Unsaid Love (JATP fanfiction)

• PRESTORY PT. II •

Los Angeles, 2021

Julie Molina lies curled up on her bed staring at her white ceiling. In her arms she holds a picture of her mom. The similarities between the two are huge. "Help me mom..! Juilliard was my dream, but what am I supposed to do there now when I can't even get a single note out of myself", Julie whispers up into heaven. A tear rolls down her cheeck as she hugs the picture tighter and tighter. Next to her bed there is still an almost empty suitcase. Only a few small things are stowed inside.

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Julie immediately jumps up, wipes away her tears and pretends to start packing her clothes. Just in that moment, the door opens and her father's head peers in. "You okay, honey?", her father asks gently. "I'm alright, dad. I just don't know what I can leave here and what I should take with me.", she answers. "By the way, don't you think it would be a good idea to rummage in the garage? Don't leave home without getting over yourself to enter the garage, darling.", her father advises her.

Julie knows exactly that her dad is right. She will never be able to forgive herself later for going to university without entering the garage first. This was the place her mom escaped to when she felt the need for music. It was always like her little studio. Who knows if it will still be so marked by memories of her mother. But since the death, Julie has never been able to bring herself to set a foot in the garage again. Each time she is overwhelmed by her panic and grief. It was in this place that Julie found her love for music. Since she was a little girl, her mom brought her to music. But now Julie is alone. And alone she has never sung or played a note on her piano. It has hit her just too hard.

With her suitcase almost completely packed, Julie has now no longer an excuse. With heavy steps she walks towards the garage. With each step, her breathing becomes heavier and her heart begins to race. When she arrives at the door, all she wants to do is turn around. But something stops her and tells her to take the plunge now. So she opens the door and looks into the emtpy room, filled with silence. The room was still furnished exactly as Julie remembers it.

She takes the first step inside and looks around. "Wow.. Everything reminds me of you mom. I miss you so much!", Julie says softly. Her gaze wanders to the beautiful marron piano. It reminds her of the countless hours she spent writing songs on that piano with her mom. The next thing she notices is a large, dusty chest. She knows it is filled with clothes and stuff of her mom. She opens it slowly. Immediately her eyes open wide. All the things trigger memories in Julie. All the clothes inside remind her of her mom's childhood photos. The next thing she is holding isn't just any piece of clohting, no, its several handwritten sheets of paper. Again, her pulse begins to beat faster and faster. She starts to read: "Here's the one thing I want you to know. You got someplace to go. Life's a test, yes, but you go toe-to-toe. You don't give up, no, you grow." Julies mouth dorps as she realises it is a song from her mom. Her eyes fill with tears as she reads through the song. Now she can not longer hold back the tears when she discovers a message from her mom at the end of the song. "Julie, you can do it. Love mom." Julie sniffs and has to concentrate herself on breathing regularly. Her look goes over to the piano. Thousands of thoughts run through her head until she decides to just do it.

Julie takes a seat behind the piano and strokes her fingers softly over the piano keys. With the first note that echoes from the piano, Julie is overcome by the feeling that she has been missing for so long. The joy of music. "Wake up, wake up if it's all you do. Look out, look inside of you. It's not what you lost, it's what you'll gain raising you rvoice to the rain.", Julie sings full of energy. It feels like all her passion and joy for music is suddenly back. With the sound of the last note, Julie looks up to heaven and starts smiling. She knows exactly which progress she has just made with this song.

Now Julie's curiosity is piqued, she has to know what else the chest is hiding. She finds a CD by a band called Sunset Curve. She has never heard this name before, which is why she is confused that this CD belonged to her mom. She is wondering what kind of music it is, so she rushes over to the CD player and puts it in. A song booms out of the CD player at full volume. It takes a while for Julie to get the volume under control but strangely a loud hall remains in the background. These halls become louder and louder and develop into loud screams that seem to come closer. "AHHHHHHH!" Out of nowhere there is a loud bang and when Julie opens her eyes again, suddenly three boys fall on the hard ground.  Now it's Julie who's going into screams which scares the boys. Eventually, everyone in the garage is screaming, one louder than the other. With the biggest fear on her face, Julie runs out of the garage and back into the house without any thougt. At this moment Julie doesn't know which unusual surprises the three boys will bring...