(A/N: Haiii! I'm back after like half the year- Honestly, this chapter was supposed to be out months ago. I just got busy and kind of forgot about it. Anyways, hope you enjoy!)
~The Garage~
Right where we left off, Molly was still hugging the sheet music, crying as the boys were still right behind her.
Alex walked up to hug Molly until Luke pulled him aside and motioned for the group to go outside.
~Outside~
Luke, Alex and Reggie all teleported from inside of the garage to right outside of it.
"Wha-! Dude! Why'd you stop me?" Alex said, confused. Then he continued on with: "Molly needs a hug."
"Bro." Luke huffed, "A ghost hug isn't the feel-good moment that you think it is. Alright?" he continued and started walking away saying, "Trust me, what Molly needs right now is just a bit of privacy."
"You know what, I think you poofed us out here 'cause you can't handle seeing others cry." Alex started off, sounding irritated as he followed Luke, "I should know. I cried in a dark room for 30 years and I didn't get a hug from either of you!" he finished, sounding like he was on the verge of breaking down.
"Alright, bring it in-" Reggie said from behind the two others, attempting to hug Alex.
"Don't touch me." The blonde said, holding a hand up to stop Reggie. The aforementioned bassist's eyes widened as he got defensive and said, "This is why nobody hugs you man."
"O...kay. So, I-I think the first thing we should do, once we get the courage to go in there, is ask Molly... why she lied to us about the piano playing thing." Luke said, turning back around.
"Yeah! You know, maybe tell her how amazing she is." Alex said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. However, he still genuinely meant what he said.
"Yeah, 'Course bro." Luke said, putting a hand on Alex's shoulder for a moment.
Alex did the same and simply said, "Okay".
"She's legit! I've got ghost bumps!" Reggie said, rolling up his sleeve to show off his freaky and astonishing ghostly goosebumps, Alex and Luke cringing right after.
"What the heck, man?!"
"Put those away!"
That exact moment is when Libby, who was now wearing a light green t-shirt with tan-colored jeans and the same combat boots from the day before, left Molly's house, quietly sobbing. She walked towards the garage and went inside.
The boys were all in shock as Alex asked, "Oh my gosh, is she crying too?"
"Yes!" Luke said, whisper-yelling, "And the only thing scarier than one girl crying is two girls crying!"
"He's right." Alex said in realization.
"Guys, we definitely can't go in there!" Luke continued on.
"But," Reggie started, "We can listen." He and the other band members ran up to the garage door and put their faces to the windows.
"Darryl said you'd be out here." Libby said, somewhat sternly, snapping Molly out of her thoughts as the boys ducked down from the garage door windows. The taller girl then continued, "We need to talk."
"W-What is there to talk about?" Molly said, trying to act like everything is totally normal. She always did that whenever something was wrong. However, Libby, as always, saw right through her best friend's facade easily. The shorter girl then asked, "Are you okay?"
"No, I'm not okay Molly! You literally got kicked out of music!" Libby shouted, "I've been up half the night thinking about what I was going to tell you!"
Molly looked at Libby, wide-eyed as the latter continued, "Might've had a bunch of caffeinated lattes and will be super loopy later but, I need to get this out."
"Libby, I have something to tell you-" Molly stood up and started to say until Libby cut her off.
"No. It's my turn to talk." Libby said as Molly sat back down at the piano. Then she continued, "You can't give up music!" Your music's like a gift, it would be a tragedy if you gave up! It's like cancelling Hanukkah o-or Purim! Or for you, Christmas! You love Christmas!"
"Look, Libby i-"
"No!' Libby cut Molly off once more, "You told me 3 years ago that when you were 10, you made a promise to your brother to start a band together. You know, Scheme Ahead. Then you made that same promise to me!"
"I told Darryl that I never agreed to that name and he knows it!" Molly said, sounding nostalgic at first then getting slightly frustrated.
"That's not my point." Libby sighed, "Molly, if you leave the music program, we'll be apart for what could be the rest of high school! You're the one who encouraged me to join in the first place! You even encouraged Ollie to take after his dad and start drumming! I mean, sure! We'll see each other in passing, but..." Libby stopped for a moment.
"We'd have completely different lives..." Molly said in realization as she continued for Libby, then she reassured her best friend (and herself) by saying, "But, that's not true!"
"You're right. I won't make any new friends and the only contact we'll have is when we're liking each other's Snapstagram or CiickClock!" Libby said, almost spiraling into an anxiety attack. Luckily, she was able to calm down and said, "i'm never drinking caffeine again..."
"Sooo... can I talk now?" Molly asked sheepishly once Libby was fully calm and the latter said, "Alright."
"I just played the piano and sang again." Molly said, leaving Libby in shock.
"What?! Why didn't you say so?!"
"I was trying but, your bunch of caffeinated lattes and your anxiety kicked in."
"Words can't evenbeginto explain how happy I am for you!" Libby said, still in shock but also ecstatic for her best friend of 4 years as she hugged her and Molly giggled a bit.
"I mean, look at you! you look alive again!" Libby said, breaking the hug.
"Right! It's like I had a bunch of caffeine!" Molly said, also excited.
