Part Trente-deux
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The guys headed over to the buffet, and Julie, Flynn and Carrie huddled together.
"Carrie, thank you."
"Least I could do, Julie. And I've already got you and Luke signed up for the first karaoke song of the night."
"Really? I mean, I know he wants to do '(I've Had) The Time of My Life', but first?"
"Special request straight from the guy himself." Flynn told her, laughing. "He seems really excited."
Carrie hooked their arms, "C'mon, let's go get some cake. I got the fancy red velvet with a middle layer of cream cheese frosting, as well as the top."
The three girls made their way to the dessert table, discussing other karaoke songs they and the others should do, giggling at the more silly ideas.
Luke came and found her not too much later, and they ended up standing near the wall, Julie telling him about who was who of her classmates, and a few stories about past birthday parties. People would occasionally stop and wish Julie 'Happy Birthday', but they were mostly in their own little world.
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Nick stood off to the side, sipping some lemonade, his eyes trained on the two people standing together across the room, near the wall. He was trying to sort through some things.
Nick had originally broken up with Carrie after she had said those really mean things to Julie, but now they were obviously friends again, I mean, look at this party.
After Julie started singing again and he and Carrie were over, they had partnered up in dance class, he had thought Julie might kinda like him, she was fun, and pretty, and they both played music. He figured it might be nice to date her, but Julie had turned him down, admitting she kinda liked someone else. He had noticed she seemed to have some chemistry with the one guy in her hologram band, but he lived in another country.
Nick figured if he gave it a little time, she'd decide that long-distance like that was too hard, and he might have a chance. He didn't mind that she said no, and if she had turned him down again he wouldn't have persisted, but there had been a little hint before that she might like him, so a second try seemed okay.
Now, though. He had apparently waited too long, not that it wasn't probably better this way, because it seemed the band had moved here from Canada. (Hadn't Julie said they were from Sweden? Maybe that's actually the name of a city in Canada or something? Not that it really matters.)
Nick frowned slightly at the sight of the two of them across the room, 'They look good together. Happy.' His eyes squinted a bit as a few people walked by them and paused to wish Julie 'Happy Birthday!'. 'They move together, she turns and he follows, it's subtle, but it's like they're in sync- or no, that's not quite it, they don't move together but rather in a complimentary way, it's more...'
He pondered for a long moment, still watching them. Then, the right words came to him, as he saw Luke smile and tuck one of Julie's curls behind her ear, making her giggle and catch his hand to lace their fingers. Nick's eyes went wide, 'It's like when I used to finally master a new chord on the guitar! The notes all fit together, and sound in perfect harmony! That's exactly how I would describe it, they move in harmony with each other!'
He smiled to himself, happy for her, and lifted his cup to take another sip of lemonade. When he found it empty, he turned and went in search of a refill, his thoughts turning to Carrie. Nick did miss her, they had been friends for awhile, and when she wasn't getting mad about Julie they had had a lot of fun together. Of course, he wasn't sure if he wanted to just get back together like nothing happened, but he did want to at least be friends.
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A little later Julie sat with Flynn and Carrie at one of the small tables, nibbling on some more snacks. Everyone else was mingling through the crowd, Julie even spotted Reggie chatting up Kayla, Carrie's friend from Dirty Candi. It was both a surprise, and not, that she looked just as happy to be talking to him as he did with her. Reggie was sweet, if a little questionable sometimes, Julie thought fondly.
She poked Flynn, who was talking to Carrie about when she was going to talk to Nick. She had unexpectedly told them that she wasn't really sure about getting back together with him, but she did want to clear the air. She didn't want any misunderstandings, like the one she had with Flynn and Julie, he had been there for her a lot, and it would suck to lose him as a friend.
"Check it out."
"Wait, is that Kayla? I knew it!"
Julie and Flynn looked at Carrie in confusion.
"Oh, come on? He totally winked at her during your first performance right after the Spirit Rally? She was moping about him being from another country for weeks, even if she was trying to hide it from me. She almost lost her mind when I told her the guys had moved here. She's been begging me to introduce her ever since she found out the three of us made up." Carrie waved her hand, "But I was busy with the party, and the guys were busy rehearsing. I told her she could wait, that he'd be here, and she could flirt her little heart out tonight."
Flynn and Julie stared at her, before bursting out laughing.
"Awww, I'm so happy for him!" Julie smiled, remembering Reggie's comment that day, 'Tell them I'm single!'.
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In the midst of their girl talk, Julie hadn't really noticed that the DJ had announced the switch over to karaoke, at least not until she heard his voice behind her.
"Nobody puts Baby in a corner."
Julie turned to see Luke grinning at her, with his hand out for her to take, the DJ calling for them to come sing the first song.
Her face lit up, she loved how gleeful he looked, the girls had been right about how excited he was for this.
'Now I've had the time of my life
No, I never felt like this before
Yes I swear it's the truth
And I owe it all to you
'Cause I've had the time of my life
And I owe it all to you
I've been waiting for so long
Now I've finally found someone to stand by me
We saw the writing on the wall
And we felt this magical fantasy
Now with passion in our eyes
There's no way we could disguise it secretly
So we take each others hand
'Cause we seem to understand the urgency
Just remember
You're the one thing
I can't get enough of
So I'll tell you something
This could be love...'
