by Micol Ostow
I looked at them, desperate. We had to go. “What about my aunt? She’s right downstairs.”
Luke smiled. He pointed toward my bedroom window. “You’re not taking the stairs.”
I thought we’d be late, but it turned out we were too early. When we met up with Flynn at the Eats and Beats café, Carrie was just taking the mic. “Hope you all came here to have a good time!”
Alex wasn’t lying—the place was packed. The tables were full, and it was barely standing room only.
“How’d she get on the list?” I moaned.
“Her daddy probably made a call,” Flynn reasoned, eyeing my performance outfit with approval. “Pretty flowers.”
“Dahlias, my mom’s favorite.”
Carrie’s set was impressive, I had to admit. “She’s actually pretty good,” I said.
“Yeah,” Flynn replied. “I kinda forgot why I hate her so much.”
“Hi, girls,” Carrie said, smirking at us as she came offstage. “If you’re looking for Nick, he didn’t come,” she spat at me.
I smirked right back at her. “That’s not why I’m here.”
The MC took the stage. “Okay, looks like we’re closing the night out with one more group.” He peered at his list. “Uh, Julie and the … Phat Ones?”
Alex shot Luke a look. “Really?”
Luke shrugged. “I have lousy handwriting.”
I rushed to grab the mic. “Yup, that’s my band. Julie and the Phantoms.” I took a deep breath and looked out at the audience.
From the wings, Flynn pointed at the “hologram machine” and flashed me a bright thumbs-up.
“Here’s a song we’ve been working on,” I said, a little tentative but getting more confident with every passing moment. “It’s about the power of connecting through music. It’s called ‘Finally Free,’ and I hope you like it.”
I began to play, and the backup music swelled. BOOM. The boys exploded onstage and we went for it!
Hearts on fire / We’re no liars / So we say what we wanna say / I’m awakened / No more faking / So we push all our fears away
I got a spark in me / Hands up if you can see / And you’re a part of me / Hands up if you’re with me / Now ’til eternity / Hands up if you believe / Been so long and now we’re finally free
And I felt it, too—free and alive with the power of the music rushing through me, the energy of the crowd feeding us and our performance feeding them. This was what music was about—it was about feeling, believing, connecting.
I never wanted this moment to end.
When it did end, though, the night still had more amazing surprises in store for me. Flynn was waiting for me alongside a serious-looking woman who—I hoped?—was an industry person.
“She looks all business,” Alex said to me.
“Who should do the talking?” Reggie asked. Alex, Luke, and I stared at him, waiting for him to realize. “Right, Julie should.”
What with me being the only live, visible one and all.
The woman shook my hand. “I’m Andi Parker,” she said. “I’m from Destiny Management. I’d love to talk to you about your—”
“Dad!” I blurted.
Andi looked confused for a moment, but then my dad stepped forward, a flyer in his hand and an angry glower on his face.
Behind me, the guys all gasped. We were so close! But Dad was clearly not gonna be swayed.
He looked at me. “Nos vamos ahora mismo. It’s time to go.”
The guys’ second chance at stardom. My first. Maybe our last.
However you counted, it was all over now.
The car ride home had been quiet. Now, Dad and I sat side by side on the porch. All I could hear was the gentle chirp of crickets and Dad’s breathing. I needed to apologize, but I knew that this time, it wouldn’t be enough.
At last, Dad spoke. “We need to talk.”
Yikes. That was ominous. I might have preferred the silence.
He cleared his throat before he continued. “After skipping class and missing a test, you decided to sneak out, even though I sent you to your room to study?”
Hearing him lay it out like that, it sounded even worse than it was. “I’m sorry.”
“You keep saying that.” He sighed. “And you didn’t tell me you were in a band. If you’d just let me in, I could’ve been excited about tonight instead of having this conversation we both hate.” He put a hand on my knee, imploring. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
I swallowed. “It all happened so fast. The last couple of weeks have changed my life. When I play music … I feel like I’m closer to Mom.”
