The Other Side of Hollywood | Luke Patterson

TWENTY✨

"Harps, are you sure you don't wanna come to Julie's school with me?" Luke asked, taking his guitar off and putting it on its stand; he'd spent the last hour showing me the new songs he'd written with Julie, I kept telling him my opinion didn't matter, but he insisted I help choose anyways. Now, he was going to get Julie's approval on the song we'd chosen.

"Nah, I'm okay," I reassured him; Alex and Reggie were both out, meaning I'd have their studio to myself. While Luke is gone, I plan on searching for anything I can use against Julie, "you should see if Julie wants to come and hang though," I add, standing up from my spot on the couch; if Julie ditched school, there's no way her dad would let her perform their gig tonight, maybe he'd even make her quit the band.

"Smart," He snapped his fingers, pointing at me, "the more rehearsal time we get, the better," I nodded; that's not why I was doing this, but sure. "I'll be back soon," He reassured before poofing out of the studio; I sighed once he was gone, poofing myself up into the attic. I know it's a long shot that I'll find anything good enough to use against Julie, but there's no harm in looking, right? As I searched through the items, I came to the realization that none of this stuff was Julie's at all. There was a garbage bag of clothes, which I quickly learned belonged to the boys, various boxes filled with old CDs, all bands I distinctly remember Luke being a fan of, and even a few sunset curve items. After searching through what I learned was Luke's old backpack, I was about to poof back down into the studio; until something shiny caught my eye. Stowed away neatly in one of the small pockets was a necklace, one that I used to wear almost every day, until I threw it off, the day Luke ran out.

"He kept this," I mumble to myself, stroking my fingers over the small charms of our initials; I remember watching Luke ride away that night as I cried into my sister's arms; he must have come back for it after I had left. I should have put the necklace back and poofed back down to the studio's main level, but I don't want to part with it again; this necklace is one of the only things I have from my previous life; everything else has changed. So, I clasp it on my neck, allowing the dainty piece of jewelry to fall into place. I didn't even feel annoyed that I hadn't found anything to use against Julie, and when I poofed down, I didn't continue to search for any more clues; if Luke kept this, it's obvious his feelings are legit, maybe they're strong enough for me to be his first choice, unlike the last time. As I wait for Luke, I decide to sit at the grand piano in the back of the studio, I'd been tempted my entire visit here to play it, and now that the studio is empty, it seems like the prime time to do so. I never really got the hype behind music until I joined the club; during my first few weeks there, Maya suggested I begin writing to let out all of my feelings; they started out as diary entries, but slowly and slowly, as I became more established in the club, I began putting them to music. Once Caleb heard my songs, he insisted I become the official songwriter for the Hollywood Ghost Club, which I was honored by; it just meant I didn't have much time to write songs for myself anymore. My fingers instantly began playing the keys to one of the first songs I'd written, one I'd played so many times I could basically do it in my sleep; I remember writing this in the midst of my heartbreak, I never thought I'd be able to speak to Luke again, so I wrote every single word I wanted to say to him down.

"I got my driver's license last week, just like we always talked about," I began singing, my voice shaky and hesitant at first; I had died shortly after getting my license, which was something Luke and I talked about frequently; it had started off as another one of my diary entries, updating Luke on my life and what'd he'd missed since we'd separated, but after a while, it changed into a song. As the song went on, my voice grew more confident and passionate; I still haven't been able to tell Luke how broken I felt when he left me, and now with the way everything is going, I don't think I ever will, but I'm okay with that; it's time to move on. Caleb had always told me that being bitter was good and getting revenge was okay, but maybe for once, he was wrong; I didn't have to be bitter at Luke and the boys forever, I don't think I want to be, I'm ready to move on and start over, and once they're at the club, we can.