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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟐
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄

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As she waited for Ryder to call her downstairs to take her to school the day after the dance, Lexi sat at her desk with her head in her hand as she doodled on the cover of her songbook. While her pen danced across the item in front of her, her thoughts kept going back to the dance last night and how the guys chose their revenge plans over something that was really important to her and Julie. Even though the redhead didn't know him too well, Alex was family and the most important thing her parents taught her about family was that you never turn your back on them, which was something Lexi felt would happen repeatedly if she continued to associate herself with Sunset Curve.

When she finished her drawing of the sun in the corner of the cover, Lexi closed her songbook before going into the bathroom to splash some warm water on her face in an attempt to calm her growing nerves. Once she accomplished her task to the best of her abilities, the redhead wiped off the excess water and pulled her hair back into a ponytail before walking back into her room, only for her to freeze right outside her bathroom door at the sight of the ghosts of Sunset Curve standing on the other side of her bed.

"Oh, no. I'm not doing this right now. Get out," Lexi told them while pointing towards the door, just for the three boys to stare back at her like lost puppies.

"Look, Lex, we're really-"

"Sorry. Yeah, you already said that," the girl interrupted Luke before crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back against the wall behind her, "the thing is, I've heard that simple five-letter word so many times that it lost its meaning."

"We know it wasn't okay that we flaked on the dance last night and we know we let you and Julie down," Reggie said while unconsciously fiddling with his fingers.

"Yeah, and none of us wanted to disappoint you or Julie," Alex added as he swayed back and forth on his feet, a trait that both he and Lexi did when they were anxious, "you guys are the best things that's happened to us since we became ghosts."

"'Best things'? Seriously? Alex, you've barely acknowledged the fact that we're related since we found that little fact out. I know next to nothing about you and you seem to be fine with that," the redheaded girl retaliated, causing the blonde boy's guilty expression to return before Lexi turned her attention towards Luke, "while you only seem to care about this band, which you forgot about at the drop of a dime, and not the fact that you pressured Julie and tried to pressure me to join." The guitarist just stared at the shorter girl in front of him as she turned her gaze to Reggie.

Lexi hesitated at the sight of him looking back at her with wide eyes and a blank expression on his face while he continued to mess around with the bracelets on his wrists. While her brown eyes met his blue ones, she found herself thinking back to the two of them sitting on the floor of that empty classroom where Lexi told him everything that happened between her and Dirty Candy, something she rarely ever brought up to anyone. The memory did nothing but make her anger grow as her fists clenched tighter under her crossed arms before she let out an irritated sigh.

"And you knew how big of a deal it was for me to even consider singing in front of people again. You knew what it took for me to actually trust another band. You were the first person I opened up to about it in a very long time and you just tossed that aside," she finally said, making the bassist break eye contact with the songwriter to stare down at the floor beneath his feet while Lexi went back to addressing the trio as a whole, "you're gonna have to go a lot more than saying 'sorry' and admitting your obvious mistake before I even consider forgiving the three of you."

Silence surrounded the four in the room for a moment before it was broken by Ryder calling that it was time for them to go. Without speaking another word, Lexi grabbed her bag from the foot of her bed before she turned her back to the guilty-looking boys and left them standing in the middle of her room. While she followed her older brother out the door, the Daniels girl completely forgot about her songbook she left in plain sight on her desk, which was an opportunity the boys didn't pass up.

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After finishing all her homework later that night, Lexi sat on the couch with a bowl of popcorn in her lap and three packs of candy on the coffee table while watching Avengers for the billionth time. Just as she got to Natasha and Clint's fight scene, she felt the couch dip a bit before looking to her right to see Ryder and Cami sitting next to her with small smiles on their faces. The three of them just sat there for a moment and watched the movie play out in front of them until Ryder decided it was time to break the silence that filled the room.

"Hawkeye still your favorite superhero?"

"Hawkeye will always be my favorite superhero."

"And I will never understand why," Ryder laughed while draping his arm around Cami's shoulder and pulling her closer to his side, "anyway, got any plans for tonight?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm gonna be sitting here, eating candy and popcorn while watching Marvel movies. Maybe throw in some Star Wars to mix it up a bit," Lexi responded, only to watch the older teens' smiles grow before the redheaded girl quirked an eyebrow in their direction, "why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because that's not what you're doing tonight," Cami responded as the two of them got to their feet.

Before Lexi could fully comprehend what was happening, Ryder picked his sister up and off the couch before throwing her over his shoulder while his girlfriend turned the TV off. The youngest Daniels' shouts in protest continued to fill the air, only for them to be greeted by the empty house and ignored by the two older teens. Lexi continued to struggle in her brother's grasp before he tossed her into the backseat of his truck and closed the door behind her. When she turned to sit properly in her seat, the redhead found Julie sitting next to her with an innocent smile on her face, causing the former's confusion before moving her head to watch the smirking couple jump into the car.

