Chapter Text
Alex and Willie sat on the couch in the music studio, awaiting the arrival of the rest of their friends after school.
"You're cute," Willie said, and Alex scrunched his face up at the compliment, making the boy laugh.
"You too," Alex said awkwardly, making Willie laugh. He leaned in to kiss him, Alex cupping Willie's cheek. They suddenly heard the door open and close.
"I can't stand my cousin," Bobby said, kicking his shoes off and walking over to the couple, proceeding to sit on Alex's lap, wrap his arms around his waist, and kiss his friend's cheek. He then tossed his legs over Willie's lap obnoxiously. Alex rolled his eyes at the behavior.
"I told you. You date one of us, you pretty much date all of us," Alex said, patting his friend's head. "What did Carrie do now?"
"She doesn't know when to shut up. Blabbed about my grades to the whole family," he complained, before they noticed the doors opening once more. Luke walked in, carrying Julie on his back, with Flynn on Reggie's back following.
"We won," Luke said, but Flynn shook her head, hopping off of Reggie. She didn't land gracefully.
"No way," she said. "I simply do not lose."
"Hi guys," the three boys on the couch said, and the four waved at them, not questioning the awkward positions they sat in. The thing about being in that friend group was that they got used to odd things happening often.
"How was your day?" Bobby asked, and they all moved so they were sitting around the couch, ready to talk and complain about school.
They talked for a while, before deciding it was time to start practice. Flynn grabbed a tambourine, Willie sat next to Alex, and Bobby taped one of the chords that Luke had tripped on upwards of fifteen times to the floor. The rest of the group moved to their instruments, setting up.
"I don't like how this sounds," Reggie said, playing one of his chord progressions for the song they were mainly focused on. They fixed it as quickly as they could, moving on.
"I've got a song idea!" Julie exclaimed, and everyone immediately knew it was time to leave the area so she and Luke could work their magic.
The two sat at the piano bench, Luke's guitar and notebook near. This had become their second home. They loved the familiarity of writing with each other. It felt comfortable and safe.
"How do you feel about this?" She asked, playing the black and white keys without hesitation. Luke nodded, before adding his own input.
"I think I have a few lyric ideas that might work," he said, flipping through his book full of messy handwriting. He finally arrived at the page he wanted, circling some words in his black pen. Julie nodded, reading them over.
"Perfect," she said, taking a purple pen and beginning to make her own adjustments.
One of Luke's favorite things about his notebook was how soon it had become a group effort. It had different musical notes from the band, and ridiculously unrelated notes written as well. Random signatures and drawings painted the pages and cover of his notebook, and he knew that it was becoming full. He made a mental note to buy another one.
Julie hit her fist against the top of the piano to the rhythm of the song, keeping time. Luke hummed along as she marked different places and notes.
"I like writing with you," he said, and she smiled widely.
"I like writing with you," she said. "It's the best part of my day."
"Aww, Jules, you're gonna make me cry," he said jokingly, wiping a fake tear from his cheek. She giggled, and he leaned in to steal a quick kiss. She blushed, and he remembered how much he loved when she did that.
"You're a dork," she said.
"She said with love," he narrated, and they both laughed.
"Okay, okay, we were working," she said, attempting to bring them back on track. He nodded, hoping to finish the song, before looking out the window, seeing that the sun was setting.
"What time is it?" He asked, and she checked her phone.
"Seven," she said. "We've been working for hours."
"I didn't even realize."
"I didn't either," she said. The two stood up, walking inside the Molina's house to see Ray and Alex watching a movie in the living room and Reggie, Carlos, and Rose washing dishes, discussing school.
"Nice of you two to join us," Rose said, kissing Julie's cheek and Luke's forehead. She had to stand on her toes to reach.
"We lost track of time," Julie said, embarrassed.
"Sure," Alex and Ray said at the same time.
"We did, we swear," Luke said, holding his arms up. Rose laughed.
"We saved some food for you two," she said, handing them each a plate. Julie walked to the fridge, grabbing a thing of orange juice.
"So, do we get a preview of this new song?" Reggie asked.
"Yeah, you two were really focused," Alex said. Luke handed him the notebook, and Alex read the lyrics, smiling. "Nice."
"My turn," Reggie said, and Alex tossed the book at him. Reggie caught it, reading the same page. "Nice," he repeated.
"What did you expect?" Julie asked sarcastically, and the two laughed.
"Alright, what's the plan for this weekend? This gig is pretty far," Rose said, and they all thought for a moment.
"How are we all getting there?" Ray asked. Alex's face lit up.
"I bet we can use Willie's van," he said, and they all smiled at his excitement.
"I'm sure he won't mind," Rose said.
Julie and the Phantoms had recently received news that they were going to play a gig about an hour and a half away, which wouldn't be a big deal if only the four in the band were going. But when you include their roadies and family, it got a bit tougher to arrange. But they would figure it out.