Bruises - JATP Fanfic (Luke x OC)

Chapter 14

" We're playing a school dance?" Reggie asks, seeing the flyer Flynn made for their band which is now informally named "Julie and the Hologram Band". "Sweet!"

"It's not exactly the Strip." Luke just looks at the paper, disappointed that his music will only be displayed in front of a bunch of lame high schoolers instead of VIPs and managers.

"And you're not exactly alive." Reggie reminds him. The three of them forget a lot that they aren't actually alive, especially since they can perform in front of crowds that can see them and still do a lot of other things they used to do. "So maybe you should be happy we have our first gig."

"I wasn't in love with the idea at first either," Julie starts, agreeing with Luke's disappointment, "but, it could be a great way to build a following, right?" Julie reminds the two of them, repeating the words that Flynn told her a that morning when she proposed the idea.

"Yeah. We need to play wherever we can, whenever we can." Reggie agrees, seeing the validity of Julie's argument, since it's the same one Flynn made to Julie to change her mind. Brielle went home before Julie came back, since her parents requested her presence after finding out she missed school, before Julie could break the news that she and the guys would be performing at the dance. Granted, Brielle wouldn't show up especially after missing school today, but Julie tries every time to get her to go, failing every time but once last year right before Julie's mom died.

"No, you're right. Let's rock those kids' faces off and then play the clubs." Luke imagines the four of them playing full sets at sold-out arenas, Brielle waiting backstage for him to come back, and everything just falling into place.

"And then record a single that gets a billion streams?" Julie agrees, although the guys are still lost, since YouTube wasn't even created until 2005, ten full years after they died. "Streaming" things is still the most confusing thing in the world to them, along with the internet, since that was barely a thing before they died. For the eight years before they died, Internet was dial-up. Shudders.

"I don't know what that is, but hopefully it gets us a manager and a tour." Luke says, making a note to ask one of the two girls that can see them what "streams" are.

"Then we release a bunch of hit albums." Julie piggybacks on Luke's idea.

"Put out a country album that does surprisingly well." Reggie counters, making both Luke and Julie question his sanity. "I shred on the banjo, so..."

"Then I'll learn how to fiddle." Julie smiles, imagining how much fun they'd have creating that album.

"And before you know it, we're being inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame." Luke continues on his little daydream of their future.

"But one of us isn't there. Because we had a blowout in 2032. My money's on Alex." Reggie jokes, making the both of his companions laugh. "He's just so sensitive." There's nothing wrong with being sensitive, Reggie.

"What are we waiting for?" Luke asks, ready to start practicing, bursting with energy. "Let's get rehearsing!"

"Uh... Where is Alex?" Julie asks, since no one noticed his absence during the last few hours since Brielle was up at that point and Julie came back from school.

Alex is currently with Willie, his new ghost friend, and they're just outside of a museum that is currently being renovated and, therefore, empty.

"You know what? I don't think this is about the art." Alex says, noting the fact that it clearly states, "Authorized Personnel Only" on the door. "I think you just like breaking the rules." Willie grins smugly, knowing Alex is, in fact, one hundred percent correct.