To him, rhythm is the pattern of music. To her, rhythm is movement on a page.
JATP season 1
[reggie x female oc]
[alex x male oc]
Disclaimer: I do not own Julie and the Phantoms and the associated characters. I own all original characters and orig...
"The rules of tag are eternal. My kitchen counter is safe."
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"Well, it's mine, now."
The Hollywood Ghost Club is boring. Sure, it has lights, colors, and jazzy music, but it is flashy. It doesn't actually do anything for Jess other than make her head pound. She once tried to draw broken speakers or the stage cracking in half.
Caleb did not enjoy it when it happened in reality and disrupted the show. She expected backlash, but less and less of his signature swagger has been showing through recently. He just seemed tired and frustrated.
Even some of the patrons and staff were starting to notice the shift in Caleb, and Jess found it in her heart to care. Sure, he is a terrible guy who left his family in death to pursue his own deluded dream, but he is still a person. A ghost, she supposes, is still a human soul.
Caleb only gets upset these days if someone points out how dreary he is. Even then, his threats hold no danger anymore. Not to Jess. Instead of following through, Caleb tends to simply vanish.
Jess does not know where he goes on these long days. Sometimes, she follows him into town, but some bouncers always stop her before she gets too far. That, and he always goes passed Julie's house or Justin's, knowing that she can't bring herself to step foot in their neighborhood. It's cruel but expected.
She spends the days drawing. Sometimes, she focuses on what's in front of her, but her phantom pains have been worse than ever recently. The only relief she gets is when she sketches her friends: Justin sleeping, or Julie getting an A on that math test she was worried about, or even the boys wearing flower crowns while playing music. It calms the fire in her veins that burns every second of every day.
Loneliness is a common feeling here. Caleb had sent Willie away, not to peace, but somewhere else in the world as far as she knows. She sketches him sometimes, maybe skateboarding down a mountain with a wild grin.
Now, she draws a daisy. A flower that grows into an outline of a face with petals stretching out. Jess had only seen the girl a few more times at the park, but it had been enough to sketch a general outline. Maybe Daisy will appreciate it. It is nice to have someone who is not upset with her and who she hasn't disappointed yet. That seems to be her default: disappointing the people around her who believe in her.
A hand suddenly rips her notebook away. With a yelp, she yanks it back and presses it against her chest, aiming her glare up at Caleb. "Leave me alone."
"You know, you do work for me," he says as he sweeps passed her. "I could just snap, and I'd get what I want."
"But you don't." She does not know why he treats her with such reserved kindness. He isn't cruel, usually, just cold. He gives her freedoms she wouldn't expect, like free reign as long as she does not follow him and access to every art supply she could ever dream of. He even lets her use his office as her own personal space, even knowing she will snoop. It does not make sense. "Let me guess, you want something for the show tonight?"
