Finally Free -- JATP Luke x MaleOC

Chapter 52

The Monday following Julie and The Phantoms' garage party was full of people asking Julie and Jay for pictures and autographs. Both Jay and Julie were off-put by the sudden popularity the band was experiencing, but while Julie was somewhat awkward, Jay welcomed the fame a little more. He was tired of always hiding his love for music, but now that he was away from his aunt and uncle and finally accepted his music again, he wanted to fully embrace it.

"I don't know why you guys want these, but okay," Julie said as she and Jay took a couple more pictures. The two students walked off, thanking the two of them for the pictures.

"C'mon Jules, you gotta accept the fame," Jay said, smiling down at the girl.

"I will, it's just...weird," Julie said. Jay nodded, understanding her nervousness.

"Can I get a selfie too?" Nick asked more to Julie than the two of them.

"I'll have to check with security," Julie said jokingly, looking to Jay as if wanting him to help. Jay mentally assured himself that he would and smirked at the two underclassmen.

"Sounds alright to me," he said, walking away from the two of them. Not before clapping Nick's shoulder supportingly.

"He's not even security," Julie said, laughing lightly. "I don't have any security."

"Ooh, what's going on over there?" Flynn asked Jay as he came to her side.

"I think Nick's finally gonna make a move," Jay said confidently, both him and Flynn watching the interaction from afar.

"Ten dollars says he asks for a study date," Flynn bets.

"Ten says he asks for any other kind of date," Jay rebutted, rolling his eyes. "If he asks her for a study date, I'll smack him upside the head."

There was nothing wrong with a study date, of course, Jay thought. However, given the people that Julie and Nick were, he didn't think a study date would be the best first date for them. They could definitely be study partners though.

The two of them watched from afar until Nick walked off and Julie waved at him, a wonderous look in her eyes. Jay and Flynn shared a quick look with each other, understanding what had just happened even if they couldn't hear anything.

"Well that wasn't just a 'what's up,'" Flynn said as they walked up to Julie, announcing their presence to her.

"Yeah," Julie exhaled, a smile still apparent on her face. "Nick just asked me on a date."

"And?" Jay asked, wanting to hear her answer despite already knowing it.

"And I said yes," Julie said, making Flynn squeal and give Julie a quick hug.

"Finally! You have no idea how painful it was to just watch you two pining after each other for days," Flynn exclaimed, making Jay roll his eyes and Julie flush from embarrassment.

"So where are you two going?" Jay asked, crossing his arms with a gentle smile on his face.

"I-I don't know," Julie stammered. "We agreed to talk about it later."

"Aww," Flynn cooed, placing a hand on her heart. "My baby's all grown up!"

"Shouldn't I be the one saying that?" Jay asked, raising an eyebrow to Flynn. "I'm older than both of you."

"I think Julie wins on the maturity battle," Flynn teased, continuing and not noticing Jay's face fall. "At least her boyfriend's real. The two of them can hold hands down the halls, go on dates outside-"

"Okay, that's enough out of you," Jay said, shoving Flynn lightly, quickly masking his emotions.

"Luke is very real to us, especially to Jay," Julie said, coming to Jay's defense.