"No... No, we've seen you on caffeine before..." Molly and Libby turned around to where the voice came from. It was Ollie standing at the garage door, "Your garage door was left open. You soundedamazing!"
"Thanks! When did you get back?" Molly asked her friend and neighbor as he fully entered the garage. Apparently, Ollie had been doing morning bike rides for the past year and a half.
"10 minutes ago. I heard you right as I was coming back." The swoopy-haired teenager explained right before Libby asked, "What made you start playing again?"
"I found this song my mom wrote me." Molly said, pushing the piece of sheet music to the end of the piano where her 2 friends were.
"Whoa..." Libby and Ollie both said in unison as they looked over the sheet music.
"I know." Molly started off, then looked down and continued, "I was so afraid to play it because anything revolving around music reminded me of her. Then I woke up today realizing that playing this would keep her memory alive"
"Well, I definitely know that your mom would be proud of you if she were here to hear you play." Ollie said, enveloping Molly in a hug.
Their hug was cut short when Libby gasped, realizing something else and said, "Shoot! We need to tell Mrs. Hanson you can play so we all can still be in one place! Even though none of us have any core classes together." That got small chuckles out of the other two.
"Molly McGee is back, baby! Scheme Ahead lives on!" Libby yelled out as the group left the garage and Molly shouted out, "Nobody agreed to that!"
"Then why'd your brother make and give us T-Shirts 2 years ago that say otherwise?" Ollie said with a sly grin.
"he what?!" Molly said blankly before noticing and saying hi to the boys. Libby and Ollie noticed this and Molly quickly corrected herself by saying, "uh- Let's hustle! No time to waste!" before continuing to walk with her friends. When she was sure that neither of them were looking, she waved to the boys standing (or sitting in Reggie's case) by the garage door.
"Don't worry, we weren't listening!" Reggie yelled as Molly caught up to her friends. Luke punched him in the arm and said "Dude! Shut up!"
~The Garage~
Alex, Luke and Reggie walked in through the closed door.
"I wonder why Molly didn't tell us that she could shred on the piano." Reggie said out of curiosity before Luke added on with, "And sing! That girl can sing!"
"It probably had something to do with her mom. Y'know?" Alex said empathetically, "Must've been hard. Anyway, I really feel for her." he continued as the others went to different spots in the garage.
"Yeah, but now she's got music back in her life. Just like us." Luke said from the piano.
Alex, who was sitting on the mattress said, "Yeah. I don't think we can call what we have alife." Alex then saw a big black trash bag with clothes in it, "Oh hey, some of our clothes are still here."
'Sweet!" Luke said as he started taking off his shirt and Alex tossed down the bag of clothes, which belonged to Luke. He also tossed a black backpack down to Reggie, who giggled excitedly.
Luke took off his shirt, smelled it and said, "Whew! Same clothes since '94 Boys!" If these boys were still alive, the smell would've been unholy.
Reggie stood by the garage door grinning until the garage door opened. He turned around slightly while Alex, who had found his cyan-colored backpack, had dropped it. Pete came in with some boxes and a camera and walked right through Reggie, who exhaled and groaned with dilated irises then said, "That was...weird!"
Luke had found another shirt, this time it was black with reddish-orange letters that spelled out, "Screams from the Attic". That's when Reggie continued on with, "But somehow, I can tell that man has a kind heart."
"So, how have you been?" Pete asked, as it seemed like he was talking to himself. Reggie, not knowing any better, answered, "Honestly, not that great. See, we ate these hotdogs a-and we-" he got cut off when Pete said, "Molly sang for the first time this morning. She hasn't done that since the end of her 9th grade year. You would've loved it."
"Yeah, we saw 'cause we were..." Reggie started to say until realization hit hard. "Ohhh! I get it. He-He's not talking to us."
"You are so lucky you can play bass." Luke, who was sitting on the edge of his couch, glared at Reggie. It literally took Luke all he had to not call outright his friend/band member a dumba**.
"I'm pretty sure he was talking to Molly's mom..." Alex said, sitting down at the railing on the ledge.
"She's growing into such an amazing young woman." Pete said, walking towards the piano. He then continued, "Everyday she reminds me more and more of you." Alex pointed at Reggie from the ledge and yelled, "Called it!"
Pete continued on once more, "Oh! Uhm... The city council may have us move back to Danville for a bit. Mayor Doofenshmirtz needed help from another city council. So, Mayor Brunson opted for us to help out." he paused and took a deep breath then put his camera and the boxes down, "I really don't want to have to move us again. Especially after losing you and giving the kids the stability they needed after spending most of their lives moving from house to house." Yeah, sooo... I know absolutely nothing about Pete's job or how it works by the way.
The boys were in shock. Nobody spoke until Luke said, "Wait-? Move!?". They were all at the piano standing across from Pete, who was still speaking to Sharon- well, her spirit anyway, "We've made so many memories. Of Molly watching you play and even sometimes even playing with you. There was also Darryl trying to sing with you both and he was missing his missing 2 front teeth." The redheaded man chuckled a bit.
Luke breathed shakily with a hand covering his mouth in shock as Reggie said, "Oh no Luke, not you too.". Luke sniffled, trying to hold back sobs choked out a "Nope."
