(29) Lost Letters

1K 46 20
                                    

"Come over so we can celebrate."

     "Can't do that

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

"Can't do that. Great for the guys, really, but I'm on my way to the Hollywood Ghost Club."



Warning: language, crappy parenting. Read at your own risk




     JESS must feel like this all the time. Reggie hates it.

     Every bone in his body feels like it's vibrating while his body itself weighs down like stone. When he takes a breath, the vibrating increases as he falls further into the ground. Pain radiates everywhere, despite the continued jolts.

     He doesn't know how Jess does it.

     The three bandmates lie on the ground of Julie's garage, hidden in shadow. Luke is the one to hear the approaching footsteps, shushing all of them.

     When the door opens to reveal Julie, moonlight shines through the new opening. "I..." Julie sighs. "I know I already said this, but, uh...thank you, guys."

     The words fall from his mouth before he can stop it. "You're welcome."

     Alex groans as Luke smacks him, saying, "Dude—"

     The lights flick on, and Reggie looks over to see Julie all alone. "W-Why...Why are you here? I-I thought—"

     A painful jolt rocks through them. Reggie starts to cough as he clutches his side, his gaze drifting up. He wishes the butterflies were here now; he wishes Jess and Justin were here now. He wants to say goodbye or be held or something.

     "No-no! I thought you crossed over!" Julie exclaims as Reggie reluctantly pulls himself up using the nearby chair. "Why did you cross over?"

     "I guess playing the Orpheum wasn't our unfinished business," Alex replies.

     "Point Caleb," Reggie adds.

     "We wanted you to think we crossed over, so we pretended to," Luke explains with tears rolling down his face. "We just...we had nowhere else to go. We didn't want Justin to know."

     "We thought you'd go straight to bed," Reggie says with a sigh.

     Alex sends him a look. "Yeah, well, I knew she was gonna come out here, but nobody ever listens to me—"

     Another jolt of pain sends Reggie leaning over his legs, gasping for breath.

     "You have to save yourselves right now," Julie demands, reaching towards them. "Go join Caleb's club, please! It's better than not existing at all. Please just go. Go! Poof out! Do something! Please! Do it for me o-or Justin and Jess. Please—"

Rhythm | JATPWhere stories live. Discover now