"He is so beautiful, but I love in energy, so let me tell you of just how beautiful he feels." -butterflies rising

The art of being invisible isn't so easy when you're not actually a ghost. While I would not wish to be dead like the boys, I sure would benefit from not being seen as I walk through the halls.

I keep my hat pulled down as far as it can go as I walk through the halls of the school. I stare down at my feet as I attempt to block out the hushed whispers that carry conversations about my performance last night. While I've gotten over the initial embarrassment, I don't like to be the talk of the school. I can't help but be a little disappointed in myself; I'm stronger than falling apart in front of the entire school. Keeping my head down and remaining in a practice room for my free period has gotten me through most of the day, but I was ready to see my friends in the next class.

I change into my dance clothes and make my way out to the classroom, breathing a sigh of relief when I see Flynn standing there. "Hey Flynn, where's Julie."

Flynn shrugs her shoulders as we begin warming up to some music, "I let her sleep in. She told me that she didn't want to show her face at school again."

I furrow my eyebrows at the girl, "I don't think-"

"Oh, Julie, how nice of you to join us," Our dance teacher calls out causing us to look their way.

Julie sighs with a sheepish look on her face, "I'm so sorry. I overslept."

She shoots her a small smile, knowing the girl would never skip her class on purpose, "Take your spot."

Julie quickly scrambles to find a place next to the two of us, going right to work with the warmup. She looks over and shoots Flynn a glare, "So, why didn't you wake me up? I missed my first three classes."

"You said you were never gonna show your face at school again. And I'm a very literal person," Flynn replies, eyes darting between us and the dance teacher.

"Breathe out!"

Julie lets out a sigh, "It's okay. It's those stupid ghosts that I'm really upset at. I'd kill them if they weren't already dead. And JJ, how are you doing today?"

I look away from her concerned gaze, painting a smile on my lips, "I'm fine, really. I kind of just want to forget about the whole thing."

"It's all so messed up," Julie replies with a nod as we go down into a lunge. "I thought they were in this with us, but I was wrong."

I shoot her a small smile, reaching out to pat her shoulder lightly as Flynn replies, "Hey, don't blame yourself. You can only be so strong when three cute ghosts ask you to join a band. And speaking of cute, have you talked to Nick today? He was pretty chatty at the dance."

Julie rolls her eyes as we stand up to stretch our legs, "No, and I'm kind of dreading it."

"Well, at least you don't have to see him in this class," I offer.

Julie stretches her legs out, bringing her head in between her legs, "What? You've got to be kidding me."

I bend down to look between my own legs when I see the entire lacrosse team, including Nick standing in the doorway, "What? I can see how one may think in this instance that I may have jinxed that one. My bad."

Our music teacher halts her routine as she acknowledges the guys in the doorway, "Right on time, Coach Barron. So students, Coach Barron and I have decided that his lacrosse team will be a part of our class for a few weeks. Many pro athletes have used dance to help them with coordination and mobility."

I glance over to see Flynn and Julie quickly adjust themselves, leaning on each other, "Cut it out, you guys look fine."

"This isn't about flirting with girls," Coach Barron interrupts, earning a couple of awkward snickers from the guys. "It's about actually making us better so we can actually win a game. We lost against Burbank... Burbank!

I raise an eyebrow of amusement at the guys who all look around in embarrassment. Coach doesn't seem to be taking the loss well at all, but why make us all suffer?

"Well, let's all remember that composure is a big part of dance... Everybody pair up." Our Dance teacher calls out.

No one seems to move, the tension in the air is similar to that of a middle school dance with the girls' and boys' side. Coach rolls his eyes, clapping his hands aggressively, "Come on, let's go!"

The boys quickly jump into action as they distribute amongst the girls. I let out a sigh, no one is going to come to me, not after last night. I might as well

Julie shoots a glare at Flynn as a guy pulls her away. She turns to me, face paled as Nick makes his way over, "Please don't leave me."

I feel a hand grip my own, as I turn to see Issac, who sits behind me in American History, "You willing to go with me?"

"Of course," I breathe with a grateful smile. I turn to Julie, patting her shoulder, "Sorry, Jules. You're on your own."

