[1.8]
"i was so focused on you taking your brother's place in the band that i forgot that we don't have the same dreams"
"Ow!"
Bobby, who had just come home from a friend's house, paused when he heard cursing coming from the back yard. Then he heard the sound of something crashing into the trash can. The eleven-year-old ran around the side of the house to investigate.
Mickey was the one making all the noise. She was sitting on the concrete and glaring at her feet. The trash can was knocked over next to her, but she paid it no mind. There was a scrape on her knee from falling over.
"Mick, what happened?" he asked, going to her side. She didn't take his hand, which he had offered to help her up with. Frustrated tears started to fall from her eyes, which worried him even more. "Hey, c'mon. Tell me what's wrong."
Mickey sighed and put her head in her hands, digging her palms into her eyes to try and stop crying. "It's stupid."
Bobby took a seat next to her on the concrete. "Not if you're crying."
She sighed again before answering. "W - we got our first pointe shoes in class today." Bobby looked at the pink shoes on Mickey's feet, though he wasn't sure how those differed from her regular ballet slippers. "And Mrs. Moseby had us all try going up en pointe for the first time and I fell right over. And of course, Moira Richardson did it perfectly and then got everyone to laugh at me."
"Oh, Mickey, I'm sorry," he said. Bobby rubbed her shoulder to try and comfort her a little.
Mickey wiped under her nose. "A - and I thought I'd come out here and try it again without anyone watching me, but I keep falling over. I suck, Bobs."
"Hey, you don't suck. You're a great dancer. This is just something you're not used to yet. All you've gotta do is practice some more," Bobby told her. "Yeah, you might fall over, but you just gotta get back up and do it again."
"But Moira could do it on the first—"
"I don't give a shit about what Moira can or can't do," Bobby said, scoffing.
"Mom said we're not allowed to say bad words," Mickey mumbled.
He chuckled, shaking his head. "What Mom doesn't know, won't hurt her. Now, come on." Bobby jumped to his feet and offered a hand down to Mickey, which she eyed reluctantly.
"What?"
"I am going to stand out here with you and help hold you up so you don't fall over," he explained. "We'll keep doing it until you're used to the new shoes. Then you can go to class tomorrow and rub it in Moira's face."
Mickey smiled appreciatively up at him before taking his hand. Bobby helped her stand and then he kept a strong grip on her arms.
"Now get on those toes."
She grabbed his shoulders and slowly went en pointe. She grimaced from the uncomfortable feeling and her ankles kept wobbling, but her brother kept her upright.
"Thanks, Bubba."
"Anything for you, Mickey Mouse."
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The four ghosts had been in a rather sour mood after learning the truth from Willie. They had moped around the studio for the rest of the night. The next day, Mickey didn't even want to leave the couch, so she didn't. She stayed curled up in Reggie's lap, who held her tightly. They didn't really talk much. They didn't need to. They just wanted to hold each other, like they had so many times when they were alive.
Alex sat at his drum set, not playing and simply twirling a drumstick between his fingers in boredom. He was torn — part of him wanted to see Willie, but the other part hadn't forgiven him. As for Luke, he finally took a break from talking to Julie and made his way back to the studio.
"Alex. Reggie," he greeted, immediately going over to his guitar. Mickey rolled her eyes as Luke purposefully didn't greet her. Then she scoffed, which made Luke narrow his eyes at her.
"Really?" she asked in a flat tone. "That's how you're gonna be?"
"Well, how else should I react when one of my closest friends betrayed me?" he asked, crossing his arms.
"I did not betray you," she said. Reggie released his hold on her as she sat up on the couch to look at Luke.
"What are you even still doing here? Why don't you go run along to Caleb and take his offer? We all know you want to," he said, rolling his eyes.
"Hmm, well, as it turns out, I do in fact like owning my own soul," she replied snarkily. "Luke, just get over it — Alex and Reggie did. And it's not like I'm taking his offer now anyway."
"But you were! You were just gonna leave the band to go dance for him. How could you do that to us and Julie?"
"First off, Julie would get over it. I'm the least close with her," Mickey said, scoffing. "Second, I would still see you every day. Caleb's offer was everything I could ever want. That's why I was going to take it."
Luke scoffed and shook his head. "No. You were gonna take it because you're selfish."
Mickey said back with a shocked look on her face. "I'm selfish?"
"Yes."
