Edge of Great // Julie and the Phantoms (Reggie Peters)

08

Reggie and Luke sat on the couch, watching Alex pace back and forth, deep in thought.

"I think he's practicing his model strut," Reggie guessed.

"He's so nervous, it's almost making me nervous," Luke said.

Alex looked between them. "Okay, you guys know I don't handle change well. All right? Death? That was a change. Okay? Then we became ghosts-"

"Another change," Luke interrupted.

"Yes, thank you. And now we can be seen whenever we play with Julie and Reyna. Big freaking change!"

"Yeah, but bro, it was a good change."

"Yeah, but still."

"With Julie and Reyna, we can play on stage again and be the band we never got to be," Reggie said.

"I mean, who wouldn't be? I just - you know, I wanna figure out."

"Forget why," Luke told him. "Man, I say we invite Julie and Reyna to join Sunset Curve."

Reggie grinned. "Yeah, they could be the new lead singers."

"I'm the lead singer!"

"Dude, those girls have the voices of angels and can make us visible. Without them, we're just like elevator music."

"You don't have to be so mean about it. And we're on the runway again." Luke pointed to Alex.

"I'm sorry, okay?! I gotta clear my head," Alex said as he walked to the garage and tried to open it in frustration.

"Dude, you're a ghost," Reggie told him. "Just poof out!"

"Don't tell me how to ghost!" Alex inhaled and poofed out.

---

Alex walked the streets of LA, trying to clear his head.

He saw two men walking towards him who looked like Ghostbusters.

"Oh God, I'm busted," Alex muttered. "Oh God! No!" He cowered into himself, but the men went through him.

Alex stood straighter. "Okay."

"Beep beep!" a boy called with a chuckle as he skated. "Comin' through! Hey! Oh! Nice hat! Cheese!" He chuckled and hit Alex, knocking them both to the ground.

Alex groaned and coughed. "Aah!"

"Ah," the boy said with a cough and cleared his throat. "Oh man! Oh, you dinged my board."

"I dinged your board? Dude, you ran me over. You're lucky I didn't... Y-Y-You... you... you ran me over. You're a ghost?"

"Mm. Yeah. Ever since I learned the hard way that..." he removed his helmet and threw his head back, causing his hair to cascade down, "...skating in traffic was bad. Hey, sorry I, uh, smashed into you. I thought you were a lifer and I'd just pass right through."

"Uh, a lifer?"

"Yeah, that's, uh... That's what we call people who are living." The boy smiled, seeing Alex's puzzled expression. "You're new to this whole ghost thing, aren't you?"

Alex chuckled. "Yeah. Is it that obvious?"

"Totally." The boy chuckled. "Hey, I'm, uh... I'm Willie."

"Oh, uh, Alex."

"So, um, what brings you to Hollywood, man? You, uh, sightseeing? Picture with that, uh..." he clicked his tongue, "Marilyn girl?"

"Uh... Yeah, actually, I was having a minor afterlife crisis, so, you know, just clearing my head until you tried to crack it open."

Willie chuckled. "I did pancake you, huh? I'm sorry." He composed himself. "Um, so, minor afterlife crisis?"