Painted to Life || Julie and the Phantoms

CHAPTER 3: Studio Surprise

I INHALE DEEPLY as I walk outside. Music resonates from the studio, shaking the walls of the garage. I hear it clearly, even with the doors shut. It must be a new original because I don't recognize the song.

"Clocks move forward, but we don't get older, nooo!" Luke's voice can be heard over the rest. That's to be expected because he's the lead vocalist. "Keep on climbing, 'til our stars collided. And all the time we fell behind, were just the keys to paradise!"

I swing the doors open as Luke sings a solo line. The sound of the doors moving is distinctive and loud. It can be heard even over the music. Their eyes focus on me, astonishment transforming into excitement.

The boys playing guitar and bass take a moment for their hands to stop rehearsing the chords. It seems to be ingrained in their muscle memory. Alex sets his drumsticks to the side and grabs the cymbals to quiet the sound.

"Ash! You're back!" Reggie calls happily, a grin permeating his face. The bassist immediately sets down his instrument, making his way over for a hug.

"This is great!" Luke shouts ecstatically. "You came just in time to hear the chorus of our new song, 'Now or Never'!"

Of course he's hung up on his music. Luke Patterson is in the zone.

"Luke, she just returned from Texas," Alex cuts in. "She looks exhausted."

Leave it to Alex to size me up quickly and so accurately. The blond leaves his drum set to greet me.

"I'm glad you're back early," Bobby tells me, setting his guitar down. "We need merch. You're just the gal for it."

He winks.

I hug Reggie, then Alex. "I'd be happy to make you something. What about T-shirts? It sells and advertises well."

"That sounds awesome!" Luke leaps into the air. "We can put tour dates on the back and everything! It will be all professional!"

This is good. I can talk business. I can't talk personal business.

"Wait, how are we going to fund it?" I ask. "I can't make a billion identical T-shirts by hand. We'll need to design them and order them from a company."

"Those gigs that you booked for us paid," Bobby explains. "We figured that when you returned that you could help us make better financial decisions."

"He means help Reggie and Luke," Alex clarifies, blue eyes drifting to them. "They keep spending their share on arcade games instead of thinking about the future."

"Electronics are the future!" Reggie defends. "And I'm investing!"

"Unless you bought a stock share in Microsoft, which I doubt, then you aren't investing in anything," I explain, feeling remorseful when his face falls. "You won't be getting a return."

"Luke, you said that-" Reggie complains, but is interrupted.

"-I wanted to play games," Luke says. "And you're my gaming buddy. So what we spent our money stupidly? We're teenage guys. It happens. At least we're making money."

"But the monetary habits you create now will stick with you for the rest of your life," I tell him, hands on my hips. What can I say, I take after my grandmother. "You can't set yourself up for failure, Luke."

Reggie raises his eyebrows and nods.

"Reg, you can't flip sides like that!" Luke frowns, putting his arms out in protest.

"She's the smart one," Reggie replies, "and that's all I'm saying."

"About the T-shirts," I begin, walking over to a sketchpad I that have permanently tacked against the wall. "We'll probably have to do plain white ones because that's cheaper. That way we can produce more."