Work Text:
Excerpt from Star Magazine
Title: Did our favorite song writing couple break up?!?
Are Julie Molina and Luke Patterson (of Grammy award-winning band Julie and the Phantoms) done? The couple that has been dating for over four years now have sparked new rumors after Julie Molina (keyboardist and lead singer) uploaded a suspicious video on her Instagram two days ago. The singer posted a video of her singing to the karaoke track for Olivia Rodrigo’s hit good 4 u. This post comes the day after Luke Patterson (guitarist) was spotted clubbing in Los Angles, with no girlfriend on his arm. The location of the video, where Julie Molina is aggressively singing into a hairbrush, was tagged to be in New York City. The song details a girl going through a breakup where the ex seems to have moved on and is doing well while the girl is not doing okay. Fans have been speculating things since the photos of Patterson at the club surfaced, but this post seems to confirm for a lot that the two have split up. What will happen to our favorite punk pop-rock band?
Julie pushed the laptop away from her and farther down the kitchen table once she finished reading the article. “What the fuck!”
“I was going to call you this morning, but I didn’t want you to spend the whole flight worrying about it since you wouldn’t have internet,” Luke told her. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her neck. He rested his head on top of hers.
“Has the label said anything? What do they want us to do?” Julie asked, relaxing into her boyfriend’s hold.
“They told us that we can do whatever we want. They are honestly grasping at straws right now anyways so yeah, whatever we want,” Reggie spoke up from the other side of the table.
Alex nodded in agreement with Reggie, “I’m good with whatever you two want to do. It’s you guys that they are writing about and making up all these rumors.”
“This is so stupid. I wasn’t out ‘clubbing’,” Luke used his fingers as air quotes. “I went to a friend's birthday gathering.”
“And I would have gone with you, but I was in New York visiting Flynn. I wasn’t flying away from my problems or hiding out,” Julie added. “Flynn was at work and I was bored. I was listening to my angsty playlist and just wanted to have a little fun.”
Luke placed a kiss on the top of Julie’s head, “I’m so fucking sick of all these rumors all of the time. Every fucking move we make is overanalyzed and speculated about.”
“And if we say something then we are giving in to their bullshit, but if we don’t say anything then they speculate even more. We can’t win.”
“Like if they are going to make shit up, I rather be in charge of the narrative you know. Like I want it to be an actual creative story,” Luke mumbled.
“Wait Luke,” Julie turned to face him, causing him to lift his head off of hers. “What if we-“
“Wait are you serious?” Luke raised an eyebrow.
“Maybe, I mean it could be-“
“Yeah but what about-“
“We could ask them and see-“
“Okay you two,” Alex interrupted. “Would you like to share with the class? Not all of us here have your weird psychic connection.”
Julie looked at Luke, who nodded and then turned to face her two other bandmates. “Luke and I are thinking that instead of speaking out or keeping quiet, we take over the narrative.”
“What do you mean by that?” Reggie asked.
“Like, we write the story. If they want to think that Luke and I have broken up and are expressing it through fucking Instagram posts, then let’s do it,” Julie explained.
“This might get intense guys, are you sure that this is something you want to do?” Alex said, being the parent of the group.
“Yeah, I’m in. We can end it whenever we want,” Luke replied.
“Yeah, I’m in too. Are you two okay with this?” Julie pointed at Reggie and Alex.
“It’s your guy's relationship,” Reggie tilted his head in confusion.
“Yeah but you guys will probably get dragged into this and the band will too. We will keep you two out of this as much as possible, but this will inevitably affect you guys a little bit,” Julie told them. The two boys looked at one another and then nodded.
“Alright, what song should Luke sing?"
Excerpt from Star Magazine
Title: Luke Patterson claps back at suspected ex Julie Molina?