Now he hugged me to him. “And I love that. But your aunt is right—school has to come first.”
“I know,” I agreed. “But the band’s the only reason why I’m back in the music program. They played with me when I was trying to earn my spot back.”
“They did?” Dad was surprised.
I nodded. “I think this is my thing, Dad.”
He chewed on his lip for a second, mulling it over. “Look, I would be a jerk of a dad if I took that away from you,” he said. “But if you’re going to stay in that band, you need to keep up with school and keep me in the loop.”
He was letting me stay in the band? “Really?!” I squealed, throwing my arms around him. “Thanks, Dad!”
“That woman at your show? I’m guessing she was like a manager or something,” he said. “That could’ve been a big deal.”
“Who knows?” I said, trying to downplay it. “Hopefully, she’ll see us play again. Which I will tell you about.”
“Yeah, you will,” he said, standing up. “Because if I ever catch you sneaking out again, or your grades slip, I’m pulling the plug. Or whatever it is that makes those holograms work.”
I stood up, too.
“Do I ever get to meet those guys?” he asked.
“Probably not. They don’t actually live here. It’s kind of hard to explain how it works.”
He smiled. “You kids and your technology. Definitely beyond me.”
I nodded. “Definitely beyond something.”
Playing music again was a new thing. Telling Dad about it was another new thing.
And waking up the next morning to the smell of a hot breakfast: eggs, bacon, the works … That was definitely new.
“What’s all this?” I asked, coming into the kitchen to find a feast laid out on the counter. Dad was humming the chorus to “Finally Free.” I almost died from how cute it was.
“I was in the mood to cook breakfast,” he said, sliding a plate to me. Sweet plantains! He really had gone all out. “After our talk last night, I felt like I might’ve cost you an opportunity with that manager. And I was thinking, I really want to support your band. So I called in some favors and booked you a local gig.”
What? “¡¿Qué?! Where? Did you call your buddy at Drakes?” This was even better than sweet plantains, which was saying a lot.
“Not quite,” he said, tossing a dishrag over one shoulder. “I called Flynn, and she said she’d help us throw a party here tonight.”
I looked at him. “So you got us a gig at our house?”
He held up one hand. “Hear me out. You invite some friends over and play with your band, and I’ll ask some colleagues to come over and film the whole thing. Give you something professional to post on YouTube.”
Emotions swept over me. “You’d do that for me?”
He gave me a hug, smelling of coffee, bacon, and cinnamon. “¡Pues claro!”
Best. Dad. Ever.
I was grabbing some stuff from my locker that afternoon at school when Luke poofed in out of nowhere. “Ahh!” I shouted. Then I lowered my voice, trying to be discreet. “Normal people don’t do that. Ghosts definitely shouldn’t. What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk about what song to open with tonight,” he said. “I think we go with ‘Great.’”
“Hold on,” I pulled out my phone.
“You’re making a call?
Rude,” he said.
I ignored him. “Hi,” I said into the phone, pointed. “Thanks for calling me. Otherwise, people might think I’m talking to myself.”
“Nice,” he said, catching on.
“I think ‘Great’ is perfect,” I said, answering his original question.
“Sweet,” he said, pleased. We smiled at each other for a minute, until it started to feel a little awkward. “That was pretty much what I wanted to talk about.”
“Oh, okay.”
Then he took a breath. “I guess there was one more thing.” Was I imagining it, or was a little bit of a blush coming into his cheeks? Was Luke … nervous about whatever this was that he wanted to talk about?
And was I … charmed by that?
“I just—I know I’m not the easiest guy to work with,” he said. “But I wanted you to know … you make me a better writer.”
A lump grew in my throat and for a minute I couldn’t speak. Then I turned back to the phone. “I think we make each other better.”
I felt a little charge build in the air. Was it possible to have … chemistry with a ghost? Because, if so, Luke and I were maybe having a moment.
