1.

The first error on the third Julie and the Phantom’s tour really could have been easily avoided.

Someone just needed to do a better job at tying their shoes.

Lucas…

They were in the middle of performing a throwback to Bright from their first tour and Luke was really getting into the performance.

It happened right before the final chorus of the song after Luke had just been standing next to Julie, playing his guitar. As he headed back to his mic stand, he decided to do a 180 spin and kick out his right foot.

And with the combination of his energy and his shoes coming untied, the shoe went flying into the audience.

Luckily no one was hurt, but the song didn’t finish that great. All four band members were supposed to be singing and three of them were having a hard time not laughing while the fourth member (can you guess who) was beat red in embarrassment.

“Uh,” Luke mumbled into the microphone once the song was over with. “Can I get my shoe back?”

“Bro, tie your shoes better,” Reggie spoke into his microphone.

“Yeah Luke, I know it’s not a part of the rock star lifestyle, but double knot your shoes man,” Alex joined in on his mic.

Luke ignored his bandmates and pointed at the girl a few rows back that was currently holding his shoe like a trophy. “I uh have an official used JATP guitar pick. I’ll trade it to you for my shoe.”

“Sounds like a terrible deal,” Julie added. Luke shot her a look and she laughed in response. Apparently, it was a good enough deal for the fan though and Luke handed the security guard a pick to give to her and in exchange, she gave the guard his shoe.

“Double tie them this time,” Alex told Luke as he worked on putting his shoe back on with thousands of eyes staring him down.

Luke’s bunk was most definitely filled with every shoe that the other three owned that night.

But the joke was on Julie since instead of cleaning his bunk out he just squeezed in with her.

2.

The second mistake was all on Reggie.

He was just trying to be a good friend though so no one could be too mad at him.

Well, maybe Julie could.

They were at an outside venue in Texas when it happened. Julie had no recollection of agreeing to any outdoor shows for the tour but apparently, they were planned and scheduled.

It was so hot outside.

Like so hot.

During one of the breaks between songs, Luke and Alex were entertaining the crowd by bickering like an old married couple. Julie had grabbed one of the handheld fans and was trying to cool herself off. She was trying her best to put on a good show but it was definitely one of her lower energy shows.

“Here, give me the fan Jules. I’ll get the back of your neck,” Reggie told her, tapping her shoulder. Julie just shrugged and gave him the fan. This allowed her hands to free up so that she could chug her water.

“Ugh, Reggie, why don’t you ever offer to hold the fan for me?” Luke asked into the microphone.

Julie handed Reggie her mic so that he could reply. “Julie’s nice to me. You aren’t.”

Luke put a hand over his heart and pretended to be offended, “That’s so not true. I’m plenty nice to you. And just the other day Julie filled your bunk with fake cockroaches.”

“Yeah but it’s Julie, I could never be mad at her.”

Julie grabbed the microphone back from Reggie. “Correct.”

And then Julie felt the pull on her head.

Reggie did not just do that.

The fan stopped and her head titled back.

Oh, he did.

“Reggie!”

“I’m sorry Julie. Ah, what do I do.”

“Don’t pull on it!” One of the female stagehands ran out to help get Julie’s hair unstuck from the fan. Reggie walked back over to his mic with his hands up in surrender.

“Never mind Reggie, I don’t want you to hold the fan for me now,” Luke teased. Julie sent her boyfriend a death glare and then finally her hair was released.

“Reggie is not allowed to hold fans anymore,” Alex announced.

Reggie gave a sheepish look and then nodded, “Fair.”

3.

The third mistake wasn’t anyone in the band's fault. Or really anyone that was a part of the tour.

No, it was a fan's fault.

The band was performing Flying Solo when it happened. The song had started off fine, with Julie starting on the keyboard. Maybe it should have been predicted with the line ‘And if somebody hurts you I'm gonna get hurt too’.