"You know what?" Mickey quickly stood from the couch, crossing her arms. "I don't feel bad for what I did. I had every right to accept his offer. And I'm not going to sit here and have one of my best friends attack me for it."
Before Reggie could protest, Mickey flashed out. The boys both turned to Luke with disappointed looks on their faces.
"What?" he snapped, looking back down at his guitar. "She was just gonna leave us, guys."
"Luke, she's been in ballet slippers since she was four years old," Reggie said, sighing. "I would've been bummed that she wasn't in the band anymore, but I know she would've been happier. Dancing is the most important part of her life, just like music is for us — for you. We can't understand how she's feeling because we have this chance with Julie. But for Mick, there's not another option. We have no right to be upset with her for thinking of taking Caleb's offer."
"He's right, man," Alex added. Luke angrily pouted now that they were both ganging up on him. "And I can't believe you called her selfish."
"That's because it was a selfish thing to do," Luke stated, crossing his arms.
"Mickey's the first person that would drop everything to help us. She was always there when Reg or I were having problems at home. She practically ruined her relationship with her parents just so you'd have a roof over your head, dude. And she really helped you with all your mom stuff. It wasn't cool to say that to her," Alex said, sighing.
Luke bit his lip and looked down at his hands, suddenly feeling bad. He had been so concerned with what they had with Julie, that he forgot what Mickey didn't have. And he also knew that she was one of the most selfless people he knew.
"I gotta apologize," he muttered. "I fucked up."
Reggie scoffed, now in a bad mood since Mickey wasn't by his side. "Yeah, dude. Obviously."
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Before Mickey could enter the house, she heard the sound of an acoustic guitar coming from the garage — though it was quickly becoming Sunset Curve's official studio. So, she altered her path and went to check on Luke. For a moment, she simply stood outside the door and listened. After a few moments, the soft notes turned angrier, and Mickey could hear Luke's frustration through the music.
She heard him aggressively stum before stopping altogether. Mickey poked her head inside just in time to see him throw his songbook across the room. Then, Luke sighed and put his head in his hands. His shoulders shook lightly as he cried, and Mickey felt her heart break.
Hesitantly, she knocked on the wall. Luke quickly wiped under his eyes before looking up at her.
"Mickey. Hey," he said, trying to act like nothing was wrong. "What's up?"
"Uh, nothing. I just thought I'd come check on you," she said, hugging her arms around herself. "Are you alright?"
He quickly nodded. "I - I'm fine."
She nodded before slowly walking over to his songbook, which was laying on the ground. He tensed as she bent down to pick it up, but relaxed when she didn't open it up. Mickey could tell that whatever he was working on meant a lot, and so she wouldn't look at the lyrics unless he wanted her to.
"Whatever you're working on, it sounded really beautiful," she said while holding the book out to him.
Luke took it and then opened it up, staring down at the pages. He sighed before closing his eyes. "I just - I can't get it right, but it has to be right."
Mickey placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he leaned into her touch. "Luke, you'll find the right words. You're the best songwriter I know."
"I'm the only songwriter you know," he mumbled.
"Not true. Reggie's secretly writing a country album on the side," she replied, which got a small smile out of Luke. "The songs that mean the most are always the hardest because those are the ones that have to be perfect. I know you'll figure it out."
Luke shut his eyes and wiped under his nose with her shirt. "It's... about my mom. I just miss her so much and I wish I could go back and undo everything I said in that fight. She must hate me."
Mickey bit her lip and held back tears. "Luke, your mother could never hate you. She loves you so much. And yes, you're not talking to each other right now, but it won't be like this forever. Everything will work out eventually."
Luke nodded weakly, doing his best to believe her. "Thanks, Princess."
She grimaced at the nickname he had been using ever since that first day cleaning the garage. "I still don't like that name."
"Well, then you shouldn't have told me you didn't like it, because it's all I'm gonna call you now."
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The only place Mickey had to go to get away from Luke was Carrie's place. Carrie greeted her with a smile when she poofed into her bedroom. She was sitting on her bed and watching a movie on her TV, which showed a bunch of people on a soccer field.
"Hey, Mickey," she greeted brightly.
"Hi, Care. Do you mind if I hang out here for a little bit? I just had to get away from the guys," Mickey said, sighing. Carrie nodded while patting the free space on her bed. Mickey smiled and laid down next to her. "So, whatcha watching?"
