their ghost band decided to show up.
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Minutes had turned into hours, leaving the two girls and Flynn rather anxious on whether or not the three boys they had been waiting on were to arrive. They hated to admit it, no matter how good Flynn was with those spintables, their audience was getting restless. With the hologram band scheduled two hours ago, the students of Los Feliz High School yearned for their music.
Point, Carrie.
Magnolia had to do something, anything. The Molina girl that sat closeby in case the rest of 'Julie and the Phantoms' were to show up, messing around with the tiny light projector prop. She looked absolutely miserable, avoiding all human contact in case they were to ask about the band.
Pulling together one last hat trick, the Doran girl poofed right beside the Julie, criss-crossing her legs. A massive grin was on her face, a small yellow notebook littered in cartoon stickers no bigger than her palm between her fingers.
"Julie!" Magnolia exclaimed, a twinge of excitement and shyness in her tone as she attempted to surprise her friend. The Molina girl jumped slightly, only to relax when she had realized it was only Magnolia.
"Are they here?" Julie asked her eagerly, only for the Japanese girl's smile to slightly fade and shake her head. The Puerto Rican girl nodded back in disappointment, fiddling with the miniature projector once more.
The rhythm guitarist of Julie and the Phantoms sighed, twirling the pocket book between her fingers, her thumb holding the spine to keep her place. Magnolia licked her lips, holding out the book to Julie, who had looked back at her in confusion.
"I found this old treasure back at the loft. It's a poem my mom wrote for my... uh- biological dad." The Japanese girl briefly explained, suddenly getting uncomfortable, which Julie took notice of. Magnolia pushed back her bangs, letting it fall back onto her forehead before pointing at a certain phrase in the book. "It's everything she felt for him."
Julie read it over, the message of the whole poem unbearably sweet. It explained raw emotion, the finest details and held some sort of power to it. It felt almost shameful to read this, like it were a diary. Magnolia's mother's diary. Her lips whispered one specific phrase, looking back at her anxious friend.
After all this time, I'm still into you...
Truth be told that Magnolia's mother had given it to her, in hopes that everything written would help her daughter when she wasn't around, which was often. It wasn't as though her mother had hated her, quite the opposite really, but Magnolia already had a family. One that wanted her in the beginning.
"That's really sweet, Mags, but why are you giving this to me?" Julie inquired, afraid that if she read anymore of Magnolia's mother's personal thoughts, she would be offending the Asian girl in someway. On the other hand, the Doran girl hung her head shyly, fiddling with the aglet of her shoelace with a small shrug.
"I'm not a songwriter, but I thought this would help since the guys aren't here yet. It's a backup." Magnolia whispered, afraid her voice would break. It was a personal poem, something that could be constructed into a song within minutes, but even Julie knew how much this had affected her. If Julie were to perform a song her mother had written, she would've just broken down right then and there.
"Magnolia, I can't take this from you." The Puerto Rican girl refused, holding out the yellow book back out to her, but the spirit shook her head. There was a small smile on her face, pushing the book back for Julie to study, later rehearse.
"Please, just at least perform it with me." The Japanese girl attempted to persuade her, giving the bummed out Molina girl a bigger smile than the one she had worn earlier. Magnolia tried to punch Julie's shoulder playfully, only for her fist to go right through her. She immediately put her fist down in embarrassment. "Julie has at least one Phantom."
The Puerto Rican girl stared at her in awe, the sudden urge to hug the girl and squeal with joy overtaking her, but she had restrained herself from falling through her entirely. The two girls stood up, Julie dusting the top of her pants with her left hand, the pocket book in her right.
"I would hug you if I could." Julie whispered, suppressing the urge to tackle the spirit to the floor despite the girl just being air. Magnolia grinned at her, just as Julie opened the notebook to makeup the tempo and beat for their backup performance for the night.
Julie, of course, was singing lead as Magnolia was relied on for rhythm, lead riffs and backing vocals, their beat and tempo--something the boys were in charge of--being generated from Flynn's soundboard. Going over the lyrics once for the Puerto Rican girl to catch up, Magnolia stepped away as she felt a burning sensation in the place where her heart was.
"Practice, I already memorized it." The Asian girl muttered, feeling tears pricking her eyes at the familiar set of lyrics. Her voice was steady, not giving in to her slight moment of weakness as Julie looked over at her questionably. Magnolia cleared her throat, pointing in the opposite direction with the jut of her thumb. "I'll grab Luke's guitar, then we'll be good to go!"
Magnolia left her prized possession in Julie's hands, ready to teleport back to Julie's garage to grab one of Luke's electrical guitars. For someone who had messy handwriting, he seemed to be rather neat when it came down to his instruments. She wouldn't be surprised to find them rither colour-coded and alphabetized, or something.
"Why not yours?" The Molina girl asked, quite smugly as soon as she saw the pink-dusting over the Japanese girl's cheeks. She gave her a shy and timid smile, scuffing her black converses against laminated wood floors as the truth left her lips.