The venue they were playing at was on the smaller size in comparison to the others on the tour. Which is how Julie believed that the woman, who wasn’t much taller than her, was able to get on the stage. She had climbed up on the stage right side, between Julie and Reggie.

Julie saw her eyes lock on Reggie, who was blissfully unaware and turned towards Alex.

Oh no.

Julie knew that security wasn’t going to make it time. She still didn’t know how the woman got past them in the first place, but the closest guard was too far away.

Julie really didn’t have time to think.

She just did.

She ran towards the woman, who she was guessing was in her early to mid-twenties. With her mic in one hand, Julie launched at the side of the woman as fast as she could. They landed on the ground, with Julie on top. All three instruments cut out at about that same time as Julie stopped singing and the three boys looked to see what was going on.

Julie didn’t really think about the fact that the woman might fight back, but luckily security finally made it over. Julie rolled over and security started to pick the woman up to escort her off stage.

Julie noticed that Luke was already in front of her and had his hand out for her. She took it and he pulled her up and into a hug. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Alex had joined Reggie at his mic stand and was talking to him. Julie suspecting that he was making sure that he was okay.

“Are you okay?” Luke whispered in her ear.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I might have some nasty bruises but besides that I’m good.”

“You scared me there for a minute. I’d tell you to never do that again but I’m not going to tell you what to do and I know you will anyway.” Julie felt him pull her a little tighter.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’d probably not though if the person was like twice my size,” Julie assured him.

“Oh thank God,” Luke mumbled, and then finally pulled away.

Reggie ran up to her and grabbed her in a huge hug, squeezing the life out of her. “Thank you, Julie. You are my savior.” Julie just laughed. She was glad that he was okay and didn’t seem too spoked. Maybe it helped that he didn’t actually see the woman coming at him.

Reggie finally released her and went over to his mic stand. “Julie just saved my life. I think I legally have to fall in love with her,” Reggie told the audience, mimicking her words from years ago when he saved her from falling off stage during their first tour.

Him talking to the audience reminded Julie that they had all just watched that good down. She picked up her mic that was still on the ground, which was luckily not damaged, and brought it to her mouth.

“Of course, Reggie. It’s like the rules of the world. How does a destination wedding sound?”

“I like that! Or maybe even a Vegas wedding! We have a show there in a month,” Reggie beamed.

“But that’s too far out Reg!” Julie smiled as the audience got riled up with their antics. Most fans were laughing, some were shouting out suggestions, and a few were teasing Luke.

Speaking of which…

“Excuse me!” Luke said into his mic, pretending to be offended.

Julie playfully rolled her eyes at him, “Sorry Luke. I love you but rules are rules.” Luke pouted, riling up the fans even more.

“Oh, can I be the best man?” Alex asked, joining in. “I don’t Luke wants to be so I think I should be.”

“Alex, you don’t want to be my man of honor?” Julie shouted back.

“Naw, that’s Flynn's job. You were literally just singing a song you wrote for her. I can’t compete with that.”

“Fair,” Julie pointed at Alex in agreement.

“Alright Julie, I think that I’m going to have to bow out. Luke isn’t looking happy and his arms are just the tiniest bit bigger than mine and I’m a little scared,” Reggie resigned.

“Not with that attitude Reggie. I think you could take him,” Alex teased, pointing one of his drum sticks at Luke.

“Yeah Reggie, you got like four inches on him,” Julie said, looking directly at Luke.

“Molina don’t you start that, Reggie and I are the same height,” Luke huffed and then smiled, showing that he wasn’t really mad. “But I guess if you guys are really in love, I can’t get in the middle of it. I will respectively bow out.”

“Cool, thanks,” Julie simply said. Luke, having enough of her teasing, swung his guitar that he just put back on behind him and charged at her. He grabbed her from behind and then leaned his head down to leave a sloppy kiss on her cheek. “Ew gross.”

