Archive of Our Own ^beta

They were alive. 

No matter how many times she repeated it to herself, she couldn’t seem to quite comprehend it. Her best friends, hell, her family, were finally living. They were breathing, eating, sleeping. 

They had a heartbeat. 

She couldn’t get enough of that part. Whenever she was anywhere near the boys, she always wanted to feel it beneath her fingers, subtly pressing into their neck within any hug, just to make sure it was all real. That they were really there with her. 

After last weeks fiasco, things within the Molina household was so hectic. Willie had stayed with Julie and the boys for the whole weekend, and just as he was about to leave, something completely unfathomable happened. 

Ray saw Willie. 

It was safe to say that the whole group was in shock. Julie was the first to react, surprisingly, jogging up to the frozen-in-place skater and throwing herself in to hug him, silently bracing for the impact that she was almost certain would happen between her and the ground. 

But it never came. 

Instead, she felt a pair of warm arms wrap around her, and she buried her head in his chest. Willie seemed to be in shock for a moment, before his grip tightened into a death-grip, and they rocked back and forth slightly, laughing blissfully. 

The truth was, as Willie had confided in Alex, was that Julie reminded him so much of his younger sister. When he died, she was only 13, 5 years younger than him. He had never had such a close relationship with her, since he was the rebellious teen who would rather skate than spend time with his family, and he regretted that daily. 

During their hug, oblivious to the two involved in said hug, Caleb’s stamp drifted off Willie, away into the air above. 

Subsequently, Julie had to have yet another talk with Ray, about Willie’s existence this time. The whole time, Alex and Willie were holding hands so hard their knuckles were white. 

Once Julie had finished explaining, however, Ray simply nodded, sparing a comforting and reassuring smile in both Willie and Alex’s direction. After assuring Willie that he was more than welcome to stay in the studio with the boys as long as he needed, the group of boys, and girl, embraced in yet another one of their group hugs. 

Wordlessly, Ray bought yet another mattress to put into the studio, setting it up beside Alex’s bed. 

Now, a week later, the band and Willie were curled up into the couch in the studio, and the new bean bags, intently watching the second High School Musical. Alex and Willie were seated on a group of bean bags haphazardly thrown together, hands in each other’s, and Alex’s head rested on his shoulder. Reggie was seated on one end of the couch, Julie’s legs strewn across his lap as he rested his own head on her shoulder, where she leaned on Luke, who had a hand in her hair and and arm wrapped around her waist. 

Throughout the whole first movie Julie and Willie sang completely out of tune to each number that came up, even occasionally jumping up to dance together for the real bangers. 

But now, by the second movie, it was getting late. They’d started the first at around 10, and now it was just before midnight. 

Thankfully, Ray has a business meeting about six hours away, and was staying there overnight to avoid two long trips in a day, and Carlos was at a friends house, so there was no need for any curfew or time limits. Ray had trusted Julie and the boys to stay home alone, and, after seeing how they reacted during her episode last week, he knew they were exactly who she needed in her life. 

A yawn escaped Julie’s mouth, and, just after the bet on it number, she was out light a light, shifting slightly so she could hold onto Reggie’s hand, and place one around Luke’s neck. The two boys shared a smile, and glanced over to see both Alex and Willie smiling up at her. 

They waited until the movie was finished, until deciding to pause before the third, and carry Julie up to her bed back in the house. 

As much as Luke didn’t want to disturb Julie when she was sleeping so soundly, but ever since he found out what he did last week, which still caused anger to boil in his veins whenever he thought of it, he was careful to always ask permission before touching Julie. 

So, he softly shook her awake as Reggie adjusted so he was off of Julie, and instead on his knees in front of her, his hand still in hers. 

She blinked blearily up at Luke before offering him a sleepy smile, which melted his heart and made waking her up just a little more bearable. 

“Hey Jules,” he whispered, voice barely even there, so not to disturb the calmness in the room, “tired?”

She nodded and tried to bury her head in his chest and continue sleeping, but when he didn’t budge, she groaned and instead threw herself at Reggie, him catching her as she went to sleep on him instead. 

“Cmon Jules you should get to bed since you’re so tired.” It was Alex’s voice that softly cut through the air, and now he and Willie were beside the group, smiling fondly down at the half-asleep girl. 

“Don’t wanna leave you guys”

They all shared a look, each boys heart melting together. They chuckled at the hold she had over them all, as Reggie passed her to Alex and Willie as he and Luke went to move all the beds together to create one massive bed for them all. 

Alex and Willie smiled as the girl buried herself between the two of them, hooking an arm around each and brining them closer. 

She truly was a beautiful soul, and they were all so blessed to have her apart of the family. 

Once the beds had been moved together, Luke and Reggie returned to the group, ready to coax Julie into enough awakeness to move to the bed. 

Luke knelt down next to her, softly running his fingers through her hair. 

“Hey Jules, do you want me to carry you?”

She looked up blearily from the place she had buried her head in, and again gave him a goofy smile and nodded, holding her arms out and making grabby motions at him. 

He chuckled and as gently as he could, lifted her up bridal style, laying her down just as delicately once they reached the bed. 

Reggie, Willie and Alex were by his side a moment later, watching as the girl buried herself in the covers, and, upon realising she was alone, looked back up to the boys. 

They all climbed into their own spots, Luke right beside Julie, with Reggie beside him, and Alex and Willie on the other side of her. She shivered softly, cold from the change in temperature in the loft, where the bed was, compared to the bottom floor of the studio. 

Reggie reacted immediately, grabbing his flannel and handing it to her, letting her shrug it on sleepily and snuggle into its comfort. To give her even more warmth, they all got into their usual cuddle puddle line up. 