"I don't know how to tune a guitar." Magnolia confessed, though some part of her glad she had messed with the pegs of her own electric guitar. Although she didn't want to admit it aloud, it was nice to have Luke around to cheer her up during performances, and to carry around one of his guitars was like he was there in some weird way. Julie laughed at her, ushering her away so they'd be ready in five minutes, or so.
Julie and her One Phantom had a crowd to please.
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The moment Magnolia had poofed onto the stage was when Julie was trying to get Nick's attention, waving her arms around to stop said boy to announcing to the crowd about her projector. She didn't know if he was stubborn or unobservant, clearly missing the obvious signs of the Molina girl were displaying.
It took a few seconds to find Magnolia on stage, her spiritual body blocked by Flynn's physical one, making the girl bend at her torso to wave hello to the Molina girl, who was staying behind the curtain. The ballet dancer happily smiled at her, making an 'okay 'sign by connecting her thumb and index by the tips of her fingers.
She watched as Julie physically relaxed, utterly relieved that the spirit had made it just in time with Luke's black electric guitar in her arms and amp by her side. The biggest smile came onto her face as she waved back, cautiously making her way onto the center of the stage and taking the microphone from Nick. He practically beamed in her direction, putting down the projection prop at the front of the stage with a small thumbs up.
Flynn regarded her best friend from behind her DJ setup, silently asking her if she was seriously considering to play. With a curt nod, Julie greeted the crowd an awkward smile with a tiny wave.
"Uh- hi." Julie greeted, making the students of Los Feliz High School chuckle at the sophomore's uneasiness with the attention on her. It was pretty obvious, her two attitudes from real life Julie Molina to Superstar Julie contrasting greatly. "So, here's the thing, even though we got the machine to work, thanks to, Nick."
The audience cheered on the blond, praising him as said blond brushed them off, humbly telling the crowd it wasn't a big deal, at all. They turned back to the Puerto Rican, the girl clearing her throat and pulling at the collar of her tie-dye crop top layered under a mesh top.
"I can't seem to link up with the guys. Wifi, am I right?" Julie exclaimed, the students chuckling in unison as if she said a funny joke. Her eyes briefly flickering over to the Asian girl in the far corner of the stage, the ballet dancer tripping over the wire that connected to her amp. Magnolia gave her a reassuring thumbs up, ready to go when she was. "So, uh- tonight's going to look a little different."
The crowd had hollered, the name 'Julie and the Phantoms' slipping from their lips as adrenaline filled through the two girls' veins. Flynn nodded at her best friend, a smile finding its way onto her lips as she tapped onto her computer, an automated beat made from drums and whatever sound effect the fashionable teen sought best. Magnolia prepped herself near the mic, ready to sing her heart out.
"Can't count the years on one hand that we've been together. I need the other one to hold you. Make you feel, make you feel better. It's not a walk in the park to love each other, but when our fingers interlock, can't deny, can't deny, you're the worth it."
Julie sang, the sound of the automated drums coming in with the light sprinkle of sound effects. The sound of Luke's electric guitar in Magnolia's hands rang through the gymnasium, a steady beat as her voice echoed through, not quite making herself seen, but heard.
"'Cause after all this time, I'm still into you. I should be over all the butterflies but I'm into you, I'm into you. And even baby our worst nights, I'm into you, I'm into you. Let 'em wonder how we got this far, 'cause I don't really need to wonder at all. Yeah, after all this time, I'm still into you."
With a small smirk, Magnolia's white light flashed, the spirit jumping onto the scene as soon as the chorus hit. Her lips barely touched the mic set in front of her, acting as the Molina girl's backing vocals. The crowd held a mixed reaction, gasping or squealing at the sight of one of the attending hologram members.
The Asian girl's fingers danced along the neck of the electric guitar, creating her own little solo, making the audience scream. She couldn't help but grin, electricity coursing through her as she built up the confidence to wink at one of Nick's friends, leaving him stunned.
"Recount the night that I first met your mother, and on the drive back to my house I told you that, I told you that I loved ya. You felt the weight of the world fall off the shoulder, and to your favourite song we sang along, to the start of forever. And after all this time, I'm still into you."
Julie couldn't help but look over at Nick, dancing and bobbing his head along to the sound. She felt a smile overcome her pretty features as he cheered her on, despite the entire band not at her side at the moment. She sneaked a peek at the Doran girl rocking out on the other side of the stage, having her own rockstar moment as she bounced around, whispering into the mic.
Magnolia sent her a wink as soon as she caught sight of Nick staring at her. The Molina girl walked over to the rhythm guitarist, sharing her mic with her as they sang the chorus. Every now-and-then, Magnolia would look down at Luke's guitar, changing chords.
"I should be over all the butterflies but I'm into you, I'm into you. And even baby our worst nights, I'm into you, I'm into you. Let 'em wonder how we got this far, 'cause I don't really need to wonder at all. Yeah, after all this time, I'm still into you."