Before she can object any further, Issac pulls me away to a free spot in the gym. I let out a sigh, this day is proving to be more stressful than I anticipated.

Maybe I should've skipped.

****

"So he told you that he and Carrie broke up and then you said that you want him?" I stare at Julie in surprise as we walk up to her driveway.

She lets out a groan, wrinkling her nose, "That's not exactly how it went, but yeah. Now that you say that, it sounds even more embarrassing than I remember."

Relief runs through me as we finally make it home; I couldn't be more glad to be away from school. But unfortunately with home came three ghosts that we were trying to avoid.

Speaking of the three ghosts, the doors of the studio were wide open, revealing Luke standing there awkwardly. His shoulders are wide as he tries to make himself appear larger than he is. I catch glimpses of Alex and Reggie hiding behind him.

I am almost certain that they are about to do something stupid.

Reggie jumps out from behind Luke singing, "We're sorry."

"So sorry!" Alex chimes in.

Luke falls to his knees, "We're crazy, stupid sorry!"

While their little number was as stupid as I expected, it was also kind of sweet. Their apology, however, brings back flashes of last night and the anger that followed.

Reggie shoots us a hesitant smile, "In case you missed it, we're really sorry."

"Yeah. I-I got that," Julie replies, pulling me back to reality.

"We've been here for, like, three hours," Alex adds, smiling proudly.

Luke stands up from the group, his gaze trying to hold my own, "We almost sang to Carlos."

His hazel eyes are filled with emotion. I look away after a second, knowing that if I looked into them long enough, I would forgive him without saying a word. I couldn't give in that soon, I wouldn't.

"He comes in here a lot. Mainly to use the bathroom," Reggie adds, a grimace on his face.

Alex shakes his head, eyebrows furrowed, "Yeah, it's not our favorite part of the day."

Gross. The kid has his own bathroom.

Luke steps forward, guilt clouding his features, "But Josie and Julie. It wasn't okay that we flaked on the dance last night. We know we let you down."

Alex nods his head in agreement, his face just as sorrowful as his to ghost comrades, "Yeah, and none of us wanted to disappoint you two. You two are the best thing that's happened to us since we became ghosts."

"So, in hopes that the two of you will rejoin the band..." Luke states, stepping forward to hand me a flyer. "We booked us a gig.

"A mega important, life-changing gig," Reggie chimes in proudly.

I look down at the flyer to see it's the New Music Night at Eats and Beats. Reggie's words were true: some of the hottest upcoming bands have made it big after performing here. For guys who have been dead for 25 years, they sure knew where to look for gigs. While it was amazing that they were able to book this for us, all was not forgiven just yet.

I look back up at Luke, his face lit up in anticipation, "Oh, okay. Check it out. Tons of managers go here to listen to new bands. All we gotta do is blow them away, and we're living the dream."

I let out a sigh. He has to know that this is more than just music. It was our trust that they broke. "So this means a lot to you." In a matter of words, I manage to wipe away any excitement on his face. His crestfallen expression almost makes me give in, almost. "Kind of how playing in front of my whole school meant a lot to us."

"Sounds like sarcasm," Reggie replies. His eyes widen as he finally realizes what took the others much less time. A gasp escaped his lips, "I'm starting to think our plan isn't working.

Alex shoots the bassist a glare, before turning back to us, "Look, we know we messed up."

"But we need you in the band," Luke finishes, his intense gaze flickering between the two of us.

Julie stares back at the ghost, anger clouding her features, "Of course you do, because, without us, no one can see you guys playing. You know, I thought that the music that we were making was special, but you're too obsessed with your past to even care."

Her bitter words shock me as Luke bites back with furrowed brows, "I do care. Our band has a real chance at greatness. I'm not gonna let that get away from us again. Josie, after all of our time spent writing songs together, you've got to know that our music means more to me than stolen songs."

My gaze softens as his words sink in. He was right. After hours of nonstop songwriting with Luke, I got to see how much he loved music. He wouldn't jeopardize our chances on purpose. There had to be more to the story.