"Wow. I'm even more impressed by the costume choice now." Flynn was awed, the song was actually quite appropriate for them.
Carrie cocked her head, "What do you mean?"
Luckily, Alex and Willie chose that moment to join them, dropping one of the karaoke song selection books in the middle of the table.
"Will you help us choose a song?" Alex looked anxious, but excited.
"Of course!" Carrie pulled the book over and immediately started rifling through as if on a mission. "They better have it.." She muttered to herself.
Flynn raised an eyebrow, was she really going to...
"Yes! You two have to do this one!"
"'Strong'?" Willie asked.
Flynn snorted a laugh. Carrie had asked her all about Alex and Willie after the dinner. If everyone hadn't been so busy with the party, Alex would probably already be an honorary member of Dirty Candi. Flynn had told her Alex had seen some of her videos and really liked them (no need to tell her about his ghost dancing with them that one night...). But, really, Flynn knew Carrie had decided she wanted them to do this song last week, after she had sat in on an early band practice with her dad and heard Alex sing.
"Yes. It's sweet, and I want to hear it, please?" Carrie did have some decent puppy eyes when needed.
"Sure, why not? Right Hotdog?" Willie playfully bumped Alex's shoulder with his own and kissed him on the cheek.
"Okay." Alex had gone slightly red, but his small smile was pleased.
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Julie and Luke had come back to the table to loud applause, squeezing in the last chair, Julie sitting on Luke's lap.
"You two are so cute I almost want to puke." Flynn shook her head, amused.
"Thanks, Flynn." Luke exaggeratedly smacked a kiss on Julie's temple, making her giggle.
Flynn's comeback was interrupted by the DJ calling for Alex and Willie.
"Good luck!" Carrie was bouncing a little in her seat, she was looking forward to this.
'My hands, your hands
Tied up like two ships
Drifting, weightless
Waves try to break it
I'd do anything to save it
Why is it so hard to say it?
My heart, your heart
Sit tight like book ends
Pages between us
Written with no end
So many words we're not saying
Don't wanna wait 'til it's gone
You make me strong
I'm sorry if I say, "I need you"
But I don't care,
I'm not scared of love
'Cause when I'm not with you I'm weaker
Is that so wrong?
Is it so wrong
That you make me strong?
Think of how much
Love that's been wasted...'
Alex was a mess inside by the second verse, but he managed to keep it together. Luke exchanged a worried look with Julie, she stood up and pointed him over to Reggie, the boys would need to check on Alex after this, they knew he still was a little scared.
"Come with me." Luke caught Reggie by his vest. "Sorry, I swear I'll bring him back shortly."
"Uh, okay." Kayla looked crestfallen.
"I will definitely be back as soon as I can!" Reggie called as Luke dragged him away, and she perked up, feeling better.
"Where are we going?"
Luke just nodded at Alex, finishing up on stage with Willie (who was also looking concerned, but trying to hide it).
'I'm sorry if I say, "I need you"
But I don't care,
I'm not scared of love
'Cause when I'm not with you I'm weaker
Is that so wrong?
Is it so wrong
That you make me strong...'
Reggie caught the last chorus repeat, "Oh, dear."
"Yeah."
They converged on the side of the stage, helping Alex and Willie down and directing them off into a empty side hallway.
Willie hovered apprehensively, "I'm sorry, I didn't know the song!"
Reggie was holding Alex's shoulders, face to face, breathing slow and deep, encouraging Alex to mirror him.
"You couldn't have known, Willie. Neither could he. Or Carrie. Even Flynn wouldn't have known enough to stop it." Luke put an arm around Willie, "He'll be fine. I think it just hit a little too close to home. We'll get him fixed up in no time, don't worry."
"That's it, okay, good Alex. Are you back with us now?"
Alex blinked, his eyes finally focusing on Reggie, inhaling a long ragged breath, "Y-yeah, I'm back."
"I'm so sorry Hotdog."
"It-it's okay, you didn't know the song either."
Luke and Willie shared a short laugh.
"Hey, why don't you two go see what movie Ray and Bobby are watching? Take a little time away from the crowd?" Luke raised his eyebrows at Willie.
"Right, cool. That sounds good, I could use a break. Alex?"
"I know what you guys are doing." He shook his head at them, "But I do appreciate it. A break sounds really good."
Willie held out his hand, and with quick hugs from Luke and Reggie, Alex grabbed it and followed Willie down the hall to the den.
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Reggie threw an arm around Luke's shoulders, "He picked a good ghost, didn't he?"
Luke sighed, "Yeah. Let's get back to the party Reg."
They turned to go, Luke silently glancing back, 'He picked a great guy, I'm so happy for him.'
Before Reggie slipped away to go find Kayla again, Luke pointed out the table where Julie was, in case they wanted to come sit later.
Then Luke paused, pulling his phone out.
Luke: Hey Ray, try to talk to Alex a little, he had a bad minute and could probably use a hug.
