─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

after they had explained the story of luke, his parents and his birthday, stasie had jogged over into the molina's living room - the boys saying they'd meet here there. once she reached, she saw julie with her glasses on and studying. before she could get a word out, alex and reggie arrived.

"hey, you, uh... you got a second?" alex asked her.

julie sighed and shifted her position on the couch.

"oh my gosh." reggie panicked, "she can't see us anymore!"

"maybe she's just... ignoring you two?" stasie suggested with a shrug.

"hi stas." julie greeted the girl who had sat beside her, but without glancing up.

"oh." reggie nodded, "right. yep."

"julie, please." alex pleaded, while he sat down on the sofa's arm.

"i already told you that i'm done with the band."

"yeah, we know, all right?"

"jules, you've got to listen to this." stasie told her, a serious expression on her face.

"before you decide that forever, we just... we wanted you to know that luke isn't as selfish as you think." alex explained,

"yeah, you've got him all wrong." reggie chimed in.

"you remember that song 'emily'?  can we at least show you who that's actually about?" alex asked her, "are you coming stasie?"

she shook her head, "i've got to head home for a bit, but fill me in on what happens."

"of course." reggie agreed.

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

the cold breeze hit the girl from the ajar window. she was perched on her bed, a small keyboard in front of her as she played around with it. her mum had gone out to some small club with her unmentioned friend while her daughter was stuck at home, bored.

"knock, knock, knock." a voice spoke.

stasie laughed while she closed her little notepad, "come in!"

"hey, stasie." alex pushed the door open and greeted the girl, "do you forgive us?"

"do we have to sing the sorry song again?" luke asked her.

"ooo, i say we do." reggie nodded while he laid back onto the girl's double bed.

"i wasn't mad like julie was." stasie simplified while making some room on the bed for him, "just annoyed."

"great!" reggie grinned.

"how is that great?" alex challenged.

"because she wasn't mad at us." he explained while sitting up.

"but she was annoyed?"

"anyways, we're here to pick you up." reggie turned to her.

"is your-your car parked outside?" stasie joked.

"oh, very funny." alex scowled.

"we aren't physically picking you up." luke revealed, "just letting you know we'd love if our manager came to watch us play at the gig."

"let me check my schedule." stasie pulled out her phone, making them frown, "oh? all clear!"

"perfect!"

"so, we'll see you there?"

"of course." stasie nodded but before they could poof out, she stopped them, "wait, wait."

"what's up?" reggie quizzed.

"well, i was going to bake a birthday cake but i realised you can't eat it." stasie explained as she stood up from her bed, "so, i drew the cake in this card."

she handed luke a homemade birthday card, putting a smile on his face.

"thank you." he appreciated her, "i love it."

"you're very welcome." stasie nodded, "and if you don't mind..." she trailed off, pointing to the door.

"right, right." alex acknowledged.

"catch you later." reggie gave her gun fingers.

"dude!"

"no one says that anymore." alex rolled his eyes before they faded before her eyes.

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

"oh, hey stasie." flynn greeted her friend, "you look amazing."

stasie grinned and gave her friend a spin, "thank you! i love your jacket."

"now that i think about it, you'd look much better with it." flynn hummed, "remind me to give t to you after this."

"flynn-"

"don't 'flynnnnn' me." flynn shook her head, "you're having it."

"you're the best."

"oh, i know."

"next up, dirty candy." the announcer spoke.

julie hurried over to the two, "am i too late?"

"too early."

"hope you all came to have a great time." carrie said as she stood on the stage, she put on some mirrored-sunglasses and walked away.

"dirty candy?" julie quizzed, "how'd she get on the list?"

"her daddy probably made a call." flynn suggested before having a double-take at julie's jacket, "i like this! pretty flower."

"it's gorgeous."

"thanks. it's a dahlia." she informed them, "my mom's favourite."

"♪ whenever i walk in the room ♪" carrie started, the flashing lights moving onto her as her group strolled over, "♪ all the focus on me ♪"

the group was in the same colours and wigs as their spirit rally performance but in different outfits. julie and stasie hadn't noticed, but the ghosts had appeared behind them and were watching the show.

♪ the party don't start till i walk in, i'm stealing all the attention ♪

alex landed on the stage, behind carrie, with a grunt. julie looked around in surprise while stasie had a grin on her face. they turned around to see luke and reggie shrugging.

♪ don't get me started on mentions ♪

"what?"

♪ yeah, some might say i sound conceited ♪

the blond boy began dancing around and with the girls, clearly having the time of his life.

♪ they wish they were me, oh. i keep the party going all night... ♪

"you having fun out there?" julie asked him when he came back beside them.

he cleared his throat, "it's not my fault. it's my, um...it's my feet."

"yeah." julie nodded, not believing him.

"get back in there." stasie encouraged.

alex nodded, "put me back in, coach."

as he poofed back on stage, flynn turned to julie in confusion. the molina girl chuckled, "oh, it's the guys."

"alex is dancing on stage with them." stasie filled flynn in, making her laugh.

♪ when i grow up, i wanna be me - be me ♪

alex had managed to quickly pick up some of the simple choreography and began prancing around with them. eventually, he became carrie's personal dancer as he stood behind her while she sang.

