─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

"and you just found them lounging around in the studio?" stasie questioned once julie had concluded the story of her and the unusual ghost boys.

"yes, that's exactly what happened." julie nodded, "do you believe me?"

"i kinda have to." stasie shrugged, "or would you rather me assuming they're part of my 'dangerous' imagination." she used finger quotes when expressing the adjective, quoting her mother's words.

"i say you should believe me." julie nodded as she opened her room door. much to her dismay, she was greeted with the trio of ghosts she had just been discussing, "what are you doing in my room?"

"oh, they seem to be everywhere." stasie furrowed her eyebrows.

"uh..."

"um..."

"we were looking for the kitchen?" luke lied with a shrug.

"this... this can't happen. it's creepy." julie explained, "get off my bed, please."

the raven-haired boy nodded and jumped off her bed, only for stasie to take his place.

"hey!" reggie frowned, "how come she-"

"hey, julie." luke interrupted him, "what's in the box?"

the two girls glanced over to him to see him pointing at a white ceramic box, hand-painted with flowers and leaves.

"that's off-limits." julie informed him.

luke chuckled, "oh. oh, okay." he turned to alex and then spoke in a high-pitched voice, "girl stuff."

"ohhh, like butterflies and glitter?" reggie asked.

"yeah, i'm pretty sure julie captured a butterfly or two and is keeping them hostage in that cute little box." stasie nodded.

"really?" luke dramatically gasped.

"oh, come on." alex scoffed, he seemed to be the only rational one out of the three, "i'm sorry about them."

"it's none of your business." julie declared, "and yes, there might be some glitter."

"hey!" alex laughed in surprise, a brown picture frame carefully sitting in his hands, "i actually picked something up." he brought it over to the bed and accidentally dropped in in stasie's lap, "i dropped it. sorry about that anastasia."

"it's okay."

"you know her name?" julie quizzed in slight bewilderment.

"yeah, she told us this morning." reggie explained.

julie turned to the girl, silently asking for an explanation.

stasie used her hand to cover the side of her mouth before muttering: "that's when i thought they we a part of my imagination."

"we heard that." luke huffed.

"we?" reggie frowned.

"speak for yourself." alex told him.

"is that your mom?" luke stepped over to the bed to look at the picture.

"yes, and it's my favourite picture of us." julie announced, "you break it, i'll break you."

"whoo, tell them jules." stasie grinned in encouragement.

"okay, well, sorry because we're kind of unbreakable at this point." alex shrugged.

stasie gazed at julie before sitting up, "can i try something?" she asked the blond.

"erm, sure."

before he knew it, stasie had put her arm through his stomach, making him squeal out. she quickly retracted her arm with wide eyes.

"for some reason, i presumed to punch you." stasie clarified.

"and for some reason, i believed that would hurt." alex told her.

"i don't get it." julie sighed, "you guys can mess up my bed, pick up your instruments, but stasie can't punch you and you can't pick up other stuff?"

"i know, right? it's hard." luke started, "the picking things up, not the being punched." he quickly clarified, "but for some reason, our instruments, easy."

"yeah, like super easy." reggie agreed before standing up, "oh, and check out what i learned today." a red bass guitar fell on his chest, pushing him down, "ah!"

"yeah, that looked super easy." julie nodded while he groaned.

"may i?" stasie questioned the boy while reaching out for the instrument.

he nodded.

"you play?" reggie croaked out, still in slight pain.

"a bit," she responded while admiring the bright red guitar, her legs now in a criss-cross position.

"it's like i always thought, our instruments are attached to our souls." luke finished.

footsteps were heard approaching making reggie roll backwards and stand beside his two bandmates.

"hey." julie's dad greeted the two, "everything okay?"

"yeah." julie nodded, "i'm fine."

"okay." mr molina nodded, "anastasia, does your mother know you're here?"

"yeah, yeah." stasie quickly nodded, hoping he wouldn't detect her lying.

"great." ray replied, "i thought i heard you two talking to someone else."

"nope." julie said.

"just... talking to each other," stasie told him.

"right. nice guitar. although, i didn't think you had an bass anymore."

stasie and julie both looked down to reggie's guitar in her hands, "oh? i borrowed it." she paused, "... from the school."

"that's nice." ray complimented, "if you two need anything..." he then pointed to the door, asking if she wanted it closed.

"yeah, thanks."

"thank you." stasie called out as the door shut.

"your dad seems like the kind of guy who likes to barbecue." reggie suddenly said, "i bet he has a great ribs recipe."

"oh, he does." stasie nodded, "summer barbecue at the molina's is always the best."

"really?"

"yeah, one time-"

julie sighed, "if you guys wanna talk to me, we have to do it in the studio. he's worried about me enough as it is."

"he seems chill." luke smirked, "you should just tell him about us."

"you're kidding, right?" julie glared, "before i explained to stasie, she thought she was going crazy."

