Ghosted - Luke | Julie and the Phantoms

Chapter Seventeen

"Just come with us." Alex told me. I nodded my head and we poofed into the living room to find Julie staring at a text book. "You, uh, you got a minute?" He asked my sister who just huffed and ignored him.

"Oh, my gosh! She can't see us anymore!" Reggie exclaimed. "Oh, right." Alex then sat down on the arm of the couch and looked at the girl.

"Julie, please." He said softly.

"I already told you that I'm done with the band." She replied as she looked up.

"Yeah, we know, alright? But before you decide that forever, we just... we wanted you to know that Luke isn't as selfish as you think."

"Yeah, you've got him all wrong." Reggie added. Julie then scoffed and looked back down at her book.

"Do you remember that song Emily?" Alex asked. Julie looked back up. "Can we at least show you who that's actually about?"

***

Alex and Reggie took me and Julie to a house not far from Julie's. We all hide behind bushes as we looked through the window to see Luke sitting on the windowsill, curled up with tears down his face. "So Emily's his mom?" Julie asked.

"Yeah, Luke comes here a lot." Alex said.

"He thinks we don't know, but we've been following him." Reggie added. "All he dies is hang out like this and watch them. They never really do anything though."

"They're having cake." Julie frowned. "That's something." Tears began to fill my eyes as I watched the boy watch his parents.

"It's a birthday cake. For Luke." Reggie said.

"I never knew Luke was hurting this much." Julie admitted.

"Yeah, it's even worse because when he died, he... left on bad terms." Alex explained as Luke stood up and made his way over to the table, blowing the candle out as his parents lit it. "You know, his parents didn't want their seventeen year old son in a rock band, so he just left. And he never got the chance to make up with them."

"That's why Luke was so angry." Reggie said. "If Trevor had given Luke credit for writing all the songs, then his parents would've known his dream was worth chasing."

"They would've been so proud." Julie added as Luke's dad lit the candle once more and the three of them blew it out together.

"We know how bad it hurts whenever someone that should've had your back, completely let's you down. We never meant to make you feel that way." Alex told Julie.

"Julie, we love our band. And Luke does too. Please give us another chance." Reggie said. Julie took one last look at Luke and nodded her head.

"Okay." She said. "One more chance."

***

When we got back to the studio, Julie, Alex and Reggie began to rehearse for their performance tonight. It wasn't long into practice that Luke poofed in and sat down on the chair. "Whoa, Julie." He said as he stood up.

"Grab a guitar. We got work to do." Julie smiled. Luke nodded picked up his guitar before looking back at Julie.

"What made you come back?" He asked her.

"I realised how important music is to all of us. And we've lost so much already. We can't lose this too."

"Thanks." Luke said before putting her guitar strap over his head. "Alright, boss. Where we at?" He questioned. Julie laughed as I sat down in a chair.

"Oh, and by the way, happy birthday." Julie said. Luke looked at Reggie and Alex before looking at me and then at Julie. "Let's go from the pre-chorus."

***

I followed Julie into the house when we saw Carlos walking around taking pictures. "What are you doing?" Julie asked him.

"I'm looking for those orb things. I'm telling you. This place is haunted. Every time I open my laptop it's on some... rock music site." Carlos said. "That ain't me. You know I'm all about the rap."

"Reggie." Julie muttered with a chuckle.

"I'm just trying to protect you." Carlos said as Julie started to walk into the living room, only to be stopped by our brother. "I'd be careful in there. Dad has that look on his face like when Google Maps tells him to turn onto the wrong street." Julie then frowned and Carlos lifted his iPad and took a photo before he also frowned.

"What now?" Julie asked. Carlos turned his laptop around and showed the girl the couture.

"There's one right next to you." Carlos frowned as he pointed at the orb. That was me.

Carlos then immediately ran up the stairs. "Ghosts!" He screamed before his bedroom door shut and Julie frowned as she looked around the area before walking into the living room, only to be stopped by dad.

"Care to tell me why you miss the first three classes today?" He asked Julie.

"I overslept at Flynn's house after the dance." Julie confessed. "There was nothing going on in those classes anyways. It won't happen again. I promise." Julie then sat down on the couch.

"Okay. But if I know you missed class, it's only a matter of time before..." The door then opened and Tia walked in.

"I came as fast as I could." The woman announced.

"Exactly." Dad muttered.

"Julie, I will not let you fall into the gutter of life."

"Tia, I'm fine. I just overslept. And me and dad already talking about it." Julie told her.

"You are far from fine, sobrina. I called your teacher. She said you missed a calculus test." Tia exclaimed.

"Nothing going on, huh?" Dad asked.

"Dad, I'm so sorry." Julie frowned.

"This is where you punish her." Tia said.

"I know." Dad hesitated. "Julie... no more going out in school nights."

"But, dad, tonight-" Tia cut Julie off by clearing her throat.

"And go to your room." Tia coughed again. "What else?" Tia then began to make hand gestures, giving dad hints in how to ground Julie. "....Read.... Study. Study." Dad said.