"It's called She's the Man," she said, showing her the DVD case. "I think you'd like it. It's super funny."
"Cool," Mickey said, staring up at the screen. She zeroed in on a very handsome looking character. "He's cute."
"That's Channing Tatum. A total hottie, but he's also adorably goofy in this movie," Carrie explained. "Oh, also, I came up with my nickname for you. Wanna hear it?"
"Lay it on me."
"Mickey Mouse."
"Anything for you, Mickey Mouse."
Mickey's breath caught in her throat, but she kept her face blank. It hurt to hear Bobby's daughter call her that, but it wasn't Carrie's fault. And Mickey didn't want to be the reason that Carrie lost the excited look on her face, so she forced a smile.
"I - I love it. It's, like, so cute," she said. "I also came up with a nickname for you, actually. If you get to call me Mickey Mouse, then I get to call you Care Bear."
"Oh my gosh, that's so adorable!" Carrie said, grinning. "No one's ever thought of that one for me."
Mickey smiled at the younger girl, just glad that she was happy. Then the pair focused on the movie. Carrie was right — She's the Man was hilarious. Carrie did have to explain to Mickey why some of the modern jokes were funny, but she loved it nonetheless. However, their viewing was soon ruined.
Just as Viola had revealed to everyone that she was pretending to be Sebastian at the big soccer game, one of the jolts hit Mickey. She screamed from the pain and held her body tightly. Carrie scooted back and looked at her in shock, not sure what was happening.
"W - what's wrong? What was that?" she asked, holding her hands out. She wanted to help, but couldn't, given that she couldn't touch the ghost. "Are you hurt?"
Mickey took another moment to collect herself. "I, uh, don't worry about."
"Worry about it? Mickey, that looked like it really hurt!" Carrie exclaimed. "What was that?"
Mickey sighed but knew she needed to be honest with Carrie. She deserved the truth, especially when Mickey didn't know how long she had left. "We, um, we messed up and did something stupid."
"What'd you do?"
"Back when we first found out about Bobby, er, Trevor taking all the songs, the guys really wanted to get revenge on him. So, we went to this ghost club and met this dead magician guy. After finding out that people can see us when we perform with Julie, he asked us to join his house band. Well, for me, he offered to let me be one of his dancers. But we told him no. Actually, that was the night of the dance and why we never showed up. Anyway, he - Caleb put these weird stamps on us. That's what's causing the jolts. We're gonna keep getting them until we accept his offer and he'd own our souls, or... we just cease to exist."
A small gasp left Carrie's lips and she put her hand over her mouth. "You... you'd just be gone?"
Mickey nodded. "Apparently, there's another option though. If we can complete our unfinished business and move on, then Caleb can't get his hands on us."
"So, it's either cease to exist, sell your soul to this Caleb guy, or complete your unfinished business? N - no matter what happens, I'll never see you again," Carrie said, sniffing. Her eyes were welling up with tears at the thought of having to say goodbye.
"I know. This whole thing just... it sucks," Mickey whispered.
"Well, do you guys at least have an idea about what your unfinished business is? That's the best option."
Mickey sighed. "Um, Luke figured that since we all died right before the big Orpheum gig, that playing that venue could be it. Which is basically impossible. It took years to get that gig when we were alive."
"No kidding," Carrie mumbled. "I mean, only big names play there. Panic! At The Disco will be there next week, but they're one of the most popular bands in the world. Wait!"
"What?" Mickey asked, raising an eyebrow. Carrie had suddenly sat up straighter and had a troubled look on her face.
"Mickey, you weren't in Sunset Curve. You never would've played the Orpheum in the first place. So, e - even if it is the other three's unfinished business, there's no way it could be yours. Playing there won't help you move on," Carrie realized. She studied the hopeless look on Mickey's face. "You... you already know that, though. Don't you?"
"Yeah," Mickey said, softly.
"Oh, Mickey," she said as a tear fell down her cheek. "What did the guys say?"
"They, um, they haven't figured it out yet. I wouldn't call them the sharpest tools in the shed," Mickey said, trying to lighten the mood — though it didn't help.
"When are you going to tell them?" Carrie asked.
She sighed in response. "I'm not. They don't need to worry about me."
"B - but you're gonna die," she stuttered out.
"I'm already dead, Care Bear," Mickey said in a soft tone. There was nothing she could do to change it. "I died twenty-five years ago."
"But it's not fair," Carrie cried.
