8th Thing's 8th

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Wow. I can't believe he pulled the disappointment card. Maybe I'm disappointed in him for being so easily blinded by revenge. He's sitting here lecturing me about a second chance when he's wasting his by risking missing the dance tonight.

I groan and throw my head back, fighting a war with myself and sighing when the two sides file a compromise. Curiosity gets the best of me, but logic still remains, unlike with the boys.

I'll go to check it out, but before anyone tries to pull anything, I'm out. I'll go to the dance with Julie. Flynn said she needed a date, right?

Unwillingly, I poof onto a bus bench on Sunset Boulevard, Reggie slumped over right next to me and Alex and Luke perched over the back.

His face instantly brightens and he uncrosses his arms, though I'm very much still mad at him. "You came!"

"No," I shake my head, glancing around for any sight of Willie. "I'll walk you guys to the door on your first day, but I'm not going in with you."

All the boys share a sly smile, and Willie skates in, soon leading us into an abandoned hotel hiding in the shadows. As soon as we walk in, shivers run down my spine, and I let go of Reggie's hand, not knowing I was even holding it to begin with.

An instant chill hits me like a wall of bricks, the same one I used to get when walking up the stairs at night, and all instincts tell me to run. Various pictures line the walls, and the lobby screams "Roaring 20s" with its Grammy Award red carpets, filled to the rim with people dressed specially in suits and glittery dresses.

"So this is where your hotshot ghost lives, huh?" Luke peeks around, taking the place in with a smile.

"Yeah, we've walked past this hotel, like, a million times," Alex says as if trying to convince himself of something. As for me, I don't need much convincing to get the heck out of here. Something really doesn't feel right. "How come we've never heard of it?"

Willie answers with a huge smile, "That's because this area has been sealed off for decades. I mean, you wouldn't even know this place exists unless you're invited. Alright, I gotta go make sure everything's cool, but I'll be right back."

He disappears behind a dark purple curtain and Reggie's and my eyes go with him, landing on a giant Great Gatsby-themed plaque reading "The Hollywood Ghost Club" followed by "Members Only."

"Hollywood Ghost Club?" Reggie reads aloud as we drift toward a gold railing overlooking the entirety of the club. "This place is creepy."

Against my will, I look down only to find us at least twenty feet off the ground, standing over hundreds of people dressed in the same kind of formal attire, and I leap backward, my heart hammering in my chest. 

Relax, Izzy. You can't die again. I don't think...

"Agreed. Yeah, you guys have fun. I'm out. Dance is in an hour. Don't be late or I'll kill you. Again." And with that, I poof out before they can look to respond, instantly reappearing right beside Julie backstage.

"Is everybody fired up for Julie and the Phantoms?" Flynn's voice echoes through the gym and the crowd goes wild, cheering and whooping from below the stage. "Great! Keep that fire 'cause that's later. We're a bit behind schedule, but don't worry, just enjoy these mind-blowing beats."

"Julie and the Phantoms?" Julie and I ask at the same time. Not going to lie, though, that name sounds awesome.

"I had some free time in French class. And you'd better like it because I registered it on Insta, Snapchat, Twitter..."

"What's that?" I pipe up, nothing she says ringing a bell. Insta what, noodle?

Julie looks at me at if I've grown another head. "You don't know what Insta is?"

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