Dead and Alive

Chapter 7

It was well past midnight when Alex poofed back into the studio.

"Where the hell have you been?" Luke yelled at him.

"Relax," Alex said, annoyed. He pushed the garbage bag of 1995s clothes off the sofa bed and sat down. "It's not like I can die a second time."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Haha. Jeez, Alex, we were worried!"

"Yeah." Reggie nodded. "I mean, what if you'd been found by a ghostbuster or something?"

Alex laughed, but then saw that Luke and Reggie weren't. "You're not joking."

"Do we know what bad things could happen to a ghost?" Luke demanded. "It's not like we've ever done this before!"

"That is a really good point." Reggie shook his finger. "Alex, you gotta be more careful!"

"I was fine, guys, I promise." Alex got up and went to where they were standing, noting the fear in their eyes. He immediately felt bad. They weren't wrong. One of the reasons he'd gone to see Willie was because of how much he didn't know about being a ghost. "I'm sorry I scared you, but I was with Willie the whole time. Totally safe."

"Okay," Luke said, mollified. He broke out in a grin. "And how was your date with Willie?"

"Yeah!" Reggie sat down in the chair by the couch. He leaned forward. "Did you kiss?"

"Reggie!" Alex's face flamed.

"You did!" Reggie crowed. "Was it awesome?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it was awesome." Alex couldn't help his smile.

"Awww," Luke cooed, "our little baby boy, all grown up."

Alex grabbed one of the pillows off the sofa bed and threw it at him. Luke ducked, but the corner sailed right through him, and Alex felt some of his good mood dim. "So, still the same, huh?"

"Yeah, we are as insubstantial as ever," Reggie sighed. "But in better news, Flynn's arranged for the band to play at the school dance tomorrow night!"

"School dance? That sounds pretty...amateur."

"It's practice performing together," Luke corrected Alex. "And besides, it's important to Julie." He said it casually, but it was clear as day how important it was to Luke to make her happy.

"School dances can be fun," Alex said and was immediately rewarded with Luke's beaming smile.

"And all those kids? They'll love us, and then we'll build a following for when we release our first song online!" Luke said.

"We'll get tons of hits on the You Tubes." Reggie nodded.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Alex said. "But it sounds great."

"Julie was telling us all about it," Luke said, flopping down beside Alex. "Music is done totally different these days." He then launched into a detailed explanation of everything Julie had taught him and Reggie, grinning wildly the whole time.

Alex couldn't help but get caught up in his enthusiasm. Alex loved music, but music was Luke's life. It was like his Gift came straight from his soul. His passion was contagious. If anyone could become a famous musician twenty-five years after he died, it'd be Luke.

"And that's how Julie says bands get famous!" Luke finished with a flourish. "What do you think?"

"Willie invited me dancing," Alex blurted.

Luke raised himself up on his elbows. "Please don't tell me you haven't heard a word I said."

"I heard all of it. And that's what made me think of Willie's invitation. He says he knows a ghost who owns a club! Maybe we could play there?"