Julie rested her head on Luke’s chest, and he laid his arms loosely around her waist. Alex laid on the other side of her, her hand in his as he tucked himself under her chin. Wille had his hand in Alex’s free one, and was almost laying right on top of him. Reggie was on the other side of Luke, snuggled into Luke’s side, where Luke had his head rested on Reggie’s shoulder. 

A couple hours later, Luke awoke to a soft whimpering beside him, and increasingly erratic movement. Alex was the next to awaken, and, upon seeing Julie, still asleep, but with tears leaking out of her closed eyes and soft whimpers escaping her, they reacted immediately, Alex gently waking her  up as Luke awoke both Reggie and Willie.

When she awoke, her breath caught, panicked and confused, and for a moment she didn’t realise where she was. 

Luke had grown to hate that look on Julie. The pure fear and pain in her eyes was enough to make his own heart ache. 

Then, the tears came, but all at once all the boys had shifted so that they were holding her, Reggie shifting so she was in his lap, leaning on his back, with both Luke and Alex on her sides and Willie in front of her, just as it was a week ago. 

They all murmured quiet reassurances to her, letting her soak in the physical comfort she was offered by all of the boys. After a while the tears had stopped and the silence became stretched and heavy. 

“Do you know where you are, Jules?”

She looked up at him, her eyes slightly red rimmed, as she sniffled nodded. 

He smiled softly back at her, wiping her cheek with his thumb, before softly humming the melody of Stand Tall. Both Alex and Reggie joined in, and even Willie joined in the chorus, until eventually, she had fallen back asleep. 

Reggie resigned himself to sleeping in an awkward position so that Julie could remain undisturbed in his lap, and the other boys settled into their assigned spots beside her. 

They all loved this girl dearly, and they would make sure she never felt alone again. 

By the time morning came, the group had become completely tangled in one another. Julie had buried herself into Reggie’s chest, her hands fisted into his shirt, whilst her legs were tangled with Luke, who himself had his head under her chin. Willie’s arms were stretched completely over Alex to grip onto Julie’s shirt, and Alex was pressed tightly against her side. 

Despite the chaotic entanglement, it was a serene scene. 

That was, until the alarm went off, blaring, from the other end of the room. For a moment, everything was silent, until a collective groan could be heard from the group. 

They all began to shift, until finally they were all up seated, rubbing the sleep from their eyes and stifling yawns. Nobody said anything, seeing as it was too early in the morning for anybody’s brain to function, but Julie slowly broke away from the group to turn the alarm off. 

She smiled at them all, chuckling at all their sleepy expressions. Too bad she knew what would wake them all up. 

“So... Breakfast?”

Immediately, each boy jumped up, and all raced out the door to get to the house first. All except for Alex, who had enough polite consideration to wait for Julie, and they linked arms as they skipped to the front door. 

After cooking three batches of pancakes, which were mainly devoured by Luke, Reggie and Willie, they all sat at the table, content. Julie only just realised she was still wearing Reggie’s flannel, but since he didn’t seem to mind, she decided to keep it on. 

After the group all got dressed and thoroughly prepared for the day, the front door opened again, to reveal Ray back from his business trip. 

Julie jumped up to hug him first, followed by the group with similar greetings on their tongue, and Ray put a hand on each of their shoulders in welcome. 

They all sat around the table as they listened to the success the trip had been, and what it meant for the photography firm Ray was at. Afterward, the boys all provided their opinions on High School Musical, Willie and Julie personally offended when it wasn’t positive. 

Once the conversation lulled, Ray brought up the topic the group had been avoiding for a while, just in case it freaked Julie out. But he knew she had a strong support system around her, and she would be okay. 

“So... I suppose we better talk about what it means now that you guys are -I guess- back to life? I know with you Willie you don’t necessarily have a heartbeat as of yet but you still do seem tangible and alive”

They all exchanged looks at the atmosphere in the room became heavier. 

After receiving a chorus of nods, he continued. “Whilst I was away I managed to meet up with a buddy who could do me out some documentation for you three. With you Willie, I thought you’d prefer to fly under the radar as much as you can. But anyway, the documents basically claim that you were up for adoption overseas in Canada, and now legally you’re all under my care.”

Shock flooded through each boy. The reality set in that they were as alive again as they’d ever be. They still had weird ghost abilities, but they were breathing and alive and real. The paperwork proved it. 

“So, that being said, I’ve pulled a few strings at school, and have managed to get you all enrolled in the music program there. You’ll start back with Julie next week, once the break ends”

Nobody dared move as though they’d wake up and it all turned out to be a dream. 

Ray smiled at them all, offering reassurances that everything will be okay, before leaving them so they could talk things over in private. 

Luke was the first to react, jumping out of his seat and running to pull Julie into a hug, laughing and going on about second chances or something or other. 

Julie shared his enthusiasm, and it seemed as though together they were caught up in their own little bubble. 

Alex supposed that was fair, since that now Luke was alive they could pursue an actual functioning relationship. 

For him though, he was worried. Anxiety had always been difficult for him to deal with, seeing as he was diagnosed with GAD (General Anxiety Disorder), and that struggle only increased tenfold when they died. And now they’re alive again? 

It was so much to wrap his head around. 

And what about Willie? They hadn’t really spoken about any sort of relationship with each other, mainly because of his crippling fear of rejection, even though he was fairly certain Willie liked him back. 

And Willie wasn’t even alive like they were. What happens if they grow older, and Willie stays the same forever? What then? 

Clearly, he was in his head way too much, hands shaking at his sides, as he didn’t realise that Willie was holding his hand until he felt a slight squeeze. He turned his head to lock eyes with him, and Willie offered him a comforting smile. 

“No matter what, Alex, things will work out just fine. I promise”

He didn’t realise that was all he needed to hear. He trusted Willie with his life, and if he said things would be okay, that was enough for him right now. He felt Willie pull him in for a hug as he nodded against his chest, an agreement of sorts. 