Three days after Julie Molina posted a video on her Instagram of her singing good 4 u, potential ex-boyfriend Luke Patterson posted his own video. Patterson chose to do an acoustic cover of Set It Off’s The Haunting. The song is about being forced to keep a relationship a secret, being lied to, and overall, just not being treated well. Julie and Luke are known for keeping their relationship on the down-low and don’t post a lot about one another. It should be pointed out that the last time either one has made an Instagram post about the other was for Julie’s birthday three months ago. With good 4 u, Julie Molina made it seem like she blamed Luke Patterson for the suspected breakup, but it’s possible that Luke might be changing the narrative of the story in his favor. Is Luke saying that Julie is to blame for the secretive nature of their relationship and that she had potentially lied and treated him badly? We’ll just have to wait and see if the two musicians give us any more hints as to what’s going on.
#JukeBreakup is trending on Twitter
LukeFan420: Luke was always the one to post the mushy gushy photos while Julie’s photos are always her making a joke or making fun of him. It would make sense if he is singing this about her.
JATPFan69: Damn these lyrics hit hard. ‘No one will love you like I did, will treat you like I did’. I’m really confused about what’s going on but I think both are at fault and are trying to blame the other one.
Juke42069: Why is no one talking about the fact that Luke stuck to the original last line of ‘No one will love you like I did, will fuck you like I did’. Like he really went there.
Reggie Peters to Operation Juke Breakup
Reggie: Holy fuck guys
Reggie: This is getting intense.
Reggie: Julie are you okay with all this?
Julie: Being called an emotionless bitch that isn’t good enough for Luke?
Julie: Honey this is been going on for years
Julie: I’m numb there is no feelings
Alex: I’m impressed how well you guys called what the story was going to be
Luke: We know a thing or two because we’ve seen a thing or two
Reggie: I want in
Reggie: If you two are going to continue with this then I want to help.
Alex: Yeah even I want in
Alex: I’m ignoring all the panic in my head right now that is telling me not to because I want to be involved.
Julie: Bet.
Julie: I have an idea but you guys are going to have to pick sides.
Reggie: Julie
Alex: Julie
Luke: HEY
Alex: Sorry bro, but if for some reason you two ever broke up we’d choose Julie’s side.
Luke: I’ve known you guys longer!
Reggie: Yeah but she’s Julie
Reggie: Also I called it first so I get Julie, Alex.
Alex: ugh fine.
Luke: I’ve never been more offended in my life.
Excerpt from Star Magazine
Title: Julie Molina's response to Luke Patterson’s Instagram post with fellow bandmate.
Following Luke Patterson’s Instagram post of The Haunting, Julie Molina posted a video of her singing along to the radio with fellow bandmate Reggie Peters (bassist). The two sang Gabby Barrett’s I Hope. The song is a country song, which is believed to be on purpose. It is a well-known fact that Luke Patterson isn’t the biggest fan of country and Reggie Peters is. The song is about wishing that an ex will fall in love and get cheated on as karma for doing the same. Is it possible that Luke Patterson cheated on Julie Molina? It could be that Luke just moved on and Julie is focusing on the other messages of the song. But, it looks like other members of the band are getting involved and it seems like Reggie Petters is #TeamJulie.
Alex Mercer to Operation Team Breakup
Alex: This is such bullshit
Alex: Why is automatically assumed that Julie is emotionless and manipulative but with Luke, we don’t know the whole story
Alex: I hate society
Julie: *snap* *snap*
Luke: Alex we need to plan our song tonight
Alex: Yeah yeah I’m down.
Alex: Although I’m secretly team Julie
Luke: Alex we aren’t broken up for real you get that right
Alex: still
Julie: Reggie want to get dinner with me?
Julie: Since it looks like I’m on my own tonight
Reggie: YES!!!
“Hey Jules,” Luke greeted the next day as Julie walked through the front door. He was laying on the couch in their living room. “How was lunch with your dad?”
“It was good,” Julie set down her bag in one of the chairs. “I was trying to explain to him what we are doing and he didn’t really get it but said that as long as I don’t get upset about it that he’s fine with it.”
“That’s good,” Luke held out his arms. “Come cuddle with me.”
“One sec,” Julie replied as she took off her shoes. When she finally got her shoes off and put them away, she moved over towards the couch and laid down on top of her boyfriend.
