more than a band ~ a jatp x lemonade mouth au

That Fateful Day

Head down, red baseball cap over her face, Julie zipped through the empty hallways, paying no attention to where she was going. She knew the route to the janitor's closet by heart at this point, having spent first period in the lemon-scented space every day that school year. Why first period? Easy, it was music class.

Now it may seem ironic that she would skip music of all classes to hide in a dimly lit space, writing lyrics and humming melodies to herself, but Julie had a (mostly) logical explanation for it. She just couldn't bring herself to perform in front of people after her mother had died over the summer. Music was a gift her mother had shared with her, and it felt wrong to continue making music if Rose couldn't anymore. Her mother died - cause; Julie quit performing music - effect.

However, lyrics were her coping mechanism; a way for her to get her thoughts out. And when she wrote lyrics, she couldn't resist adding a simple melody to them. And eventually writing an entire song the world would never see.

Her thoughts were cut short as she found herself colliding with a solid mass, falling to the ground with a heavy thunk. She lifted her head to see who or what she had collided with. That's when she met the panicked brown eyes of Luke Patterson.

You see, Julie knew of him, she just didn't know him, know him. He was the type of person you sit back and observe from a distance, but just couldn't figure out, no matter how many hours you spent watching him. Not that Julie had watched him that much, or anything. So naturally, she sat there with her mouth hanging wide open, gaping at Luke Patterson. Then she registered that his mouth was moving, spewing word vomit at her.

"I-I am so so so so so sorry, but I really need to get to my locker. Um, I swear on my life that I would usually help you pick up your things, but this paper I'm trying to find means life or death. Well, not life or death, but if I get a detention for this missing assignment, my parents are going to make me quit music, and I just can't. They'll say it's all because of music because I grabbed the new song I'm working on instead of -

"Maybe, you should, uh, get a move on instead of telling me about this, yeah?" Julie cut him off.

"Um, yeah, you're right. Thanks." As Luke rushed past her, she caught a whiff of pine. She began picking up her books she had dropped.

Luke quickly turned around, calling out, "Oh, and uh, by the way, I'm Luke. Uh, Patterson. Luke Patterson."

"Well, nice to meet you Luke Patterson, I'm Julie Molina." Julie smiled softly at him and he returned it with a nervous grin, rocking back and forth on his heels.

"Cool, I'm gonna leave now."

And so, Julie continued on her way to the janitor's closet. As she passed the cafeteria, she was shocked to see goody-two-shoes Reggie Peters sneaking out with Kayla, but why does it matter to her? She glanced out the window as she walked by the baseball field to see Alex Mercer getting chewed out by Coach Barron. That one worried her a little more. She sat next to Alex in a couple of classes before and knew that he was a sensitive, sweet person. She made a mental note to ask him if he was okay in AP English later that day.

One person did catch her eye though. As she passed Principal Lessa's office, she noticed a new girl sitting next to her mom, a smug look on her face as she listened to whatever thing the principal was explaining. It was the girls' outfit that made her stand out to Julie. Black Doc Martens, a red beanie, but most importantly, a t-shirt that said "Question Authority".

Having gone to Los Feliz for a little over two years, Julie knew that Principal Lessa did not like this, it seemed too rebellious and outspoken. But the look on the girl's face told Julie that she really didn't care, and Julie admired her for that.

Once she got settled into the cramped space of the closet, Julie grabbed her songbook, noticing a ripped piece of paper sticking out from the collision with Luke. Gently pulling it out, she recognized the lyrics, immediately tearing up.

It was Wake Up. The last song her mother had been working on. All the lyrics were written, but the tune needed some tweaking. Julie had left the song untouched since the day of her mother's funeral. The song was another painful reminder of what she had with her mother. Seeing Rose's handwriting left Julie reminiscing sitting at the grand piano in the studio as she skimmed the lyrics. She found herself humming the melody under her breath.

And then the door to the closet opened abruptly, bringing Julie to her senses. A pink detention slip is placed in front of her face, and she grabs it without a second thought. Out of the corner of her eye, Julie catches a glance of a pair of black Doc Martens and sees a pink detention slip with the words "Dress code" in the new girl's hand. Detention on her first day here and first period hadn't even ended. That had to be a new school record.

Julie met Lessa's scowling face, "Ms. Molina, I thought you would know better than to skip class. Don't let it happen again."

"Yes ma'am," Julie gulped. Great, detention. How was she going to explain that one to her dad?

Julie skipped first period - cause; she got detention - effect.