"still do."

julie sighed, "this past year, everyone's been watching over me, being super nice, as if they're waiting for me to snap. if i tell my dad i met a ghost band, i'll be back to talking to doctor turner three days a week."

stasie shivered at the thought, "not doctor turner."

"yes, doctor turner."

luke clicked his tongue and agreed, "yeah, you probably shouldn't tell him." the brunette then turned around and stepped on the stool, "julie..."

"oh my gosh!" julie yelled, making stasie chuckle, "i thought i told you to leave that alone!"

"i know." luke groaned, "you just shouldn't have said nothing cause now i can't stop thinking about it. so... what's in the box, julie?"

"it's just my dream box, okay?" she admitted, "whenever i get a thought, i write it down and get it out of my mind."

"like lyrics?" luke suggested.

"they would be if i still wrote music like i used to with my mom." julie described, "now it's just full of stuff that doesn't make me sad."

"is there... a picture of me in there?" stasie queried.

julie rolled her eyes, "yes stas, there is a picture of you in there."

"but, i mean, you do play." alex stood up, "we heard you this morning."

"in the garage?" julie's face fell.

luke jumped off the stool and smacked alex's arm with a scowl.

"so you were there too?"

"uh..." reggie and alex started, "i don't..."

"uh... he was, like-"

"we were..."

"somewhere."

luke jumped down onto julie's bed, in front of stasie, and used his hand to prop his head up, "so, where is your kitchen, by the way?"

julie crouched out to talk to him, "okay, we need to set some boundaries. for starters, stay out of my room!"

"mm-hmm." alex nodded, "crystal clear."

"we're leaving."

"yes, ma'am!" reggie hollered.

"let's go."

"see you later. jules." stasie bid goodbye as she followed them, reggie's guitar still in her arms as she lightly strummed it.

"we are out of here."

"not you stasie!"

"not me." stasie halted at the door and returned reggie his instrument back, "i love it, by the way."

"thanks." he beamed before being dragged through the door by alex.

"hey!" alex popped back in, only half his body visible, "um, sorry. i didn't mean to bother you two. did you get back into your music program?"

"no." julie shook her head, "no, i didn't."

"i'm sorry." he apologised, "that really sucks."

"thanks."

alex sighed, nodded and then began glancing around the room.

"alex?" stasie called out.

"yeah?" he looked up at her.

"is that it?" julie questioned.

"yeah. yeah. this is getting weird." he told them.

"okay." julie waved before he moved out.

"never getting used to that." stasie let out a deep breath before falling into the bed.

"you should go home," julie told her, "i'm sure your mum wants you back."

stasie then realised she hadn't told her about her and her mother, "yeah, you're right."

"see you tomorrow?"

"definitely."

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

"where are you off to?" alex asked the girl as she made her way down the back of the house's stairs.

"just grabbing my backpack before i go home," stasie explained as she picked up her bright crimson bag that was sat next to the large studio doors.

"leaving so soon?" luke looked up at her.

"yeah, julie thinks i should go back to my mum."

"would you like us to walk you home?" reggie offered.

"dude? you can't just ask that!" alex slapped his arm, "invasion of privacy."

"i'm not sure if i want three ghosts to know where i live." stasie shrugged.

"what about three friendly ghosts who infiltrated julie's garage?" luke quizzed.

"that, i can make a slight exception for." stasie nodded, "come on. maybe, you guys can tell me about your life and i can be less weirded out by you."

"deal."

luckily for stasie, there wasn't really anyone around to see her talking to three ghosts, but to them, it would look like she was chatting to herself. she listened intently as the boys talked a bit about their families, about their band - sunset curve, their dream to play at the orpheum and everything up till now.

"so car hotdogs killed you?" stasie quizzed in wonder, "sorry, sensitive subject?"

"very." alex nodded, "but yes, car hot dogs poisoned us."

"i'm sorry guys, can't imagine how you must feel."

"well, one of us cried in a room for twenty-five years, so you can sorta imagine how he felt." luke joked.

"hey!" alex snapped, "i thought we agreed not to talk about that."

"you agreed, we didn't." reggie pointed out.

"you were crying for twenty-five years? that's-" stasie started but then saw reggie and luke shaking their heads at her, "that's so upsetting to hear, i wish i could give you a-a hug."

"thank you!" alex threw his hands up dramatically, "at least someone is empathic."

"well, here we are." stasie stood in front of her home, "thank you for the company."

"anytime, stasie." reggie nodded, "can we call you that?"

"yes, you can."

luke breathed out in relief, "oh thank God. anastasia is a mouthful."

alex and reggie both struck one of his arms.

"i mean, lovely name."

"goodnight boys." she shook her head with a smile as she unlocked her house door.

"night, stasie." they spoke in sync before poofing away.

"once again, i will never get used to that," stasie said to herself.

⎯ ❃ neens speaks!

okay, this is definitely my fav chapter so far

gif is stasie walking home with the boysss