♪ everywhere i go, all eyes on me. i only lead, i never follow ♪

"how's he doing?" flynn whispered.

"oh, he's good." stasie nodded, "stealing the show."

"♪ cause all i see is all eyes on me ♪" carrie finished, the crowd cheering and applauding once she was done.

"awh, making me blush." alex bowed, soaking in the praise.

"thank you!" carrie blew a kiss at the audience.

"alex." luke called out to him.

he ca,e over and exhaled sharply, "hey, um...i was just... i was just doing that for you guys."

"mm-hmm." reggie nodded, "yeah. you can stop smiling now."

stasie grinned, "no need for excuses, we all know you enjoyed yourself up there."

"okay, maybe i did." alex chuckled.

"i'm not gonna lie." julie sighed, "that was... kind of good."

"yeah." flynn agreed, "i forgot why i hate her so much."

"hi, girls." carrie wandered over, her friends lingering behind, "um, isn't it past your bedtime?"

flynn groaned, "now i remember."

"hmm." carrie hummed, "if you're looking for nick, he didn't come."

julie scoffed, "that's not why i'm here."

"okay, it looks like we're closing the night out with one more group: 'julie and the fat ones'." the announcer called out, making everyone snicker.

"really?" alex turned to luke.

"yeah, man." luke sighed, "my handwriting sucks."

julie walked passed her and over to the stage with an awkward chuckle. stasie gave carrie a wave, making her huff and stalk off.

"hi." julie laughed into the mic, sat in front of the keyboard, "it's actually julie and the phantoms."

no one reacted.

"okay." julie nodded before beginning to play.

♪ hearts on fire, we're no liars. so we say what we wanna say ♪

stasie was stood alone with the boys as flynn had gone over to turn the projector on.

"good luck," she whispered to them.

"thank you."

"hey! anastasia." a certain dark-haired boy jogged over to her.

"carter? w-what are you doing here?" she asked him.

"who's this?" reggie leaned forward to them before being dragged back by alex and luke.

"just came with my sister and her friends." carter pointed over to carrie's group.

♪ don't know if i'll make it cause i'm falling under ♪

"carrie's your sister?" stasie spoke in confusion.

he laughed and shook his head, "no, no. kimberly is my half-sister - the one in red."

"oh... right." stasie nodded in slight relief.

"julie... she's really good" carter uttered.

"yeah, she's amazing."

♪ i wanna fly, come alive... watch me shine ♪

the boys came on stage with their instruments with them. luke had started singing with the girl, while reggie and alex played. the crowd began clapping for the four on stage, most of them in shock.

♪ i've got a spark in me, hands up if you can see ♪

"how does she do that?" carter inquired.

"there's a projector over there." the jackson girl subtly pointed over to flynn, "and the boys are shown through it."

"that's wicked." carter grinned.

as the four performed on stage, their energy was unmatched. the band was able to bounce off each other, allowing their performance to have everyone cheering on their feet.

♪ hands up if you're with me, now till eternity. hands up if you believe ♪

" ♪ whoa-oa-oa-oa ♪" the boys chorused.

"♪ i've got a spark in me ♪" julie sang before passing her personalised microphone to luke.

"♪ i got a spark in me ♪" he repeated.

♪ and you're a part of me ♪

♪ and you're a part of me ♪

♪ now till eternity ♪

♪ now till eternity ♪

♪ been so long and now we're finally free ♪

"♪ i've got a spark in me ♪" they all sang together.

as reggie serenaded, he caught stasie's eye. the girl was cheering and clapping for her band and when she looked over to the peters boy, he gave her a grin and a wink before going back to singing.

stasie looked down and began muttering to herself, catching carter's attention, "elephants can actually recognize themselves in mirrors."

"what?" he asked.

she shook her head, "nothing."

"♪ been so long and now we're finally free, finally free, yeah ♪" julie closed the song.

the crowd cheered more boisterous while the band bowed. just, as usual, the boys vanished - making the audience baffled.

"what the..."

they soon got over it and began whistling and praising again.

"i'll be right back." stasie quickly told the boy beside her before running over to flynn. the two girls began squealing to each other as julie stood on stage.

"thank you." julie spoke to them, "we're julie and the phantoms. tell your friends."

the molina girl jogged over to her two friends and was immediately pulled into their embrace.

"that was amazing!" stasie told her.

"you were incredible," flynn added.

the boys came behind them, "yeah, we were." reggie nodded.

"hey. hey!" luke exclaimed, "whoever carrie was trying to impress is coming this way."

"oh, it's..." julie started as she turned around to see who he was talking about.

"she looks all business." alex said.

"wait. who should do the talking?" reggie quizzed. when none of them answered, he answered himself, "right. julie and stasie. julie and stasie."

"yeah."

"you've got this." luke reassured them.

the lady came over and shook julie's hand, "hi, i'm andi parker, and i would-"

"julie."

"anastasia?" her mother called out from beside him, in slight confusion.

"mama?"

"dad."

"it's time to go." ray told them.

stasie and julie both looked at each other, before looking back at their parent.

⎯ ❃ neens speaks!

it took me so long to write this for some reason

gif is what stasie's doing when the boys come in xo