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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟓
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐋𝐄

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After going through her day and avoiding her classmates who were asking for selfies with her and Julie, Lexi walked out of her third to last class and through the halls to get to her locker. Just as she rounded the last corner, she found Flynn leaning against a set of lockers with a small smirk on her face before the redhead followed her friend's gaze to find Julie standing in the middle of the hall talking to Nick.

A grin appeared on the Daniels girl's face at the sight before she made her way over to stand next to Flynn. The pair continued to watch their third Musketeer's conversation with her long-time crush before Nick said his goodbyes, causing Flynn and Lexi to exchange a quick look then they rushed towards Julie.

"Well, that wasn't just a 'what's up?'" Flynn said as soon as she and Lexi came to a stop in front of the Molina girl.

"Nick wanted to go on a date," Julie told her two best friends, only to receive giant smiles from them in return before the smile on her face slowly faded, "and I said no."

"What? Why?" Lexi and Flynn questioned in unison, making the pair send playful glares at each other then they turned their attention back to their curly-haired friend for her explanation.

"You know what you said. This Luke thing isn't going away any time soon, so I...I figured why waste Nick's time?"

"Aww! My baby's all grown up! She's choosing to like someone who doesn't really exist, but she's all grown up."

"But he does exist. To me. It's the same thing for Lexi and Reggie," Julie retaliated while gesturing over at her redheaded friend, who sent her a quirked eyebrow in response before looking towards Flynn to find her sending a smirk in her direction.

"When did this conversation suddenly become about me?" Lexi asked as she continued to glance between her friends while she began to fiddle her fingers and sway back and forth.

"Oh, come on. Everyone saw the way you two were looking at each other last night. You also said that you guys sometimes write songs together and that he came to you for his 'Jar Jar' problem. You finally found someone to match your nerdiness!"

"Oh, look there's the bell," the Daniels girl stopped her friend in the hat before she could continue while her cheeks became as red as her hair.

"There was no bell, Ali."

"Looks like I have to head to class," Lexi told them before sending one last smile to the confused pair in front of her then rushed down the hall and in the direction of her locker.

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Later that day, Lexi sat at her desk in her room as she did her homework with the radio playing music in the background to cut through the silence. Her pencil continued across her almost completed math assignment while her mind kept wandering back to the ghosts of Sunset Curve. When she got back to her room after talking with her parents who somehow believed her story about the three phantoms the other night, the redhead was greeted by an empty space with no sign of where the guys disappeared. Her worries only increased from there when she didn't see them at all during school or even in her house when she got home. Usually, she would see one of them on a daily basis but not now, which made Lexi think something was wrong.

Just as she finished doodling the Avengers logo in the corner of her paper one last time, Lexi finally had enough of not knowing what was going on. An annoyed sigh passed over her lips as she made her way over to her closet to grab a jacket. Once she had her coat around her, she began to make her way toward the door to head over to Julie's to see if her curly-haired friend knew what was going on. Her hand made its way around the doorknob, only for her body to stop its actions at the familiar sound of her ghost friends randomly appearing. When she turned toward the source of the noise, Lexi found Reggie awkwardly standing in the corner of the room while avoiding eye contact with the girl in front of him.

"So, uh, is now a good time to watch those movies?" the bassists asked after deciding that looking down at his feet would be better than continuing to look around the room.

"Yeah. Now works. Are Alex and Luke coming too?" the redheaded girl responded before turning on her TV and going to Captain America: The First Avenger while Reggie sat down on her bed.

"Doubt it. Luke is most likely with Julie and Alex is off with Willie doing who knows what."

The only response Lexi gave the ghost was a small nod before she sat down on the mattress next to the brunette ghost and hit play. The duo stayed like that for the full duration of the movie and every time the redhead glanced over at the boy next to her she saw how deeply invested he was. The small smile on her face slowly grew with every one of his reactions and she had to stifle her laugh a few times when he would comment on certain scenes. However, when the post-credit scene concluded, the Daniels girl finally caught the worry and sadness in the ghost's eyes.

Her gaze stayed glued to the negative emotion in the usually joyful spirit's eyes before she turned off the TV. That caused Reggie's attention to leave the screen and land on her. The pair just stared at each other for a long moment before Lexi cleared her throat after finding the courage to break through the silence surrounding them.

"Is something bothering you?" she asked the boy while fighting the urge to fiddle with her fingers.

"Yeah, um, there's something you should know," Reggie finally said while Lexi stared back at him with a concerned look on her face. The bassist's brown eyes scanned over the girl's features for a moment longer before he opened his mouth to continue speaking. "We figured out that we have unfinished business. That's why we came back as ghosts."