Before I can reply, Julie fires back, "Uh-huh. Right. So then why did you bail on us to get back at Trevor? Actually, I'll tell you why. 'Cause, there's only one thing you care about, and that's yourself."

My body goes numb at her words as she turns around and storms toward the house. I turn back to Luke, whose face has considerably paled. His hazel eyes swirl with sorrow as tears threaten to fall from his eyes.

"Luke," I whisper, guilt washing over my body.

Alex lets out a sigh, making his way closer to the two of us, "Dude, she didn't mean it."

Luke's gaze doesn't meet mine instead he stares at his shoes. He lets out a deep sigh before disappearing into thin air.

Reggie lets out a sigh, "Where's he going."

Alex's eyebrows are furrowed in concern, "Where do you think? Remember what today is?"

I run a hand over my face as guilt makes my chest clench painfully. Maybe I took it too far in being angry with him. I didn't even let him explain why they were late.

I feel a hand squeeze my shoulder and I look up to see Alex, who shoots me a hesitant smile, "I know you're still mad, but please, let us show you how much we care. How much Luke cares."

I fiddle with my rings, nodding slowly, "Okay, yeah. Let's talk to Julie again."

I lead the two phantoms up the stairs and into the house. We find Julie sitting on the couch, flipping through her chemistry notes. Upon our arrival, she looks up at me, shooting me a ghost of a smile.

Alex digs in his pockets, swaying nervously, "Hey, you, uh... got a second?"

The three of us wait quietly for a response that never comes. She pulls her legs up to rest on the couch, leaning back to return her gaze to the chemistry notes.

"Oh my gosh. She can't see us anymore!" Reggie exclaims, turning to us with wide eyes. The two of us shoot him a glare, promoting realization to cross his face, "Oh, right."

I roll my eyes, resisting the urge to smack the leather-clad ghost.

Alex walks closer to Julie, moving to sit on the armrest of the couch in an attempt to catch her attention, "Julie, please."

This seems to do the trick as she looks up at him, her anger from earlier washed away, "I already told you that I'm done with the band."

Alex digs his hands even deeper into his pockets, "Yeah, we know, alright? But before you decide that forever, we just... We wanted you guys to know that Luke isn't as selfish as you think he is."

"Yeah, you've got him all wrong," Reggie adds from beside me.

Julie scoffs at my silence, "You're on their side?"

I hold my gaze firmly with her own, "No, I'm not on their side, but they deserve to be heard before we decide for sure that we're quitting."

Alex shoots me an appreciative look, "You remember that song "Emily"? Can we at least show you who that's actually about?"

****

A short drive later, we arrive at a home just a few blocks from our own. From the outside, it looks welcoming and homey. The boys urge us to sneak to the back patio, where I crouch next to Reggie behind a small, potted tree.

I peer around the shrub to look through the patio door in the home. The kitchen and dining room is all that is visible and is similar to that of what I remember my grandparent's home being like growing up. It is welcoming and clearly filled with a lot of love. A small circular table sits in the middle of the dining room with only three chairs. An older woman with greying hair prepares something at the counter as who I assume is her husband walks into the room. To top the scene off is Luke, who sits on the counter, knees pulled to his chest as he watches the two's actions. My eyes widen in realization, these must be his parents. It is easy to see his red-rimmed eyes as a continuous flow of tears falls down his cheeks. His gaze is trained on his parents as they move about the kitchen in slow, somber movements.

Guilt spreads through my body. It was so easy to get caught in the music and performing, that I forgot to think about the fact that their death left sadness and broken-hearted loved ones in their wake. How dare I assume that their ghostly lives revolved around music. They were and still are so much more than that.

"So Emily's his mom?" I ask, breaking the silence between us. I think back to the lyrics of the song he wrote. They become more heartbreaking having been written about a broken relationship between mother and son.

Alex nods slowly, "Yeah, Luke comes here a lot."

Reggie's face is more serious than I've ever seen it as he keeps his eyes trained on Luke, "He thinks we don't know, but we've been following him. All he does is just hang out like this and watch them. They never really do anything though."