Both pairs too caught up in each other to realise, Reggie had tears in his eyes, only noticed by the group when a sniffle escaped before he could stop it. Luke was there in an instant, pulling his hands away from his face and asking what was wrong. 

“What does this mean for us? As a family? We’ve been together forever, and, now you guys have the opportunity to leave and grow old, where does that leave me?”

His voice broke, and Luke and Alex were quick to pull him into a hug. 

“You’re right Reg, we have been together forever. And you guys are my brothers, we’re family, so we’re gonna stay together forever too”

Julie wrapped her arms around him from behind, leaning her head on his shoulder and giving him a quick peck to the cheek. 

“Reg, you’re so important to me, to us. There’s no way we’re going anywhere”

Willie joined then as they all stood up, and yet another group hug was in order. 

Reggie liked this. He loved it, actually, the more he thought about it, now his initial panic was over. 

Ray was his legal guardian. He had his family right here. Things were good. 

He broke away, quickly mumbling that he had to go thank Ray, wandering into the living room to find him mindlessly flicking through a newspaper. 

Reggie stood awkwardly in front of him, waiting for the older man to finish, shuffling his feet back and forth. 

Ray set the newspaper down the minute he noticed him, and, noticing the tears in the teenagers eyes, patted the spot next to him on the couch, immediately pulling him into a hug. 

Reggie cracked again, sobbing as quietly as he could into Ray’s shoulder, apology after apology leaving his mouth. 

After Ray assured him it was okay for the hundredth time, the tears slowed to a stop and he pulled his head from the mans shoulder. 

“I-I just wanna thank you, for taking us in, and showing so much kindness to us. You’re like the dad I’ve always wanted”

Ray smiled at him, ruffling his hair. “Well legally now, you can be my son if you want.”

Again, Reggie crumbled into a mess of tears. “I’d really like that”

It had been a long and emotionally draining day for the group, and now they were all settled on the couch, with Ray and Carlos by their side, finishing the last of the High School Musical series. 

Carlos had been thrilled at the prospect of three (or four) new older brothers, who used to be ghosts, and had promptly taken his position right in between them all, distracting Reggie by telling him all about the pranks he’s been planning for school. 

Once the movie had ended, everyone slowly made their way up to head to their respective beds. 

Ray chuckled slightly at the scene. 

“I wonder if that movie would be anything like what it’ll be with you three at school again”

Oh. The boys forgot about that. 

They have to go back to school. 

They had a week to prepare themselves. 

Exactly a week to enjoy freedom, and then they were condemned to the death sentence that was high school. 

Alex and Willie were making the most of it, going out every day to the skatepark or some other mysterious place, and Reggie spent most of his time tagging along with Carlos and Ray to places like laser tag or games rooms. 

Luke was jealous. They knew exactly what they wanted to do, and they could do it with ease. Luke, on the other hand, was stuck moving around alone at home, whilst Julie was out with Flynn most of the time. 

It wasn’t like he didn’t know what he wanted to do. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. 

But asking Julie out on a date was a lot easier said than done, or in his case, thought, because he hadn’t dared say his desires out loud. 

So, instead, he simply moped. 

He moped around feeling all sorry for himself for 6 days, until it was the day before school started. By then, both Alex and Reggie decided they needed to stage an intervention. 

They cornered him in the studio, threatening him with hours of having to listen to Reggie ‘shred it on the banjo. 

Personally, Reggie thought it would be a gift to listen to it, but unfortunately both Alex and Luke found it pure torture. 

To the relief of all, Luke sat and listened. 

“Why haven’t you asked Julie out yet?” 

Alex glared at the plaid-clad teen, rolling his eyes. Subtlety was never Reggie’s strong suit. 

Like coughed, and then proceeded to choke, and both Reggie and Alex fought to not dissolve into a fit of giggles. 

This was a very serious conversation, thank you very much. 

“Seriously man, we’ve told you before. You both have so much chemistry.”

“Yup, one might say you ooze it”

“Reggie, what have i said about the word ooze?”

Reggie laughed and pushed Alex’s shoulder affectionately. 

“Seriously tho bro, you know you’re into her. She’s into you. You can’t fail”

“Plus we’re alive now. Definitely a bonus”

Luke groaned into his hands, threading his hair through his fingers and tugging in frustration. 

“I don’t even know how to ask her, and even if I did, what would we even do?”

“First,” Alex started, “You definitely know what to do, I mean it’s you and Julie; you guys have the exact same interests.”

“And second,” Reggie continued, “Its pretty simple. ‘Hey Julie, wanna go out with me somewhere today?’ Too easy”

The second Reggie finished talking, Julie wandered through the studio doors, still dressed in her pajamas from the night before, seeing as it wasn’t even 9 on a Sunday yet. 

“Morning boys... did I uh-interrupt something?”

“Not at all Jules! Luke’s just a little nervous about school tomorrow...”

“Oh speaking of school, we better go make the most of the day. Alex, you coming?”

“Yup!”

The two boys flashed Julie award-winning smiles, and after hissing in Luke’s ear, something about ‘going for it’, they raced out the door as though the house was on fire. 

“Ooookay then...” Julie wandered over to Luke, still in the midst of his crisis, “you good Luke?” 

He raised his head to slowly meet her eyes, his face completely red. He didn’t say anything for a long time, just holding his gaze with hers. She squirmed under his stare, but her cheeks were flushed slightly and a smile lingered on her lips. 

“Julie?”

“Yea?”

“do you wanna maybe-uh-if you want-maybe?”

The guitarist started tripping and stumbling over his words, and he cursed his breath for breaking his voice. 

“Luke?”

“Yea?”

