Invisible String-Luke Patterson

Chapter 1

"hmmm...Julie and the phat ones, that's a unique band name..." Charlotte quipped as she peered over the boy with the shaggy hair's shoulder, trying to get a peek at the open mic list to make sure there was a spot left for her to take. The boy turned quickly at hearing her words, Charlotte, caught off guard, dropped her hot chai tea. The tea splattered across the floor, covering her white kicks with the milky brown liquid. She felt her cheeks heating up as she rambled out apologies and reached past the boy to grab napkins and began mopping up the mess.

"I am so so so sorry...." Charlotte rattled.

'Yo, Char, who are you talking to?" Chase, her best friend and the coffee shop bus boy asked with a towel in hand.

Charlotte, with her free hand, gestured to the shaggy haired boy.

"....are you on something, there is no one there, Char." Chase quipped.

Charlotte lifted her head, her brows furrowed as she looked between the boy and her best friend.

"I--I...what?" Charlotte stammered.

Chase grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her to her feet "go sign up for the open mic, you big goof. I will get this mess taken care of, and because I love you soooo much I will even replace your chai tea...no charge."

Charlotte scribbled her name onto the last spot for the open mic "Charlotte Dubois"

"Don't worry about the tea, I've gotta go." Charlotte pushed by her best friend and was out the door before he could even respond. She didn't know what to make of what just transpired. Was Chase pulling one over on her? Was she hallucinating or going crazy? Her brows were furrowed and her head down and she wound her way through the city streets with her mind racing.

"Oof." She let out a grunt as her back hit the sidewalk.

"We have to stop meeting this way." A melodic voice called out. Charlotte picked herself up from the ground, and dusted her knees off. She looked up and made eye contact with the same boy from the coffee shop.

"I'm Luke" the boy said casually while Charlotte pulled herself together.

"...and it's Julie and the phantoms not fat ones..." he muttered.

Charlotte couldn't help the laugh that made its way out of her mouth "you should tell that to your handwriting."

"Ooooh Burn!" A slightly taller blonde boy hooted.

"How---" Charlotte questioned only to be cut off by the blonde guy telling Luke "---I learned that one from my new friend, Willie, Isn't it cool?"

"Great job, Alex, you scared her." Luke scoffed.

Charlotte backed up until her back hit the hard brick wall of the corner bodega. Charlotte squeezed her eyes closed tight and slowly reopened them. She knew she had to be hallucinating now as the blonde guy definitely wasn't there two seconds prior.

Her hands held her head in exasperation.

"Hey, you okay?" Luke asked softly as he and his blonde friend slowly approached Charlotte.They both knelt down in front of her and waited for her to respond. Charlotte slowly opened her eyes and studied both of their faces, searching for some kind of answer. Any answer really that would justify how Alex just appeared out of thin air.

"How did you---"

Alex offered an apologetic smile "didn't mean to scare ya, sorry about that." he said sheepishly.

A smile spread wide across Luke's face as he exclaimed "Isn't this crazy, dude? She can SEE us. Like, really see us. I can't wait to tell reg and Julie." Charlotte would have typically admired the adorable showcase of excitement that she just witnessed, like the way Luke's eyes got so big and round or the way his smile brightened up his whole face or even the way his body seemed to literally vibrate with excitement. But instead, she felt like she was going to vomit.

She rested her head on her arms, which were propped up on her knees. "I'm going crazy" she whispered to herself.

"We're all a little crazy," Luke offered.

Charlotte snorted. "I am talking to someone that my best friend said wasn't actually there and then this other guy shows up out of thin air. I am crazy. I have fully lost my mind. Someone is going to see me talking to myself and have me committed. My life is over." Charlotte rambled, it was a trait that anyone close to her was very familiar with. Her brain had a way of turning collective thoughts into a trainwreck.

Alex bit his lip as he pondered the best way to handle the situation. Luke may have had all of the charm, but he was certainly not equipped to handle upset girls, especially crying ones.

"Look, you're not crazy, We can explain everything to you but it's best if we do it at our friend Julie's place."

Charlotte bit her lip as she pulled herself up.Both of the boys stared at her in silence but Luke let a small smile slip when Charlotte nodded her head and gestured for them to lead the way. She wasn't the type to typically follow strangers into the unknown but she needed answers and more importantly she needed to know why she felt so connected to them.