“Hi,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around her lower back to press her against him.
“Hi,” she smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck so that her front was pressed against his.
“Kiss,” he insisted. Julie rolled her eyes but moved her head so that she could kiss him. She had just planned for it to be a short kiss, and she was pretty sure that it’s what Luke had in mind as well. But, once their lips were entwined together, they kept kissing. Julie scooched herself up his body so that she could deepen the kiss and threaded one of her hands through his hair. Luke moved one of his hands from her lower back up her shirt and rested it on her upper back. He moved the other hand onto her upper thigh and moved her leg that was on the open side of the couch to the side of his leg. Julie got the message and moved her other leg so that her lower body was straddling him while her upper body was still pressed against him.
Luke was just about to start working on her bra when his phone started to go off in his pocket. “Fuck,” he groaned. Julie giggled against his mouth. “Let’s just ignore it.”
“Come on, it could be important,” Julie said and then moved one of her hands from his hair and slowly moved it down into his pocket. She took a little bit too much time trying to grab the phone from his pocket and Luke knew that she wasn’t actually struggling but just wanted to torture him instead. “It’s Reggie.”
Luke groaned again and threw his head back. He took the phone from Julie and put it up to his ear with one hand and used his other hand on Julie’s upper back to keep her against him.
“What?” Luke asked, his voice shaky as Julie started to place kisses along his neck.
“Hey Luke, uh I don’t know if you have been on the internet lately, but I just wanted to clarify some things with you,” Reggie replied. Luke noted that he sounded nervous but all of the blood in his head had rushed elsewhere and he couldn’t really think clearly.
“Reggie what?” Luke mumbled as Julie chose that exact moment to start nipping at his neck.
“Uh, there are pictures of Julie and me getting dinner last night, and combined with the video, rumors are going around that she and I are a thing now. I just wanted to let you know that I would never do a thing like that and that nothing is going on between us.”
“Reggie I can’t express how much right now that I am fully aware that nothing is going between the two of you,” Luke snapped. At Luke’s tone, Julie lifted her head up from his neck and slapped his shoulder. Being so close to the phone, Julie was able to hear the conversation and shot Luke a not-so-happy look. “Sorry Reggie, I didn’t mean to be so rude. I appreciate you calling me to let me know. I know that you and Julie are just friends and would never do that to me.”
“It’s okay Luke,” Reggie replied, not bothered by Luke’s tone and sounding less nervous from earlier.
“Give me the phone,” Julie reached out her hand and Luke handed it over. “Hey Reggie. Are you sure that you are still okay with this? We can pull the plug if these rumors make you uncomfortable.”
“No, it’s fine Julie. I knew that this could potentially happen when I agreed to help you guys. The idea of me and you is kind of funny to be honest. I just wanted to make sure that Luke wasn’t mad at me.”
“Trust me, dude, I am not mad at all,” Luke assured him.
“Okay, that’s good. Alright, I’ll let you two get back to whatever you were doing.”
“Yup, talk to you later Reggie.” And with that, Luke hung up the phone and tossed it on the floor. He grabbed hold of Julie and flipped them so that she was on her back and he was on top of her. “So where were we?”
Excerpt from Star Magazine
Title: Alex Mercer chooses #TeamLuke amidst Juke breakup rumors
Luke Patterson uploaded a new video with Alex Mercer (drummer) in response to rumored ex Julie Molina’s. The guitarist and drummer uploaded a video of the two of them in a car singing along to Set It Off’s (the second song that Patterson has done from the band) N.M.E., which stands for No More Excuses. The song is about watching a friend’s relationship turn toxic and unhealthy. In the song, the singer urges the friend to get out of the relationship and take control of their life. Fans are either speculating that the two are performing this song in a message to Luke that he needed to get out of the relationship, or the two friends are urging Reggie Peters to get away from Julie Molina. This follows after Molina and Peters uploaded a video a few days ago and after pictures were taken of the two out to dinner. It seems like the other two band members have officially chosen sides. Fans are surprised that Mercer has chosen #TeamLuke while Peters has chosen #TeamJulie. What does this mean for Julie and the Phantoms?