"Are any of you gonna tell me where we're going?" Lexi questioned while her brother started the vehicle before pulling away from their house and driving down the road.

"Remember that cafe that Ryder and I tried to get you to sing with us at a few weeks ago?" Cami said then watched the younger nod in response through the rearview mirror before continuing her explanation, "well, Julie asked us to drive her over so that she and her band so you're coming with us to support her."

"Why didn't you just ask me to come instead of kidnapping me?"

"Now, where's the fun in that?" Ryder retaliated before pulling to a stop in front of a small shop that's packed wall to wall with people.

While Ryder and Cami went to order some drinks before watching the bands perform, Julie and Lexi made their way over to where Flynn was standing near the stage. The sight of their usually confident third Musketeer looking a bit distressed made Lexi hesitate for a moment before Julie opened her mouth to speak.

"Are we too late?"

"Too early."

As soon as those two words left Flynn's mouth, the crowd began to clap before the trio's attention turned to see Carrie in all of her pink glory standing in the middle of the stage and addressing the crowd. A comfortable silence followed their cheers as the Wilson girl turned her back to everyone to prepare for her upcoming performance.

"Dirty Candy?" Julie questioned while looking back and forth between her best friends at her sides, "how'd she get on the list?"

"Her daddy probably made a call," Flynn responded right before the music started to play then Dirty Candy's performance began.

Lexi watched the colorful dancers on the stage in front of her for a moment before she felt like she was being watched, causing her to glance to her right to find Reggie staring back at her with a small smile on his face. After gazing at him with her mouth sealed shut, the redheaded girl simply turned her attention back to the stage just in time to see Alex appear out of nowhere in the middle of the dancer's circle.

Julie and Lexi exchanged a quick look before turning their eyes back to the confused drummer, only to find him dancing along to the music. While her curly-haired friend looked back at the remaining two ghosts for an explanation, a smile formed on the Daniels girl's face as she watched her uncle dance around and somewhat mess with a completely unaware Carrie. After spinning around in a circle while the dancers ran around him, Alex disappeared from the stage before reappearing right behind Flynn once again.

"You having fun out there?" Julie questioned the blonde drummer while his bandmates watched him with bright smiles on their faces.

"It's not my fault. It's my, um...it's my feet," Alex responded, just to receive unconvinced looks from everyone around him before casting his gaze back to the stage, "put me back in, Coach."

And just like that, the blonde boy vanished and reappeared in the middle of Carrie's performance. While he continued to dance with Dirty Candy, Lexi's eyes traveled across the room before landing on her brother and his girlfriend, who were talking to the host of the show and looking over the clipboard in his hands. Just as she was about to join in on Julie and Flynn's conversation, the redheaded girl caught the two older teens looking over at her with giant smiles on their faces. Before she could even comprehend why they were reacting this way, the host left the couple and made his way back onto the stage as Dirty Candy made their way off.

"Thank you, Dirty Candy, for that amazing performance," he said into the microphone before the host looked back down at the clipboard in his hands, "next up we have...Lexi Daniels."

The girl in question's eyes widened larger than humanly possible before she turned her attention to her two best friends, only to find them as equally shocked and confused as she was. Just as she was about to turn and race out of the building to hide in Ryder's truck, her gaze fell on the three grinning boys standing behind Julie before realization hit her like a tidal wave. "You didn't."

"Oh, we did," Luke responded with a smile while slinging his arms around his bandmates' shoulders and pulling them closer to his sides, "you said our apology had to be more than words so we found another opportunity for you to prove everyone wrong."

"There is no way I'm going up there alone," Lexi retaliated while the host called out her name once again, "what am I even supposed to sing?"

"What about that one song that has hearts and suns drawn all over the pages? The only one that said 'by Lexi and Ryder Daniels,'" Reggie suggested, causing the redhead to look at him with disbelief in her eyes while Luke and Alex sent him annoyed glares.

"You went through my songbook?"

"Yeah. They go through my stuff all the time," Julie stated while crossing her arms over her chest and quirking an eyebrow in the guys' direction.

Before Lexi had a chance to say another word, Ryder and Cami appeared out of nowhere before dragging her towards the stage right as the host announced her last call. Once the trio arrived at their destination, the raven-haired man sent them a smile before making his way back towards the DJ table. While Cami went to help the stage crew set up a drumset and a keyboard, Ryder looked down at his younger sister to find her staring back at him with an emotionless look on her face.

"You got this, Lexa. We'll be right beside you the whole time," Ryder told her while placing a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm his sister down. The siblings just stared at each other for a moment before Lexi sent him a small nod as a small sigh passed over her lips. "Wanna sing that song we wrote together a few years ago? I showed it to Cami so she knows it."

