just friends • luke (julie and the phantoms)

former family

It had been almost a year since Amber and Caleb met, and one day as they sat eating dinner he finally asked the question that had plagued him since he met her.

"So, tell me about your twin."

Amber froze, the feeling of losing Alex still fresh within her mind. She debated deflecting and changing the subject, but Caleb had been nothing but honest with her since her death. "Um, his name was Alex. He had blonde hair and sparkling eyes. He was my other half."

Caleb listened, his brows furrowed. He knew that she was upset about the death of her twin, but he hadn't realized how close they actually were.

"He was a drummer, and he was in a band called Sunset Curve. I was their manager by default because I was at basically every rehearsal and show. There were four boys in the band, and they were all like brothers to me." Amber caught herself for a second, smiling slightly at the memory of Luke. "Well, almost all of them."

"Lover?"

"You could say that," Amber said as her grin slowly turned into a frown. "We fought the night I died, and I think that's that worst part about it. Alex never wanted me to date any of the guys in the band, but then Luke... Luke just came into my life and the last thing I wanted was for him to leave. Bobby and Reggie- the other two in the band- both wanted us to get together. In fact, it was Bobby who set us up," she recalled with a laugh. "But that night, Luke let it slip that we were dating and Alex blew up, blaming him and me. He told me to leave so I did, and when Luke tried to follow me out he said some things I know he didn't mean and it hurt me. It still hurts me."

"Did you love him?"

"I still do. I think I always will."

"Well, I promise you that you'll never be hurt like that again. Not if I have anything to say about it."

When Caleb first met Alex, Luke, and Reggie, he didn't put together the pieces of his conversation with his princess from nearly twenty-four years prior until they first interacted. He thought all four of them had died and was surprised that the other three wanted revenge on the fourth. However, what shocked him most was how close Alex and Luke were, even though he believed they were the reason for Amber's death.

And he hated it.

So instead of just letting them go, he decided to give them his stamp. Because he wouldn't have them leaving his Amber again. Because the more they resisted the more pain they felt. And they deserved that pain.

In his cold, sadistic heart that held love for only his princess, the choice was justified and calculated. Necessary.

Because he thought that Amber didn't know about his crimes.

But she did.

And that was going to be her breaking point.

Amber had been walking back to the club from spending the day at the beach when she noticed a young boy who was wandering around with a confused look on his face. There was something about him that made her immediately want to be his friend, and she had a feeling he was a new ghost. Amber's theory was confirmed when multiple people walked through the long-haired boy, leaving him terrified.

"You new here?" she asked, approaching with caution.

"Y-you can see me?"

"Yes. I'm dead too. You new here?"

"N-no I've lived in LA all my life, but how did you know I was dead?"

"You're a ghost."

And that was the start of a beautiful friendship between Willie and Amber, who he called AJ for short.

"Your name is Amber Jean, therefore you're now AJ," he had stated about two hours after their first encounter.

Before they knew it, Willie had met Caleb and had signed the contract that changed his life forever. He did his best to keep it from Amber, but she found out eventually.

"How could he be doing this? H-how could he lie to my face for years and pretend to care about me when all he loves is power?" she had cried, wrapping her arms around her best friend.

"Because you're the type of girl that everyone loves, AJ," he replied, knowing he was right. The girl could get away with anything with just a few smart words and perfectly timed smiles. But that was one of the most endearing things about her, something that drew people in.

"Then why do I feel so broken?"

"Because this is yet another father figure that's let you down."

A few hours after talking with Flynn and Julie, Amber met up with Willie in Justin Bieber's pool to watch him skate around like the goofball he was.

"AJ, check this out!" Willie did a trick that Amber had never seen before and laughed at her shocked face.

"God, Willie, be safe!"

"Why should I be? I'm already dead!"

"If you weren't already dead, I'd kill you."

"Noted," he smirked, loving how easy it was to wind up his best friend. "So what's going on with you and that Luke boy?"

"No. We aren't talking about that. I've talked about him enough today to last a lifetime."

"Okay," Willie replied, dragging out the O and chuckling slightly. "No Luke. Got it."

"How are things with you and Alex?" Amber replied, always the expert at deflecting. She wiggled her eyebrows as he laughed, his cheeks turning bright red.

"I really like him, and he makes me really happy."

Amber smiled, knowing that the two would be a good match. She wouldn't want anyone else for her brother.

"Any news from Caleb?"

"I-I don't know," Willie stuttered, looking at her like a deer in headlights.

"Willie you know you can't lie to me. What's going on?"

"He may have stamped Alex, Luke, and Reggie," Willie mumbled softly.

"He what?" Amber whispered, her heart tearing at the words. Caleb would always deceive her and let her down, no matter how much he claimed he loved her as a daughter. That was why she looked for a way to free the souls of the ghosts in his club. That was why she was doing her best to bring down his empire. Her sadness was quick to turn into anger, burning through her like a wildfire. "I'm going to kill him."

(AN: sorry this has been so late! i just have so much work ugh :( hoping to update within the week, trying to finish up season one soon!! next up is amber confronting caleb and then edge of great hehe)