Both girls had broken off of each other, Julie giving the crowd some attention whilst jumping around, feeling the music they were creating through her soul. Magnolia retreated over to her mic, seeing Flynn in the corner of her eye cheering and dancing along with her ear occupied by the track. The Asian girl grinned at her making the dark-skinned girl wave at her.
There was small instrumental, the beat leading the physical bodies of Los Feliz High School into a frenzy of jumping or dancing, the combination of the two making a grin break out on Magnolia's face. In this very moment, she didn't feel insecure about not having to be good at something.
She felt alive just playing.
"Some things just, some things just make sense, and one of those is you and I. Some things just, some things just make sense, and even after all this time."
The beat slowed down after the two girls harmonized, Julie giving her a curt nod with a massive smile to start on the slowed bit. Magnolia felt her heart jump to her throat, her eyes trained on the crowd before her, all enjoying the one song that meant the absolute world to her.
So, from there, she pretended she was singing for her mom. Magnolia closed her eyes, feeling the vibrations against the soles of her feet and the drumming against her eardrums. With a small, tentative lick of her lips, she neared the microphone, her voice filling the room.
"I'm into you. Baby, not a day goes by that I'm not into you."
Magnolia's voice was a lot softer than Julie's, full of raw emotion, sounding absolutely ethereal. It seemed to pair off well with the heavy rhythm and her light tone. Despite the airiness that left the gymnasium breathless, Julie and Flynn's jaws dropped at the sound of Magnolia practically hitting the higher notes as she shouted into the mic.
It fit perfectly, the raspiness of her throat as she did so complimented their sound. Julie couldn't help but bubble in joy, jumping around the girl as they sang the last verse together. The crowd had gasped, watching the Molina girl go through the Doran girl.
"I should be over all the butterflies but I'm into you, I'm into you. And even baby our worst nights, I'm into you, I'm into you. Let 'em wonder how we got this far, 'cause I don't really need to wonder at all. Yeah, after all this time, I'm still into you. I'm still into you. I'm still into you."
Their voices rang out as soon as the song ended, Julie throwing Magnolia one last look before the spirit disappeared from view. The students of Los Feliz High School gasped as they cheered and cried out, 'Julie and the Phantoms' being chanted from their mouths. The Japanese girl appeared behind the curtain, her amp and Luke's guitar no longer with her as Julie bashfully bowed in front of the crowd.
"That might've not been the show we were expecting, but they still rocked the party! Give it up for Julie and Maggie!" Flynn hollered in Julie's mic, making the audience go crazy, all calling out the two girls' names. The two girls embraced each other tightly, taking their time to get backstage to the cheering Doran girl.
The dark-skinned teen was spewing out compliments on the entire performance, noting how they still rocked the stage without the boys being present. The Molina girl squealed, jumping up and down, having both girls do the same. Flynn claimed that she still had a job to do, leaving the two girls to relinquish in their victory.
"You're a lifesaver." Julie gushed, pulling out the yellow pocketbook from one of the pockets from her cargo pants. Magnolia took it back with a massive smile, pocketing the book into her coat pocket. The Molina girl beamed at her, the adrenaline still rushing through her. "Your mom's a great songwriter."
The Japanese girl licked her lips, a small smile playing on her lips as she nodded, her thoughts returning to her mother. Magnolia absentmindedly smiled at the few memories she had of her.
"Yeah, she is. I guess I should thank her for this one." The Asian girl expressed, her hand subconsciously slipping back into her pocket to feel the worn out pages of the pocketbook. Julie noticed the distant look in her eyes, making her smile dim slightly as she looked over her friend in concern.
"You okay?" The Puerto Rican girl whispered, reaching out her hand to lay a hand on the closed-off spirit, only for her fingers to phase through entirely. "Sorry, I forgot."
Magnolia held a pained expression, smiling slightly as she nodded.
"Can we just talk about this later?" The rhythm guitarist asked, the tears that burned her eyes staying behind her eyelids. She blinked, looking up at the ceiling to get rid of them. Julie looked at her quite shocked seeing her glassy eyes, watching as Magnolia practiced this technique, as if she's done it hundreds of times before. "I don't think I'm up for talking about my biological family after rocking the roof off this place."
Magnolia gave the Puerto Rican girl a grim smile, the two standing side-by-side as the crowd was puppeteered by another song that blared through the speakers.
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Apparently, their massive win today wasn't enough to persuade the student population.
To say that Carrie was pissed off was an understatement, she was practically red with anger by the time she had stalked up the stage with a mic in hand. She had told everyone that the whole show was practically a rip-off, the entire band not even being here and having Flynn practically carry their whole performance. She had explained to everyone that Magnolia's presence alone wasn't exactly good enough--which hurt her feelings, mind you--and they shouldn't suffice for one Phantom when promised all four.
That, and she invited everyone back to her house for a party.
Of course, that got everyone on the move, leaving Julie, Flynn and Magnolia behind. Carrie smugly smirked over her shoulder, tossing her auburn hair over her shoulder and strutting off with Nick's hand in her own.