"He- He's talking about moving, again! A-and the poor man doesn't even wanna move again!" Luke said as he sniffled again.
Pete, who had his camera in hand again, said, "Heck, it's like Molly and Darryl have lived here their entire lives."
"Now the old guy's got me too!" Reggie said, actually full-on wailing and fanning at his eyes.
"How am I the 'emotional one'?!" Alex said, trying to process the current... situation.
The others stopped being emotional messes and Reggie asked, "C-Can we go see my family? See how they're doing?"
"Yeah. Yeah, Listening to this feels... wrong." Luke said with a hint of remorse.
"Hey, do you remember when the kids were at your mother's place and we took a road trip to where we first met." Pete continued on again.
"Yeah, no. Definitely wrong." Luke said frantically, teleporting elsewhere. Reggie and Alex teleporting after him with the latter being the last to go.
~Brighton High School~
A school bus was pulling up to the high school, along with cars and students walking to the school from their respective homes.
~Music Hall~
Molly, Libby and Ollie had all made it to the school; however, Ollie had gone off to another part of the school to help one of A.V. kids with something for a shared class they had. So it was just Molly and Libby in the music hall with Mrs. Hanson.
"Believe me, Molly. I think it's wonderful that you sang again. I've prayed for this moment for more than a year." Mrs. Hanson said as she was getting ready for what seemed like her first class. "But, it's too late."
Molly and Libby's jaws dropped and Libby asked, "What if you just heard her play? You know she's amazing!"
"It wouldn't matter, a new student starts tomorrow." Mrs. Hanson said as Molly and Libby's faces fell. "There's only-"
"So many spots" Molly finished for the older woman dejectedly. Then she continued, "And if I don't participate, then I'm out. I know."
"I did everything I could to keep you here," Mrs. Hanson sighed, "But, Principal Lessa made it very clear that yesterday was your last chance. You have to reapply next semester."
Molly's eyes were trained to the floor as the bell rang and Mrs. Hanson said, "I'm truly sorry, Molly.". As students started coming in, Mrs. Hanson went over to one of them and asked them to hand out papers to the others.
All Molly could do was stand there in silence. Libby noticed this and she led her best friend out of the music hall and to their first class.
~With the boys~
The boys were at a beach at the edge of Brighton right near Mewline, some people were playing Volleyball, others were relaxing or swimming. At most, there were only like 40-50 people there due to it only being late in the year.
Reggie in particular was in shock as he and the boys were standing in front of a bike shack. "A bike shack, right where my house used to be."
"What?!" Alex and Luke said in unison. Reggie continued with, "Yeah. Right here." as he gestured to the bike shack. The shack had a lavender sign that said, "Petals on the beach: Bike & Rollerblade Rentals" and a black and red motorcycle parked right outside the door.
"Yeah, I'm sorry man." Luke said sympathetically. Reggie looked over to the left and said, "They made the Meyersons house into a noodle shop. Why couldn't they have made mine into a pizzeria or something!?"
The boys looked on and noticed that everything that used to be a house was turned into something different. That's when Alex said, "They tore down the whole neighborhood."
"So, my folks are gone..." Reggie said somberly.
"Not just them, everyone! 30 years and everything's gone! This place is full of Mewliners now..." Alex said as Luke sat down on the nearby grass, "Friends, family, Bobby, everyone."
"Bobby...That's right! Guess that vegetarian lucked out." Reggie said, his shock turning into curiosity, "What do you think happened to him?"
"He probably got old like everybody else and moved on." Luke said with a shrug.
"Wha-! Dude, how are you so casual about this?!" Alex asked the muscular brunette that was still sitting on the grass patch. "Don't you wanna figure out what happened to him?"
"Well, let's be real here for a second. None of us were really that close to our families. My folks always regretted buying me that guitar." Luke said with anger slightly present in his voice, "Reggie, your parents were a fight away from a divorce! Alex, I- Your parents kicked you out after you told them you were gay!"
Alex and Reggie took what was said into consideration, their eyes darted to each other and then the ground until Alex said, "Look- Okay, none of us had it great! But at least, we had something, you know! But, what do we have now?!"
Luke opened his mouth to speak, however, Alex cut him off and frustratedly said, "And don't you dare say 'cool teleportation skills'! Just letting you know, I'm not entirely okay with that either! All right. It tingles, in weird places!". Reggie cringed, knowing exactly what places he meant.
"I'll tell you what we have." Luke said as he got up from the grass patch, "It's what we've had since the day we came together!" he continued as he stood up on a nearby log, "Boys, we have us! Okay? We're the only family we'll ever need. And you know what else we have?"
"I'm gonna guess death breath." Reggie said with Luke biting his lip, trying not to laugh. He then said, "Our music, you dork!" Luke pointed at Reggie and chuckled before saying, "We have our music, you guys! People, actual people can hear us play! They can't see us, fine, but they can feel us! If I had my guitar, I'd play for all these people right here, right now. Just like when we'd always play in the park or downtown!"
"Yeah, people can't tip what they can't see." The blondie said as Luke got down from the log.
"It's not about the tips, Alex. It's about playing music!" Luke said, getting closer and putting his hand on Alex's shoulder, "Y'know, connecting with people, making a difference, enhappifying their day!"
