"Woah, Julie," Luke greets, his eyes wide in shock; I try to hide any ounce of annoyance I was feeling, covering it up with a small smile instead; just when I thought everything was going according to plan, she shows up and makes things harder; and to think, I thought she was cool.

"Grab your guitar, we've got work to do," Luke glanced at the boys, who both nodded, reassuring she was being legit; they had proud smirks on their faces, they definitely went against my instructions and left the studio; if I weren't supposed to be acting friendly, I'd scold the two of them.

"Harper, right?" Julie asked, nodding at me now; Luke had walked over to grab his guitar, leaving me in the center of the room; I nodded, not bothering to reply yet, "I just want to say sorry," I furrowed my brows, what could she possibly need to apologize for; I mean sure, she ruined my plans, but she didn't know about those, "That was not the first impression I wanted to give off, you seem really sweet, and I was kind of harsh."

"Oh?" I nodded; it came off as more of a question than anything; I didn't even think Julie was that rude, I mean, I have been treated worse at the club; not that it even bothered me, I usually fought back anyway, "thank you." I finally say, forcing a sweet smile on my face.

"What made you come back?" Luke asked, walking over to Julie; he still seemed shocked that Julie had rejoined their band; I didn't blame him though; she did exit pretty dramatically.

"I realized how important music is to all of us," She explained; I shut my eyes, trying to keep my cool; oh no, not a speech on how much music means to them, I know Luke, he's a sucker for those, "and we've lost so much already, we can't lose this too." I wasn't sure what Julie had lost, but I could tell by the sadness in her eyes that it was something big.

"Thanks," Luke nodded, stepping back; I expect him to go to his mic, but he comes to me instead, "Is it alright if Harper stays and watches?" I open my mouth to decline his offer; I should probably go see Caleb and Maya and inform them of the minor setback I was facing.

"Of course," Julie nodded, gesturing to a chair nearby; I sighed but walked over to the chair anyway. Due to my awful luck, the chair was closest to Luke, "You know, it'll be nice having another girl around," Julie spoke to me, trying her best to make me feel welcome; I nodded despite my pure disliking to all of this.

"I can't believe you've been putting up with these goons all by yourself," I reply; Julie chuckles at my joke, while the boys fake pout, "alright, so are you gonna perform for me or what?"

"Right, let's go from the pre-chorus," Julie instructs the boys, sitting back down at her keys; right before she begins playing, she looks up at Luke, who is now standing near me again, "oh, and Luke?" She asks; he looks up from his guitar, "Happy birthday." Of course, Alex and Reggie brought her to Emily's; they showed her the two of us in the kitchen, watching his parents celebrate; no wonder Julie returned; she probably felt guilt-ridden by the sight of the broken-hearted boy.

"1,2,3,4," Alex yelled before anyone else could reply, cueing the beginning of the song. I stayed in my seat their entire rehearsal, partially listening, but mostly, I was thinking of ways I can get them to come to the club; I needed to go see Maya ASAP; she'll know what to do.

1 hour later

"I should probably head out," I announced right after their rehearsal was finished; I needed to get out of here and see Maya. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to stay for long; due to Julie's sudden forgiveness towards the boys, my works just got a little more challenging.

"Oh, you're leaving already?" Julie asked sadly; her upset expression confused me, why was she so disappointed by this? we hardly knew one another.

"Yeah," I nodded, trying my best to look sorry, "I just want my friends back home to know I'm okay." I make up, referring to the place I live as my home and not a club; in reality, both Maya and Caleb knew where I was, and hopefully, they had made up a decent enough excuse to Willie about my whereabouts.

"You'll be back later, though, right?" Luke asked, his voice full of hope; despite not wanting to come back, I nodded.

"Yeah, of course," I forced a smile on my face, "I wouldn't miss it." Well, if it were up to me, I would; but they can't know that; Luke looked as if there was more, and as much as I wanted to poof out and have a moment to myself, I also had a plan to follow. "Was there anything else you needed?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," He stuttered nervously, "you can say no if you want, but I," he shook his head, gesturing to the boys, "I mean we; we were wondering if you-" Spit it out, I wanted to yell, luckily Alex was just as impatient as I was and he cut off Luke's rambling.

"We were wondering if you wanted to spend a few nights," Alex said, just as Maya predicted; the boys were asking me to stay and hang out for longer; I was kind of shocked it was happening so soon, but I wasn't complaining, they trust me, this is good, "it's been really nice hanging out again."

"That'd be cool," I nodded, smiling at the three of them, "only if Julie is okay with it, obviously," I turn to the girl; did her permission actually matter to me? No, but making a good impression is crucial; I can't look suspicious.

"Of course," Julie answered, "it'll be fun," fun isn't the word I'd use to describe it, but sure, "I should probably go inside," Julie informed the boys, and I walked to the door, "See ya guys." I waved slightly along with the boys, watching as Julie closed the studio door shut.

"I should get going too," I tell the boys, "don't wanna be late for your big gig," I winked, poofing out of the room before any of the boys could reply.

"Harper," Maya greeted, most people would flinch at the sight of someone randomly poofing in, but Maya's expression remained unphased by my sudden appearance, "how's it going with the boys?" I let out the groan I'd been holding in, throwing myself onto the couch in her dressing room, "so not good?"

"It was going good at first," I explained, "Julie quit their band, and Luke shared something kind of personal with me; I was sure they'd leave and come here after everything that went down."

"But?" Maya asked, knowing it was coming.

"But, when Luke and I got back, Julie was in their studio, ready to rehearse and rejoin their band," I continue, putting air quotes around the word band; Maya stayed silent, I could tell she was trying to figure out what to do next.

"Okay," she finally spoke, nodding her head; I furrowed my brows at her, that was definitely not the reaction I was expecting, "I'm not too worried about this Julie girl; you and the guys are getting close again, I doubt they'd choose some girl they met over a girl they've known their whole lives." I wanted to argue that I was never Lukes first pick, but I decided to stay quiet instead. Who knows, maybe Maya is right; I can tell my presence is affecting Luke, and the way he was acting around me was familiar. It was how he was before we dated; maybe the plan would work, "just turn up the charm, and you'll be fine," I rolled my eyes; that was her solution for everything, "so are you done for the night?"

"I wish," I whined, curling deeper into the corner of the sofa, I was exhausted, "I promised I'd go to their gig tonight," Maya hummed in response, "and they kind of asked me to spend a few nights," I say this last part quietly knowing how Maya will respond.

"I told you," She sang in a know-it-all tone; I groaned in response; why did she always have to be right? it was getting annoying, "So do you need to go soon then?"

"Yup," I mumbled, pulling myself off the couch tiredly, "I'm just getting my stuff and going, which I should probably be doing right now; I'll come by and update you whenever I can,"

"Wait," Maya yelled just as I was about to poof out, "get changed, you need to look nice for their gig; it'll impress Luke." I squinted at her slightly, "trust me." I rolled my eyes, poofing out of the room in response, but once I was in the room, I did change into a new dress like she had instructed. Once again, Maya was right, shocker.
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^^ harpers outfit

🤍
Harper is gonna be up to no good next chapter...