“Deep breaths. Okay? With me”

She slipped her hands into his and brought it to her chest, just above her heart. She took exaggerated breaths, and slowly, he started to copy her. Once his breathing out, Julie broke the silence. “Okay, now what did you want to ask me?”

Luke took another deep breath, sterling himself. He could do this. 

“Would you like to go out with me today?” The silence stretched for a moment and he was quick to add onto his question, doubt filling his entire being, “as a -uh- date?”

Shock painted Julie’s features. Her own face reddened, and her grip tightened on Luke’s hands. 

“Yes! I uh- mean, sure yea that sounds cooool. So chill”

They both stared at each other before bursting out into hysterical giggling. They knew they were both hopeless. 

After they calmed down from their fit, they walked back in the direction of the house, deciding to let Julie change and let Ray know where they were going, before disappearing on Luke’s unplanned date. 

After walking out of the studios doors, they ran straight into Alex and Reggie. They both laughed to themselves, high-fiving the two clueless teens, and then poofing off to wherever Willie had ended up wandering too. 

That was one thing about the band. They still had most of their ghostly powers, as though they were stuck in the middle of being alive and dead. After confiding in Ray about the issue, he pinned it down to the lingering effects of the afterlife that they had yet to shake yet. 

For Willie, he didn’t have a heartbeat yet, but Julie had definitely had some sort of effect on him. He needed to eat and sleep, but so far he hasn’t necessarily needed to breathe, but he often goes through the motions to help straighten Alex’s own breathing out. 

Luke supposed only time would truly tell what was happening to them. This had never happened before, ever, and they couldn’t predict what would happen the next day. They just had to live in the moment. 

Hmm, he felt a song brewing in him. 

He waited by the front door as Julie raced to go get changed, and greeted Ray as his guardian passed him toward the kitchen. After quickly letting him know that Julie and him would be out most of the day, and gaining permission, Julie had emerged from upstairs. 

His draw dropped. Probably literally, but he was too busy staring at Julie to actually form a coherent thought. 

She was wearing the outfit she wore on the day they got sucked into Caleb’s club and accidentally stood her up. That wasn’t what was so distracting on her, even though he admitted she absolutely rocked the outfit. It was what she had thrown on her head, letting her curls peak out from it, that had him undone. 

She was wearing one of his beanies. The yellow one, his favourite. 

She smiled at him, an evil glint in her eye as though she knew exactly what she was doing, and he smirked, letting her lead him out the house by the hand, shouting her goodbyes to Ray. 

As they walked out of the house, he realised he had absolutely no plans. An hour ago, he envisioned that he’d spend the day moping as per usual. 

But when he chanced a glance at her, taking in her radiant smile and excitement, he knew that no matter where they went, she’d love it. 

He adjusted his grip on her hand and edged slightly closer to her, bumping shoulders as they walked out. He had a few stops he wanted to go to today. 

First stop - his old go to place, a vintage record store.

Honestly, he was surprised it was still standing after all these years. 

He guessed music never truly dies. 

Julie excitedly jumped from his grip once they entered the store, racing to browse through the array of older records. 

He followed her, laughing fondly at the glimmer of adoration she had in her eyes whenever she went to show him another record. 

“This was my favourite place, back in ‘95. Used to come here every day and spend hours here - the boys got mad eventually when I forgot about practice cause of it”

Julie looked up at him, smiling at him in the soft way he’d only seen reserved for when any of the boys spoke about the past. It was calming. She grabbed his hands, quickly bringing them to her lips. 

“I can’t believe I’ve never been here! Look how many artists they have!”

She didn’t let go of his hands as she dragged him around the store, continuously being distracted by old posters of bands, and older record players and other vintage rock related items. 

He smiled fondly at her, her excitement warming his heart. Whenever he brought the boys to the store back in the 90s, they always complained about being bored, but Julie, she seemed to be in love with the place, just like he was. 

Reggie was right. Julie would love whatever he would, and he would love whatever she would. 

They broke apart momentarily, him getting lost in the newer music he didn’t recognise, marvelling at the coloured albums, whilst Julie immersed herself in the music of his era. 

Suddenly he heard a loud gasp from his right, and he raced over to Julie, who seemed to be shaking, kneeling on the ground with a record held tightly to her chest. 

He collapsed beside her immediately, gently prying her head from her chest and asking almost a thousand times if she was okay. 

She nodded and then, to his surprise, threw her head back and started laughing, tears leaving her eyes. 

His grip on her loosened a bit, confusion taking over his features. She looked at him, and noticing his confusion, passed him the record she held in her hands. 

It was held in a black case, with white curved writing that read Sunset Curve. 

His own breath left him. His favourite record shop, sold his music. 

Oh my God. He was fangirling. 

Julie stood up abruptly, pulling him up with her. He was in shock. His favourite store sold his music. He couldn’t process it. 

Julie let out an excited squeal and started jumping up around in excitement, forcing him to do the same seeing as they were held in embrace. 

Once they calmed down, he flipped the album cover over, revealing the song list in the back. 

1. Now or Never 
2. Burn like Fire
3. Breathe it in
4. Lean on Me
5. Born to break the World
6. Collision 
7. Remember Me

They walked a couple more blocks in blissful silence, until they arrived at a modern looking cafe at a street corner. She pushed through the doors, a small bell chiming, pulling him along with her hand in his. 

She led him to a table, making him sit, before going and ordering for the both of them, paying herself. He went to object, seeing as he wanted to pay for her, but she hushed him with a quick kiss to the cheek. 

His whole face reddened and a goofy smile overtook his face. 

Oh boy, he had it bad. 

A few moments later their food arrived, two gorgeous looking desserts partnered with massive thick shakes with whipped cream and sprinkles.

He took a taste, and oh he swore he could die again from how good it tasted.