The three girls were absolutely dejecting, finding shelter underneath the balloon archway. Both Flynn and Julie unhooked their earrings, using the pointed end to pop them with sad frowns on their faces. With every pop, Magnolia flinched as she laid in a starfish position, her limbs sprawled out as different coloured lights danced on the inside of her eyelids.
"That's what we get for depending on boys." Flynn sassed, popping another balloon with the pointy bit of her earring. Magnolia pointed at her, something the human girl couldn't see.
Pop.
"I'd preach to that." The Asian girl announced before dropping her arm over her eyes. A sigh left her lips, her high on adrenaline coming to a close at the thought of Luke and their broken promise. A frown found itself onto her pretty features. "Especially, teenage ghost boys."
It might've been some kiddy promise, but it still felt as though he still let her down. Like she was being kicked to the curb all over again.
"I don't know if I should be mad, or worried." Julie sighed, popping another balloon with her earring. She sucked in her cheeks, the boys plaguing her mind as she continued to worry about them. She knew they meant well, they both did, but it just felt worst not knowing what kind of trouble they could get into. "They're ghosts, I don't know what kind of trouble they can get into."
Pop.
"You'd be surprised." Magnolia countered, her thoughts wandering to her own mischievous actions before encountering the band. It was a risky game, just as it was back in the living world. Someone would always be watching you, that alone made her shudder. "I can't believe that they'd just ditch us like that."
Flynn had noticed the grim expression on her best friend's face as she responded to the empty space next to her. The girls were absolutely deflated despite their amazing performance, what would've made it spectacular was to have the three boys they've grown to love by their side.
"I'm getting us some ice cream from the cafeteria. Fools gave me the key." Flynn exclaimed with a wicked grin, dangling the key for the Molina girl to see. Julie giggled as the dark-skinned girl stood up onto her feet, smiling down at her best friend sadly.
"Ugh, I miss ice cream." Magnolia whined, sitting up with a pout on her lips that made the Puerto Rican girl laugh and repeat what the Asian girl had said. Flynn softly laughed with a small shake of her head, commenting that she could get ice cream once she gets back to the world of the living.
The fashionable teen sucked in her cheeks, offering both girls to come join her back at her house to "forget about this whole nightmare" before skipping off to the cafeteria. Once the human girl had left, Julie glanced over at the deflated girl.
Admittedly, Magnolia was still upset over the whole Luke-promise thing, but kept her lips shut from voicing her thoughts.
"What do you say, Maggie? You up for it?" Julie offered, wanting the Asian girl to come with her. The two were beyond upset, neither parties wanting to part with their despair just yet, but Flynn seemed adamant on making sure both girls were okay, cheering them up until they couldn't remember why they'd be upset in the first place.
Magnolia Grace grimanced, the tone of her voice reminding her of a certain brunet.
"You sound like Luke trying to convince me into his bad ideas." Magnolia groaned, stretching her arms over her head. She gave Julie a small look with a shrug, happy that both girls considered her to join them, but she felt as though she should stay behind this time. She didn't want to give the Puerto Rican girl a hard time. "I'll stay here, maybe go out and mope around for a little bit."
Despite the understanding look the Molina girl gave her, she couldn't help but think back to how reserved Magnolia seemed to be over her song, mostly about her parents. At first, she didn't know what to say, nonetheless wanting to learn more about the girl, until the words were formulating in her head to test out to see the Asian girl's reaction.
"Your biological parents..." Julie tested, watching the girl remain rooted to her spot on the gym floor, unfazed. It was like she had this conversation before, which made the Puerto Rican girl hesitate. Magnolia looked at her, wanting her to continue. "Do you see them?"
It wasn't like she didn't care about her biological family, but rather the opposite. The Japanese girl would see how they were doing on some days, hang around for a couple of hours at a time before leaving to go back to her lonely hospital room. Magnolia pursed her lips at the question, unbothered by it as Julie surveyed the spirit, carefully observing her.
"Sometimes, I mean I can go wherever I want without being seen." Magnolia answered plainly, licking her lips as she thought over her answer more cautiously, she met Julie's eyes. They were full of remorse for the girl at how unlively she sounded, something that contrasted greatly with her bubbly personality. She pressed her lips into a thin line, knowing she trusted only Julie with the sort of information that she guarded with her heart.
"I was always afraid to ask my dads about them, I was afraid they would think they weren't good enough for me." The Japanese girl added, tapping her index finger rhythmically against her knee. She picked at a loose thread on her jeans, paying no mind to the teenager beside her.
"You have every right to know." Julie whispered, watching as the Asian girl's lips curved upwards for just a second. If she had blinked, she probably would've missed it as she could see Magnolia physically relax, the walls she had built around herself coming down as her story came out.
It was like one big picture, a look into who Magnolia Grace really was. It was refreshing to finally be comfortable, but it didn't stop the tsunami of emotions that the spirit had held back for years.
