[1.1]

"that's way too tiny to be a phone"

The hour that they had been trapped in the dark room felt endless. There was no way to tell time and nothing to entertain themselves with. They sat alone with their thoughts. Given that they had all just died, there was plenty for them to think about.

Of course, they had all cried when they figured out what had happened, but shortly after Luke stopped, so did Reggie. And then Reggie had pulled Mickey into his arms and softly coaxed her tears away. That left Alex as a sobbing mess, which none of them knew how to help. Really, Reggie was only focused on Mickey, so it should've been Luke's job to calm down their drummer.

"Everything is gonna be fine," Reggie muttered softly in Mickey's ear. She was sitting in his lap and hugging him tightly while he ran his fingers through her hair in a comforting manner. "At least we're together."

"But what about Bobby?" she asked, her voice cracking a bit when she said her brother's name. "Oh god, he's all alone. He thinks we're coming right back."

"Hey, Bobby'll be alright," Reggie assured her, brushing his thumb across her cheek to wipe away a tear that had fallen. "He - I mean, at least he's not here."

Mickey nodded, glad that her brother wasn't dead as well. She couldn't imagine the pain that would've caused her parents. But as soon as she thought of her parents, her eyes started to water, so she again shoved her face into Reggie's chest. He rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head, feeling just as distraught over the situation.

None of them were sure how long they were in the dark room, but soon, Mickey pulled her head out of Reggie's chest and looked around.

"What's that sound?" she asked.

"I don't—" Luke cut himself off and frowned. He could hear music, which was slowly getting louder. "Is that our song?"

And then they were falling.

|||

Mickey shut her eyes and screamed as she felt herself tumbling through the air. She felt her body hit solid ground, and she groaned. Mickey slowly sat up on the white carpet and looked around. She was in what appeared to be a teenage girl's bedroom, and the guys were nowhere to be seen.

However, she wasn't the only one in the room.

The young girl sitting on her bed let out a high pitched scream but made no move to run. Mickey yelped and put her hands up, trying to signify that she meant no harm. The girl had light brown hair, which was pulled up, and was wearing nice purple matching pajamas.

"W - who are you?" she asked. She glanced between Mickey and a sparkly pink throw pillow. She quickly grabbed the pillow and held it in front of her like a weapon. "Where did you come from?"

"Uh, I'm Mickey," she said slowly. "It - it's kind of a long story."

"You just - you appeared out of thin air!"

"What's your name?"

The girl hesitated for just a moment. "Carrie. Now, what the heck are you doing in my room?"

"So, um, I think I'm, like, a ghost," Mickey said, biting her lip. "Like, we were eating these hot dogs, and then we died, and now I'm here."

"A ghost?" Carrie said, raising an eyebrow. Then she scoffed. "Yeah, right."

Mickey took a step forward, which was a mistake. Carrie immediately launched the pillow at her, which simply passed through her body and landed on the floor. Carrie gasped and leaned back.

"Y - you... you're a ghost?"

Mickey awkwardly rocked back and forth on her feet. "So it would seem."

"You said, "we". Who else was with you?" Carrie asked. She relaxed ever so slightly, but never took her eyes off of Mickey.

Before she could reply, Carrie's bedroom door flew open. A middle-aged man stepped in the room and looked around with a worried look on his face — Mickey deduced that it was Carrie's father.

"Baby, are you okay? I heard you scream."

Carrie glanced at Mickey, who the man clearly didn't see. "Um, I was practicing my horror scream. I got a tip that we're doing a scary play next semester."

Her father grinned and gave her a thumbs up. "Then keep up the good work. Maybe try to project it a little more and hold the scream longer."

"Thanks, Dad. Goodnight," she said, quickly wanting him to leave. "Love you."

"Love you, too."

Once he was gone, Carrie turned back to Mickey and frowned. "He couldn't see you."

"Yeah, I think most people can't see ghosts. I don't know why you can see me. Or why I'm in your room. Or where the guys are," she said, frowning and wrapping her arms around herself in a hug. She'd much rather be hugged by Reggie or her brother.

"Did the guys die with you?" Carrie asked, finally relaxing fully. It wasn't like Mickey looked threatening in her leotard.

"Um, I died with Sunset Curve, my brother's band — well, at least he wasn't with us. He's alive. We were getting street dogs, and the next thing I know, I'm dead and we're floating out of an ambulance. We were trapped in this dark place for maybe an hour before I showed up here."

