Finally Free -- JATP Luke x MaleOC

Chapter 49

BEFORE WE GET INTO THIS CHAPTER, A BRIEF TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNING FOR MENTIONS OF VIOLENT ACTION. IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO THAT OR IT TRIGGERS SOMETHING, PLEASE TAKE CAUTION WHEN READING.

Jay, Julie, Flynn, Carlos, and Ray all surrounded the counter as they ate pizza. Jay was not a big fan of pepperoni, so he had picked off the pieces on his slices and given them to Carlos, who dumped them on his own slices and devoured the pizza. The boys and girls were on opposite sides of the counter, something that wasn't intentional and yet happened because Carlos was incredibly interested in what had happened between Jay and Luke.

"How did you guys do that if they're holograms?" Carlos had asked.

Jay had spiraled a quick lie that there was a seperate hologram system that the boys had that could show them the stage and where everything was. It was so they could really feel like they were performing with a crowd, he had said.

"So is that guitar guy your boyfriend?" Carlos asked.

"You're asking a lot of questions about the boys, aren't you?" Jay deflected, his mind going back to what had occured earlier in the garage when reminded of Luke. "You gonna join the band once you're older?"

"Nah, that's your turf," Carlos said, taking another bite of pizza. "You guys better play at one of my games once I'm in the big leagues though."

This comment caused a burst of laughter around the table. Jay ruffled Carlos's hair, earning a sound of objection from him.

"I can't say this enough: that was incredble!" Flynn said. She then leaned over and whispered something to Julie that was barely audible across the table, but Jay could make out both his and Luke's names.

"So, Julie, how do you do those holograms?" Carlos asked Julie, having understood that Jay wasn't going to give him the answers he wanted.

"Oh, don't try to understand it Carlos," Ray said before Julie could respond. "I don't."

"That's because you're old," Carlos said snarkily.

"Funny guy," Ray said, giving a fake laugh. "I'd send you to your room but then who's gonna clean up this mess?"

"Don't poke the bear," Julie said as Flynn tuts and Jay chuckled.

"I'll go check on my ride," Jay said, excusing himself from the table as Carlos gather the dirty dishes and went to the sink.

Jay walked out the front door of the Molina house and fished his phone from his pocket. He had changed out of Ray clothes that he had borrowed for the performance and back into his own dull clothing.

"Are you done?" his uncle's gruff voice greeted from the other end of the line.

"Yeah, just about," Jay said simply, eyeing a movement from the corner of his eye.

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

With that, the line went dead as Uncle had ended the call. Calls between Jay and his uncle were often short, never lasting longer than thirty seconds unless there was something more 'important' to talk about.

But Jay's mind was elsewhere as the call ended. He saw a figure out of the corner of his eye on the sidewalk, he knew he did. Jay walked out from the porch to the sidewalk, looking around until he finally saw-

"Willie?" Jay wondered aloud as the skater boy with long hair jogged and slowed to a halt in front of him.

"Jay?" Willie said, eyeing Jay down and up. At first Jay had thought it was strange, but he remembered that the last time he had seen Willie, he was significantly smaller.