˗ˏˋ I BELIEVE ࿐ྂ
—— -͙ – -
˚ ·
* ˚ ✦ ᷾

*･῾ ᵎ⌇ ⁺◦ ✧.*･῾ ᵎ⌇ ⁺◦  ✧.*

"THAT GIRL CAN SING."

*･῾ ᵎ⌇ ⁺◦ ✧.*

ALEX LEANS FORWARD to congratulate julie before luke stops him, shaking his head silently as they jump away, leaving julie to her thoughts.

"oh, dude," alex says, "why'd you stop me? julie needed a hug."

"bro, a ghost hug isn't the feel good moment that you think it is." luke answers.

"what julie needs right now is just a bit of privacy." y/n cuts in, putting one hand on either of the boy's shoulders.

"no. you know what?" alex says, looking between the two, "i think he poofed us out because he can't handle it when people cry. i should know!" he snaps. "i cried in a room for 25 years, and the only one who hugged me was y/n. i didn't get a single hug from either one of you!" he says, pointing to reggie and luke.

"all right, bring it in." reggie says, opening his arms.

"don't touch me!" alex snaps.

reggie turns to y/n and she rolls her eyes, giving him a hug. "thanks y/n." he says bitterly to alex. "this is why no one hugs you."

"ok," luke cuts in, "i think the first thing we should do, once we get the courage to go in there, is ask julie... why she lied about playing the piano."

"yeah, i mean, she's amazing. she's going to upstage me." y/n laughs.

"no one could ever upstage you, y/n." luke smiles softly at her.

"maybe, you know, we could tell her how amazing she is." alex points out.

"duh."

"yeah, of course bro."

"she's legit. i got ghosts bumps." reggie says, rolling up his sleeve.

a girl around julie age walks pass them, sniffling. "oh my gosh was she crying too?" alex whispers.

"yes!" y/n snaps.

"and the only thing scarier than one girl crying is two girls crying!" luke exclaims, earning another hit from y/n.

"he's right." alex says.

"not you too-"

"guys we definitely can't go in there." reggie agrees.

"oh my god."

"but!" reggie cuts her off again, "we can listen."

the boys all go peek through the window of the studio, making y/n groan.

y/n teleports to it and sits with her back facing the wall.

"carlos told me you'd be out here." flynn says, walking towards her. "we need to talk."

"are you ok?" julie asks, setting down the music sheets.

"no! i'm not ok! you just got kicked out of music! i've been up all night thinking about what i was gonna say. might've drank seven sodas but... i need to get this out."

"wait i have something to tell you—"

"no, it's my turn to talk." flynn cuts off julie. julie shrinks back down and sighs. "you can't give up music. your music's like a gift, so that'd would be a tragedy. so, you're basically, like, canceling christmas, and i love christmas!"

"flynn i—"

"uh-uh!" she stops julie again. "when we were six we promised to be in a band together. double trouble!"

"i never agreed to that name."

flynn sighs, "that's not the point." she walks around the piano to be face to face with julie. "jules, if you leave the music program, we'll be apart forever. that's just what happens. sure we'll see each other in the hall sometime, but...  we'll have different lives. make new friends."

"that's not true." julie says softly.

"you're right. i won't be making any new friends. the only time we'll contact each other is when we'll be liking each other's instagram posts. every time i'll be hitting that little heart, my heart will be breaking because my best friend left me and... ugh do you have any soda? my head hurts."

"she's put a lot of thought into this." reggie says, everyone quickly shushing him.

"can i talk now?" julie asks, all the ghosts perking up.

"fine."

"i just played the piano and sang again."

"what?" flynn yells, "why didn't you just say so?"

"i was trying, then your seven sodas kicked in."

flynn gasps and continues, "i'm so happy for you! and me!" she says, making y/n laugh. "look at you," she continues, "looking all, i don't know, alive again."

"right? it's like i drank seven sodas."

"what made you play again?" flynn asks after a moment of silence.

"i found this song my mom wrote me." she says, making y/n bite her lip.

"woah." they hear flynn say.

"i know. i was so afraid to play it. anything involving music reminds me of her. and then i woke up this morning... realizing that's why i should play it. to keep her memory alive."