"Street dogs?" Carrie asked, raising an eyebrow. Then she grabbed a rectangle-shaped object. It was pink and the screen lit up as she started typing on it.

"What's that thing?" Mickey asked, leaning closer.

"A phone," Carrie muttered. "I'm looking up Sunset Curve. I've never heard of them."

She scoffed. "That's way too tiny to be a phone."

Carrie eyed her warily. Then she glanced back at her phone and her eyes widened. "Oh my god. You - you did die, Mickey. But you didn't die last night. It's the year 2020 and this says you died in 1995. That was twenty-five years ago."

To prove her point, Carrie showed her the phone screen. There was an article pulled up about their deaths, and it included a blurry photo of Sunset Curve as well as a headshot of Mickey from her dance academy. Mickey's jaw dropped at the information.

"We were trapped in that dark room for twenty-five years?" she asked more to herself than to Carrie. She covered her mouth and did her best not to start crying again.

"I'm sorry," Carrie said, feeling bad for her. "I know you must be really scared and confused."

"I just, I need to find where the others got sent," she said, wiping under her eyes. "I mean, they have to be somewhere."

"Maybe try the spot where you all died," Carried offered. "I mean, I still don't know why you came here, but it's probably a good thing three guys didn't appear in my room. I would've run out screaming and gotten my dad to come back with his baseball bat."

Mickey chuckled a little and nodded her head. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll check there. That's a good idea, Carrie. Thanks."

"I hope you find them."

"Um, would you, like, mind if I came back? Just if I don't find them, I don't really want to wander the LA streets at night for a long time. I mean, I know I'm already dead, but still."

Carrie thought for a moment before nodding. "Sure. Just, try not to sneak up on me or anything."

Mickey wasn't sure how she knew what to do, but her instincts led her. As she thought of the horrible alleyway she had died in, her body teleported there. She looked around the alley, which had changed over the twenty-five years — it was well lit and there was a lot less trash lining the streets. The couch she had died on was gone, as was the Oldsmobile that had served the street dogs. However, there was no sign of the guys.

Mickey sighed defeatedly and looked down at the ground. She thought for a moment about where to try next. After a moment, she figured the next place to go was her house. Not only did she want to know if her parents and Bobby still lived there, but Luke had also moved into their garage when he left home. With nowhere else to go, their parents had reluctantly allowed the teenage boy to stay, and the garage quickly became Sunset Curve's official studio.

Mickey closed her eyes and thought of her home, and soon her body took her there.

|||

"You guys are kinda good," Julie Molina said to the three ghosts that had appeared in her mom's studio. She was definitely still weirded out and overwhelmed by their presence, but slowly her bad mood from the day was fading and she was acting a little nicer.

"Kinda?" Luke repeated, scoffing. "Y - you know that's like twenty-five years of rust just getting dusted off."

"Yeah. Do you play piano too?" Reggie asked Julie, glancing back at the studio.

"No," Julie said quickly. "No, I don't play. That was my mom's stuff in there."

"No way. She's an amazing songwriter," Luke told her, grinning.

"She was," Julie agreed. Then she looked at Luke, confused. "How would you know?"

"There's a song on the piano," he explained. "If it's hers... Your mom was really talented."

Julie nodded in agreement. Just before she was about to agree to let them stay, she was interrupted. They all turned as they heard another ghost flash in.

"Mickey!" all three boys exclaimed when they saw her.

Mickey sighed in relief when she saw Reggie, Alex, and Luke. Reggie was quick to run over and hug her tightly. Alex and Luke joined in a few seconds later.

"Where the hell have you been?" Luke asked.

"We were so worried," Alex added. As he and Luke let go, Reggie continued to hold her tightly.

"Um, I showed up in some girl's bedroom. She can see me, though I have no idea why. But get this, it's been twenty-five years!" she exclaimed.

"We know," Alex said, pouting. He pointed at the young girl who was awkwardly watching their reunion. "Julie can see us too. She uh, she lives in the house here."

Mickey's shoulders sagged at what he was saying — no, her family didn't still live in her childhood home. Now she had no idea how to find them and her brother. But she quickly covered up her disappointment with a smile and turned towards the younger girl.

