Stand Tall // Julie and the Phantoms (Luke Patterson)

21

[Stand Tall]

Below the Orpheum sign, the marquee read 'PANIC! AT THE DISCO DOWNSLIDE'.

"Don't worry, guys," Alex said. "Willie said he'd get us on the marquee." The four walked down the street.

"This is gonna work, right?" Reggie and Emilia asked.

"It has to," Luke replied as they were hit by another jolt.

"It's getting worse."

Willie appeared behind them and asked, "Hey, are you guys okay?"

They held their ribs and Alex said, "Yeah. It's nothing we haven't felt before. How'd it go?"

Emilia narrowed her eyes at Willie. "What are you doing here?"

"When the opening band wakes up, they're gonna find their bus 200 miles outside of Vegas." He turned with a Downslide tour jacket. "With no chance of getting back in time."

Willie and Luke did a handshake. Luke glanced at Emilia. "It's okay, Emmy."

"And that means there's probably a promoter upstairs right about - now freaking out," Luke said.

"Nah, this is Hollywood, man," Willie replied. "I bet he's being very professional."

---

The promoter slammed the phone a few times. "What do you mean the bus drove itself? Buses don't just drive themselves!"

---

Luke, Emilia and Reggie walked away from Alex and Willie.

"I know... how much you're risking. Thank you, Willie," Alex said.

Willie smiled. "I told you. I'd do anything for you."

Alex breathed heavily and hugged Willie tightly, then pulled away and cleared his throat. "All right. You, uh... You'd better get out of here before Caleb catches you with us."

"Yeah. I'll see you around, hot dog." He chuckled and skated away.

"Alex, you all right, man?" Reggie asked.

"Yeah," Alex replied. "Yeah, I'm okay."

The ghosts smiled and Luke said, "Well, thanks to Willie, Panic! at the Disco needs an opening band."

Emilia frowned. "I still don't get that name. Why would anyone want to panic at a disco?"

"Then I guess someone up there needs to let them know we're available. It's a good band. I've heard some of their music."

---

"No," a man said. "No, stop saying the bus drove off." He hit his phone on the desk.

"Yeah. Willie was right," Reggie said. "This guy is a total pro."

"All right, guys," Luke stated. "Let the magic happen. Alex, no dancing."

Alex chasséd and pirouetted his way to the desk and smacked something off the desk. The woman went to pick it up and they wrote their number on a piece of paper and typed their name into her computer playing a video of them.

"She's coming," Reggie and Emilia said as they played the video.

Edge of Great began to play and the man yelled, "Tasha! Get me CJ! Tell him I need a band to open in three hours."

"Sure," Tasha replied, "but you might want to check this out."

"What? I'll call you back." He stood.