Wake Up| JATP

Chapter 22

Shortly after, Julie appeared and let's just say that it was extremely awkward. The boys had made Nicole sit and listen to them try and find a way to make it up to Julie and the idea they had decided on was probably the worst out of them all. "We're sorry, so sorry, we're super duper crazy stupid sorry!" Julie stood in the doorway of the studio, she did not look impressed. "I'm case you missed it, we're really sorry." Nicole couldn't help but laugh at their poor attempt of an apology. "Yeah I got that part." "We've been here for like, three hours." Nicole sat quietly on the piano picking at her nails. "They almost sang to Carlos." Julie looked in her direction. "Julie it wasn't okay that we flaked on the dance last night, we know we let you down." Nicole decided to stay away from the conversation, knowing she didn't really need to be involved. "So, in hopes that you'll join the band, we booked a new gig." At this, Nicole raised her head and listened from behind. "A mega important life changing gig." Reggie smiled at the girl in hopes it would persuade her to say yes. "Oh, ok check it out. Tons of managers go here to listen to new bands. All we gotta do is blow them away and we're living the dream." Nicole smiled as she watched how excited Luke got, she knew he never meant any harm and that he was genuinely sorry for missing the dance. "So this is important to you huh?" The three boys nodded their heads. "Kind of  how playing in front of my entire school mean a lot to me." Nicole decided she needed to step up. "Julie, I know that it hurt you when they didn't show up, it hurt me too, but come on they booked us a really cool gig and it's a chance to get big! How can you stay mad?" Julie just scoffed and looked at the boys. "We need you in the band." Luke looked down at Julie with desperation written on his features. "Of course you do because without me no one can see you guys playing. You know, I thought that the music that we were writing was special but your too obsessed with your past to even care!" Nicole's face faltered for a second, she felt as if Julie's words had more meaning to them than she let on, more meaning to her and Luke and it hurt Nicole. "I do care! Our band has a real chance at greatness. I'm not gonna let that get away from us again." Nicole was rather annoyed with the way Julie was acting. She understood that she was hurt but that gave her no right to act so cold towards the band that have helped her back onto her feet. "Uh huh. Right, so then why did you bail on me to back at Trevor? I'll tell you why. Cause there's only one thing you all care about, and that's yourselves." Nicole let out a gasp. She saw the way Luke's bottom lip trembled so she grabbed his hand and interlocked there fingers. "Julie! You have no right to say that, you don't know half of what we've done to help people, maybe you should think before you speak." With that, Nicole and Luke disappeared. She knew exactly where he would be going and she knew exactly what day it was, his birthday. The pair sat on the kitchen counter in the Patterson's home. It had been years since Nicole had last been in this house. It was overwhelming as every memory ever made came into her mind, she could picture them so clearly as if they had been seeped into the walls of the house. "Nicole?" She hummed in acknowledgment. "Thank you for being here, for everything. I'm sorry I stole your diary. I just- I wanna know you died, I care about you so much, maybe to much in fact and everyday that I don't know the more curious I get." She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. She felt it was time to tell him, he deserved to know after all. "I'm sorry for not telling you. It was uh a year after you died-" She tucked her knees into her chest, resting her chin on top of them. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to Nicole, I'm not forcing you." She shook her head. "You deserve the truth." "As I was saying, I died in 1996 due to an overdose. I was struggling with your death, all of you and my parents didn't seem to care and they weren't there for me, I felt alone, stranded. Melanie was a big help, she tried but nothing made me happy the way you guys did. I swore to myself I'd never play music again because every time I did it reminded me of you." She looked into his eyes as he listened, she saw the small frown appearing on his lips as she continued. "I'd try and act tough and drink away the pain but it never worked, eventually I just grew tired and one night I had enough of feeling so I did the unimaginable and they found me on the bathroom floor the next morning but it was already to late." A small gasp left his lips, if Nicole wasn't close to him she probably wouldn't of heard it. "You died because of us." Nicole's eyes widened and she shook her head profusely. "No! God no! I-I died because I was stupid and weak. It's my fault nobody else's so don't even think for one second that you can pin this on yourself Luke Patterson." Her stern glare gave him no room to argue so instead he just took her hand in his and watched as his mother blew out birthday candles.

"Happy birthday Luke."