He missed food so much. 

“Me and my mom used to come here all the time when something got us down. Ordered this exact dish”

Luke smiled at her, warm and comforting, his hand reaching over to hers. 

He was honoured that she’d share this tradition with him. 

“You know, I think she’d really like you”

“You think so?”

“I know so. I mean, she did send you guys to me after all”

They shared a smile, and then tucked into their food, Luke thrilling her with stories of his past high school experience, and Julie sharing her own embarrassing tales. 

He loved being with her. Hours felt like seconds when they were together. 

Eventually, they noticed that the sun was beginning to set, and he decided he had one last place he wanted to take her. 

They walked for a while, until they reached their final stop, the beach. 

He bought them both two smoothies from the money he had managed to find within his stuff still in the loft from before he died, and they ended up walking, hand in hand, down along the stretch of the beach for a while, enjoying each other’s company. 

It had been a long day, and a lot to think about, seeing as they seemed to be stuck between being alive and dead, but for now, none of that mattered. 

It was just him and Julie. Julie and him. 

He could stay with her forever. He will. He will spend eternity and beyond with her. 

Even death wouldn’t do them part. 

They walked long into the night, as fairy lights lit up the path they walked, casting shadows with their linked hands. 

As they approached a band, playing a soft and slow melody, Luke took his opportunity. 

“May I have this dance, my lady?”

Julie smiled up at him as she took his hand, nodding. 

The soft music drifted around them as they turned and spun, slowly moving to the beat. 

He knew right now, dancing under the moonlight with Julie in his arms, that he was completely and thoroughly in love with her. 

They drifted further away from the band, the music too far away to be heard, their heels spinning in the night sand. 

He felt the waves lap at his feet and she shifted ever closer to him, avoiding the water biting at her ankles. 

He smiled, gently laying his arms around her waist, holding her in place. She searched his eyes for something he couldn’t decipher, slowly linking her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her slowly. 

This wasn’t their first kiss, but the moment Julie’s lips touched his he could’ve sworn he was in heaven. They were warm and gentle and so, so soft. He pressed back with urgency, trying to convey whatever he was feeling so she could understand. She seemed to understand, adjusting their positions so that they could deepen the kiss. They only broke apart when the need for air became too apparent, but even then, their foreheads remained together, their soft pants mixing together. 

“Julie I- I think I-“

He was cut off by the sound of Julie’s ringtone, snapping both of them out of their trance as she fumbled for her phone. 

After assuring her dad they’d gone for a walk after dinner, and that they were on their way home, Julie seemed to have forgotten what Luke was about to say to her. 

But that didn’t matter to him. 

Right now, he was the luckiest man alive, being able to kiss the most gorgeous girl alive. 

They walked home hand in hand, and the grin never left his face, even when it was midnight and they had long since retired to their seperate beds. 

They were up early the next day, all boys awoken for school at 7 sharp. 

A collective groan was heard from all of them, until Julie came in threatening to spray them all with water. Luke was up immediately to join Julie at her side, hugging her close, and, surprisingly, Willie was up, even though he didn’t need to be, since he was going to school. He claimed it was for moral support, winking at Julie as Alex immediately jumped up. 

The only one not awake was Reggie. 

Well, that just wouldn’t do. 

The group shared a look before collectively jumping on top of Reggie, startling him, until they all started to tickle him, causing him to roll off the bed and collapse on the floor in hysterics. 

By the time they were at the table, he was still mumbling something about child cruelty. However, after Ray ruffled his hair and commented about how good they all were at waking up on time, Reggie never mentioned it again. 

The time for them to leave came too quickly, and Willie wished them all luck, hugging Alex the tightest and whispering something unknown to the rest of them in his ear, making the blonde visibly relax. 

Ray ushered the band out and into the car, talking animatedly about how they all shared classes, so never had to be alone. 

Whilst the boys were grateful for Ray’s help, they were nervous. High school must’ve changed so much, and they were still very behind in what was relevant. 

Julie turned from the front seat to flash them all an award-winning smile, and suddenly they realised that they’d be perfectly fine. 

Julie was with them. What could go wrong?

It was weird. 

Really, really weird. 

Everyone stared at them as they walked past, girls throwing themselves at them in attempts to get their attention. Alex, for one, uncomfortably shook them off over to Reggie, who seemed to thoroughly enjoy the attention. And Luke, he paid them no mind at all. 

He only had eyes for Julie. 

Literally. He ran into like three things whilst getting distracted by her. 

Classes seemed to be... okay, for now. Everyone accepted their adoption story, and surprisingly, the work hadn’t been to hard to catch up on. 

Music was something that came naturally to them, so it was really no issue. 

The first major setback came just once they started their lunch period, and they were walking through the hallways to get to the cafeteria to meet Flynn. 

They had stopped at their respective lockers, the boys having theirs placed a hallway across from Julie. 

Once they had stashed their textbooks, they went back over to Julie, who had Nick leaning against the locker, caging her in with his close proximity. They seemed to be engaged in a whispered conversation, way too close for Luke’s liking. 

Jealously, hot and wild, stirred within him, and he grabbed Alex and Reggie’s arms and dragged them over as quickly as possible to Julie. The minute he arrived his shifted closer to Julie, grabbing onto her hand, glaring at Nick as though he was being challenged. 

Julie squeezed his hand and smiled at him, and a smug look adorned his face. That’ll show Nick. Julie was his, and he was hers, not stupid Nick’s. 

“Oh hey guys, this is Nick. I’ve mentioned him before right?”

Luke glared at him from behind Julie. There was something so... off, about his tone. Alex and Reggie, oblivious, voiced their agreement and greetings. 

Luke thought that would be the end of the conversation, and they would go their seperate ways. 

Instead, Nick set the boys with an uncanny look, an familiar unease settling over the three.