"Yeah, I know. It's just, I was always scared of Andrew. My biological dad." The Japanese girl muttered, her palm cupping her own jaw as she stared at the laminated floor in thought. She tried to find the right words to put her perfectionistic father in, no cookie cutter mould exactly fitting him. "He's nuts, he... he's not a good person. Andrew always puts this kinda pressure on my mom and my brother, 'we always have to be the best. Show no weakness.' All that kinda stuff."
Magnolia hated how alike her and Andrew were, despite being his daughter by blood. Both being perfectionistic and only strived in whatever they believed they were good at, it made them feel special in that way. She was always afraid she'll end up like, be him and be his mirror.
Julie frowned as her eyes widened, watching the spirit anxiously pick at the thread on her jeans. Her leg bounced as she avoided the Puerto Rican girl's gaze. Magnolia never enjoyed feeling pitied, especially to people she decided to open up to.
"How did you even end up in the adoption system?" The curly-haired girl blurted, only to stutter as she tried to brush off her abrasiveness. She apologized, telling the spirit that she didn't have to feel obligated to tell her. Magnolia shook her head, a small smile on her lips as she told her that her situation was something she overcame.
Lies.
"It's cool. It's uh- just, my mom was young when she had me, and she wasn't ready to have a baby, yet." Magnolia shrugged as if it weren't a big deal, making Julie frown. The glimpse of what the Japanese girl had been housing toppling over as she went into more detail. The ballet dancer laughed breathily, her shoulder shaking and big drops of tears met at the corner of her eyes. "She had dreams to achieve, she wanted to help people, and she couldn't do that with a baby. They're a lot of work."
All Julie could do was keep silent, watching the Asian girl bitterly wipe her tears away as her voice gave away and cracked. Everytime it did, Magnolia would start her sentence from the very start, as if trying to keep them effortlessly perfect. It pained her, watching her friend struggle without being able to assure her with touch or comfort.
"Andrew made her give me away so they could focus on their careers. My dads would tell me how pissed he was at my mom for even thinking about keeping me. My mom, Gracie, she always had a good moral compass, so she kept me." The rhythm guitarist started, her eyes narrowing as her leg continued to bounce. She was deep in thought as if she was trying to recover her own past from the deepest depths of her mind. "She handpicked my dads. They were two guys who just came out, finishing college with good credit and wanting a family."
Magnolia looked back at Julie, a small smile on her face, making the Molina girl's heart crack. Despite the tears in her eyes and dishevelled clothes from her constant fiddling, there was still a certain beauty to her. There was no effort or gracefulness to her, the dam she built over her emotions cracking and pouring out into her heart.
The clothes and smile she wore on the daily was her armour, protecting her own skin from the exposure of negativities and hateful comments.
"My papa would tell me how he was so grateful he helped my mom through her pregnancy, especially after she found out at their FRAT party." Magnolia Grace reminiscenced, remembering the stories her adoptive parents would tell her about Gracie. She remembered one of the last time she saw her before her adoption became official, her dads, her mom and herself seated in a stuffy room. She remembered the pens signing on paper, her dads giving her a second name in honor of her mother.
She remembered Gracie kissing her goodbye, telling her that she'd come back. Magnolia could remember the day she stopped calling herself a 'Nakamura'.
Julie scooted closer to the heartbroken girl, offering her the softest smile she could muster as her own tears hid behind her lashes.
"Your mom sounds like a riot." The curly-haired girl laughed through her tears, Magnolia doing the same as she threw back her head. Julie shook her head in slight disbelief, her mother sounded the exact opposite of her father. She looked at the spirit with a look of bewilderment. "What did she even see in your dad? He sounds awful."
Magnolia scoffed, odding along with her with her own look bewilderment. Despite having somewhat of a relationship with her mother, she still didn't understand how someone as uptight at Andrew ended up with someone as bubbly as her mother.
"I've been wondering the same thing! I mean, back then, she flirted with three guys a week, max." Magnolia gossiped, making Julie's jaw drop. She giggled, feeling like a little kid again as she went back into time, remembering meeting her mother once more at the age of nine. The talks they would have would revolve around her biological father--always in secret, though, since Magnolia learned at a young age to watch what she had to say--and how he landed a marriage with her. "But, when I asked her, she said she thought she was pretty boring, so she looked for a guy who was exciting, and I guess, at the time it was Andrew."
Magnolia sucked in her cheeks, unable to explain what her mother saw in him. Julie waited patiently, observing the Japanese girl with a tentative posture. She tried to think about the little pocketbook that sat in her pocket, memorizing every little detail her mother had written about him.
"What attracted her to him was that he was predictable, but unpredictable at the same time, that's what made it so exciting." Magnolia confessed, a glint in her tawny-eyes that remained unreadable to the Molina girl. She barely had a ghost of a smile on her lips as she talked about her father, a major contrast in her feeling for both parents. "She said he was kind, compassionate in what he did, he made her laugh. My mom's a big fan of people who made her laugh."