I think he felt it, too. He looked at me. “You should ditch school so we can rehearse.”
“I can’t do that. I promised my dad school would come first. And anyway, I have to go dance with Nick”—Right, Nick—“who is headed this way. Okay, thanks for calling, bye!” I chirped awkwardly, putting my phone away.
Nick walked toward me, dressed for dance class. Beside me, Luke was giving him a bemused once-over. “Doesn’t he look sharp?” he said, his eyes twinkling.
“Hey!” Nick said to me, oblivious to Luke (of course). “Ready for our big performance?”
“Oh, yeah. We got this.” Never mind how at our first practice we literally tripped over each other’s feet.
“Glad you’re feeling confident. Even after all our practice, I think I’m actually getting worse. Good thing I’ve got a secret weapon.” He elbowed me, teasing.
Luke leaned in. “Uh-oh, someone’s got a crush on Julie,” he sang. His lips were so close to my ear. Ghost lips. I had to remember that. And also, Nick. Beaming at me and calling me his secret weapon.
“Shut up,” I said.
“No, seriously,” Nick replied, thinking I was talking to him. “I’m nothing without you, Molina.”
“You’re great,” I assured him. “See you in class?”
“I’ll be the guy trying not to make us look stupid,” he said.
Nick walked off, and Luke sidled back up to me. “Aw, he’s cute,” he said.
I grinned and flashed him a look. “Boundaries.” He rolled his eyes. “I’ll see you after school.”
“Yes, you will. Now go kill it on the dance floor!” Luke busted a ridiculous move in the middle of the hallway. I was thankful, for once, that no one could see him. And that Luke didn’t see me smiling as I walked away.
“There you are,” I said, finding Julie in the music room after searching for her everywhere. “Why’d you run out of dance class so fast?”
After tearing it up with Nick—seriously, their performance was flawless—Julie had raced off before the rest of us could even give her the standing O she deserved.
“I just needed some air,” she said. She still looked a little flushed. “Things got kind of intense in there.”
“Oh, I noticed. Dancing with a guy you’ve had a crush on forever will do that to a girl.”
Julie shook her head. “The thing is? The whole time we were dancing …” She paused and took a deep breath. “I was thinking about Luke.”
What? My eyes went wide. “Seriously? First off, I called it. Second, I know you always want what you can’t have, but wanting Luke is next level.” As in, afterlife next level.
“I know.” She sighed. “And now I think Nick likes me. Nick.” For someone whose wildest dreams were coming true, she sounded pretty stressed about it.
“He totally does,” I said. Maybe not helpful, but accurate.
“Ugh, this is so confusing. I like Nick—I have for a long time—but it feels different with Luke. We just click. He’s so …” She drifted off, dreamy.
“Not real,” I finished for her. It was time for some straight talk, before my girl got too carried away. “You can make all the music you want with Luke, but he’ll always be a phantom.
“So here’s what we’re gonna do.” I grabbed her phone and began to type. “Send Nick a nice little friendly text asking him to come to your party tonight.” I showed her the message I’d composed.
“I don’t usually send that many smiley faces,” she protested.
“You do now,” I assured her. “I’m not letting your heart get broken.” Which it definitely would if she stayed hung up on a ghost. “Trust me—tonight, when you’re playing with Luke? The key is avoiding those big, beautiful, dead eyes.” I gave her a perky grin.
Julie looked at me. “You’re awfully pushy today.”
I decided to take it as a compliment. “You’re welcome.”
“Okay, let’s try ‘Great’ from the top with the new harmony,” Luke said. “Julie’s taking the high part. It’ll sound perfect once she’s here.”
The air in the studio was feeling a little stale—we’d been in there for hours working on this song—but Luke was right about how perfect it was, so I gave him a pass on the fact that we were way overdue for a break. And that he was way into Julie.
Of course that didn’t stop Reggie from flashing me a little knowing smirk.
