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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟒
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘

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After learning the song from the guys and practicing with them and, eventually, Julie for a few hours, Lexi went home to change into something a little more "performance appropriate" because apparently what she was wearing wouldn't work for that night. Once she finished getting her hair the way she wanted it, she changed into a pair of black jeans, with a red denim jacket and a blank and white tank underneath. She then slipped on a pair of red Converse before making her way over to her nightstand to slip on Alex's bracelet her dad gave her that she hadn't worn since the night of the school dance.

Lexi quickly finished getting ready and checked the time on her phone to see that she still had an hour before she had to be at Julie's. A sigh passed over her lips as her eyes scanned over the contents of her room for something to keep her occupied until they landed on her parents' songbooks sitting on her shelf. She made her way towards them with a small smile on her face before taking Andy's into her hands and sitting down on her bed. The redhead flipped through the old worn pages as she looked through the different songs messily written out within them. When she finally reached the last sheet, her smile slowly faded as her eyes studied the lyrics before she realized they weren't lyrics at all but what looked like a journal entry.

Aug. 30, 1998

It's been almost three years now and there are times when I still can't believe you're actually gone. Especially when I find myself involved with music in any way. It's strange. Sometimes I call out to you for help when I'm stumped with the new songs I'm writing. I guess I'll never get used to not having you around to give me ideas for the next verse.

So, Mom and Dad had another kid about a month ago, which is somewhat weirder than the fact that I still think you're around sometimes. They named him after you. Well, sort of. They used your middle name. Rachel and I are also getting married in two months. It's really strange not having you and the guys around to help. I think it's even stranger having to choose a best man that isn't you. This actually might be the real reason I'm writing this years after you, Reggie, and Luke...you know.

I guess what I really want to say is that I miss you and I'm sorry. I never meant what I said. I was just caught off guard and confused but mostly angry that you told Reggie and Luke before you told me. But that still isn't a good excuse for the words I said. I wish I had the chance to say that to you when you were still around.

Lexi read the words over and over again to see if she missed something about the fight they had, only to come up empty. Her father mentioned it to her a few times but never went into much detail and Alex never said anything about it. However, after hearing the regret in her father's voice when he first told her about their argument and reading his journal entry, there was one thing Lexi did know. She had to find a way for her father and uncle to talk and make amends before it was truly too late.

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After arriving at the Molina residence later that night, she found Julie and the guys lounging around in her mom's studio. While the guys made their way over to the instruments to make sure they were all tuned and ready for tonight, Lexi and her curly-haired sat on the couch and went over the lyrics one last time while Flynn was on the other side of the closed barn doors getting everything ready for their upcoming performance. When the two of them finished going over the song one last time, a wave of unwanted nerves washed over her before she pushed herself off the couch to look out one of the small windows to see how many people were there.

Her eyes scanned over the small crowd of her classmates before they landed on an irritated-looking Carrie who was standing in between Nick and Carter. Lexi's attention quickly left the trio before looking around once again, only for her gaze to land on a pair she didn't expect to show up and her nerves to grow. After staring at the duo for another moment, the redhead stepped away from the glass and pulled out her phone to text Ryder, who hopefully had some answers to the questions running through her head.

🥰LEXI🥰:
Why are Mom and
Dad here?!?!

🤓RYDER🤓:
They wanted to see you
perform since they missed
the last one. Why do you
seem so upset about it?

🥰LEXI🥰:
How am I supposed to explain
their ghost friends?!?!

🤓RYDER🤓:
Right...um...
Good luck with that!

🥰LEXI🥰:
Are you serious?!?!
RYDER!!!

"I'm gonna disown him," Lexi muttered while turning off her phone and shoving it into the back pocket of her jeans.

"Who are you gonna disown?" Reggie questioned, causing the redhead to turn around to find the three ghosts of Sunset Curve and Julie staring back at her with confusion plastered onto their faces.

"My parents are here."

"That's great!" the curly-haired girl exclaimed with a smile on her face before it slowly faded at the lack of a grin on her best friend's face, "why don't you seem excited about that?"

"Jules, my mom used to write songs with Luke and my dad was best friends with Reggie. On top of that, Alex is my dad's twin brother. Sure, Ryder and Cami believed my story but how am I supposed to explain what they're about to see to my parents?!"

Before anyone else could say another word, Flynn's voice introducing the band cut through the air. Not even a second after that passed when Julie grabbed Lexi's arm and dragged her toward the doors. Once their third Musketeer's voice said the name of Julie's band, the barn doors opened and Julie made her way over to the grand piano. Lexi stood behind the keyboard before sending her waving parents a small smile.

A small sigh passed over the Daniels girl's lips as she listened to Julie begin to play and sing the opening to the song. "Running from the past. Tripping on the now. What is lost can be found, it's obvious. And like a rubber ball, we come bouncing back. We all got a second act, inside of us." Once the Molina girl sang the last lyric, Lexi began to play as the fake hologram projector lit up before the boys and their instruments appeared. The redheaded girl played along with the ghosts of Sunset Curve while keeping her gaze away from her parents.

"I believe, I believe that we're just one dream. Away from who we're meant to be. That we're standing on the edge of. Something big, something crazy. Our best days are yet unknown. That this moment is ours to own. 'Cause we're standing on the edge of great." Lexi sang along with the boys as her fingers flew across the piano before she found herself glancing over to Ryder, Cami, and her parents. The redhead's smile faltered for a moment at the sight of Andy and Rachel's blank faces as they watched their friends from the past play with their daughter and her friend.

A sign passed over Lexi's lips while she shook off all the nerves about explaining everything to her parents before she put her full attention back on the keyboard in front of her. Once Julie was done with the chorus, Luke stepped up to his mic while the Molina girl took a step back to dance with her ginger-haired friend and the bassist next to her. "We all make mistakes. But they're just stepping stones. To take us where we wanna go. It's never straight, no."