"Hey, I'm Michelle, but everyone calls me Mickey," she greeted, waving brightly. "Hope these dummies didn't cause too much trouble without me."

"Only a little trouble," Julie muttered, smiling. "It's nice to meet you, Mickey. Sorry, I've just had a really long day. But I guess... if you need a place to stay, you can stay in there. There's a bathroom in the back and a couch that turns into a bed if you still use any of that stuff."

"Dibs on the shower!" Reggie quickly yelled, putting a finger in the air. He had an adorable smile on his face, which made Mickey smile too. "I just really like showers and sometimes the occasional bath."

"This... this is just too weird," Julie mumbled, gesturing to the four ghosts. She glanced at them and then slowly left.

Once Julie was gone, the guys focused back on Mickey. Reggie hugged her again, this time lifting her up off the ground. He rested his head on her neck.

"God, I was so worried about you," he muttered against her skin. "Don't ever leave like that again."

"It's not like I meant to," she told him. "It was horrible and I was so scared that I wasn't going to find you."

"Stop hogging her, Reginald," Alex said, wanting to hug Mickey. Reggie reluctantly let Mickey go, and she hugged Alex and Luke, glad to see them.

"So, we're dead but we're ghosts and two teenage girls can see us so far and it's been twenty-five years," Mickey summarized, rubbing her forehead. On instinct, she leaned against Reggie, who then wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Oh! Dude, you're not gonna believe this," Luke said, getting excited all over again. "So, Julie's family can't see us, but they can totally hear us play our instruments."

"Wait, really?" she asked, shocked. "Like, they could hear the guitar and drums and vocals and everything?"

"Totally," Luke said, grinning. "Sunset Curve is still kicking!"

"There is something kind of cool about a ghost band," Mickey muttered, shrugging. "Wait, so if we're ghosts, does that mean my hair has stopped growing? Or do I still have to keep bleaching my roots?"

"Really?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's your main concern with this whole situation?"

"I mean, there are others, but I'm still a little overwhelmed by the whole being dead thing, so I'd rather just focus on my looks right now," she said, crossing her arms. At least she wasn't crying anymore.

"Look at that. Even in death, you still manage to be our vain little princess," Luke said, smirking. "Alright, now that we're all together, I got an idea."

|||

When they poofed on top of the sign at The Orpheum, Mickey looked down at all the people walking with a frown on her face. Perhaps Luke was trying to make a nice gesture, but it seemed more like a painful reminder. And Mickey wasn't even the one that was supposed to play the gig.

"Hey, I know being dead isn't our first choice, but, I mean, it sure is easy getting around," Luke said, trying to cheer them up.

"Easy for you, maybe," Reggie said, scoffing. "I lost my shirt on that one."

Mickey had somehow missed the fact that Reggie was missing his shirt under his leather jacket. She tried to subtly eye his slightly toned torso without being caught, but Alex caught her and rolled his eyes. Unfortunately, a second later, his white t-shirt reappeared on his body.

"Ooh, nevermind! There it is," Reggie said, looking down at his now clothed chest. Mickey laughed softly and leaned against him, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Okay, so, why'd you bring us here?" Alex asked, glancing up at the bright sign above them. "Just another painful reminder of where we never got to play? Thanks, Luke. Want to run Mickey by the ballet studio next?"

Mickey frowned, having forgotten about her Swan Lake production. Reggie saw the pout on her lips and held her tighter.

"I mean, boys, princess, the game isn't over yet." As he spoke, they flashed off of the sign and down to the street. "I'm telling you, we've been given a second chance. Let's find some music. Let's see how many clubs we can hit before sunrise."

Reggie grabbed Mickey's hand and swung them back and forth as they walked down Sunset Boulevard. Alex had stopped to look back at something that had distracted him, but Luke quickly got his attention and he caught back up to them.

"Oh, hey, at some point I should go let that girl know that I found you guys just in case she gets worried," Mickey told them. "I'll come right back though."

"But I don't want you to leave," Reggie whined while wrapping an arm around her.

"I don't think she would like three random ghost dudes in her room," she said, sighing. He nudged her neck with his nose. "I promise I won't be long though."

"I do get that you two are already pretty clingy, and I'm sure that dying has amplified that, but maybe you could part for, like, thirty minutes," Alex said, playfully rolling his eyes.