Gracie's smile was always beautiful, her laugh sounding like twinkling bells on Christmas morning. Anyone would've been considered themselves lucky to make Gracie Kimura-Nakamura laugh, since she rarely found things funny.
Magnolia's mother was a beautiful person, period. She could only hope that she had gotten that from her mother's genetics.
"Sounds like somebody I know." Julie mused, teetering back-and-forth with a small smile on her lips. Magnolia hummed with her own smile, only to dim slightly as the sad reality set in to know the monster that wore Andrew's face. That reality was that people change, whether you like it, or not.
"What was your mom like? Did she, like, skydive every Sunday?" The rhythm guitarist asked, a joking tone laced into it as Julie laughed at her idea of her mother. To be fairly honest, the Puerto Rican girl looked a lot better than she did when Magnolia had first encountered her. That Julie hid behind her grief, afraid to show the other side of her to the world that was shadowed away as soon as her mother passed.
This Julie loved playing the piano, singing and dancing her heart out whenever she pleased. Magnolia liked to think that their presence as a band made this side of Julie blossom, like she could feel like herself again.
"No, not anything like that." Julie dismissed, a fond smile on her lips at the thought of her mother. There was a glint of sadness behind her eyes, making Magnolia want to hold her. She couldn't just energize her fingertips, the physics of ghosting didn't let her. All she did was just watch as Julie lost herself in her thoughts. "She loved music, she was the reason I got into it in the first place, but when she died..."
Julie inhaled, throwing the Doran girl a watery smile as she found the courage within herself to continue.
"I guess I thought I lost that part of myself forever. And then, I got it back again. I can tell you, it has never felt better than it does now." The Puerto Rican girl laughed, inhaling softly as she thought back to her early years with her mother before she got sick, before she was taken away from their family. Julie looked back at her hands with a sweet smile on her face. "She taught me to play the piano, she used to write songs with me and bring me to watch these telenovelas in secret. She'd watch them ahead so she could avoid my dad talking through them."
Magnolia could see how hard she was trying to keep everything to herself, finding it easier to relate with the human girl. They both seemed to avoid the topics like the Black Plague, the two girls found it comfortable to talk about their own troubles with one another. It was as if no one else would understand their own pains.
"You're a lot like her. Minus the telenovela thing, I haven't seen you even approach your TV." Magnolia joked lightly, wanting to lighten the Molina girl dimmed mood. She couldn't imagine it... no, she didn't want to. Sure, she had a steady relationship with her mom and was able to see her every now-and-then, but losing someone important like her? God... "I'm sorry that you lost her, she sounds like an amazing person to be around."
Julie seemed to appreciate her sympathy, wiping her tear-stained cheeks with the back of her hand. She nodded with a watery smile on her lips as she looked back at her.
"She is. She would've liked you, too." Julie told her, making the Doran girl's heart swell. The lead singer of the band fiddled with the stray earring in her hand, making a so-and-so motion with her head before beginning to put it back in. "I mean, Flynn and my mom hit it right off the bat. From there, Flynn just become my best friend for life."
Magnolia smiled, knowing Flynn would've appreciated the backstory moment. She had no doubt in her mind that the dark-skinned girl was giving both girls time to vent, or she didn't know where the ice cream was. The Asian girl opted the first option.
"Trust me when I say this, Jules." Magnolia started, turning her body to look the girl right in the eyes. She wanted to make sure the Molina girl could capture the genuine sincerity in her tawny-eyes. "Your mom would be really proud of you."
Julie's eyes widened before softening, a small laugh leaving her lips. Both girls let out a scream, their sentimental moment passing just as fast it came as a balloon popped from the button on Julie's cargo pants. The two giggled, their tears dry on their faces as joy filled the somber gymnasium.
"Maybe when Alex comes back, I'll ask him for a hug. Luke's out of the question, I'm still upset with him and Reggie makes it weird." Magnolia planned out, explaining how the blond had been practically begging for one. Julie laughed, agreeing and telling her how the drummer had been in tears for the past twenty-five years. They both knew Alex would deny it the moment they'd bring it up.
"I wish there was more I could do. Like, give you a hug, or something." Julie confessed, making the Japanese girl give her her own watery smile with a small shrug. She tapped her chin in thought mockingly before snapping her fingers, as if the idea had come to her in the moment.
"Give those boys hell for me." Magnolia decided, a small smile growing on her lips. She stretched her arms over her head before resting them behind her, leaning back on her palms. "Don't tell them, but I think I'm gonna visit Ethan tonight."
Julie furrowed her brows, checking the time through the gymnasium scoreboard, her eyes meeting the red, blocky numbers. It was just a couple minutes minutes before midnight, which meant whoever Magnolia was going to see tonight was probably sleeping, or at Carrie's party.
"At this hour? Ethan's probably asleep." Julie mused, making Magnolia remark with how Ethan was a night owl. She didn't understand how the hell he seemed to function throughout the day. Repeating the Japanese girl's own words over in her head, the curly-haired girl pulled a face. "Who is Ethan?"