"aw come here." flynn says.

luke looks down to y/n and slides down the door as well. she leans her head on his shoulder and he wraps an arm around her, squeezing her shoulder. "hey. it's ok. this is good." he says, motioning to julie, alex and reggie still listening to the conversation inside.

y/n nods and suddenly julie and flynn walk out and alex and reggie scramble to make it look like they weren't listening.

"oh, hey!" she says to the group, and smirks a little to y/n when she sees luke's arm around her, but no one seems to notice. flynn turns around and looks at julie with confusion. "let's hustle!" she turns to wave and she plays it off as swatting a fly as the band waves back.

"don't worry! we weren't listening." reggie says, earning a kick from alex.

luke and y/n stand up and they enter the now empty studio. "i wonder why julie didn't tell us she could shred on the piano?" reggie thinks out loud.

"and sing." y/n says, "that girl can sing." the boys nod in agreement before she stops them, "but... it probably has something to do with her mom, you know? must've been hard." y/n walks forward and the boys look down. "i feel for her."

alex walks up to the loft to inspect the stuff up there.

"yeah, but now she's got music back in her life, just like us." luke points out.

alex peeks over the railing and says, "yeah, i'm not sure you can call what we have a life."

reggie and y/n nod before alex speaks again, "oh hey, some of our old clothes we left behind are still up here." he giggles and tosses down a couple of trash bags.

"sweet!" luke says, taking off his jacket. "oh, same clothes since '95!" he says, taking off his tank top.

"woah woah woah!" y/n says, stopping him. "let me go in the bathroom first." she grabs her clothing from the bags and practically sprints to the back.

the boys shrug and luke digs through the bag, not noticing the door opening to reveal ray.

he walks through reggie and they both shudder. "woah, that was weird." he gasps.

luke puts on his black tank top and y/n comes out of the bathroom in ( 90's outfit of your choice ). "you guys done?" she asks, looking away.

"well, we haven't really started." reggie says, pointing to ray. "i don't know how, but somehow i can tell that this man has a kind heart."

"so how've you been?" ray asks.

y/n tilts when head in confusion, "ho-honestly not that good." reggie answers. "see, we ate these hot dogs, and—"

"julie sang for the first time this morning." ray cuts him off. "ah, she hadn't done that in almost a year. you would've loved it."

"yeah we saw cause we were..."

"reggie." y/n says.

"oh!" he exclaims, looking between ray and y/n. he waves in hand in front of his face, receiving no reaction. "oh i get it. he's...he's not talking to us."

"you are so lucky you can play bass." luke says, slipping on his shoe.

"pretty sure he's talking to julie's mom." alex says, still up on the loft.

"she's such an amazing young woman." ray says, walking over to the piano. "everyday she reminds me more and more of you."

"called it!" alex brags.

"oh i'm uh," he says, picking up the camera, "i'm taking pictures or the real estate website. i don't really wanna move but..." the band crowds around the piano as they listen to him talk, "i guess it's best for julie."

"move?" luke whispers.

"what?" y/n says in the same tone.

ray sits at the piano and chuckles sadly. "there's so many memories... of julie playing next to you, and... carlos trying to sing with his two front teeth missing."

luke exhales shakily and puts a hand over his mouth.

"oh no, luke, not you too." reggie sighs.

luke holds back a sob and y/n rubs his back. "he's-hes talking about moving, but the poor guy, he doesn't want to move." luke rambles.

ray takes pictures, pointing the camera right at the ghosts. "it's like they grew up... out here."

"oh man, now he's got me too!" reggie says, fanning his face, trying to dry his tears.

"ok, how am i the emotional one?" alex asks, and y/n just shrugs.

"c-c-can we go see my family and see how they're doing?" reggie stutters.

"yeah." y/n answers, "yeah, listening to this feels wrong."

"hey do you remember," ray speaks, "when the kids were at your younger sister's, and we came out here on our anniversary..."

"yeah, no, definitely wrong." alex says and y/n grabs onto luke and alex, teleporting them with her.

"guys! wait for me!" reggie cries before teleporting as well.

*･῾ ᵎ⌇ ⁺◦  ✧.*

word count : 1614