“Yea, glad you’re not on the other side of hollywood now, I’ve been absolutely dying to meet you”

All three boys choked slightly, and, in shock, Luke dropped Julie’s hand. Nick took the opportunity to grab it himself, looking directly into her eyes when he said, “Julie I need to talk to you about something really important, can I steal you away for a second?”

She glanced at her bandmates quickly before nodding, allowing herself to be dragged away as she told the boys to go meet Flynn and she’d catch up with them. 

As they walked off, Nick snaked his arm around her waist and they linked arms, making Luke’s blood boil. 

He had half the mind to go over there, but was stopped not only by Alex and Reggie, but by none other than Carrie herself, having materialised in front of them. 

“Hey boys, I’m Carrie, if you haven’t already heard”

Alex spoke up first, mumbling a hi, before Reggie elbowed him, and Luke replied to her, “yea, we know who you are”

“Awesome! Well, I’m hosting a party tonight at my house, and you three just have to be there! Besides...” she glanced in the direction Julie and Nick went off to, “I’m pretty sure Julie will be off with my ex-boyfriend anyway”

Luke felt a strong anger surge through him. Stupid Nick. Stupid everything. Screw it all. 

“We’ll be there”

Rationally, he knew Julie was not trying to make him jealous, and was such an oblivious person she wouldn’t have noticed how weird Nick was acting, and his obvious crush on her, but he wasn’t thinking rationally. 

He just wanted to get back at Julie and Nick. 

Once she had left, and the boys resumed their walk to the cafeteria, Reggie slapped him. 

“Dude what the hell?! You know Julie hates her!”

“Yea man and I hate parties. Especially parties where we know nobody. You know how bad that is for my anxiety?”

“Chill guys, this is how we meet new people. Be normal teenagers again. Relax”

They looked like they were going to protest, but with a single look from Luke, they stayed silent. 

The rest of the day passed by idly, Julie returning just at the end of the lunch break to walk with the boys and Flynn to their next class. The only thing she said that related to her encounter with Nick was that she had to go back with Flynn for an hour or so after school, to talk to her about stuff. 

“Giiiirrrrl stuff” Reggie had commented. 

So yea, Luke was still pissed. He basically ignored Julie for their last few classes, and once they arrived home, without Julie, they got changed into some nicer looking gear, and asked Ray very politely if they could go, to which he agreed 100%. 

Man, Ray was the best. 

So, they left. Before Julie came back. Without a note.

Both Alex and Reggie seemed to be wracked with guilt about the whole thing, but Luke didn’t care. 

He was so, so mad. 

Julie arrived home just after 6, a little later than expected, but she had a whole lot to talk about with Flynn. 

Nick had straight up asked her to be his girlfriend. Even though she’d rejected him before??? When she said she wasn’t interested in him in that way, he just laughed and left. 

Man, boys were complicated. 

“Guys? Sorry I’m late - me and Flynn lost track of time”

Silence. 

“Guys?”

She wandered into the kitchen, the boys favourite spot if they weren’t in the studio, but all she found was her dad. 

“Hey dad”

She kissed his cheek and he ruffled his hair. 

“Hey sweetie... what are you doing here? I thought you’d be at that party with the boys?”

What party? Oh... Carries. The one she wasn’t invited to. 

Why were the boys there? Surely, they’d let her know if they were going to go? And they wouldn’t leave her here alone right?

What if they never actually cared about her? What if, now they don’t need her, they can go off and do their own thing and forget all about her. 

Did she mean nothing to Luke?

“Oh that’s okay... Yea, I wasn’t feeling up to it tonight”

She bid her dad goodbye as quickly as possible, before racing up to her room, locking her door just in time before the first sob escaped her throat. 

They boys had left her alone. 

“Jubiee!”

“ha ha can’t catch me Carrot!!“

It was a colder afternoon, nothing too special about it, except for the fact that it was that time of year again. 

The time Julie and her Mom would spend a week on end with her best friend Carrie, and her dad Trevor. 

She didn’t really understand why, but there were tears and hugs from the adults. 

Once, Julie tried to ask Carrie, but they got distracted too quickly by some passing butterflies. 

Sometimes her Mom calls Trevor ‘Bobby’. Sometimes she thinks she should tell her that his name isn’t Bobby, but somehow she always stops herself. 

Her Mom is too serious around this time of year. 

That’s why Carrie and her spend so much time together instead, chasing and pretending and playing and laughing. If they smiled just enough times, maybe it would catch on to their parents, and they’d be smiling too. 

The two girls had just finished their race to the top of the hill, which Julie had won by a mile, but she graciously won, and didn’t poke fun like most 6 year olds would. 

They collapsed in a fit of giggles, spreading out on their backs and making grass angels, getting dandelion fluff in their hair. 

“Carrie! Carrie!”

The blonde sat up, “Yea Jules?”

Julie held an intact dandelion between them, grabbing her best friends hand so they both held it together. 

“We should make a promise. To be friends forever and ever and ever!”

The girls giggled together before they held the dandelion up between them and blew, letting the wind guide the petals away, their wish on the tip of their tongues. 

A tear slipped down her cheek, and Julie shook herself out of the memory. 

She used to be so close to Carrie, but by the time they reached high school, her old best friend wouldn’t even look at her. 

The boys knew she didn’t get along with Carrie. 

As much as she wanted to be happy for them getting out and meeting new people, they knew about her past with Carrie. And they went anyway.  

It made her feel like shit, honestly. 

She could feel herself descending into her own suffocating thoughts, but an uncertain “guys?” broke her out of her thoughts. 

She hastily wiped her eyes and smoothed out her clothing before heading downstairs. 

It made her blood boil to think that not only had they left her without letting her know, they did the same to Willie. 