When the guitarist and the singer made eye contact, Luke gestured for Julie to join him once again while Reggie and Lexi continued to smile and jump around to the beat of the music. "Sometimes we gotta lean, lean on someone else. To get a little help. Until we find our way. I believe, I believe that we're just one dream. Away from who we're meant to be. That we're standing on the edge of. Something big, something crazy. Our best days are yet unknown. That this moment is ours to own. 'Cause we're standing on the edge of great. 'Cause we're standing on the edge of-"

"Shout, shout. C'mon and let it out, out. Don't gotta hide it. Let your colors blind their eyes. Be who you are, no compromise. Just shout, shout. C'mon and let it out, out. What doesn't kill you makes you feel alive," they sang as one while Julie climbed up onto the grand piano and moved about like it was a mini-stage. Throughout that verse, Lexi glanced over at Luke a few times to see him staring at her curly-haired friend like she was the most important thing in the world. A small smile appeared on the Daniels girl's face at the sight before she glanced over at Reggie to find him already smiling back at her.

Lexi, Reggie, and Alex stopped playing to allow Luke to have a guitar solo while Julie sang the chorus of the song once again. Alex and Reggie exchanged a knowing look at the sight of the singer and the guitarist before the drummer sent a smile the pianist's way. "I believe, I believe that we're just one dream. Away from who we're meant to be. That we're standing on the edge of great." Julie belted the last word right as the silent trio began playing once again while they sang the chorus one last time along with Luke. "Something big, something crazy. Our best days are yet unknown. That this moment is ours to own. 'Cause we're standing on the edge of great. 'Cause we're standing on the edge of-"

Reggie and Alex vanished before everyone's eyes while Lexi continued to quietly play the notes on the keyboard in front of her as Julie and Luke sat together at the grand piano to sing the last few lyrics of the song. "Running from the past. Tripping on the now. What is lost can be found, it's obvious."

As soon as the guitarist disappeared, the crowd's cheers cut through the air, snapping both Lexi and Julie out of their performance dazes. The friends walked in front of the grand piano together to thank their peers before sending smiles in Flynn's direction. While the Molina girl began to walk around to talk to a few people, her redheaded friend's attention landed back on her parents. Her grin slowly faded when she saw them talking to her brother and his girlfriend with determined looks on their faces. After letting out a small sigh, Lexi slowly made her way through the crowd of her classmates before coming to a stop between Ryder and Cami. She sent a somewhat forced smile in her parents' direction then cleared her throat and opened her mouth to speak.

"So, what did you guys think?"

"It was great! You did great!" her mother told her as she pulled the youngest Daniels in for a tight hug.

When the mother and daughter ended their moment, Lexi turned her attention toward her dad, who looked as if he had a million thoughts racing through his head. A wave of anxiety washed over Lexi as she watched Andy think about all the logical explanations for what he just saw before he finally looked up to meet his daughter's eyes.

"That was amazing, Lexi. Really, it was," he told her, making a small smile form on his daughter's face before the man let out a long sigh. The youngest Daniels watched as he exchanged a look with her mother before both of the adults turned their full attention back to the three teens standing in front of them. "But I think we need to have a little conversation when we get home."

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Later that night the Daniels family and Cami sat on the couches of their living room in silence, none of them wanting to be the first one to speak. Lexi sat in between the arm of the sofa and her brother with her hands intertwined in her lap while keeping her eyes glued to the floor beneath her feet in an attempt to avoid her parents' stares. While the tension in the room began to grow at a rate that made the redheaded girl squirm, the ghosts of Sunset Curve sat unnoticed on the stairs and watched the scene taking place below them after not being able to find Lexi in her room.

When the silence became too much to bear, Lexi finally looked away from her shoes to meet her parents' gazes. It was at that moment that her eyes landed on the three boys staring back at her. Her attention stayed glued to them for a moment before they focused on the blank expression plastered onto Alex's face. The Daniels girl couldn't help but replay the conversation she had with her father in her head before thinking back to the letter she found in her father's songbook. What felt like an eternity passed when Lexi let a long breath pass over her lips. She knew she had to relieve some of the pain her father was feeling ever since the loss of his brother.

"Do you really want the truth? No matter how crazy it sounds?" Lexi questioned, ignoring the surprised looks from her phantom friends while receiving nods in response from her parents before another sigh escaped her, "it's gonna sound crazy but those guys up there with us aren't holograms or whatever everyone thinks they are. They're ghosts. Like real ghosts. They just appeared out of nowhere about a month ago in Julie's mom's studio and have been around ever since. Only Julie and I can see them unless they're playing with Julie."

As soon as she finished speaking, the Daniels girl just stared at her parents for any sign of emotion in response to her story. But instead, she was greeted by blank expressions as the two adults stared back at their daughter. While keeping eye contact with both Andy and Rachel, Lexi found herself unconsciously scooting closer to Ryder. The redheaded boy instinctively slung his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to his side. To both of the Daniels children and Cami's surprise, Andy and Rachel finally sent smiles their way before their mother finally spoke in an attempt to ease her children's confusion. "Are any of them here right now?"

"Wait, hang on. You actually believe Lexi?" Ryder questioned with a hint of disbelief in his voice as he just stared at his parents.

"I don't see why we shouldn't," Andy told him with somewhat of a forced smile on his face, "also, I don't know how else that would make sense."

"I have the strangest family in the world," Lexi muttered under her breath before letting out a relieved sigh and rubbing her hands down the side of her face.

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𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆
Edge of Great by
Julie and the Phantoms

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