The Other Side of Hollywood | Luke Patterson

TEN✨

Unlike most nights after performing, Willie didn't come back to my dressing room for our nightly candy and gossip session of everything that went down that evening; it was just Maya and I tonight, and both of us had a lot to talk about.

"I can't believe I missed you yelling at them," Maya cried out dramatically after I finished explaining what happened while she was retrieving Caleb.

"I didn't yell," I correct her, "I just spoke a little harsher than they're used to," even when Luke left, I didn't yell at him or even get super angry, so seeing me sarcastic and angry was not something any of the boys were used to.

"Well, I'm still sad I missed it," Maya frowned, throwing a sour gummy worm into her mouth, "I feel like I deserve it after spending the entire night with Reggie while he talked about star wars."

"Well, lucky for both of us; our work is done," I reminded her; usually, after Caleb gives the stamp, he does the rest of the work. A comfortable silence fell over Maya and I as we ate our candy and flipped through magazines I'd stolen from a store down the road; it wasn't until a knock on the door that it was broken.

"Harper," Caleb's voice rang into the room, causing both Maya and I to take our feet off the coffee table and sit up straighter.

"Come in," Maya and I yelled in unison; seconds later, Caleb poofed in.

"Ah, perfect," He clapped his hands together, causing a chair to appear behind him. "You're both here; we need to discuss the plan." Maya and I shared a glance; so much for our work being finished. "I've decided to pull Willie out," Caleb announced, "so I need one of you to take over."

"What exactly is there left to do?" Maya asked, "they have the stamp now."

"I wish it were that easy dear Maya," Caleb shook his head in amusement; I guess when you thought about it, we still needed someone to give them that extra push, "These boys are more stubborn than any other ghosts I've met, I need one of you to go to them and make them want to come here." It was going to be more challenging than that; I wanted to say, we need someone to befriend them, gain their trust and then take them to the club once the boys trust them enough.

"Didn't we already try that with Willie?" Maya asked in an annoyed tone; she was kind of right, "what you need is an undercover spy, someone who will gain their trust and be honest with you about what's happening." It was like she read my mind; even Caleb seemed impressed with the idea, which was rare, "it should be Harper." I opened my mouth to argue but quickly shut it; as much as I didn't want to be the spy, it made sense; the boys knew me, we had a past, it would be easier to get them to trust me then Maya; well, maybe not so much after all the things I'd said to Luke before they left.

"Harper?" Caleb asked; both of them stared at me expectantly; I sighed, nodding in agreement, "Perfect, you start tomorrow; I trust you two to work on the details and keep me updated." Both Maya and I nodded, "excellent, oh and please don't mention this to Willie; let's keep this our little secret, for now." He poofed away before either of us could reply, leaving us alone again.

"How are we supposed to do that," I scoffed once he was gone, "sure, Willie can sometimes be a bit of a softie; he's still one of our best friends; he's gonna figure it out."

"I'll keep an eye on him," Maya reassured, "we should probably pack you a bag, though," She announced, standing up from where she sat, "just in case you end up spending a night or something."

"I'm already regretting saying yes to this plan," I grimace, following her to the walk-in closet attached to my room, "So, what do I say to them? I wasn't exactly kind to them when they left."

"Exactly," She nods, neatly folding one of my many blazers, "you apologize, tell them you just want to be friends again, then you stick around for a couple of days; sabotage their band, show them how much better life could be here and boom we're done."

"Wow," I nodded, impressed, "has anyone ever told you you're an evil genius?"

"Aw," Maya held her hand to her heart as if she was emotional about what I just said, "that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."

"I can't remember the last time I spent a prolonged amount a time with anyone besides you or Willie," I admit; Maya, Willie, and I had been inseparable since my first night here. I never left the club without one of them by my side, whether it was hanging at the beach while Willie skated or sneaking into movie theatres and stealing magazines with Maya.

"Hmm," Maya hummed, reaching for a pair of pants from the top shelf; I wanted to question how many nights she thought I might end up staying, but ended up stopping myself, "I never thought of that; maybe keeping Willie of your track is gonna be harder than we thought."

"Exactly," I sigh, "You've just gotta keep him distracted, I-" I pause as I watch Maya place a couple of my fancier dresses in the bag, "seriously, I'm not gonna need this Maya." I shake my head, hanging the dresses back on the rack.

"Oh honey," She shook her head, frowning at me, "You're gonna have to go to one of their bands gigs," She said, putting air quotes around the word gig, "and dressing up will prove how much you care." I rolled my eyes, placing the dresses back in the suitcase; I hated how Maya was always right.

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A bit of a shorter chapter today, but exciting things are coming; Harper is gonna meet Julie very soon!
Hope you're all enjoying so far
Love you!!