Free Spirits || Luke Patterson

A Break from Reality

"Come sit with me on the edge of the world, where the calm meets chaos and we are met by our dreams. Let's watch as madness swirls by our feet and love and scars and all that is beautiful passes by, and then we'll lean over and catch memories in our butterfly net." - Ariana

My knee bounces up and down in anticipation as we finish up rehearsing Finally Free for tonight's performance. Typically I am overjoyed to rehearse our songs, but right now I had other plans. Plans that involved a certain plaid clad ghost.

"Alright guys, I think we're ready for tonight. I'm gonna go finish up my chemistry homework," Julie calls out, standing up from her place at the piano. "You coming, JJ?"

I twirl my rings, looking up at Julie, "No, you can go ahead. I'll meet up with you later."

She nods and walks out of the studio. I turn my attention to the three ghosts, who are currently busy putting away their instruments.

"Hey, Luke?" I manage to stammer. The shaggy haired ghost turns to me, his hazel eyes shining bright, "Would you mind coming with me for a while?"

A small grin grows on his face, "Of course. Where are we going?"

I grab my keys from the top of the grand piano, ignoring the mischievous looks coming from Reggie and Alex, "You'll find out when we get there. Oh and grab your songbook."

He quickly follows my commands, before following me out of the studio over to where my car is parked in the street.

He furrows his dark brows at the car, before looking over at me, "If you just tell me where we're going, I can meet you there."

I roll my eyes, pulling open my door, "You afraid of driving or something, Patterson? Just get in the car, it's not too far. Besides, I'm sure you haven't been in a car in over 25 years. You've been missing out."

He lets out a chuckle as he pulls open the door, sliding into the passenger seat next to me.

I pull my seatbelt on, shooting him a smirk, "Buckle up."

He looks down toward the ground, fighting off a smile, "Real funny, Josie."

"Really? I thought so too," I beam at him, choosing to ignore the sarcasm in his voice.

****

I drum my fingers on the steering wheel as my car comes to a halt in my destination. I turn my gaze to Luke, whose eyes are scanning the view. While he is still his upbeat self as always, I can tell that he's grown tired: the events of today weigh heavily on him.

I grab a blanket and my bag from the back and pull the door open, stepping outside. I inhale the brisk air as I turn to look around.

My eyes are wide in awe as I gaze at the hues of purples, reds, and pinks painting the sky as the sun dips below the horizon of LA. The darkness is just enough to light up the city below with countless little lights. The city comes to life as the breathtaking number of lit up buildings, streetlights, and cars light up the ground below. From here I feel small, viewing the vast population of the city: here on this lookout stands two simple teens standing over a town filled with over twelve million people.