The fans started screaming even louder and Julie managed to peak at the other boys with Luke still around her. They all gave each other a little nod, successfully distracting the audience and making them ease up after what just happened. They were able to continue the show without any more interruptions.

“Are you sure you are okay?” Luke asked Julie the minute that they were off stage.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Maybe I could get an ice pack for my knee if we have one.” Luke looked at one of the stagehands, who nodded and headed off in search of one.

Julie turned towards Reggie. “What about you? Are you doing okay?”

Reggie smiled at her and then responded, “I’m not the one that body-slammed someone to the floor. I’m perfectly fine.”

Julie tilted her head and frowned, “I meant mentally Reggie. You had someone coming at you.”

Reggie just shook his head, “I’m fine Julie. It shook me up a little bit but I’m fine now. I didn’t see her at all so I guess it didn’t feel as bad as it could have been. And I know that I have my own personal bodyguard now, so I don’t have to worry.” Julie rolled her eyes at the personal bodyguard part. She nodded her head and accepted his answer. Reggie wouldn’t hold back in saying that he was upset, and if it bothered him later, she was pretty sure that he would tell one of them. He wore his emotions on his sleeves.

4.

Yeah, the next mistake was pretty much Julie’s fault. Like she didn’t mean for it to happen, but she also knew that her top was a little too tight when she walked out on stage.

It was a cute top though. It was pretty similar to her signature Edge of Great top, except that it was in black with thin straps and had buttons on the back. When Julie put it on, it was a little snug, but it was cute and she really wanted to wear it, so she did.

Yeah, that backfired on her.

They were performing Finally Free, doing a throwback to their first album, when it happened. The thing about that song is sometimes they would get a little wild when performing it. And by they, it was mostly Julie.

Julie was really getting into it during the second run-through of the chorus. She was dancing all over the stage, feeding off the energy of the crowd.

Pop.

Pop. Pop. Pop.

Julie heard the noise and all of a sudden her top felt very loose.

Yeah, all the buttons on her top had just popped off.

Julie held the top close to her chest, making sure that she didn’t flash the audience. She couldn’t turn around or the audience would see her bareback (and maybe some other parts that she desperately didn’t want people to see).

Luke, being her dashing knight in shining armor, immediately knew what to do. He threw his guitar behind his back as the other two guys continued to play and Julie continued to sing. He unwrapped his flannel from around his waist and walked in front of Julie, blocking her from the audience.

He helped her put an arm through each armhole, holding up her top for her so that she could continue to sing in the mic. When he got it on her, the two of them sang the bridge together as Luke worked on the buttons.

When he finally finished and made sure that she was good to go, he stepped away and headed back to his own microphone. He started playing his guitar as they finished the song.

While Julie finished singing, she managed to get the original blacktop out from under the flannel and tossed it backstage as she hit the last note.

The audience cheered especially loud. First for the song, but also for her quick costume change.

Sure, maybe the flannel was way too big on her. And sure, maybe the song sounded a little off because there was no guitar for part of it.

But guess what.

She didn’t miss a single gosh darn note.

And she would flex that for the rest of her life.

5.

Okay yeah, the fifth mistake was also Julie’s fault. But she really didn’t want it to happen.

It was their last show of the third tour. They were in Los Angles, performing for their hometown. Julie’s entire family was in the audience and she was definitely energized by all of this.

It happened during the last song. The whole tour they had been ending with Stand Tall because of course it was.

But it was also ironic that it was Stand Tall.

They had gotten to the bridge of the song and Julie decided to step onto Alex’s drum platform. It was pretty high up, just level with her knees.

Julie was feeding pretty heavily off the crowd. They were just so electric tonight. Throw in the fact that it was the last song of their last show of the tour, and Julie felt like she had just drunk about ten energy drinks.

Maybe that’s why she thought it was a good idea to get up on the platform. She didn’t usually, and when she did, she usually just stepped down.

Tonight she wanted to jump. She saw the guys do it all the time. Sure, she knew they had been doing it for a while and had been practicing it for years, but how hard could it be?