I gave a small nod back at him.
When I turned back to my drums, though, I saw it—a flicker of movement in the periphery. It was Willie, spying on us outside the garage.
“What’s that about?” Reggie asked, nodding toward the window. Luke came up next to him with the same puzzled expression on his face. Spotting us spotting him, Willie darted off.
Oh, no, you don’t. “I’m gonna find out.” I poofed after him.
I appeared right in front of Willie, who swerved and skidded to a halt on his skateboard. “What’s your problem?” I demanded. “Spying on me, and then bailing?”
He frowned. “I wish I could explain. But I can’t.”
There was an expression in his eyes I couldn’t read at all. And to think I had felt like there had maybe been something between us.
“Not good enough,” I said. “You’ve been MIA since we went to Caleb’s club. I thought you and I were having fun together.”
He looked truly distressed. “We never should have met.”
Ouch. “Wow,” I said quietly. “That hurts.”
He looked at me, teary. “I’m sorry, Alex. I really am.” And the thing was, he sounded like he meant it. Then he peered over his shoulder, like he was looking out for something—or someone.
“You’re a great guy,” he said sadly. “But I gotta go.”
It was embarrassing, coming back to practice and telling the guys I had no idea why Willie was being so weird. But my embarrassment wasn’t the issue.
The issue was that I’d actually started to have feelings for Willie. And I thought he had feelings for me, too. Was he playing me the whole time? And if so—why?
“You okay there, bud?” Luke’s voice broke through my haze.
“Uh, yeah, why?” I asked, sheepish, like I hadn’t been staring off into space for the last ten minutes when I was supposed to be drumming.
“I know it’s tough, man,” Reggie said, actually sounding sympathetic. “People say you don’t forget your first ghost, and maybe that’s true. But I’m sure there’ll be others.”
Who says that? It didn’t matter; Reggie was just trying to make me feel better. “Thanks, Reg,” I said.
Luke put his guitar down and perched on the edge of the couch to look at me. “You’re a great guy, and a great drummer, Alex,” he said. “Don’t let that stuff get in the way of what you love.”
“I don’t know,” Reggie mused. “Sometimes a littl
e fire can make things better onstage. Like you and Julie,” he said to Luke.
Luke looked taken aback. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Reggie laughed. “Everyone can see the way you look at her when you sing,” he said. “You guys ooze chemistry.”
I winced. “He should never say ooze again, but I agree.”
“Come on,” Luke protested. “I have chemistry with everyone when I sing.”
Reggie and I shook our heads. It was different this time, even if Luke didn’t want to admit it.
Even if we all knew that that relationship? Would be DOA.
“I can’t say it enough, that was incredible,” Flynn said. “And I’m not talking about my last slice of pizza.”
The party and the show had gone off better than I could have ever imagined. Everyone we’d invited showed up—including Nick. We opened with “Great” and it was, well, great, just like Luke knew it would be. And my dad got to hear me perform with the guys. It was clear that he knew how important this was to me, now—and why. He understood that Julie and the Phantoms was special.
Now, Flynn, Dad, Carlos, and I were at the kitchen table, fighting over the last few slices of pepperoni pizza.
“So how do you do those holograms?” Carlos asked.
I faltered. I still hadn’t come up with a good explanation for those.
Thankfully, Dad jumped in. “Don’t try to understand it, Carlos. I don’t.”
“That’s because you’re old,” Carlos said.
Dad glared at him, but it wasn’t serious. “I’d send you to your room, but then who would do the dishes?”
I sighed, content, and took another bite of my pizza. My show had rocked, my crush (one of my crushes?) had come by, and things were great with Dad and me. I had my best friend by my side and my music again. This was the first time things had felt … well, maybe not “normal,” since I was playing said music with a “hologram” band that was actually a group of ghosts. But … nice. Things felt nice, for the first time in a really long time.
I couldn’t help but wonder how long that would last.