Melody - JATP x Soulmate AU

Chapter 16

"So, in the hopes that you rejoin the band, I signed us up for a gig tonight." I was hoping these idiot ghosts would be gone. This isn't their home, I'm not in their band, and I just need some time to think and play the piano. Preferably alone.

"You just don't get it, do you?" I snap, walking into the music studio. Why does everything look the same yet feel so different?

"Get what?" Luke asks, and I'm almost ready to slap him, even if I can't touch him. If he wants me to play with them at this stupid gig tonight, he's going to need to do more than just sign the band up to play. A lot more.

"You bailed on me in front of my whole entire school, made me feel like an idiot, and didn't even show up until the dance had moved to someone else's house, and you expect me to want to play with you tonight?" His face falls at my outburst, but I can't even find the willpower to care. "Why would I want to play with three guys who are selfish and want nothing more than to get revenge on someone from their past?" Walking out of the music studio, I head back into the empty house to start learning about the topics in science I missed.

Mom, why can't you come hold me tight and tell me everything is going to be okay?

A teardrop slides onto the page of my textbook before I can even realize I'm shedding any tears at all. Grabbing a tissue, I pat the page dry, wiping up the wetness on my cheek before anyone sees me. It's not long before Alex and Reggie poof into the living room, somehow not noticing how upset I am as they start talking to me.

"Julie, can we talk with you?" Alex asks, and I just stare at the page, my shaking hands distracting me from learning anything that's on the page. Still, though, I act like I can't hear them and stare at the words swimming on the white pages.

"Oh no! She can't hear us anymore!" Reggie, your mental age cannot be above five. No, actually, five year olds are smarter than him sometimes.

"That's not... no." I can tell that Alex is just as disappointed with Reggie's comment as I am from what he said. "Julie, we know we hurt you last night. And we're really sorry." Sure you are. "Can we show you something?"

Finally caving in, I decide to follow them to a house I don't recognize. It's not far from where I live, but I've never walked by this place since it's in the opposite direction of everywhere I go. The house is a simple single-level ranch home that looks like it hasn't been updated in at least three decades, but still manages to look both clean and well taken care of. The bright green bushes accent the light beige walls, and the floor-to-ceiling windows make the whole place shine, even with its outdated furniture.

"Whose house is this?" It's the first time I've said anything since I blew up at the three of them an hour ago.

"Luke's parents." Until Alex says that, I don't notice Luke sitting on the counter as the older couple walks around, grabbing a cake. "He's come here a couple times, but they never do much."

"They're having cake." Noticing the tears staining his cheeks, I realize ghosts have feelings, too. They're not just one-dimensional; they have a million feelings and calling them out on something they deeply regret hurt them all.

"It's a birthday cake." I hadn't been paying much attention to the couple's expressions, but they're both solemn, as if they're still grieving the kid they lost twenty-five years ago.

It's Luke's birthday.

"Julie, we know how much it hurts when someone you trust betrays you. We were never trying to do that to you." Watching as Luke blows out the candles, a tear slips out and stains my shirt with saltwater. This is definitely soulmate diary-worthy.