The Other Side of Hollywood | Luke Patterson

FIVE✨

"Hey, um Caleb," Willie ran backstage where Caleb, Maya, and I were drinking our pre-performance tea, "The three ghosts are here." It had been days since Willie met Alex, and all have of us had been on the edge of our seats waiting for the boys to come to the club; this afternoon, he finally came back with some good news, the boys were coming; which meant, Maya and I finally got to get in on the fun.

"Perfect William," Caleb said, stirring his tea, "I have a special table reserved for them." The table in the center of the room, closest to the stage; that was where we sat all of the new guests of the club; it was the best seat in the house; I remember being a newbie 25 years ago, sitting at that very table, "Good work William." Maya and I shared a glance, our eyes wide; compliments from Caleb were rare, especially ones towards Willie.

"Oh uh," Willie stuttered, clearly taken aback by Caleb's small gesture, "thank you?" He said it came out as more of a question though; Willie turned sharply to the right, about to leave when he realized he was going the wrong way, "this way," he pointed the other direction, correcting himself and walking away from us three.

"Oh William," I sighed, once the fumbling boy was gone, taking a small sip of my tea, "sweet, innocent William."

"Are you two ready for your part of the plan?" Caleb asked, ignoring my sarcastic remarks; Maya and I nod, "our part of the plan." Was to take care of the other two ghosts; Alex and Willie were clearly smitten with one another, and we've all decided that if it were Alex alone, he'd be easier to persuade into staying. The other ghosts, on the other hand, would need a little more coaxing, and that's where Maya and I came in; we'd each take one and work our "magic."

"All we have to do is flirt with the potentially hot guys, right?" Maya asked; I rolled my eyes at her choice of words, but nodded anyway, to say it simply, yes; all we needed to do was "flirt" with these ghosts, it was still up for debate whether they were attractive or not, "sounds easy."

"Let's hope you're right, dear Maya," Caleb said, placing his tea down, "I have a feeling once they see this place, though, they'll want to stay."

"Of course they will," I scoff; this club was magnificent, like no place I'd ever seen, what could be better than this?

"Take your place, ladies," Caleb said, walking up the stairs, "and make sure you turn up the charm; don't tell Willie this, but without you two, I'd be lost." I smile proudly at Caleb, nodding my head; he was right though, Willie was amazing, don't get me wrong, but he leads with his heart; unlike Maya and I, who lead with our heads, never letting our emotions get the better of us.

"So, how do I look?" Maya asked as we walked to the place we'd wait until we had to poof in; I did a once over of her outfit, nodding my head in approval, "you too, this dress is everything."

"Isn't it?" I ask, watching the frills that hung off it moves around as I walk; another perk of the club was the wardrobe; when I was alive, my wardrobe was nerdy and dull; but here, I felt like a star every time I changed into one of my extravagant dresses, this feeling almost made me understand why people pursue music, "So is yours; the new ghosts are gonna love you."

"of course, they will," She said, a proud smile drawn on her face; before I could respond, the lights dimmed, and music began playing through the club.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," I speak, the mic attached to my dress carries my voice throughout the room, "back from the dead by popular demand, please welcome Caleb Covington." Although most of our audience visited almost every night, they cheered loudly for their host. Seconds later, the audience gasps; Caleb was now levitating above them. I peeked out into the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of Willie and the three ghosts, but instead I was blinded by a bright light; I guess I'll just have to wait until I'm out there.