Ghosted

Let Them Go

Julie's pov

After that bombshell that Avery and Luke dropped on me, I slide my back down the door and cry before I hear their voices again. 

"I just- it's not our fault," I hear Avery say before I hear her start to cry.

"I know, Ave. I know," I hear Luke say in response.

I wipe tears from my eyes before sitting up and running upstairs and shutting my door before picking up a notebook as I start to color an explosion from a bomb. A few minutes later I hear footsteps walking toward my door before someone knocks and Flynn walks in. 

"Hey. I got your text," she says, sitting on the floor next to my bed.

"Don't come too close," I say, warning her as I put my hands out in front of me. "Anyone I seem to care about disappears."

"You can't get rid of me," she says, pointing at me. "I'm like the crazy glue of best friends."

"I just don't get it," I say, shrugging as my voice breaks. "Right when my life starts to get good. Great friends, great band, then bam!" I yell, holding up my drawing.

"I seriously don't know why all of this is happening to you, but that's gonna make a great album cover some day," she says before opening my chest of my mom's stuff before she starts to go through it and refold some of her old shirts.

"You don't have to do that," I say, putting the cap back on my yellow marker.

She looks up at me and smiles, like I'm crazy. "I know, but I get to check out all your mom's cool stuff," she says as she folds the sweater I was wearing today before she pauses. "Whoa, did you know this was in here?" She asks, holding up a Sunset Curve shirt that has silver beads surrounding the title.

"What the heck?" I ask, knowing I've never seen that shirt before. 

"How do you think she got it?" She asks, putting the shirt down into her lap.

"I... I don't know, but the guys said they didn't know my mom," I say as I shake my head and shrug. "Why would they lie?"

"Maybe they didn't," she says as she points to me and sits on my bed. "Maybe she knew them. She could've been a fan!"

"I mean, Sunset Curve was playing the Hollywood club scene around then," I say, trying to fit the pieces together. 

"Oh my gosh. What if you were right? What if they are connected to your mom?" She asks, getting excited. "You know, through music or something."

"Because she bought their t-shirt?" I ask, clearly confused.

"Think about it," she says, standing up and waving the shirt at me. "They were the ones who made you wanna play music again. Maybe she knew they could help you."

"So, you mean to tell me that my mom is somewhere out there planning all of this?" I ask, not believing that for a second. "If she wanted me to play music again, why wouldn't she just tell me herself?"

"Maybe she can't! Maybe she has to do it another way! You know, through signs." She says, gripping the t-shirt in her hand. "You've been through these clothes how many times and haven't found this t-shirt? Why now? This is another sign," she says as I sigh and shake my head. "I'm just saying. It's not over, Julie!"

"Really? Signs?" I ask her doubtfully.

"You're in a ghost band. It's a crazy world," she says, his smile dropping to a more serious expression as she shrugs. "Look, you're gonna lose them no matter what," she says, making tears form in my eyes. "And that sucks. But they helped bring music back into your life. Now its your turn to help them. They have to cross over. Let them go."

"But what if I don't want to," I say, my voice breaks as I wipe a tear off of my cheek. 

"I know, Jules," she says as she walks toward me and pulls me against her, my head resting against her stomach as I sit on my bed. "But is what you want better than what's best for them?" I shake my head against her stomach as she runs her hands through my hair before she pulls my hair playfully, making me look up at her. "Let them go, honey," she says, smiling sadly down at me.

I feel tears run down my cheeks as I nod, knowing this is probably going to be the end.