"Enhappify?"
"What the heck is an enhappify?!"
"It's a Molly word. Just ask her when we get back." Luke said, "I just- I wish I had my guitar with me."
As soon as Luke said that, a portal opened and he got hit with his acoustic guitar before he slung it around his neck. He looked down and yelled, "whoa..."
"Rad! How'd you do that?" Reggie asked, in shock as Alex just stood there, confused.
"I-I don't know!" Luke said, also in shock as he examined his guitar, "I-I-I mean, I wished for it, and then it poofed into my hands!"
"I-I-I wish for a puppy!" Reggie shouted. Nothing came out and said, "A hamster? Gerbil? wombat? Capybara? Pizza!?" The dark-haired bassist kept yelling out, and every time, nothing happened. "Oh come on..." he said, disappointed.
"Hey, I know something that will cheer you up!" Luke said as he started strumming. As Luke continued to strum, Alex encouraged the disappointed bassist he was sitting crisscrossed on the sand, "Come on, Reginald!" and started drumming on himself to the beat of Luke's guitar.
This Band is Back (Reggie's Jam) (Performed by Sunset Curve)
Luke: A One, two, three, four!
Reggie: Can you, can you hear me? (Alex: Yup!)
Reggie got up from his spot on the sand.
Alex chuckled and said, "Loud and clear!"
Reggie: Gotta get, gotta get ready,
Reggie ran over to a rock, stood on top of it as the band followed.
Luke: 'Cause it's been years!
The dark-haired bass player hopped down from the rock and skipped to a grassy area and the others continued to follow after him.
Reggie: Oh, this band is back!
Reggie skipped away from the grassy area and near a food court where he then stood on an unoccupied chair (similar to those you see in an old person's house or backyard).
All: Oh, this band is back!
The people who were at the beach were seen playing volleyball, eating, swimming and just having a good time all around.
Woo, ooh, ooh, ooh!
Woo, ooh, ooh, ooh!
Woo, ooh, ooh, ooh!
Reggie: Can you? (Alex and
Luke: Yes, we can!)
Reggie got down from the chair and skipped his way into the main food court area, Luke and Alex still tagging along and singing with him.
Can you hear me?
Reggie sang as he and the boys got closer to people's tables and watched them jam out.
All: Loud and clear!
Reggie: We gotta get, wanna get,
we gotta get ready
"Huh?" Todd Mortenson, a lifelong Brighton resident who was wearing a light blue Hawaiian t-shirt with yellow and green flowers on it, orange shorts and the menacing combo of slides with socks on. The man looked as if he were in his 40s or 50s and carrying a surfboard the same color as his shirt.
All: 'Cause it's been years, hey!
Oh, this band is back
The boys continued to sing and dance, and other people began to join.
Oh, this band is back!
"You won't find a speaker, it's direct spot audio." An Asian man explained to the redhead sitting across from him, "Heard about it in a Ted Talk!"
Woo, ooh, ooh, ooh
"Oh, cool!" The redheaded woman gasped in surprise.
Woo, ooh, ooh, ooh
Woo, ooh, ooh, ooh
Woo, ooh, wee, ooh
After the song was finished, the boys skipped and ran back to the main part of Brighton as they were making Korn-style noises.
~Back at the McGee's House~
Sunset Curve was in Molly's room checking it out. For the most part, it was just as colorful as it was when the McGees first moved in.
Alex saw a scrapbook on Molly's desk and tried to pick it up. However, that wasn't possible because his hands went right through it.
Molly was then seen climbing up to the attic only to find Reggie laying on her bed, Alex looking at the scrapbook she'd left out the night prior and Luke looking at the copious amount of art supplies she had. "What are you guys doing in here?!" Molly yelled out.
"Uh-!"
"Ummm..."
"We were looking for the kitchen?" Luke spoke up and said, hoping Molly believed his horrible, horrible lie.
"No, this, this cannot happen. It's cobbing creepy!" Molly said, "Hey Reggie, get off my bed please." she asked the aforementioned boy politely and he rolled off saying, "Shoot, sorry."
"Hey, Molly? What's In that box beneath your desk?" Luke asked, hoping to at least get some form of answer. But the answer that he got from her was, "That's off limits."
"Oh. Oh, okay. Girl stuff." Alex chuckled as Molly crossed her arms and glared at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Like butterflies and glitter." Reggie continued as he let out a small snicker.
Molly's gaze shifted from Luke to Reggie as she casually said while also being threatening, "You know, you don't have to stay if you don't like it. 'Cause if you continue, I'll find a way to send you to the after-afterlife. Okay?"
Luke and Reggie's eyes widened as they back away, scared for their afterlives.
"Okay, Okay!"
"We're sorry!"
"Plus, it's none of your business anyways." Molly continued.
Alex was still trying to pick up the scrapbook and eventually, he managed to pick it up, "Hey! I actually managed to pick something up!" Alex gasped until he dropped it on the beanbag chair. "...and I dropped it."
"Wait, hey-! Careful! That took a really long time to make!" Molly exclaimed as she watched Alex drop the scrapbook. Alex then apologized as Reggie teased him about an "after-afterlife".
"Please man, there's no such thing as an after-afterlife. " Alex scoffed.
