Border To Heaven - JATP Luke

Part 4

Dropping my bag on my bed, I grab my phone out and putting it on charge for a bit.

I change into a sweatshirt and a pair of denim shorts before slumping down at my desk. I look in the mirror, examining the mark on my face.

It's gotten even darker than it was when I left the club...

Eh, whatever. It makes me look more badass.

Pocketing my phone, which is now on 85%, I leave my room. Trudging downstairs, I walk through the dining room, grabbing an apple as I enter the kitchen.

Ray is standing at the sink, drying of the dishes with a tea towel. He turns around to face me as he speaks.

"How was school-"

Ray pauses, taking in the bruise.

"Part of me wants to know what happened. The other part thinks that knowing will be more disturbing than anything I could ever imagine."

"What?" I ask, the phrase sounding familiar.

"It's this show Julie's been watching." He replies, throwing the cloth he was holding over his shoulder.

I give a half hearted nod as I lean against the counter.

Ray turns to look at me. "Are okay?" He asks, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Not really, but I'll be fine."

He comes around to give me a hug. "You know that you can tell me if you need someone to come down there and punch a kid in the face, right?"

Chuckling softly, I hug him back. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Is there any way we could not tell Julie about this." I ask, motioning to my face. "I just don't want her to worry about me."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. But she will find out at some point."

"I know." I mumble. "Hey, do you mind if I stay at a friend's place tonight?"

"Not at all. Go have fun, maybe they can cheer you up." He calls, going back to his place in the kitchen.

"Bye Ray." I call back.

Even though he's not my real dad, Ray's more of a father figure to me than mine ever was.

Shoving the apple in my mouth, I grab my car keys from their hook by the front door and walk out.

Flynn must have driven my car back after school. Which is kinda illegal, by the way.

Then again, I'm a ghost. Technically I don't have my license either.

As I start heading up the driveway, I hear a voice behind me.

"Where've you been? You kinda disappeared after I performed."

I turn to face Julie, tossing the apple in the garden. It's fruit, it'll decompose. Quit making a big deal about littering.

"Oh my god. What happened to your face? Did someone hurt you?"

"Just leave it alone Julie." I snap, turning back around towards the road.

She moves in front of me, blocking my way out.

ALEX POV

Julie left band practice a couple minutes ago. Said she needed to find someone or something.

I sit at my drums, playing the beat to a new song we've been working on called 'Flying Solo'. It's actually one that Julie wrote for Flynn and Ari when they were helping her through losing her mom.

Who would've thought my sister could be nice...

We run through the song, making sure we have everything perfect. I'm pretty sure the plan was for us and Julie to play the song for them as an apology or something.

Suddenly Reggie stops playing. "Do you guys hear that?" He shouts over the music, motioning for us to be cut it out.

The studio goes silent, all of us listening in, trying to hear something. After a minute, when we're about to start back up again (cause this song ain't gonna play itself), we hear it.

There's someone arguing outside.

I get up from my drums and follow Luke and Reg through the studio doors.

Let me tell you that this is not what I was expecting to see.

There are two people outside, about halfway up the driveway. Julie and another girl who has her back to us.

"Who hurt you? What happened?" Julie asks, clearly worried.

"I'm fine. Stop asking." The girl says, her voice breaking at the end. I know that voice. I grew up with that voice.

My sister pushes past Julie, trying to leave.

Grabbing her arm, Julie turns Ari back around to face her.

That's when I see the dark bruise covering the left side of her face.

Ari looks down at Julie's hand on her wrist, tears in her eyes.

"Let go of me!" Ari whimpers, pulling her arm from Julie's grip.

"Ari, who did this!?"

Crying now, and clearly sick of the questions, she confesses. "Dylan did! Okay? It was Dylan."

"Who's Dylan...?" I ask to no one in particular.

Julie steps back, a look of confusion on her face. "What kind of boyfriend does that?"

I'm sorry, boyfriend?

"EX, JULIE! EX!" Ari shouts.

Finally noticing us watching, she goes pale, looking horrified. "I can't do this anymore." she mutters.

"Riri..."

With that, she poofs away, leaving us to deal with a very VERY confused Julie.