Once she muttered a response to her brother, he went to tell Cami about their song choice and get in their positions to play while Lexi just stood in the middle of the stage trying not to think about all the music producers that were sitting amongst the crowd. Her feet took her behind the piano before her eyes scanned over the crowd one last time. She looked back at Ryder's and Cami's smiling faces one last time before meeting Julie, Flynn, and the ghost of Sunset Curve's smiling faces. After letting out one more long sigh she placed her hands on the keyboard and began to play.

"Can you see me? 'Cause I'm right here. Can you listen? 'Cause I've been trying to make you notice what it would mean to me to feel like somebody. We've been on our way to nowhere, tryin' so hard to get there," Lexi sang with her fingers flying across the keys while keeping her eyes on the keyboard. Her ears stayed focused on the sounds of Ryder on the drums and Cami's guitar in an attempt to calm her rising nerves and get her confidence back to what it was on the night of the dance "And I say, 'oh,' we're gonna let it show. We're gonna just let go of everything, holding back our dreams. And try to make it come alive. Come on let it shine so they can see, we were meant to be somebody. Somebody, yeah. Somehow, someday, someway. Somebody."

"I'm so tired of being invisible. But I feel it, yeah, like a fire below the surface. Trying to set me free, burnin' inside of me. 'Cause we're standing on the edge now, it's a long way down." Without really thinking about it, Lexi lifted her head to look at the crowd, just for her eyes to land on Carter, who was sitting at one of the tables with Carrie and her Dirty Candy dancers. At first, the redhead felt her nerves returning, only for them to slowly fade when the raven-haired boy sent her a small smile. "But I say, 'oh,' we're gonna let it show. We're gonna just let go of everything, holding back our dreams. And try to make it come alive. Come on let it shine so they can see, we were meant to be somebody. Somebody, yeah. Somehow, someday, someway. Somebody."

"We will walk out of this darkness, feel the spotlight glowing like a yellow sun. And when we fall we fall together till we get back up and we will rise as one." While the crowd clapped along with the music, Lexi's attention landed on her two best friends to find them dancing where they stood before she looked behind them to Reggie, Luke, and Alex watching her with giant smiles on their faces. The Daniels girl let out a small laugh before returning the gesture, knowing that there was no way she could be mad at them after this. "'Oh,' we're gonna let it show. We're gonna just let go of everything, holding back our dreams. And try to make it come alive. Come on let it shine so they can see, we were meant to be somebody. Somebody, yeah. Somehow, someday, someway. Somebody. Somebody."

As soon as the last of her lyrics left her mouth, applause filled every inch of the room as the crowd erupted into cheers. The smile on Lexi's face grew larger than she thought possible as Ryder and Cami joined her at the front of the stage before the three of them thanked the crowd and made their way off the stage.

Once they reached the table that the older teens claimed as their own, they shared a giant hug and congratulated each other on a job well done. Ryder watched his younger sister with pride in his eyes while Cami told Lexi how proud she was of her. As soon as the three's initial excitement calmed down, Lexi left the couple and made her way back to where Julie and Flynn, who quickly pulled her in for a hug.

"That was amazing, Ali," Flynn told her while the three ended their embrace to share another smile, "I knew you had it in you."

"Thanks," Lexi responded before her eyes landed on the three ghost boys standing behind him, "I honestly can't believe I'm saying this when literally hours ago I wanted nothing to do with you...but all is forgiven."

Before any of them could respond, the host's voice cut through the air, drawing all their attention back to the stage as the man's eyes scanned over the board in his hands before looking back up at the audience, "Julie and the Fat Ones."

Lexi stifled a small laugh as she and Julie looked back at the guys, only to find Alex and Reggie looking at Luke with unamused expressions on their faces. After letting out an irritated sigh, Julie sent Flynn and Lexi one last smile before making her way towards the stage.

"Hi. It's actually 'Julie and the Phantoms'," Julie greeted the crowd as she set herself up at the keyboard before letting out an awkward chuckle. When no one reacted to her statement, the curly-haired girl let out a small sigh right as Flynn and Lexi turned on the machine that looked like a projector.

The sound of their curly-haired friend softly playing the piano cut through the awkward silence then the Molina girl began to sing. Some of the crowd started to sway along to her lyrics with smiles on their faces before the song sped up and the ghosts of Sunset Curve appeared out of nowhere. Flynn and Lexi started to dance along with the rest of the crowd, the latter being completely unaware of the shocked and confused look that was plastered. He exchanged a quick look with Cami before he went back to watching what looked like his dead uncle and said uncle's bandmates.

While their music continued to fill the air, Ryder got to his feet before weaving through the crowd and towards his sister, who was still feeling like she was on Cloud 9. Once he reached her, the older Daniels sibling pulled Lexi to the back corner where the crowd was somewhat smaller. The redheaded girl looked up at her brother in confusion as he pointed towards the stage, making Lexi follow his finger before she realized exactly what had her brother acting so strangely.

"Can you please explain why it looks like Uncle Alex and his band, who are supposed to be dead, are onstage with Julie right now?"

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𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆
Somebody by Lemonade Mouth

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