Ignoring Alex and Reggie, Molly sighed and said, "I don't understand... You guys can pick up your instruments and somehow become tangible on my bed but, you can't pick up other stuff?"
"I know right? It's hard. But, for some reason, when we pick up our instruments, it's easy." Luke shrugged.
"Yeah! Like, super easy." Reggie added on then got excited and said, "Ooh! Check out what I learned today!" He then summoned his bass out of seemingly nowhere. Reggie then got hit with his bass and fell back on to the beanbag chair he was sitting on.
"Easy? The living can't just summon things out of thin air!" Molly exclaimed, putting her shoes and bag away.
"Then it's just as I thought! Our instruments are attached to our souls!" Luke said as he smiled in realization.
After he said that, someone could be heard opening the attic door. Reggie got scared at that and teleported next to his bandmates.
The person that happened to pop in was Molly's dad as he announced himself, "Hey, Is everything okay up here?"
"Yeah. Everything's fine." Molly responded as casually as she possibly could.
"Alright. I thought I heard you talking to someone up here." Pete said, starting to climb down the attic ladder.
"Nope! Must've been my laptop! I uh- I just closed it." Molly said, a bead of sweat falling from her forehead as attempted to continue her lie. Heck, the girl had actually gotten kinda good at lying over the past few years. But she hadn't gotten that good. Not yet.
"Alright. If you need me..." Pete said as he fully descended down the attic later. Molly responded with, "I know." once her dad had closed the trapdoor.
Alex exhaled sharply and Molly rubbed her temples as Reggie said, "Your dad seems like the kind of guy who loves to barbecue. I really hope he likes ribs!"
"Look, I don't know but, if you want to talk to me, we'll have to do it in the studio area. My dad's already worried about me as it is." Molly explained to the boys sitting right in front of her. "Also, yes. My dad loves to barbecue."
"Nice!" Reggie said with a fist pumped in the air.
"Well, your dad seems like he'd be okay with it. Just tell him about us." Luke casually said and shrugged.
"He's not ready for... all of this. Not yet anyway. Plus, his screams sound more like girlish shrieks of pain..." Molly said, cringing at the last part. But she then got frustrated, sighed and said, "Since last summer, everyone's been watching over me, being nicer than usual as if they're waiting for me to break at any moment."
The band gave her looks of sympathy as she continued, "If I tell my dad I met a band of ghosts, I'd be back to seeing Dr. Turner 3 days a week!"
"Yeah, you probably shouldn't tell him." Luke said, clicking his tongue. He then went over to the box under Molly's desk "Molly..."
"Oh my cob! I told you to leave that alone!" Molly whisper-yelled when she saw Luke phase through her chair and try to grab the rectangular decorated box.
That's when the latter said, "I know, you just shouldn't have said nothing 'cause now I can't stop thinking about it so..." Luke said, debating if he should ask about the box again. He ultimately decided to just ask Molly about the box again, "What's in the box?"
"Look, I-it's just a memory box, alright?! Whenever my family had to move and we had to leave friends behind, I kept something that every friend I've made gave to me before leaving. It's also just a bunch of other personal things..." Molly explained to the meddling guitarist and vocalist as she blinked away fresh tears.
"L-Like lyrics?" Luke said, phasing back through the chair and standing up.
"It would be if I hadn't stopped writing them after my mom..." Molly sighed and lowered her gaze to the floor as she continued, "Now I just keep it under there because it's just stuff that's gonna make me sad."
Alex got up from where he was sitting and said with a look that was almost determined, "Well, you do play. We heard you play this morning."
"In the garage?! So you guys were there too?!" Molly said with widened eyes as Luke went over to Alex and smacked him on the shoulder. All of the boys then started stammering trying to find an answer.
"Uhhh..."
"I don't..."
"Uhm..."
"He was, like..."
"We were..."
"Somewhere."
"So, where is your kitchen by the way?" Luke asked out of nowhere while sitting on Molly's bed.
"Okay, first, we need to set some boundaries. For starters, stay from up here!" Molly said, irritated at first. Then irritation turned into frustration.
"Mm-hmm, Crystal clear. Let's go."
"We're leaving!"
"Yes ma'am! We are outta here!"
They boys all said in unison as they ran to the attic door and teleported as they jumped down from the attic. After the boys left, Molly picked up the scrapbook and Alex popped back into the attic and said, "Hey!"
Molly turned around to face the blonde college-aged drummer and once he saw that he had her attention he said, "Um, sorry. I didn't mean to bother you. Did you get back into your music program?"
"No. No, I didn't." Molly responded to his question, quite somberly at that.
Alex, who felt for her instead of just feeling bad, had then said, "I'm sorry, That really sucks."
"Thanks."
Molly and Alex were standing where they were in awkward silence until Molly spoke up asking, "So... That's all?"
"Yeah. Ok." Alex said, teleporting back out of the attic as Molly waved goodbye to him and put the scrapbook back.
~Living Room~
Darryl was playing a game with Becca, Charlie and June. Teachers at their school had started calling the group of kids the Chaos Crew a while ago, and it stuck like super glue. Pete was finishing a work presentation on his laptop in the armchair across the room. That's when Molly came down and announced herself.
