In the Crowds

I - What's Three More Roommates?

"You won't be able to hide out here forever," Julie warns the three not-ghosts standing in front of her. "We need to tell my dad."

Alex visibly pales as she says this, clearly anxious about how Ray would react to his daughter's hologram-band suddenly appearing on his doorstep.

"Do you need me to stay with you? My dad wants me home, but I can tell him I'm sleeping over if you want," Flynn says, casting a glance at her phone. Julie flashes her a small smile and shakes her head. "I think it'll be bad enough trying to explain to my dad that he needs to house three seventeen-year-old boys. You go home, I'll text you tomorrow."

Flynn says goodbye, giving a sympathetic look to Julie as she passes through the large, white garage doors.

"So it's decided then?" Luke says. "We're going to tell your dad." Julie sucks in a deep breath before exhaling and replying, "Yeah."

"What exactly are we going to say to him?" Alex asks.

"We could tell him the truth," Reggie suggests, earning him a pointed look from his three friends. Julie and Luke sit down on the old couch and begin brainstorming possible stories, while Reggie struggles to take off his black leather jacket.

The three had changed back into their normal clothes when Julie went inside to do the same thing.

"I've got it!" Alex announces, standing up abruptly, causing his drumsticks to clatter onto the floor. "Why don't we just tell him that we flew out to surprise Julie?"

"That could work," Julie sighs, visibly relaxing upon hearing Alex's suggestion. "But what about Carlos?" Reggie asks, "He knows we're ghosts now."

"Gee, Reg, remind me who's fault that is again?" Luke says sarcastically. Reggie sneers at Luke, causing Luke to jerk forward in a successful attempt to scare Reggie, who jumps back and falls onto the carpeted floor. The two continue to send each other glares, and Julie can't help but notice how adorable Luke looks with a scrunched up face.

"Guys, focus!" Alex says, snapping the three of them back to attention. Alex sends Julie a knowing look, causing Julie to blush profusely, which certainly doesn't go unnoticed by Luke.

Reggie looks between his three friends confused, until he clears his throat and once again pulls everyone back to attention.

"It's getting late," Reggie says, "so if we're going to do this we should probably do it now." Luke, Alex and Julie nod in agreement, and the four band-mates exit the garage-turned-studio and make their way to Julie's front porch.

Julie pulls out her spare key, inserting it into the lock on the russet door. She leads the boys inside, closing the door behind them and calls, "Dad?"

"In the kitchen honey," Ray replies. Julie and the boys walk in to see Ray sitting at the island, tapping away on his laptop.

"Um, dad?" Julie asks hesitantly in an attempt to gain his attention.

Ray finally looks up, and an expression of shock takes over his face when he notices the three boys standing behind Julie.

"Dad, this is Luke, Alex and Reggie," she says, pointing to the boys respectively. Ray nods and stands up to greet the boys.

Alex is the first to move, stepping forward and thrusting out a shaking hand for Ray to shake. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Molina."

That seems to jolt Luke into action, and he too steps forward to greet Julie's father, followed shortly by Reggie, who throws out a, "Hey Ray."

Julie grimaces at Reggie's introduction, although why she expected anything else from him, she wasn't sure.

"So these are the boys from your band then, sweetie?" Ray asks Julie, who nods silently. "Well then, it's a pleasure to finally meet the people who got my daughter back into music."