─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

"hi stasie." julie greeted her as if nothing was wrong. since her father had taken no notice of the new presences, she had to assume stasie wouldn't either.

"hello, julie." stasie spoke back, her eyes glued to the three unfamiliar boys.

"what are you doing here?" julie asked nervously.

"oh, just came up to check up on you," stasie confessed.

"that's sweet of you, but i'm okay." julie forced a smile.

"julie... are they holding you hostage?" stasie whispered.

"excuse me?"

"we would never do that."

"i'm offended."

"what? no." julie shook her head, "wait... you can see them?" "you can see us?" the trio spoke in unison.

"am i not suppose to be able to see the three boys standing in your mom's studio?" stasie elevated her eyebrow in wonder.

"just forget it." julie sighed, "they were just leaving." she turned to the three, "hang out at an old mansion. i hear pasadena's nice, ugh!" julie took her friend's hand and pulled her out with a groan of irritation. once she had shut the door, stasie stopped her from going any further.

"julie molina." she started, "how are you not freaked out that three boys were just standing in there? three adorable boys, may i add!"

julie shrugged, "they just wanted to look around."

"julie... i've known you since we were babies." stasie whispered, "i know when you're lying, you have a tell."

"i'll explain, but you won't believe me." julie justified as they made their way up the concrete stairs.

"if i can believe in unicorns, i'm pretty sure i can believe your story." unexpectedly, one of the boys from the garage popped from thin air in front of the two, making them scream out in shock.

"that, i can't believe!" stasie hurried back in a slight panic.

"stop that, i'm serious." julie warned the boy she seemed to know.

anastasia rubbed her eyes in confusion before taking a deep breath, "you know what? i'm probably hallucinating, it's past my bedtime anyway."

"it's not even eight, and you don't have a bedtime?" julie inquired.

"i should really get some rest, something's wrong with my head." stasie hummed, "i've just seen a boy... pop out in the air!"

"stasie..." julie frowned, she couldn't help but feel guilty for her friend's current state of mind.

"see you tomorrow, jules." she ignored her before turning to the boy. "you too?"

"bye." he waved, an unusually welcoming smile on his face.

"oh my God." stasie shivered. she took a deep breath and raced down the stairs, attempting to convince herself this whole thing wasn't real.

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

the next morning, stasie was feeling a slightly better after the whole 'boy poofing in from thin air situation'. she came to the conclusion that it was one of her hallucinations and that the boys simply weren't real. see the girl had an extremely vivid imagination, it concerned her mother to the point where she demanded stasie to get tested. they were currently in a stage of diagnosing maladaptive daydreaming.

before leaving her household, she had unsurprisingly gotten into an argument with her mother. so the girl was currently trudging to julie's house with tears in her eyes. she knew flynn would be there too as they all met up there before walking to school.

"oh my gosh. was she crying too?"

"yes! and the only thing scarier than one girl crying is two girls crying."

stasie walked down the stairs and began to make her way over to the studio. "hey, it's that girl from yesterday."

"she's crying too!"

"do girls just cry at the same time?"

"luke, it seems like i've found the only thing scarier than one girl crying... it's three girls crying!"

stasie, who could hear everything that they were saying, looked up and stared at the three. she blinked rapidly, expecting them to somehow disappear, but they stayed put.

"are you okay?" the dark-haired one with a leather jacket spoke out.

stasie continued to silently stare at them as she wiped away the tears streaming from her eyes. "why would you ask her that?" the blond boy scoffed, "she's clearly in tears."

"could be tears of joy, alex."

"are you guys real?" stasie finally spoke, sniffing as she did.

"i think we are." one nodded, "i'm luke."

"the one who popped up from nothing?" stasie questioned, "i was trying to forget that."

"i'm... sorry?" luke patterson apologised.

"i'm alex."

"reggie."

"nice to meet you guys, whoever you are." stasie nodded while roughly wiping her tears, "i'm anastasia."

"julie's inside if you were wondering." alex pointed to the door.

"thanks." she whispered before entering inside the garage to see her two friends conversing.

"can i talk now?" julie asked her friend.

"fine." flynn sighed while crossing her arms, "hi stas." she flung her arm over her shoulder as a greeting.

"hey."

"i just played the piano and sang again." julie admitted.

"you did?!" stasie exclaimed.

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

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

"you had seven sodas in the morning, again?" stasie questioned flynn.

"besides the point." flynn stated, "i'm so happy for you! and me! and even stasie! we won't be alone!"

"surely, if we have each other, we aren't alone?" stasie pointed out.

"yes, but it was a figure of speech." flynn explained, "i was saying that we all need to be together so we can thrive."

"oh right, that makes more sense."

"look at you, looking all, i don't know, alive again."

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

"what made you play again?" flynn couldn't help but ask.

"i found this song my mom wrote me." julie handed stasie the papers with song lyrics scrawled on them. flynn glanced over her shoulder and the two began reading it. "whoa." flynn gaped.

"this is amazing!"

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

flynn chuckled lightly and held her arms open, "awh! come here." julie smiled and gave her the hug she wanted, "you too stasie."

she gently placed the papers down onto the piano and joined the embrace, "this is nice." she breathed in, the trio sayed there in silence before flynn moved back.

"we need to tell mrs harrison you can play so you can stay in school and my life won't be that sad picture i just painted for you." flynn cheered, "our girl's back. triple trouble lives again!"

"not our band name." julie declined as the three made their way out the room.

"i thought that name was a joke?" stasie declared.

"i gave you two a t-shirt in the 7th grade that says otherwise." flynn smirked while she stepped out the door. once they were outside, the three boys were standing in weird positions, but it was evident they had been listening into their conversation.

"oh, hey!" julie stopped to talk to them. flynn turned around and gave her a weird look but julie managed to quickly save herself. "let's hustle!" she exclaimed.

flynn nodded in agreement before continuing to walk away. julie paused again to wave goodbye, stasie copying her actions.

"don't worry! we weren't listening." reggie peters reassured them.

alex kicked the boy's leg in a way of saying: 'shut up'. julie gave the duo a weird look before continuing to wave. when flynn finally acknowledged her actions, she looked at her with a confused expression before julie began batting the air - pretending there was an annoying bug.

"so many flies around here." stasie  spoke in her defence. "i know right!" julie agreed with a dramatic sigh. "let's go!" she ushered both stasie and flynn up the stairs.

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

the three girls stood beside each other as they watched their music teacher place papers of chords onto the grand piano. "believe me, i think it's wonderful that you sang again." mrs harrison explained, "i prayed for this moment for almost a year. but it's too late."

"what if you just hear her play?" flynn argued, "you know she's amazing."

"and what if i said something like... 'pretty please'?" stasie practically begged.

"nice try, miss jackson, and it wouldn't matter." mrs harrison shook her head, "a new student starts tomorrow. "there's only-"

"so many spots," julie interrupted, knowing exactly what she was going to say already, "and if i don't participate, i'm out. i know."

"i did everything i could to keep you here this year, but principal lessa was very clear that yesterday was your last chance." mrs harrison clarified, "you'll have to reapply next semester." the bell rang, causing the trio's face to drop. "i'm truly sorry."

the door opened and mrs harrison's other class began piling in, "hand these out, please." she handed her student some papers.

flynn reassuringly put an arm up and rested one on each of her two girl's shoulders. she lead them out the classroom, glum looks plastered on all their faces.

⎯ ❃ jania speaks!

stasie being paranoid and in denial is something i'd do tbh

gif is stasie reading the lyrics to 'wake up' xo