"Hey dad! Whatcha doing?" Molly said as she walked up to her dad.
~In Danville~
Isabella Garcia-Shapiro, a Mexican-Jewish girl with long black hair with a pink bow on top, wearing a pink dress, was reading something until she felt an immediate disturbance in the atmosphere and narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
~Back in the McGee's Living Room~
Pete was showing Molly what he had worked on so far. The presentation was about the main plan for helping Mayor Doofenshmirtz. Then Pete went on to show Molly the pictures he had taken of various rooms of their home and once he got to the garage, he noticed something kinda strange.
"The ones from the garage didn't turn out quite right though." Molly saw the pictures and her eyes widened, "It's like... there's lights and dots everywhere-"
"Orbs?!" Darryl exclaimed as he shot up from his spot on the couch, "Me and June have seen some freaky stuff about those on MeTube! People say that they're ghosts! Do you think it's mom and... she made some friends?"
Pete gave a small smile and said, "That's nice and all, but you can't go around believing everything you find on the internet."
"Uh-! Maybe you could send those pictures to Mrs. Chen, she's good with editing and that sort of thing. I mean, no use in wasting photos." Molly suggested to the redheaded man and he emailed the "messed up" photos to Esther, Ollie and June's mom and one of the co-owners of Ruben's Root Beer Pub, for editing. Don't worry, he explained everything to her before he sent the photos.
"Hey dad?" Molly said to get this attention. Pete turned his head to look at her and she continued, "I was thinking, If you and council take on the job to help out Danville, maybe there's a way to help from here? I-I mean, none of us want to move again."
"Yeah! I wanna stay! And not just because the chaos crew has done some things that can't be disclosed." Darryl said, almost mumbling the last part. His dad and sister turned to him and gave him the bombastic side eye.
"Noted..." Pete said, hesitant if he should ask about Darryl's... business. He continued on by asking his eldest child, "So, what made you change your mind?"
"I don't know, a combination of things." Molly said, chuckling lightly. "I know that คุณป้าใหม่ (Auntie Mai) said that moving is moving on, but that was years ago! Plus, she wanted our family to find a forever home as much as we did, and we finally found one! So, I... don't think moving is the right answer for us."
"I completely agree with you. However, changing the council and Mayor Brunson's minds won't be as easy. This kind of stuff takes months sometimes longer to plan out." Pete said, putting a hand on Molly's shoulder, "I think moving on has to come from the inside. And someone took a huge step this morning."
Molly smiled softly and said, "A lot of our memories of and with mom are here, so we should be here too!" The teenager put her hand on her brother's shoulder and asked, "Can we stay?"
"Alright! I'll talk with Mayor Brunson and the council and try to get them on board." Pete said, excited.
"Yes!" Darryl shouted as he did a fist pump in the air.
"Thank you, Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you so much!" Molly joined in on the excitement and hugged her dad tightly. Pete hugged her back and urged Darryl to join in and he did.
The hug broke and Pete started looking for his phone and asked, "Have either of you seen my phone? I have to make some calls."
"Oh! I think it's in the kitchen." Darryl said. Molly pulled her dad by the arm and led him to the kitchen. Once Pete and Molly were gone, Darryl snuck on to his dad's laptop to check out the photos. The young boy then sent the photos to his own email and left no traces of his misdeed.
~That Night~
Luke was back in the McGees house, more specifically the kitchen where his head was in the fridge, smelling all the food that was in there. Molly then came down the stairs in the same Positivitea shirt and pink pants from the night before. She walked into the kitchen to see Luke putting his head in the fridge.
"I don't think I'll get used to that." Molly said to herself as she shuddered. She walked up to Luke and asked, "Do you guys even eat?"
Luke shook his head and said, "I just wanna see what'cha got."
Molly closed the fridge door and Luke stared at her wide-eyed. "Wha-! Do you know how long it took me to open that?!" Luke said in frustration.
"Well, you were wasting power and I don't believe in wasting power." Molly said as she went over to the counter and started making a PB&J as Luke followed her and said, "Good." cause that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about."
"Our power usage? We do try not to use as much-" Molly began but was cut off by Luke who said, "What? No! Not that kind. I mean the power that you have." The girl looked at him confused and he said, "Your voice. Your piano, you're like a human wrecking ball!"
Molly chuckled lightly and asked, "Is this a pep talk?"
"What I'm saying is, you have the power to move people. Knock them off their feet." Luke said, "There is no way your teachers wouldn't let you back into school if they heard you play like that!"
"I already asked her. She said I had to wait until next semester." Molly said, continuing to make her sandwich.
"That was your first mistake. Asking." Luke said as Molly raised an eyebrow and he continued, "Sunset Curve booked gigs by doing. We went into ambush mode. We played in front of clubs, we played behind clubs. We even played book clubs!" He jumped up and sat on the counter behind Molly.
"Book clubs?" Molly asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah. We didn't get many gigs out of those. We got banned more than anything. They had some gnarly snacks though." Luke said as Molly continued to make her sandwich, "What I'm saying is, don't ask for permission, swing that wrecking ball of talent of yours at your teacher's head and smash those damn rules out of their heads!"