Apparently, it was hard.

Well maybe it wasn’t too difficult, and it was mostly caused by the high energy as she jumped.

For the few milliseconds that she was in the air, she felt invincible. She felt her hair flying behind her and the power of how high she was able to jump.

Until she hit the ground and she heard a crack.

It actually took a second for the pain to set in and for her to realize what the crack was.

She fell to the ground and she dropped the mic. The adrenaline in her was trying its best but it was no match to the shooting pain in her left foot.

She had landed sideways on it and had forced all of her weight on it. Add in that she had just jumped into it; she was pretty sure that she just broke her foot.

Alex had gotten to her first, being right there and watching it in slow-mo. He kneeled next to her so that his body was blocking hers from the audience. She heard the other instruments cut out and then Luke was on one side of her and Reggie was on the other.

“Holy- Julie are you okay?” Luke asked, grabbing one of her hands. Julie squeezed it hard and finally let some tears fall down her face as she laid on her back.

“No, my foot.”

“We have to wait for the EMT to get over here Julie. I don’t want to take your shoe off and risk making it worse,” Alex told her. Julie couldn’t speak, the pain occupying all her thoughts. She squeezed Luke’s hand even tighter.

“Hey we got you,” Luke whispered, placing his other hand under her head to cushion it and then bent down to place a kiss on her forehead.

“Hurt’s so bad,” Julie managed to get out, letting even more tears flow.

More people from backstage joined them and Luke was getting annoyed until he realized that they were blocking Julie from the audience. He scooched closer to her, blocking her head almost completely from everyone else.

Finally, the EMT reached them on stage and started asking Julie questions. She struggled to answer them, but eventually, they were able to get her shoe and sock off.

Luke was going to be sick.

Her foot was definitely broken.

“Luke, look at me,” Julie reached out and grabbed his face. He turned his attention from her foot to her face.

“Yeah Luke, you look like you are about to throw up and it’s not helping. Don’t look at it,” Alex agreed, blocking his friend from seeing her foot.

Julie stroked her finger against his cheek and his full attention was back on her. “Not you trying to comfort me while you are the one in pain,” Luke told her, giving her a weak smile.

“Alright, let’s get her off the stage. Do one of you want to carry her?” The EMT asked. Luke reached to do it, but Alex held out his arm.

“Luke let me, please. You are shaking and if you catch a glimpse of her foot you might freak out.”

Luke wanted to argue but he looked down at his arms and saw that he was in fact shaking. He nodded and helped Alex pick her up. Alex took her into the green room and Luke sat down in one corner. Alex lowered her down so that her head rested in Luke’s lap and her foot was elevated on the end.

Julie’s foot ended up being broken. They eventually went to the hospital and she got x-rays on it. She had a cast on her foot for six weeks and was very grumpy. Luckily, the tour was already at an end so that didn’t end up being a problem.

And in the end, it wasn’t that bad because the guys waited on Julie.

Especially Luke.

6.

The last mistake was most definitely not a mistake and was most definitely planned. Well, almost planned.

Julie had no idea.

It also wasn’t on their third tour either. It happened on the fourth.

Everything seemed fine. It was Reggie’s turn to pick the song that they would cover for the night and there was a lot of arguing because he wanted to do country where Luke very much did not. But, they ended up compromising.

On old Taylor Swift.

Love Story (Taylor’s Version duh) actually.

They had only rehearsed it all together once, but they had all individually worked on it by themselves. Julie wasn’t too worried about it. She already knew the song like the back of her hand.

It was one of their last songs of the night for the Seattle crowd. It was a good show so far, with Ray, Carlos, and Victoria flying in to surprise the band. Julie didn’t know why they decided to come, seeing as they had a show in Los Angles in a few weeks, but she wasn’t going to complain about seeing her family.

The song started off well, with Luke starting the guitar intro and the other guys coming in. Julie stood at the front of the stage and held the microphone very close to her mouth for the first verse.