"We are not clingy," Mickey said, rolling her eyes. Though she wasn't taken very seriously considering the fact that Reggie was holding her from behind as they walked in step with each other. His head was also resting on her neck.

"How about just fifteen minutes? Can you handle that, Reggie?" Luke asked, smirking at his friend. "She can meet back with us right here."

Reggie pouted but reluctantly nodded his head. "Fine. Just fifteen minutes though." Reggie pressed a soft kiss to the side of Mickey's neck, which the boys didn't notice. They did see her cheeks heat up though.

"I'll be right back," she promised before poofing out.

Once she was gone, Reggie's mood deflated, which made Luke and Alex roll their eyes.

"You're pathetic," Luke stated, crossing his arms.

"Yeah," Alex agreed. "Also, I can't believe you had the audacity to tell that bartender that you two aren't dating."

"We aren't dating," Reggie said, blushing and looking at the floor. "We're just friends, and you guys know it. Besides, she's Bobby's sister."

"The only reason you're just friends is because you won't man up and ask her," Luke said, slinging his arm over Reggie's shoulder. "Also, Bobby was totally fine with it. He'd much rather his baby sister dated you, one of his best friends, instead of some douchebag who'd just break her heart."

"Yeah, you two are so obviously in love with each other that it's nauseating," Alex added.

"Uh, I don't want to hear anything about nauseating coming from you two," Reggie said, scoffing. "When you two were dating, you rubbed that in all of our faces every chance you got."

Luke scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Uh, we were adorable, so shut up."

|||

When Mickey appeared at Carrie's room, she took a moment to look around, which she hadn't done the first time. The room had lots of bright and colorful decorations, as well as tons of framed pictures of Carrie and her various friends. It was a very large room — much larger than Mickey's childhood room, which made her slightly jealous. Then she reminded herself that she was dead and someone else was living in her room now.

Carrie was sitting on her bed and brushing the tangles out of a bright pink wig. When she heard the quiet noise that accompanied Mickey as she teleported in, she looked up. For a moment, she was surprised, but then seemed to remember that ghosts were a thing and she now knew one.

"Hi, Mickey. Did you find the rest of the band?" she asked, tilting her head and frowning.

"Totally! They ended up being sent to the old studio that Sunset Curve rehearsed in. There's another family living there, and the daughter can see us too! I just wanted to let you know I found them," Mickey explained, smiling.

"Well, I'm glad. I know you must have been pretty scared to show up without them."

Mickey nodded, glad that she understood. "So, what's the pretty wig for?"

"Oh, my singing group is performing at my school's spirit rally on Friday. It's part of my costume."

"You sing? That's so cool. Do you guys dance too?"

"Yup. My dad hired Katy Perry's choreographer for us, so it's an awesome routine," Carrie said, grinning brightly.

"I don't know who that is, but it sounds impressive. I'm actually a dancer — well, was a dancer, I guess," she said, frowning slightly. Then she shook her head, not wanting to think about what she was missing out on. "What school do you go to? Maybe I can come by and watch you guys perform."

"Of course! I love an adoring audience. It's called Los Feliz High School. It starts at one."

"I'll be there. Maybe I can convince the guys to come. I'd love for you to meet them," Mickey said, smiling. "Speaking of, I should probably head back to them. Reggie wasn't really big on me leaving again, but I wanted to check in with you."

Carrie noticed how the ghost's cheeks heated up and she smirked — she was a teenage girl after all. She couldn't resist snooping. "So, which one is Reggie? Is he your boyfriend?"

Mickey quickly shook her head. "Nope. No, not my boyfriend." It was ironic that she had answered just as quickly as when Rose asked Reggie the same thing. "Just best friends."

"Okay," Carrie said, smiling sneakily. The look on her face said she clearly didn't believe her. "Well, I don't wanna hold you up. Wouldn't want Reggie to worry about you."

Mickey playfully rolled her eyes. "I'll see you on Friday, Carrie. Have a good day at school tomorrow."

The guys had been waiting for her at the same spot. As soon as she had flashed onto the street, Reggie was by her side. He had his arm around her shoulder before she could even greet them, but she wasn't complaining. Mickey leaned into him, knowing it was where she felt most comfortable. Reggie did his best to ignore the teasing looks that Luke and Alex were sending him. Dating or not, just having Mickey in his arms was enough.

For now.