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I snored, my arm was thrown haphazardly over my eyes. "Cherry," I groan. "Cherry," I roll over trying to ignore the person trying to wake me up. They whisper my name again tapping my arm. I put the pillow over my face.
"Go away," I say not bothering to open my eyes. They kept tapping me until finally, I open my eyes glaring at Reggie who's cheeks were pink. He holds out a muffin with a smile like he's apologizing. "We're talking now?" I say taking the blueberry muffin and wiping my eyes free of sleep. Reggie sits down on my mattress. I cross my legs making more room for him.
"I know," He says he hangs his head, "I'm sorry," He apologizes.
"It's not even the fact you ignored me, it's the fact that I don't really understand why," Reggie chews his lip for a second as he searches for a way to explain it to me. I pick at the muffin as I wait for him to start whatever explanation he had. "I figure it has something to do with the fact that Alex and I are siblings. But I don't understand why that would stop you from being my friend,"
"Cause I don't want to be just friends," He emphasized just. I stop chewing the muffin and meet his eyes. "I like you, a lot. And I know I shouldn't, I'm dead. There's no future with a dead man," I knew he was right but I didn't want to agree.
"What if I don't need a future?" I ask. His green eyes soften slightly. "I like you too, that's why when you ignored me... it hurt. I don't just like people, I've been with people of course but never just cause I like them," I explain. I put the muffin down on the coffee table beside the mattress. I reach out for his hand taking it into both of mine and playing with his rings. "If I needed a picture-perfect future, I would still be with my mom begging for her forgiveness and approval," Reggie smiles. I give him a small smile.
"What does this mean?" Reggie asks his frown coming back. "I mean I don't have much time,"
"I don't know if I do either," I mumble quietly. I spin his ring around his finger. "It can mean whatever we want it to mean," I answer flip my hair over my shoulder. Reggie nods and he pulls his hands from mine and I pick up the muffin. "I have to get ready for school," I whisper, Reggie nods. Reggie looks at me once again, I smile at him and watch him disappear. I sit quietly taking another bite of the muffin he gave me. I smile, my cheeks flaming as I replaying the conversation in my head over and over again.
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Later that night I made my way to the kitchen to make myself food while I had my cellphone wedged between my head and shoulder. I listened to Cora ramble on about her trip and her return that was scheduled for a week out. As I pulled out a tin of cherries I was forced to set them down quickly as I yelped feeling another jolt pierce my chest. "Cherry? Cherry are you okay?" I inhale sharply trying to gather my thoughts before answering.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, I just hit my hip on the counter," I lie not exactly knowing how to explain scary jolts to my best friend who doesn't know about the existence of ghosts and essentially the other side. I rub my hand on my chest quietly wincing. "Continue," I prompt my friend who starts talking again hesitantly. The front door creaks open. Julie comes in catching me leaning against the counter rubbing my chest with a scrunched-up look of pain. "Let me call you back, Cora, Julie just got home," I interrupt her and she agrees saying goodbye to me. "Julie..." I whisper.
"It's happening to you too?" She says horrified. I open my mouth to respond when she shakes her head dashing up the stairs to her room. I make my way to follow her and I hear her door shut and click locked. I knock a few times and she yells for me to go away. I pull out my phone texting Flynn to inform her that her best friend needed her. Flynn says immediately that she is on her way over. I knock one more time getting the same answer from her. I let Flynn in telling her that if she got Julie out that I would be in the garage. The boys were in there as well moping. I frown sitting on the floor in front of Reggie who mindlessly plucked away on his bass. Luke's leg under my knees and my back leaning against Reggie's shin. Alex laid across the couch trying to balance his drumstick on his nose. The dinging sound from the bass was the only sound that filled the room. Julie came in taking in our moping form. She stops in front of us and I see the apprehension on her face.
"Snap out of it!" Julie suddenly yells we all flinch at the sudden noise. Alex falls from the couch landing with a loud thump on the floor. I snicker at my brother who glares at me. Reggie stops plucking his bass.
"Jeez... I think you broke Alex," Reggie comments.
"Do you guys want to crossover or what?" Julie asks ignoring Reggie's comment. I watch Luke help Alex onto the couch. Julie realizes she's not getting much response from the boys. "Get it together!" She claps her hands to emphasize her statement.
"They're never going to let us play the Orpheum," Luke says, his voice lacking the same bounce it normally had.
"We're nobody," Alex says
"We're less than nobodies, we have no bodies," I tilt my head looking up at him. He had a point. Luke snaps his fingers pointing at him haphazardly.
"Someone once told me that you don't ask for permission. You book gigs by doing," Julie's focus is on Luke who chuckles softly at the statement.
"That was me," Reggie piped up. Both Luke and Julie give him an odd look.
"Honey," I whisper shaking my head as both Julie and Luke speak up disagreeing with him.
"Yes, it was," Reggie whispers, and I rub his leg comfortingly.
"This isn't over," Julie moves on. "We were brought together for a reason. To help each other,"
"Yeah, but like Luke said, people don't just play the Orpheum because they want to," Alex says and the boys make moves to show they agreed with him.
"People don't," Julie shrugs "But ghosts do," She says
"Wait," I stand a sneaky smile graces my lips. "She has a point," I say and begin explaining a plan that would get Julie and the Phantoms playing the Orpheum in the next few days if everything went smoothly.