I let out a shaky breath as I watched Luke's tearful gaze follow his parent's movement. As his mom walks by to place something on the table, his bottom lip wavers. I can tell that he itches to be able to comfort them, to tell them that he is alright. Pain so clearly radiates from his body and it breaks my heart that I didn't see it before.

"They're having cake. That's something." Julie offers, her voice soft and filled with a number of emotions.

Reggie lets out a deep sigh, "It's a... it's a birthday cake. For Luke."

My heart clenches in my chest. A time that is supposed to be filled with celebration is a stark reminder to the Patterson parents that their son will never live to be 18 and Luke has to carry their broken hearts along with him.

"I never knew Luke was hurting this much," Julie breaths.

Alex's eyes are filled with sorrow, "It's even worse because when he died, he... left on bad terms. You know, his parents didn't want their 17-year-old in a rock band, so he just left. He never got the chance to make up with them."

A truly heartbreaking scenario. Fights between parent and child are supposed to be mended. Luke wanted to do what made him happy and his mother was only trying to do what she thought was best. I cannot imagine the guilt and pain she felt upon hearing the news of his death. Words forever left unsaid.

Luke slides slowly off the counter, following his parents who sit down at the table as he wipes his tears with the sleeve of his flannel. His shoulders sag in defeat as he sits down in his respective spot between the two. More tears fall from his hazel eyes as he watches his father light a candle on the chocolate cake. He leans in quickly, blowing out the candles.

The Patterson parents share a look of bewilderment as they look around the room in awe. They have to know that he's right there with them. A weary smile grows on his tear-streaked face.

"That's why Luke was so angry. If Trevor had given Luke credit for writing all the songs, then his parents would've known his dream was worth chasing," Reggie tells the two of us.

Guilt washes over me again, threatening to pull me under. That's what he meant when he told me that his songs were more than fame. I lean my head on Reggie's shoulder as a tear falls down my face, "It was so worth it. They would've been so proud."

His parents join hands as Luke leans in, unable to reach out and touch his parents. More tears spill from his eyes as he stares at his mother. His brows furrowed in pain as the three of them slowly leaned in to blow the candle out together.

His eyes dash between his parents who begin to cry tears of loss. His lips part as it is clear he aches to comfort them. To tell them that his death isn't their fault.

I tear my eyes from the heartbreaking scene before me to turn to Alex, "We know how bad it hurts whenever someone that should've had your back completely lets you down. We never meant to feel that way."

"Julie, JJ, we love our band, and Luke does too. Please give us another chance."
I steal one more glance at Luke and his parents, before sharing a look with Julie. I turn to the guys with a small grin on my face, "You've got it. You're forgiven."

Reggie grins as he stands up, pulling me along with him. He throws an arm over my shoulder, "Thank goodness. Now, I've been meaning to ask, what do you think about the Star Wars movies?"

****

I smile at the sound of Julie, Alex, and Reggie rocking out, strumming Luke's guitar along with them. "Marching on proud, turn it up loud. Cause now we know what we've worth."

I stop singing at the sight of Luke, who poofs into the room, sitting down on the chair next to where I'm standing.

He jumps up from where he is sitting at the sight of Julie and I standing there. Tears no longer streak his face, but a slight pink hue and puffiness remain. A smile grows on his face as his gaze dashes back and forth between the two of them, the happiness returning to his tired face. "Whoa, Julie, Josie."

I pull his guitar off my shoulders, holding it out to him as a small grin grows on Julie's face, "Grab your guitar. We've got work to do."

He looks around at the four of us in disbelief as the corners of his mouth quirk into a smile as he takes the guitar from my hands.

He looks down at me, eyes gleaming, "What made you guys come back?"

I meet his gaze, smiling softly, "We realized how important music is to all of us. And we've lost so much already. We can't lose this too."

"Thanks," he whispers, his gaze so intense my breathing halts for a moment. He pulls the guitar strap over his shoulder, "Alright, boss. Where are we at?"

I let out a chuckle at his comment, "Oh, and by the way, happy birthday."

The awe and confusion are clear on his face as Julie lets out a laugh, "Let's go from the pre-chorus."