Magnolia laughed as she waved her off.
"Ethan Nakamura, my brother. I think he goes to this school." Magnolia cleared up, Julie's face contorting into realization to who she was talking about. Sure, Ethan Nakamura had been a hot topic freshmen year, especially since there was a rumour going on that he almost lost his sister. It was justified how most people didn't make the connection with the two completely different last names. "I'm just gonna go see him. Are you gonna be okay if I leave you here?"
Julie waved her off, ushering to go as Magnolia stood up. She looked down at the Molina girl in slight worry, but she brushed it off.
"I'll see you back at my garage." Julie waved goodbye just as Magnolia beamed at her, poofing away to the Nakamura household after telling her take care, making sure to tell her to check on Flynn.
Tonight, it felt like the two girls were getting closer. They understood each other on a level most people didn't, which meant something to both of them.
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𝗹𝘂𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘃
The Hollywood Ghost Club was the type of place that felt like a time-warp, where time seemed to cease to exist. It was place where both lifers and ghosts alike could mingle and interact, the living sworn to secrecy of the secrets of the afterlife. Admittedly, the place was absolutely insane. It tested the boundaries of the ghost world and pushed past them, made the world seem like it was just black and white.
If only if it were that simple.
The three remaining members of Sunset Curve were in a rush, their time at the Hollywood Ghost Club hosted by the infamous and dead magician, Caleb Covington, lasted longer than it was intended. It was just supposed to be an hour, one measly little hour to get their answers to get back at Trevor Wilson; the man that lived out their dreams.
They had every right to be pissed, right? To be beyond pissed, the man had made a profit of what they were supposed to do as a team, as a band. Robert Wilson--now going by Trevor--was a thief, an insubordinate little cockroach. He was their friend, so their anger was justified, right?
Unfortunately for the trio, the hour they had promised to spend at Caleb's little club had turned into three, thus hitting the peak of midnight, missing their promised gig at Julie's school dance.
God, what was Magnolia going to say?
The Asian girl had made the guitarist promise that they were to show up, to not become so obsessed with this idea of revenge on their former friend. Luke promised her, he pinky promised. It may had been some little kid promise, but it meant something to her.
Maggie was there to rain havoc at Trevor's house with them, so she'd understand why their mindset on getting back at him was important...
Right?
"Julie, we're ready to rock this dance!" Reggie announced, his two other bandmates in tow as they approached the lonesome Puerto Rican girl, mindlessly popping balloons with a bobby pin. The bassist paused, noticing the empty gymnasium. "Which is clearly, over."
The three paused, giving the Molina girl some space as she stood up from her spot underneath the balloon arch way and slowly made her way to them. Her hands were shoved into her pockets, analyzing the three boys with a look of expectancy on her face.
"Look... we are so, so sorry that we bailed on you." Alex apologized, taking a small step forward, making Julie's lips press into a thin line. Her eyes looking over the other two boys in the room, awaiting their apologies and excuses to blubber out of their mouths.
"Yeah, I mean, the night really got away from us." Luke briefly explained, his hazel-eyes flickering around the empty gymnasium in hopes to catch a pair of almond-shaped eyes staring at him, maybe in disappointment, or anger.
God, he would've been crushed to see that look of disappointment in Maggie's eyes, knowing exactly what he had promised.
He half-expected the spirit to float around the room, or lie on the ground in a starfish position, but she was gone. The ballet dancer he had grown accustomed to was nowhere to be found, the room a lot less lively and dimmer than the strobe lights that flashed a few colours at a time.
"And the twins." Reggie added to the brunet's explanation, only to get smacked in the arm by the blond drummer beside him. That part of their night obviously wasn't supposed to be mentioned to their curly-haired friend before them, who had crossed her arms.
"Where's Maggie? She said she'd be with you." Luke asked, his search for the girl coming to a close as he regarded Julie with a questioning look. His face was curious, a look that was so similar to a little puppy's. Julie shifted under his gaze, biting her tongue to keep her promise to her friend.
After Magnolia had explained her homing situation to Julie--something the Puerto Rican girl had seen to be something really personal to her--it made the girls a lot closer, especially since Julie's One Phantom had showed up to the gig. It gave Julie a lot more understanding to why Magnolia was the way she was, so laid back and seemingly care about little-to-nothing, but in reality, she cared... a lot.
"I don't know." Julie lied through her teeth, something boys didn't bother to notice. Luke deflated slightly, but nodded at her words. The Puerto Rican girl inhaled softly, looking at the trio with big, hopeful eyes. "Please, just tell me that this had nothing to do with getting back at Carrie's dad."
The remaining members of Sunset Curve exchanged quick glanes, all blubbering excuses and denial just as Julie thought they would. If they were planning on ditching her, couldn't they just be honest? The anger in Julie's body practically radiated off of her, the pent-up aggression she had to go through when they boys were one, two, three hours late.