Ray: Got it, thanks for letting me know. You're a great friend Luke.
Luke couldn't help the smile that stretched across his face at that. Ray had quickly become someone to rely on, and Luke was just so grateful.
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When he got back to the table, Julie stood immediately, reaching for him and gesturing him to sit, dropping into his lap as soon as he did.
"Is he okay?" She whispered in his ear, her arms going around his neck to hold him close.
He tucked his face into her hair for a short moment, then replied, "Yeah, we helped him, and I sent him and Willie to the den to get away from the crowd for a bit." He nuzzled her cheek and kissed his way to her ear, "I texted your dad that something happened, he'll take care of him."
Julie involuntarily shivered, this was a serious conversation, he should not be allowed to affect her like this.
"Are you cold?" His voice was concerned.
"No, I just maybe need some air, can we go outside?"
"Anything you want, Jules."
She ducked her face to hide her smile, what she really wanted was to get him alone for a few minutes.
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"We'll be right back."
Flynn gave her a look, "Okay Julie, but don't take too long, Carrie and I are looking for a song we want to sing with you."
She blushed, glad Carrie was absorbed in the song book, and just took Luke's hand, leading him to the doors out to the deck.
"Oh, it's actually kinda chilly out here, we should have grabbed you a sweatsh-mmph..."
A long moment later...
"Oh."
Julie giggled, "Yeah."
And then there wasn't any talking at all for awhile.
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"Julie!" Carrie was waving her and Luke back to the table enthusiastically. "We found a song, and, um, yikes, what is going on with your hair?"
Julie and Luke's eyes widened and she looked at him in exasperation, her hands frantically reaching up to feel that half of the bobby pins that had been keeping it up so it appeared shorter had disappeared.
He winced, "Sorry."
Carrie's glance bounced between them for a second, before a sly smile spread across her face. "I see. Well, Julie, let's go get you fixed up. Flynn is putting us on the list. As I started to say, we found a song for the three of us to sing."
Julie mock glared at Luke as Carrie led her away.
He just shrugged, crinkling his nose and mouthing to her, 'It was your idea!'
She couldn't help but laugh, he was right.
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Carrie had called Flynn over as they went to the bathroom to fix Julie's hair, she joined them from the side of the stage where she had been signing them up.
"Holy... Girl what happened?"
Barely able to get the words out through her snickers Carrie enlightened Flynn, "Luke happened."
"Ohhh, wow, you really went outside, huh?"
Julie groaned, burying her face in her hands, but was unable to completely hide her happy smile.
"Well." *Giggle* "I guess we better get you presentable." *Chuckle*
"Julie." *Snicker* "Are his hands as talented not with a guitar?"
They went into full body laughter, Flynn and Carrie both grasping the bathroom counter, and each other, trying to hold themselves up.
"You guys suck." Julie crossed her arms and attempted to pout, but a dreamy look kept breaking through.
*Gasp* "We'll stop. We'll stop." *Giggle*
Flynn cleared her throat, laughter still coating her voice, "We should probably just take all the pins out, there's no salvaging this."
*Cough* "Yeah, it's done for." Pause. "Kinda like Julie's self-control apparently."
*Peals of laughter.*
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By the time they got Julie's hair figured out (once they stopped laughing), their table was now two tables. Reggie and Kayla had joined Luke, and Alex and Willie were back from the den. They had obviously commandeered the next table over and moved them together.
"Hey. Julie, why did you take your hair down?" Alex looked at her, puzzled.
Luke turned bright red, and Julie just face-palmed, as Carrie and Flynn began almost crying with laughter all over again.
"What did I say?"
Luckily, the DJ called the girls up to sing, saving Julie from any explanations.
"What song did you pick?"
"One that we're all going to mean from now on." Flynn gave Carrie a quick side hug as the music started.
'When the daylight's gone
And you're on your own
And you need a friend
Just to be around
I will comfort you
I will take your hand
And I'll pull you through
I will understand
And you know that?
I'll be at your side
There's no need to worry
Together we'll survive
Through the haste and hurry
I'll be at your side
When you feel like you're alone
And you've nowhere to turn
I'll be at your side
If life's standing still
And your soul's confused
And you cannot find
What road to choose
If you make mistakes (make mistakes)
You won't let me down (let me down)
I will still believe (still believe)
I won't turn around
And you know that?
I'll be at your side
There's no need to worry
Together we'll survive
Through the haste and hurry
I'll be at your side
If you feel like you're alone (feel like you...)
And you've nowhere to turn
(Side?
I'll be at your side
(I'll be, I'll be at your side)
I'll be at your side
(I'll be, I'll be at your side)
(I'll be at your side)
I'll be at your side
There's no need to worry
Together we'll survive
Through the haste and hurry
I'll be at your side
If you feel like you're alone (feel like you...)
You've got someone to go (somewhere to go...)
'Cos I'm at your side'
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A/N: So, I guess the costumes were a little confusing, that was on me, this chapter was going to go up with the last one, but it wasn't done. So, yeah. I think they're pretty obvious now, I hope. There will still be more to the party, I wasn't going to post until I finished, but this felt like a good place to split it up. Um, yeah.