She ran into him in the kitchen, whilst also running into her dad, who told both kids he had to run off with Carlos to his soccer training. 

Julie explained as quickly as possible to Willie where the boys left, hoping to look as though she was unbothered by it. 

Willie had a look of slight hurt cross over his face, “oh... okay? Alex told me we’d hang out tonight...”

He trailed off, before he seemed to analyse Julie’s expression closer, and his face lit up slightly, “But I guess you and I will have to have our own quality bonding time”

Julie smiled softly at him, nodding slightly, and Willie grabbed her hand and they took off out to the front patio, sitting on a bench that his skateboard was rested up against. 

They sat next to each other, knew brushing against knee and shoulder brushing against shoulder. He didn’t let go of her hand, and Julie didn’t move to. She realised that all her ghost boys were pretty deprived of any touch, human or not, and if she could help them in this way, she wasn’t complaining. 

They talked for the better part of an hour, about everything. About Willie’s home life before he died, his regrets (which mainly involved what he left unsaid with his sister), and his time with Caleb, alongside stories about Julie’s mother, embarrassing stories about Alex, and her own regrets in life. 

By the time they’d talked their hearts out they sat together content for a while, until Julie noticed he was staring at his skateboard, his leg bouncing up and down repeatedly. 

“Hey, you can go skate if you want. I don’t mind”

“Are you sure? I don’t wanna leave you here alone if you’re not gonna be okay”

Julie shrugged, squeezing his hand. 

“I’ll be okay Willie. You need to clear your head, I get it”

He smiled gratefully at her, and quickly kissed her cheek before he hopped off, bowing dramatically, “Farewell, my lady”

She stood, curtseying him herself as she giggled and waved him off, and just like that, he was gone.  

She really thought she’d be okay. 

She went back to her room, took out the Sunset Curve record she’d bought, and decided to listen to it and scroll through instagram. 

But the minute she heard the band start to play, the overwhelming sadness hit her again.

They were good. Really, really good. 

They didn’t need her anymore. 

She just needed to accept that. 

She felt sobs start to crawl up her throat, threatening to suffocate her and suddenly the walls seemed to thick. The music seemed too loud, the light too bright, everything just too much. 

Maybe Willie was on the right track with taking a breather. She threw on the closest coat to her, which just so happened to be Luke’s trench coat, before slipping into some shoes and all but running out of the house, the record left on and forgotten. 

The party was... interesting, to say the least. 

They’d been to Carries house once already when they weren’t visible as ghosts, haunting Bobby and all that, but it seemed so much bigger when it was all set up for a party. 

People were scattered all along the driveway and front porch, and once they opened the door, music was blasting and the crowd thickened, red solo cups in every hand. 

Some random passer-by quickly threw cups into their own empty hands, and Luke, still reeling from his red hot jealousy, downed it without checking it’s contents. 

The liquid burned and he fought the urge to choke. 

Vodka. 

Reggie and Alex sent him their own concerned glances before Alex took the initiative, taking all cups from their hands and depositing them on a nearby table for someone else to worry about. 

No underage drinking on his watch. 

They adjusted pretty smoothly to the crowd, people hoarding around them at times to get a conversation in with them. 

Reggie soaked up the attention, flirting with both girls and guys alike, making everyone in his path swoon. 

Luke and Alex chuckled, glad their brother had finally got the attention he’d been craving. 

The three were engrossed in conversation about the thrilling technology that came with 2020, when a girl cleared their throat behind them. 

Carrie. 

“Hey boys, glad you could make it”

Luke spoke up first, “Thanks for inviting us Carrie,” followed by a “yea this party is rad” from Reggie and a polite smile from Alex. 

She smiled at them all with a smile that seemed a little less genuine and a little more sinister, before moving on with the rounds she was making. 

The boys glanced at each other before shrugging and making their way into the crowd to start dancing the night away. 

She’d been walking for hours, trying to escape that pit of loneliness and despair that always lingered a few steps behind her. 

She couldn’t look back. She had to keep moving. 

Tears fell down her face freely, as though each tear was racing each other. The occasional passer by stared at her sympathetically, but she managed to avoid any curious questions or quiet whispers by quickening her pace. 

After at least two hours of walking aimlessly, she chanced a glance at her surroundings. 

She had no clue where she was. 

The lights were blinding from the billboards, the streets were grimy and disgusting, and people pushed past her easily. 

She backed away slightly, pressing up against a storefront, so to let people pass. When she turned to see which shop she was leaning against, the record store she had been to with Luke the other day grinned back at her. 

She took off again, at a run this time. 

She couldn’t do this. They meant to be much to her. She couldn’t lose them like this. 

Too engrossed in her own spiralling thoughts, she didn’t realise she was running head on into someone until they had both crashed onto the ground, her on top of the innocent person. 

She pushed herself up, frantically apologising and offering a hand to the person, until realising that she knew her victim. 

Nick. 

“Falling for me so soon?” Nick laughed as he took her hand and straightened them both up. Julie laughed nervously, hastily wiping her eyes so that Nick wouldn’t notice her current state. 

If he did, he didn’t say anything. 

He simply offered his hand to her. When she raised an eyebrow, he shrugged, “It looked like you could use a hand to hold right now”.

She smiled gratefully at him, letting him take her hand in his, and they walked side by side together for a while in companionable silence. 

“Where you headed?”

Julie glanced at him, quickly looking away as she shrugged. 

“Where do any of us really go?”

He chuckled at that, and then the silence stretched between them again. 

Nick led the way through the crowds, using his height to their advantage, and soon they had wandered into a more secluded, albeit run-down, part of the city. 

She furrowed her eyebrows slightly, as though she’d just remembered something super important. 

“Why have you been so weird lately, Nick?”