"Seriously, you're lying to me?" Julie growled, rolling her eyes in disbelief at them. The three kept their mouths shut just as the curly-haired girl were to brush past them and towards the exit of the gymnasium. She hadn't even been a foot away, her jaw clenched before Alex called back out to her.
"Okay, look. It was something we needed to do." The blue-eyed boy responded, hoping that their miniature explanation would be enough to get the Molina girl back onto their side, but she promptly ignored them.
"But, we'll do whatever it takes. We'll play the next school-" Luke began, only to have Julie turn on her heel, eyebrows furrowed and nostrils flared. The guitarist had backed up slightly, Reggie and Alex following as Julie strided toward them, her words dripping in poison.
"What? Another dance where you can bail on me and make me look like a fool?" Julie seethed, a bitter laugh leaving her lips. The boys had never seen her so angry before, not when they were in her room, or even snooping through her things. She was terrifying. "You know, I am so lucky that Magnolia was here tonight. She didn't have to, but she gave me this insanely personal song for us to perform so I could at least show my face around here again."
Luke's heart jumped and sank at the sound of Maggie's name leaving the Molina girl's lips. It stung. His face fell, hearing Julie continue to lecture the three boys on how Maggie was there for her, doing everything he knew he promised her by herself.
"Do you guys even know what she sacrificed for me tonight? She didn't have to join this band, she didn't have to give me her song, either. Honestly, I'm surprised that she isn't even back in her body with what she's done for me. For us. She did it because that's what bands do. That's what friends do to each other." Julie stepped forward, her finger jabbing at air, unable to lay a single hand on any of them. The Molina girl shook her head in disbelief, letting on her ramble a lot longer than she had intended to, but to see their guilty expressions on their faces felt worth the trouble. "You guys knew how tough it's been for me, and yet you still do this."
Luke, Reggie and Alex stared at her guiltily, the unbearable feeling filling up the space where their beating hearts would have been. They couldn't even look at her, all three boys avoiding eye contact with the Molina girl, the action making her scoff as they ran out of ways to defend themselves.
"This was a mistake." Julie muttered, pushing back her hair with a twinge of anger. She looked over at the boys with glossy eyes, something the trio couldn't see from the flashing lights behind her. All three looked up, hoping to meet her eyes, only to shrink down as soon as her glare set in on their spiritual bodies.
"You mean the school dance, right?" Luke guessed, hoping that there would be another chance to prove themselves to not only her, but Maggie, too. The brunet knew he had to face her eventually--that's if he could find her--and apologize for his own forgetfulness, but after Julie's reaction, he made up his mind there would absolutely no hope.
Julie scoffed at his naive behaviour, making the three boys flinch at the harshness of her tone. She was giving them the cold shoulder, the same way she did when they had encountered each other in the first place.
"No, I mean joining a band with you guys." The Puerto Rican girl corrected, her icy glare leaving a chill to run through the boys' souls. With one last look of resentment, the Molina girl sprinted past the three boys, the trio giving her space to do so with remorse hidden behind their eyes. They knew they screwed up bad, but they didn't think they would break up their band.
The light in their eyes dimmed, utterly deflated by the fact their lead singer quit the band they had built together. Their sound was good, beyond good. It was spectacular. So, why did they have to ruin it for some dead magician who didn't give them any answers in the end?
Luke frowned deeply, the anger that once coursed through his veins, dissipating. He didn't know where to go, he felt lost. There was some hope inside him that branched out to the thought of Maggie understanding their reason, accepting their apology. That's where his head was headed, what his thoughts swerved around as the three stood there in silence.
It didn't last long, though. Just seconds after Julie left them in the dust was when electricity was igniting every muscle and atom through their bodies, a powerful jolt that sent the boys groaning in agony. It felt like heartburn, but the notch was broken off on the ten setting. The deceased members of Sunset Curve clutched at their chest, the jolts sending them stumbling over their own two feet.
"What was that?" Alex gasped, the wind being knocked out of him. It felt as though someone had punched his gut, leaving him breathless and confused. The pain had faded away as quickly as it came, it was as if the feeling didn't exist at all.
"It felt like we were dying all over again." Reggie complained, rubbing his chest from the painful sting. The trio looked over each in worry, Luke touching his own chest as if he could still feel the lingering pain.
The brunet swallowed harshly to catch his own breath.
"How can we die if we're already dead?" Luke wondered, his bandmates looking just as curious as he did. The lingering pains in their chests lasted minutes, the weight being lifted from their chests to give them a few minutes to truly feel their own breath.
What the hell is going on?
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word count: 10867
spain but without the s :)) y'all i have lots ideas for maggie's story and stuff, and i CANNOT promise you that there will not be anymore chapters like this. i hope you guys liked it, and i tried to hold myself back on luke and maggie content (but i honestly can't because they're my bAbiES). chile, anyway so-
i hope you guess liked the chapter. please leave a comment and vote, feedback really is appreciated! LOVE YOU OKAY SEE YOU NEXT TIME <33