Molly turned to face Luke and said, "First, language. Second, this is a high school not a club and your plan could get me arrested. I'm not really the violent type, I'm more of a pacifist."
"It's a closed door waiting for you to bust it open!" Luke said with high levels of determination as Molly opened a cabinet door. Luke's head went through the door as Molly grabbed a cup, closed the door and scoffed.
"Sorry. Once I start with the metaphors, it gets really hard to stop." Luke jumped down from the counter and followed Molly to the fridge. "I learned that in book club. Well, the one we didn't get banned from anyways."
Molly chuckled lightly at that with orange juice in hand and said, "They're not just gonna let me back in."
"If getting back into music is what you aspire to do, then you gotta go for it." Luke said as Molly picked up her sandwich, "Learn from me. Your tainted hotdog could be right around the corner." he whispered the last part.
That made Molly put her sandwich down before she could get a bite and she said, "I don't even have anything prepared..."
"I knew you'd say that." Luke smirked as he held up a piece of sheet music. "It's called 'Bright'. It's a Sunset Curve song that I wrote that we never got to record. But, it's perfect for your range." The sheet music being placed on the cutting board. "Just check out the chorus for a second. If you add a little bit of piano, I'm telling you..." Luke then started singing afterwards:
And rise
Through the night
You and I
We will fight to shine together
Bright forever
Luke started again but this time, Molly sang along with him and they were in harmony.
And rise
Through the night
You and I
We will fight to shine together
"Then go up high." Luke instructed and Molly did just that.
Bright forever
"Yes!" Luke chuckled as the duo finished.
They stared at each other in awe for a moment and Molly smiled and simply thanked him.
~The Next Day~
Libby was in the empty music room playing her clarinet, sounding very out of tune. Which was weird, because she was actually good at not just the clarinet, but the violin, the Saxophone and the Bandoneon as well. Molly, who was now wearing a light grey shirt, a camo skirt that went just an inch above her knees, converses she had decorated herself, and had her hair tied up into a simple bun, had walked into the music room to find her best friend playing the out of tune clarinet and cringe a bit.
"Libs, what are you doing?! And where's everyone else?" Molly asked Libby as the latter stopped blowing into her clarinet.
"They're at the Spirit Rally. I was kind of just blowing it off 'cause I just wasn't feeling very spirit-y today." Libby said, sitting up right in the chair and putting her clarinet in the case. Then she asked, "Are you okay? Be honest."
"...Not really. I had this new plan to play for Mrs. Hanson, but I guess I missed my chance." Molly explained. Libby gave a look and quickly said, "No you didn't." as she pulled Molly to the Auditorium and music started playing.
Woah-oh-oh, Woah-oh-oh
~The Auditorium~
Andrea and 4 others were currently on stage doing their performance and the crowd was going off (in a good way).
Wow (Performed by Andrea (Originally by Carrie) and Dirty Candy)
Woah-oh-oh, Woah-oh-oh
See 'em look
Hear 'em, "ooh-ah"
Hands up, throwback, boo-yah
"Whoo!" Nick cheered from the crowd.
We're the best, no doubt
Check it out, yeah, we make 'em say, "wow"
Made moves
On the rise now
"Well, someone spent all her daddy's money on costumes and Lady Gaga's choreographer." Libby said, arms crossed as she glared at Andrea from where she was backstage.
"I mean... it did pay off in the end." Molly said, trying her best to be nice about it.
Yeah, we're going sky high and we never gonna settle
Living in the fast lane, pedal to the metal
Wе see it, we want it
We get it, wе got it
Everybody lose control
We came to play, where ya at?
Molly and Libby stood in the same spots, watching as Andrea and her group continued with their routine.
"It gets harder and harder to be nice when it comes down to her." Molly whispered to Libby blankly.
We're going hard
Just like that, yeah
We the bomb, chain react
Blow their minds and watch them
See 'em look
Hear 'em, "ooh-ah"
Hands up, throwback, boo-yah
Luke, Alex and Reggie teleported backstage where Molly and Libby were, and the former noticed. She then asked, "What are you doing here?!" She had to whisper low because Libby was still next to her.
We're the best, no doubt
"We wanna see you stick it to the man!" Luke said, with a fist pumped up in the air, "Isn't that right, boys?"
Check it out, yeah, we make 'em say, "wow"
"Man, I miss high school..." Reggie said, mesmerized as he looked at Andrea's group in awe.
Made moves
On the rise now
Run stuff, get a piece of that pie now
We're the best, no doubt
Check it out, yeah, we make 'em say, "wow"
Come follow me, we going make history
'Cause we are the champions like Freddy Mercury
Yeah, we gonna rock you
Never gonna not do
Always makin' headlines
Yeah, we the hot news
We came to play, where ya at?
We're going hard, just like that, yeah
Yeah, we the bomb, chain react
Blow their minds and watch them
See 'em look
Hear 'em, "ooh-ah"
Hands up, throwback, boo-yah
We're the best, no doubt
Check it out, yeah, we make 'em say, "wow"
Made moves
On the rise now
Run stuff, get a piece of that pie now
We're the best, no doubt
Check it out, yeah, we make 'em say, "wow"
Wo-o-o-o-o-ow, wo-o-o-ow
Wo-o-o-o-o-ow, wo-o-o-ow
Alex was dancing along until Luke elbowed him.
