The Other Side of Hollywood | Luke Patterson

THIRTY-TWO✨

Any sense of nerves or anxieties that I felt about leaving the club and not getting to say goodbye to the boys vanished once we poofed into the Orpheum. Luke, Alex, and Reggie had made it onto the stage.

"Oh, thank god," I heard Maya quietly mumble beside me; I nod, not daring to take my eyes away from the stage, away from Luke. I doubted he'd be able to find me; we were in the middle of the crowd, who were all jumping and dancing along to the band. To them, this was only the beginning, but to me, and Maya we knew that even though Julie and the Phantoms deserved to go on for years to come, they wouldn't get that chance; this was it for them.

"Whatever happens even if I'm the last standing, I'mma stand tall," Alex stood up from his drums, singing into his mic. I broke away from my trance on Luke; instead of cheering loudly for the drummer who used to be so anxious the thought of singing a solo would send him into a panic, Maya joined in on my cheering.

"Harper," I could see Luke say, his eyes darting around the crowd as he looked for me; I tore the wig off my head, allowing my brown locks to flow down my back. As soon as my eyes connected with his, everything else fell away. Multiple emotions flashed across Luke's face in a matter of seconds, but I didn't question them; I understood him completely. I felt relieved to see him, obviously. Still, I couldn't help but feel a bit of sadness buried deep inside my stomach; this was it. If this was their unfinished business, and Luke and the boys did cross over, I don't think we'll get the chance to properly say goodbye like we hoped or hold each other one last time. Luke continued singing after Reggie and Alex both sang their solos, his eyes not straying from mine, even as he walked forward to the front of the stage.

"Come on," I grabbed Maya's hand, tugging her along as I walked through the crowd; I just wanted to be closer to him. Julie, Alex, and Reggie's eyes all lit up as we approached, finally noticing Maya and I's presence in the large crowd. I wish the song could go on forever, that this moment never had to end, but when have I ever gotten what I wanted.

"I'mma stand tall," The four of them sang the final lyric in unison, now all standing at the front of the stage together. I'd almost forgotten I was still holding onto Maya's hand until I felt her squeeze it comfortingly; I took in a breath, silently praying that this would work, despite my own feelings about losing Luke.

"I love you," Luke mouthed to me as he bowed; even then, his eyes never left mine.

"I lo-"I began to respond, yelling over the loud cheers from the audience; before I could get all the words out, all three of the boys vanished from my vision. Leaving just Julie on the stage; she looked at me and Maya, all three of us sharing a sad look; I nodded encouragingly, and Julie smiled sadly in return. Regaining her composure before anyone in the audience could question if something was wrong.

"Harps," Maya mumbled hesitantly; I finally glanced over at her, no longer having Luke to watch, "Are you okay?"

"No," I answer honestly; there was no point in pretending that I was fine; Maya would see right through my lies anyway.

"I'm sorry," She frowned, pulling me in for a side hug.

"Let's go find Julie," I suggest, as the main act takes the stage; normally, Maya and I would love the free concert, but I wasn't in the mood for that right now. "I'm sure she could use a friend right now," Maya nodded, both of us poofing backstage, where the younger girl was sitting in her dressing room. I only felt sadder seeing Julie, wiping away stray tears as she faced her reflection in the mirror; her friend, Flynn, stood behind her, unsure of what to say to make it all better. "Hey," I greet, my just above a whisper; Julie's head whips back, her shoulders slumping sadly when she sees me, "You were great," I don't even try to sound enthusiastic; it will only sound fake.

"Thank you," She dips her head at me, Flynn furrows her brows in confusion, glancing around the room, "Harper is here," She explains, taking note of her friend's confusion, "and-"she glances at Maya, gesturing for her to introduce herself.

"Maya," She introduced herself.

"And Maya," Julie repeats; Flynn nods, moving to sit on the couch. She picks her phone up, typing away, signaling Julie to continue the conversation. "so," Julie sang awkwardly, turning to face the mirror again as she got unready, wiping her makeup off and undoing her hair, "they're gone then?"

"Yeah," I breathed, "they are..." it didn't feel real; I didn't want it to be real; Luke and I just got back together, we'd wasted so much time, and now we'd never have any time together ever again.

"What are you going to do now?" Julie asked, glancing at me through her reflection in the mirror. Maya and I shared a glance; we hadn't thought that far ahead; as much as we hated to admit it, our issues with Caleb were far from over; that still didn't mean we shouldn't try, though, and one day, we'd Willie back too.

"We're definitely not going back to the club," Maya finally spoke; I nodded in agreement, "So... I guess we'll just find a safe place where Caleb can't find us?" She shrugged, her statement coming out as more of a question.

"We'll figure something out," I reassure; Julie is already upset enough, the last thing I want is to give her one more thing to worry about, "we just wanted to see how you were," I change the subject, "you doing okay?"

"I've been better," She joked, trying to lighten the mood, "I know them crossing over was for the best; it's just-"

"Hard?" I ask when she hesitates; Julie nods.

"But I'll be okay," She reassures; she didn't sound very sure of herself, "I spoke to my mom before the performance, and even though she couldn't talk back, I feel a lot better."

"I get it," Maya speaks up; I glance at her, furrowing my brows slightly as if I'm asking her to explain what she means, Julie turns around too, now facing Maya and I, "I talk to my mom too sometimes, whenever I need advice or something." She shrugs; I want to ask her more about her family; it's weird, Maya and I have known each other for 25 years, but I didn't know anything about her family, and vice versa. Now isn't the time though, we'll have the rest of the eternity to talk about all the things we shied away from when we lived in the club, the things Caleb taught us to deem as unimportant.

"They're listening," I reassure them, I had no clue what would happen once someone crossed over, but I was hopeful that they could still hear us, "I bet the boys are eavesdropping on our conversation as we speak," I add in a teasing manner.

"Oh, for sure," Julie nods, a genuine laugh coming out of her, "those boys have no clue what boundaries means."

"Believe me, I know," I laugh too, I stop myself soon after; it feels wrong to feel happy, not right now at least, "W-we should probably go," I stutter, gesturing between Maya and I, "we gotta find somewhere to hide out for the night."

"It was nice meeting you," Maya smiled at Julie; we look at each other, about to poof away when Julie stops us.

"Wait," She says; she cringes at how loud she sounded; Flynn looked up, furrowing her brows at her friend's sudden outburst, "If you ever need somewhere to go, the studio is all yours."

"Thank you," I nod, "if we ever need a place, we'll come to you." The last place I want to be right now is the studio that has remnants of Luke all over it; it'll just be too hard, "we'll see you soon, Julie," I reassure the girl before poofing away, Maya landing beside me outside of the Orpheum.

"Any idea on where we should go?" Maya asks, both of us walking through the crowd.

"I think I know a place," I say; I honestly didn't know if it was even their still, but it was worth a shot, "c'mon," I link my fingers through Maya's, "I'll lead the way."

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