"Hey," she said, smiling sadly. "I'll be okay. I mean, I was given this second chance. I joined a band and I got a boyfriend. I got to meet you. I got to see the really amazing daughter that my brother raised. What more could a ghost ask for?"
"W - what if you took Caleb's deal?" Carrie asked her, wiping under her eyes. "Seriously. It's better than dying. And you'd get to dance again. I mean, wh - what do you need your soul for anyway?"
Mickey knew that Carrie was just trying to find the best way to save her, but she had no idea how evil Caleb actually was. Still, she appreciated it.
"Carrie, it's okay. I've accepted it. Now, I just want to enjoy however many days I have left. Can you live with that decision?"
Carrie, though still crying, nodded her head. "I'm gonna miss you so much."
"I'm gonna miss you too," she said, wiping under her own teary eyes. "Now, let's finish this movie. I wanna see if Duke and Viola end up together."
"It's a romcom. Of course, they end up together."
"Spoilers!"
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Luke was waiting for Mickey in the studio when she finally came back. Both Alex and Reggie were inside the house, meaning the two could talk alone. Mickey took one look at the boy and made her way to the loft, assuming that he wouldn't even want to be in the same room as her.
"Mick, wait," he called, stopping her on the stairs. He sighed as she turned and looked at him. "I - I am so sorry."
"It's whatever—"
"No, not whatever. I was a dick about all of it, and I let my anger at Caleb take over. Mickey, you aren't selfish. You don't have a selfish bone in your body. You care so much about all of us and you always have. The entire time we've been friends, you've always been there for me, and I can never thank you enough for that," he said. "And I shouldn't have gotten so mad about you wanting to take Caleb's offer."
"I get it, Luke. I know how much this band means to you," she mumbled, looking at her feet.
"And I forgot how much dancing means to you," he said, sighing. "I forgot that you practically glow after a show or a recital. I was so focused on you taking your brother's place in the band that I forgot that we don't have the same dreams. Caleb could give you what Julie gave to us — a second chance to do what you love. I know that if we didn't have this with Julie, then I would've turned to him too. And if Caleb wasn't evil and trying to steal our souls, I'd take you back to his club myself. So, I am so, so sorry for everything."
"Thanks, Luke."
He smiled and wrapped her in a tight hug. "Anything for you, Princess."
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Now that Luke and Mickey had made up after their fight, there was nothing to distract them from the inevitable. Despite trying to stay positive, the likelihood of them ceasing to exist was all that was on their minds. The four of them were moping around the studio, not sure what else to do.
Mickey was curled up in Reggie's arms, and he was holding his guitar around them, strumming it randomly. Luke could only stare at the ceiling, and Alex was messing with his drumsticks as he laid on the couch. Mickey was in too sad of a mood to make fun of him when he stuck one in his nose.
Then, Julie came into the studio and looked at them all with a determined look. "Snap out of it!" she shouted.
None of them had noticed her come in, so they all flinched. Alex rolled off the couch and one of his drumsticks went flying across the room. They looked at Julie unenthusiastically.
"Jeez," Reggie said, eying the stick on the floor. "I think you broke Alex."
"Do you guys wanna cross over or what?" Julie asked them. The four ghosts shared a look, knowing that it wasn't possible. Julie clapped her hands loudly. "Get it together!"
"They're never gonna let us play the Orpheum," Luke told her, not moving from his spot on the floor.
"We're nobody," Alex mumbled.
"We're less than nobody," Reggie stated. "We have no bodies."
"Someone once told me that you don't ask for permission. You book gigs by doing," Julie said.
"That was me," Reggie said, smiling softly.
Julie shook her head. "No, it wasn't."
"No, it wasn't," Luke said, giving him an annoyed look.
Reggie pouted down at Mickey. "Yes, it was," he mumbled sadly.
She leaned up and kissed his chin. "Sure it was, babe."
"This isn't over," Julie told them. "We were brought together for a reason — to help each other."
"Yeah, but like Luke said, people don't just play the Orpheum because they want to," Alex reminded her.
"People don't, but ghosts do."
Mickey raised an impressed eyebrow. "My, my. What a deceitful thing to suggest, Julie. Sounds like we're gonna need some itching powder."
Luke grinned and reached over to give her a high-five, but Alex yanked him back. "No itching powder."
Mickey and Luke pouted while narrowing their eyes at the drummer. "You're no fun, dude."