Wo-o-o-o-o-ow, wo-o-o-ow
Wo-o-o-o-o-ow
Check it out, yeah, we make 'em say, "wow"
Yeah, we make 'em say, "wow"
Ooh-ooh, yeah, yeah
See 'em look
Hear 'em, "ooh-ah"
Hands up, throwback, boo-yah
We're the best, no doubt (no doubt)
Check it out, yeah, we make 'em say, "wow"
Made moves
On the rise now
Run stuff, get a piece of that pie now
We're the best, no doubt (we the best, no doubt)
Check it out, yeah, we make 'em say, "wow"
Wo-o-o-o-o-ow, wo-o-o-ow (oh, yeah)
Wo-o-o-o-o-ow, wo-o-o-ow (oh, we make 'em say, "wow")
Wo-o-o-o-o-ow, wo-o-o-ow (yeah, we make 'em say, "wow")
Wo-o-o-o-o-ow
Check it out, yeah, we make 'em say, "wow"
Once the performance was finished, everyone in the crowd cheered as loud as humanly possible (ouch). Andrea motioned for her group to get into a line formation. After the group was behind her, Andrea put a hand on her heart and said, "Thank you! Thank you!"
"We love you Andrea!" A girl shouted from the crowd
"Oh! I love you too!" Andrea said, "Make sure to check out my new MeTube video! Oh, and Go Lemmings!" The ombre-haired girl giggled and led her group offstage. Even the way the girls walked looked choreographed.
"Thank you, Dirty Candy!" The principal said as she walked on stage with Mrs. Hanson.
"Now's your chance! Go talk to her!" Libby whispered to Molly then continued with, "See you in 4th period music!" She then left to find her seat.
"That was sweet," The principal said while the auditorium was in complete and awkward silence. She continued with, "Ok then, before we let you all go, we have a few more announcements to make."
"What are you waiting for! Go out there! Now is your time!" Reggie encouraged Molly who looked really nervous.
Alex noticed this and said, "Yeah. You look really nervous. Like 'puke in a bowl" nervous."
"I just don't think I had enough time to-!" Molly started to say then Luke cut her off with, "I wouldn't have given you the song if i didn't think you were gonna rock it. Now, there's a piano on that stage with your name on it."
Principal Lessa was close to being done with making the announcements when Molly ran onto the stage and nervously sat down at the keyboard. Everyone started leaving until she started playing.
Bright (Performed by Molly (Originally by Julie) and Sunset Curve)
Sometimes I think I'm falling down
I wanna cry, I'm calling out
For one more try to feel alive
And when I feel lost and alone
I know that I can make it home
Fight through the dark and find the spark
Life is a risk, but I will take it
Close my eyes and jump
Together, I think that we can make it
Come on, let's run
The boys teleported their instruments and themselves to the stage and started backing Molly up.
And rise through the night, you and I
We will fight to shine together, bright forever
The crowd started cheering and ran up to the stage.
And rise through the night, you and I
We will fight to shine together, bright forever
"Uhm-! This is really happening?!" Molly asked, aghast.
Luke responded with, "Just go with it!" and he started singing:
In times that I doubted myself
I feel like I needed somе help
From a platform on top of the stage, Ollie and 2 other boys, a dark-skinned boy with curly brown hair named Nashua and a blonde wavy-haired boy named Sebastian (But everyone calls him Seb), were recording clips of the spirit rally for the school website.
"What the-!? Ollie, did you do that?! Where'd the- the special effects come from?!" Seb whispered.
"No?! I-I don't even know how that happened! You know I'm the video recording guy!" Ollie whispered back, gesturing to the stage.
Stuck in my head with nothing left
Andrea was in the crowd with wide eyes as the crowd kept cheering.
I feel somеthing around me now
So unclear, lifting me out
I found the ground
I'm marching on
Life is a risk, but we will take it
Close my eyes and jump
Together, I think that we can make it
Come on, let's run
And rise through the night, you and I
We will fight to shine together, bright forever
And rise through the night, you and I
We will fight to shine together, bright forever
In times that I doubted myself
I feel like I needed some help
Stuck in my head with nothing left
And when I feel lost and alone
I know that I can make it home
Fight through the dark and find the spark
And rise (rise) through the night (through the night)
You and I (you and I)
We will fight to shine together (we will shine together)
Bright forever (bright forever)
And rise (rise) through the night (through the night)
You and I (you and I)
We will fight to shine together (we will shine together)
Bright forever
The crowd cheered even louder, and Molly raised the mic in the air and smiled proudly.
Molly and the boys took a bow and after that, the boys disappeared, and everyone gasped in shock. Everyone started turning to each other and asking each other questions.
"What the-?"
"Amazing!"
"Did you see that?"
"What just happened?!"
"What?"
"Whoa!"
"What in the world?!"
Molly chuckled and turned away from the crowd. Her smile faltered and she said, "Oh corn..."
(A/N: Thanks for reading if you made it this far! There were some references to a couple of other fics that I've read and really loved in this chapter. I finally found a method to writing fics faster while still keeping the same quality so hopefully I can get the next chapter out in November.)