They stopped, and Nick pulled them both into a side alleyway, away from the small amount of pedestrian traffic. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Julie”

He took a step toward her, and for some reason Julie felt the urge to take a step back. 

“You’ve just been... not you? Like, you’re whole personality seems to have changed”

He chuckled slightly, a smirk gracing his features. 

“I told you Julie,” he reached out, clasping her wrist in his hand and pulling her closer to him, “I’m in love with you”

She shook herself out of his grip. 

“And I’ve already told you, that I only want to be your friend. So back off”

Her tone was accusatory, and she suddenly felt very unsafe in this secluded alleyway with Nick when his features twisted into something far more sinister. 

In an instant he moved forward, grabbing her by the shoulders and pushing her into the rough concrete wall behind her, slamming her head in the process. 

Her thoughts felt fuzzy, and a cold rush of panic ran through her. 

“Nick wha-“

But she was cut off as Nick slapped her. 

When he spoke again, his voice was much deeper and smooth than any Nick would ever have. 

“I didn’t want to do this Julie. But truly, you gave me no choice. Stealing my ghost band, and then my second in command? Such a low, low blow”

Realisation dawned on her immediately, and a short gasp escaped her lips. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about - I didn’t steal anyone from you. And as for Luke, Reggie and Alex, they’re my band, my family. You can’t take that away from them, from us”

He smirked, his forearm adjusting so he was pinning her to the wall by her throat. 

“Well, you’re right about one thing Julie”

He took a step back, and immediately Nick’s body began to convulse before he fell, unconscious, on the ground. 

Standing above him, was a man in all black, a top hat adorning his head. 

Caleb. 

He moved toward her again, towering over her menacingly. 

“I can’t take anything away from them anymore. You’ve given them some sort of immunity”

A spark of relief flashed within her. They were gonna be safe. No matter what. 

“But you, on the other hand. Well... the fun is just beginning”

He reached for her, grabbing her wrist and wrenching her into his chest. A sensation akin to pins and needles filled her whole body, and the next thing she knew, everything was black. 

Collecting the unconscious girl in his arms, Caleb disappeared out of the alley, leaving the unconscious teenager behind him. 

Little did he know, that peeking from around the corner was his former second-in-command, who wasted no time in jumping to go and inform the band. 

After a few hours, the boys inevitably got bored of throwing themselves around in the mosh pit of dancing bodies, and they skunk away up the stairs, in search of a kitchen that wasn’t full of sweaty teenagers. 

Since this place was a mansion, surely it would have two kitchens. 

As they opened one of the doors, however, they came face-to-face with their old band mate.

“Bobby,” Reggie breathed. 

The older man whipped his head toward them as they slowly entered, tears brimming his eyes. He raced forward and looked as though he was about to throw himself into the three teenagers, but hovered for a moment, tears falling across his cheeks. 

“I can’t believe it’s- I- Is it really you?”

Luke furrowed his brows, “Yea, Bobby. It’s us.”

that seemed to do the trick, and Bobby pulled them all into an embrace sobbing into their shoulders. 

The teens obliged for a moment, remembering all the time they had spent with Bobby comforting them in his studio. 

But they needed to talk, too. 

So Alex broke off first, and the group quickly followed. 

“You- You stole my songs Bobby.”

The older man looked hurt for a moment, until remorse donned his face and he wiped his tears. 

“I didn’t- I didn’t know what to do when it happened. You all died and left me alone. You guys were my- my family, and I told you to go get those stupid hot dogs and then you died and it was all my fault.”

He took a deep breath as his voice cracked, fighting to regain composure. 

“I didn’t utter a single note, play any kind of melody for years. I couldn’t. Every time I went into that studio it just- Well, Rose reminded me that I had to keep your memory alive, and the only way I could do that was through music. I recorded those songs in honour of you! I tried to give you credit but, well, I suppose managers are more interested in themselves than anything else.”

The three teens shared a look. They never considered how hard it would’ve been for Bobby. They were always together, and they were grateful of that. But Bobby, he had no one. 

“I am so sorry guys”

Alex was the first to react, slowly stepping forward and wrapping his arms loosely around Bobby’s neck. Reggie and Luke followed after, and they all embraced in a hug that hadn’t occurred since the days of sunset curve. 

“It’s okay Bobby, we forgive you”

Julie had taught Luke that there was no point in holding on to the past. Why focus on what was when he can focus on what is? That’s why he knew Bobby needed his forgiveness just as much as he needed to give it. 

A flash occurred in the room and the boys broke apart immediately, as they turned to see Willie standing before them, panic settled across his whole features. 

A grim sense of unease settled into Luke’s stomach. 

Alex reacted first, rushing forward and grabbing Willie’s hands, asking him what was wrong and attempting to ease his whole body shaking. 

Bobby threw a questioning glance at Reggie, confirming to the boys that he could not see Willie. 

When Willie tried to speak, his voice broke and he had to take a deep breath first before he could try and talk again. 

“It’s- Its Julie. He’s got her- he just took her”

Luke rushed forward then, his own panic gripping him, making his body scream at him to run. 

“What about Julie, Willie? What’s wrong with her?!”

He stared at them all in the eyes, as Alex, Luke and Reggie crowded around him. 

“It’s Caleb, Luke. He must have possessed some blonde kid from her school or something, and I saw them walking and he pulled her off the path so I followed... And I saw Caleb, and they disappeared”

Oh God, no. 

The jealously he felt over Nick hours ago felt trivial. Stupid. Why had he gone to this party? He should’ve stayed with Julie. She’d always made sure they were safe, and now she was in trouble all because they wanted to go to a party in spite of Nick and Julie. 

God he was so stupid. 

He felt tears threaten to spill, and he turned, letting out a frustrated yell as he slammed his fist into a nearby wall. 

His Julie was gone.