we're more than chemistry

c h a p t e r 1 3 ~ it's a date

"Do you wanna go with me then?"

"We're playing a school dance? Sweet!" I heard Reggie exclaim as I walked in. "I know I'm so excited!" I said making the guys turn around. "Jessica! Cover-up!" Reggie jokingly yelled. "Fine, fine, I know you'll get too distracted." I said laughing and zipping up my jacket.

"Anyway..... it's not exactly the strip." Luke said. "And you're not exactly alive so maybe you should be happy we have our first gig." Reggie told him and then wrapped an arm around me. "I wasn't in love with the idea at first either, but it could be a great way for us to build a following right?" Julie asked.

"Yeah. Yeah. We need to play wherever we can, whenever we can." Reggie said. "No, your right. Let's rock those kids faces of and then play the clubs." Luke said. "And then record a single that gets a billion streams?" Julie asked. I nodded, "And that blows up on tik tok." "I don't know what either of those are, but hopefully it lands us a manager and a tour." Luke said.

"And then we release a bunch of hit albums." Julie said. "Put out a country album that does surprisingly well." Julie gave him a look and I let out a giggle, "I shred on the banjo so...." He finished. "Then I'll learn how to fiddle." Julie said giving him air nucks. "And I'll play the harmonica." I said placing a kiss on his cheek.

"And then before you know it, we're being inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame." Luke said excitedly. "But one of us isn't there. Because we had a blowout in 2032. My moneys on Alex. He's just so sensitive." Reggie said. "We won't have a blowout." I told him. "What are we waiting for? Let's get rehearsing." Luke said.

"Uh... where is Alex?" Julie asked. I smiled, "Probably with his ghost friend." They nodded and we made our way over to our instruments. We started getting ready when I remembered that I need to tell Julie that Ricky taking us to the dance.

"Hey, Julie um... Ricky said he would take me to the dance. He can bring you too if you want." I said, I was scared of how Reggie would react to this so I didn't look at him.

"Who's Ricky and why is he taking you to the dance and not me?" Reggie asked sadly. "Reggie, Ricky is my best friend I could never see him as more than that I'm just too lazy to drive. He's not taking me as his date." I assured him.

"Oh, I thought..... never mind. So..... do you wanna go with me then?" He asked. "Of course I do silly! That's why I reject all the guys that asked me." "How many guys asked you?" He asked a little annoyed. "Like 20....." I muttered. He looked at me shocked, "And you rejected them all just to go with me." He said proudly. I smiled, "Of course I did Reginald. Now let's get practicing." I said leaving a peck on his cheek and then dragging him over to practice.

After a while of us practicing Alex popped into the room. "Oh hey Alex." Reggie said. "Alex, hey." I said. "Where have you been? We need to start practicing." Luke told him. "Yeah? For what?" Alex asked.

Just then Flynn walked in, "Dance news! I don't have a date. But I don't care because I'm so psyched to see you guys perform." She said. Alex groaned, "Oh man! We're playing a dance?" Luke and Julie took that over as I grabbed onto reggies hand, "Look who my date is!" I exclaimed. "Yeah and look who I asked!" Reggie exclaimed. "Aww... you two are adorable. But you didn't tell me the guys were here!"  Flynn said.

She turned to face her back to Reggie and me, "Hey guys!" She said. "Other way sweetie." Julie said. "Yeah there by me." Reggie said. "Oh." Flynn said and turned around and waved.

"Okay now that Alex has graced us with his presence, can we start working?" Luke asked. "Yes, we're gonna rehearse wanna stick around?" Julie asked Flynn. "You should totally stick around." I told her. "I'm supposed to blow up 500 balloons for the school dance but this sounds way better." Flynn said.

Just then Carlos came into the studio, "Hey Julie, Jess. Remember those orbs in dad's pictures, Jess and I... we think they're ghosts. But don't worry. This room is..... is..... this room is clean. I'm not getting any ghost tinglies. Are you Jess?" He asked. I smiled, "No I'm not either." "Wrong again little dude." Reggie said.

"Have no fear. If they come back, I will protect you two, because I am the man of the house." Carlos told us. "Isn't dad supposed to be the man of the house." Julie asked. "There can be two." Carlos said causing us to chuckle, "I think you make a great man of the house." I told him. He smiled at me, "Thanks Jess. And dad needs all the help he can get, right? According to what Jess and I read on the internet, salt burns their souls out." Carlos said pulling a salt shaker out.

All the boys had scared looks on their faces. "A little sprinkle will keep them from ever coming in here." Carlos said and started to fling the salt around. Some landed under Reggie's feet as he pulled them up. Luke did the same and there was some under his feet. Then some went right through Alex. "No..... oh god, I'm... I'm fine. I'm fine. Totally fine." Alex said standing up.

Julie cleared her throat and motioned for Flynn to get Carlos out. "Oh! Carlos, you know who's hungry? Me. Umm salt me a path to the kitchen." She said and then left behind Carlos.

"Jess do you want us gone or something?" Luke asked jokingly. "Yeah. That salt could've killed me!" Alex exclaimed. "Jess.... why are you on a ghost hunt? You can see us." Reggie told me. I laughed, "You guys are funny." I said.

"Shall we try this again?" Julie asked. "Yes, please. But remind us later. There's some sunset curve songs we want to show you." Luke told her. "Ooh! Show us now." Julie said. I nodded, "Yeah show us now." Luke smiled. "Yeah okay."

He went to go get his songbook and saw something in there. He read it out loud, "Home is where my horse is." He sighed, "Reggie, stop putting your country songs in my journal." "That was a gift." Reggie told luke. "Thanks buddy." Luke said. "You should maybe circle back..." Luke went over to talk to Julie and I went over to comfort Reggie.

"Let me see." I said. "What?" He asked. I smiled, "Reggie I wanna see your song." Then he had a stupid goofy grin on his face, "Okay, I don't know if it's good though." He said handing it to me. I read it and smiled, "Reginald, this really is a gift." I said. He smiled. I got lost in his gorgeous green eyes and his stupid goofy grin.

I was snapped back by Julie asking Luke, "Who's Emily?" "That ones not dog eared." He told her. "If you could only know that I'd never let you go. Wow, Luke I didn't know you were such a romantic." Julie said.

Alex then went over, "He's not. That ones actually about-." Luke quickly cut him off, "No one. Uh... that's just something that I tried and....." I looked at Reggie who looked at me and mouthed, "Don't push him about it." I nodded.

"But if you go to the next dog-eared page, I got a tune that's just... it's got a killer beat." Luke told us. He started playing a song that I instantly recognized as a Trevor Wilson song.

But how would Luke know that song?