"Do you guys know what it is?"

"We have to play the show we never got to play."

"At the Orpheum? That makes sense," the Daniels girl responded as she nodded along with her words before a small smile formed on her face, "that shouldn't be a huge problem. Both of my parents work there. I can see if they can help get you guys a gig."

"First of all, you would be playing with us too. Secondly, that would be-" Before Reggie could finish his sentence, a flash of light emitted from his chest while his face twisted into a look of pain. The redheaded girl watched with confused wide eyes as the ghost in front of her flinched and stumbled backward before his back came in contact with the wall. Once he gained his bearings, the bassist looked back up to meet the girl's brown eyes. "We don't have a lot of time."

"What was that?" Lexi questioned as she reached forward to help the boy into a standing position, only for her hand to go straight through his. The seriousness in the room turned awkward for a moment before the redhead cleared her throat to continue speaking. "Are you okay?"

"We did something that we shouldn't have. The night that we missed the dance, we met this ghost, and he put this curse on us. And if we don't do what he says, then those jolts will destroy us."

"What exactly does he want from you guys?"

"He wants us to be in his house band for eternity," the brunette ghost explained before taking a few steps forward so that he was close enough that Lexi could see the hint of hope in his eyes, "but if Andy can help us play at the Orpheum soon, then we can avoid all that and actually cross over."

"So it's either you cross over, be in his band for eternity, or be destroyed by those jolt things?" the Daniels girl questioned, only to receive a nod in response from the bassist in front of her before she let out a small sigh, "what do you guys want to do? I mean, obviously you don't wanna be destroyed but would you guys rather cross over or be in this band for eternity?"

"Well, if those are our only options, we'd rather cross over than be this magician's puppets."

"Okay, then. You go assemble the Avengers and meet me in the studio while I go talk to my parents and see if they can help us out."

"Assemble the Avengers?" Reggie questioned with a hint of mischief in his eyes while trying to hold back the laugh that was threatening to escape.

"Just go!"

After sending the shorter girl one last smile, Reggie vanished right before Lexi's eyes before she raced out of her room and down the stairs to find her parents. When she finally found them in the kitchen making dinner, a grin formed on the redhead's face as she sat down at one of the bar stools. The youngest Daniels just watched her laughing parents for a moment and took in the happiness that filled the room before their eyes eventually landed on her. The next thing she knew, a plate full of strawberries and a glass of water appeared in front of her before Rachel sat down next to her while Andy leaned on the counter in front of them.

"Penny for your thoughts?" her father asked with a smirk on his face as he reached across the kitchen island to grab a strawberry.

"You guys help find bands to play at the Orpheum right?"

"Sometimes. But we usually just help the bands set up and make sure they have everything they need," her mother responded before a hint of curiosity crossed over her features, "why the sudden interest in our jobs?"

"I was just wondering if it was possible to help Julie, the guys, and I book a gig there as soon as possible?"

The immediate response Lexi received was Andy and Rachel taking their phones out and scrolling through their calendar in search of the next available date. This continued for another minute or two while the redhead's leg began to bounce in anticipation of an answer. When they finally stopped scrolling, her leg froze while her eyes looked back and forth between them before she got her answer, which wasn't what she was hoping for.

After finishing her conversation with her parents, Lexi grabbed her jacket and slipped on a pair of sneakers. A small sigh passed over her lips as she left her house and made her way across the street to break the bad news. As soon as she entered the studio, the Daniels girl found the three ghosts spread out on the couches with a slightly annoyed Julie standing in front of them. A quiet sigh passed over the redhead's lips as she closed the barn doors behind her and made her way over to the group.

"They're never gonna let us play the Orpheum," Luke said while Lexi came to a stop at Julie's side before all of their attention landed on her, "unless Andy and Rachel said otherwise."

"They didn't say 'never' but they did say six months from now. I'm sorry," she told them, causing all hope to fade from their eyes before they went back to moping around.

"You know what? That doesn't matter," Julie stated, making everyone look at her with a hint of confusion in their eyes before the curly-haired girl continued speaking, "it doesn't matter because someone once told me that you don't ask for permission. You book gigs by doing."

"That was me," Reggie said with a proud look on his face, only for it to disappear after being shut down by both Luke and Julie before he muttered a small, "yes, it was."

"This isn't over," the Molina girl continued while looking between the four other people in the room with her, "we were brought together for a reason: to help each other."

"Yeah, but like Luke said, people don't just play the Orpheum because they want to," Alex retaliated while waving his hands around in the air in front of him.

"People don't, but ghosts do."

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