We were both young when I first saw you

I close my eyes, and the flashback starts

I'm standing there

On a balcony in summer air

See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns

See you make your way through the crowd

And say, "Hello"

Little did I know

For the pre-chorus, Julie pulled the microphone a little bit away from her and placed her other hand on her chest.

That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles

And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet"

And I was crying on the staircase

Begging you, "Please don't go," and I said

For the chorus, Julie moved closer to the edge of the stage so that she could sing to some of the fans. She held her hand out and fans gently grabbed it as she moved it up and down the stage.

Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone

I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run

You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess

It's a love story, baby, just say "Yes

For the second verse, Alex picked up the beat on the drums and Julie started dancing to it. She was moving a little goofy, seeing as it was one of the most well-known songs and they were performing just for fun.

So I sneak out to the garden to see you

We keep quiet, 'cause we're dead if they knew

So close your eyes

Escape this town for a little while, oh, oh

When they got back to the pre-chorus, Julie ran over to Reggie to sing to him for a minute.

'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter

And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet"

But you were everything to me

I was begging you, "Please don't go," and I said

For the first half of the chorus, Julie walked onto the platform (making sure to be extra careful) and sang with Alex.

Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone

I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run

You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess

It's a love story, baby, just say "Yes"

For the second half of the chorus, Julie carefully got down from the platform and walked over to Luke to sing to him. He gave her a little smile, but Julie saw the panic in his eyes.

That was weird.

Was something wrong?

Romeo, save me, they're trying to tell me how to feel

This love is difficult, but it's real

Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess

It's a love story, baby, just say "Yes"                   

Julie just brushed off her worries about Luke. He seemed fine and if something was wrong, she knew that he would signal to her. They only had a few songs left anyways.

Julie walked back towards the front of the stage and sang the bridge to the crowd.

I got tired of waiting

Wondering if you were ever coming around

My faith in you was fading

When I met you on the outskirts of town

And then she heard Luke cut out. She turned towards him to see what was wrong and he was rifling through a bag on stage.

Did he seriously run out of picks?

She looked at Reggie and Alex and they both nodded at her as they continued to play. Oh well, they were at the breakdown anyways. Hopefully Luke would find a pick in time.

And I said, "Romeo, save me, I've been feeling so alone

I keep waiting for you but you never come

Is this in my head? I don't know what to think"

The breakdown was just guitar at the beginning, but it worked without any instruments. But Julie thought it was weird when Alex and Reggie never came in at the third line.

“He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring, and said,”  and then Julie heard a huge gasp through the whole crowd. What the heck just happened? She turned to Luke as she sang the next line, “Marry me, Juliet, you'll never have to be alone.”

And then she figured out why Luke wasn’t playing.

He was down on one knee.

With a ring in his hand.

Oh.

Julie stopped singing altogether as she felt tears start to form in her eyes.

She gave Luke a small nod.

And Luke smiled at her.

And then she charged at him, jumping into his arms as he caught her. She wrapped her arms around his neck while he wrapped his around her waist. He spun her around as she repeatedly told him yes.

Luke eventually put her down and slipped the finger onto her finger. Julie held up her hand to look at it and then kissed him.

They hadn’t kissed on stage since their second tour.

Fans were going crazy. The volume in the venue was deafening.

And then it hit her. “You two knew about this,” Julie pointed at Alex and Reggie, who were both crying as well. They nodded and gave her the biggest smile.

“It was perfect Julie! The song had your name in it,” Reggie laughed into the mic.

“And you two faked that argument about the song?” Julie asked, moving her head back and forth between Luke and Reggie.

“Had to keep up appearances Jules,” Luke replied. Julie just shook her head at him and he pulled her back against him for another kiss.

“Well that was exciting,” Julie told the audience. “I think I’m supposed to get through two more songs somehow.” The audience laughed as Bright started to play.