Alex Mercer to Operation Juke Breakup
Alex: Ugh I hate being team Luke
Alex: Julie is clearly the right one
Alex: Luke’s a jerk
Luke: I would like to remind you
Luke: WE AREN’T ACTUALLY BROKEN UP
Alex: Yeah but still
Luke: I-
Luke: Nevermind I’m not going to argue it.
Reggie: Why does it seem like everyone is taking Luke’s side
Reggie: Julie literally sang a song alluding to him cheating
Julie: Hollywood is sexist Reggie
Julie: All the fans idolize Luke so clearly I’m the one to blame
Reggie: Ugh
Reggie: It’s not fair
Julie: I need a song to really say fuck you
Julie: I want to win this fake break up
Alex: Dear John
Julie: Absolutely not
Julie: We will not allude to Luke being a gaslighting groomer
Alex: I have the perfect song
Julie: Hit me.
“Hey Luke, can I use that guitar I got you for your 25th birthday? The one you used at every stop of the Perfect Harmony tour?” Julie asked, sticking her head out of their home studio.
Luke turned over on the couch and smiled at her, “Yeah go ahead, Jules.”
Julie ran over to him and gave him a quick kiss. “Thanks, you are the best.”
Excerpt from Star Magazine
Title: Julie Molina changes many opinions after posting a new video amidst breakup rumors and bandmate Alex Mercer changes teams.
A few days after Luke Patterson and Alex Mercer posted a video, Julie Molina snaps back with her third video in the feud. The singer posted a cover of Taylor Swift’s All Too Well. The singer, who also plays the keyboard, switched up instruments and played guitar which is the instrument her rumored ex (Luke Patterson) plays. Molina also used the guitar that she had gifted Patterson for his 25th birthday and played on the Perfect Harmony tour. Perfect Harmony is a romantic duet between the two musicians, one of the only few that the two have performed over the years, despite being a couple for many years and writing partners. The song, which is described to be one of Swift’s best songs, details the ups and downs of a relationship that ends terribly. The bridge includes the lines ‘But maybe this thing was a masterpiece til you tore it all up’ and ‘And you call me up again just to break me like a promise. So casually cruel in the name of being honest. I'm a crumpled-up piece of paper lying here’. Honestly, this song has a lot of gut-wrenching lyrics that Julie sang with raw emotion and tears in her eyes.
Many fans have quickly jump sides and are now #TeamJulie. The biggest team switch though includes fellow bandmate Alex Mercer who seemed to be #TeamLuke prior. The drummer commented on Molina’s post with praise for her performance and hyping her up on his story. The two were also spotted hanging out downtown, without Luke in sight. Will Luke Patterson respond in this unspoken feud, or is it officially over with?
Luke Patterson to Operation Juke Breakup
Luke: ALEX!!!!
Luke: I’m hurt
Alex: Sorry man
Alex: She did Taylor
Alex: And she was amazing
Alex: How could I not support her.
Luke: Fair
Luke: But now I have to finish this out.
Reggie: I really don’t know how you are going to top that Luke
Luke: I don’t think I will
Luke: But I can get close
Julie: I have an idea.
“You are a mean piano teacher,” Luke told Julie, pouting.
“You are a terrible student. You keep staring off into space instead of paying attention,” Julie snapped back.
“I’m not staring off into space, I’m staring at you. Stop being so pretty.”
Julie rolled her eyes at her boyfriend, “Don’t blame me for not paying attention.”
Luke turned on the bench and wrapped his arms around her. “But I can’t stop looking at you,” he whispered into her ear.
“You know, flirting with the teacher won’t improve your piano playing skills.”
Luke moved his mouth from her ear to her neck, “Wanna bet?”
Julie sighed and threaded her hand through her boyfriend’s hair. “We are never going to get this done.”
Excerpt from Star Magazine
Title: Luke Patterson responses to Julie Molina, but was it enough?
After Julie Molina’s heart-wrenching performance of All Too Well, Luke Patterson uploaded a cover of Lewis Capaldi’s Someone You Loved. The guitar player switched to piano for the performance, Molina’s primary instrument, and poured all his emotions into the song. By the end of the song there appeared to be tears in his eyes, similar to Molina’s. This is speculated to be a connection to Molina’s video, where she played his primary instrument. Although the song has taken on different interpretations, and the original singer has claimed it is not about a breakup, it has been speculated by many fans that Patterson’s intention with this song was to be a breakup song.
The song details about being loved by someone and then all of the sudden not anymore. The chorus includes the lines ‘Now, the day bleeds into nightfall and you're not here to get me through it all. I let my guard down and then you pulled the rug. I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved’. This is a change for Patterson, whose last two videos have been him singing songs by Set It Off and have been angrier and more accusatory. Is the online feud officially over, or is there no end? Will the two ever publicly confirm their breakup? What will happen to Julie and the Phantoms in the upcoming months?
LukePatterson posted new photos on Instagram
(The first photo is of the two of them facetiming while Julie was in New York. The second is the two of them in the car on the way back from the airport. The third photo is of them cuddled up on the couch together. The fourth photo is of Julie flipping him off in their kitchen. The fifth photo is of Julie flipping Luke off again while she is recording All Too Well, wearing the same clothes that she was in the video. The sixth photo is the two of them taking a selfie while Julie teaches him the piano part for Someone You Loved, wearing the same clothes that he wears in the video. The seventh video is the two of them taking another selfie, with Julie holding up her left hand and showing off a ring.)
LukePatterson: Sorry I haven’t done a Julie photo dump in a while. I was a little busy ring shopping.
JulieMolina, AlexMercer, ReggiePeters, and 69000 others commented on LukePatterson’s post.
JulieMolina: Cootiesssssssss
ReggiePeters: Ahhhhhhh
AlexMercer: OMG I LOVE YOU GUYS
JukeFans420: So I spent the past month thinking that these two had this awful messy breakup and it turns out that THEY GOT FUCKING ENGAGED.
JATPFan69: THANKS FOR THE HEART ATTACK GUYS
JulieFan234: I don’t get why everyone thought they broke up. They liked each other’s posts and literally both car videos were filmed in the same car and Luke's other two videos and Julie’s last video both had backgrounds at their house that they live together at. You all took it and ran.
JulieMolina posted a new photo on Instagram.
(A photo of Julie and Luke kissing while Julie holds out her engagement ring for the camera).
JulieMolina: well good 4 u you look happy and healthy
LukePatterson, AlexMercer, ReggiePeters, and 75000 others commented on JulieMolina’s post.
LukePatterson: Well, good 4 me, I guess I’m gettin' everything I want
AlexMercer: JULIE YOU DID NOT I LOVE YOU
AlexMercer: YOU TOO LUKE
ReggiePeters: we stan a happy and healthy couple
JukeJatp69420: Not them referencing the song that started all the rumors
LukeFan69: THEY DID NOT JUST DO THAT
Excerpt from Star Magazine
Title: Julie Molina and Luke Patterson of band Julie and the Phantoms get engaged in the middle of breakup rumors.
Julie Molina and Luke Patterson (#Juke), have posted about their engagement after a month of speculations surrounding their relationship. After Julie posted covers of good 4 u, I Hope, and All Too Well, and Luke posted covers of The Haunting, N.M.E., and Someone You Loved, it was rumored that the two had broken up. Looking at photos that Patterson has recently posted, including an engagement photo, it seems the two are actually doing better than ever. Molina referenced the rumors by quoting a lyric from good 4 u, the song that started all of this, on her engagement photo. Patterson also replied to the post with one of the lyrics (although changing it slightly to fit the reply). It seems the two are aware of all the drama that has been spewing online over the past few weeks. But, it looks like Julie and the Phantoms will be more than okay.
Julie slammed the laptop closed.
“Oh fuck off.”