Bruises - JATP Fanfic (Luke x OC)

Chapter 7

Warning: there is physical abuse towards the end, but I made it as non-descriptive for those who are sensitive to it. It is really important to the story, but if you have to skip over it that's okay. No judging here.

"Is that... is that Brielle?" Luke asks, the first to hear the faint melody of the studio.

"Yes. Didn't you hear her? She has to write a song for music class." Brielle, being as invisible as she is, wasn't quite loud enough to get it through their heads while they were roaming around Julie's room.

"She writes songs?" Luke asks, poofing into the studio.

"What are you doing here?" Brielle asks, noticing Luke's presence immediately and stops playing the piano.

"Listening to you. Obviously. That melody sounded beautiful on the piano." Luke sits next to her on the bench, seeing the printer paper that is currently full of pencil marks denoting ideas, words, chords, and more. "Are there any lyrics?"

"Yes, but I'm not singing them. Right now, I need a melody. And you're distracting me." Brielle says, trying to get through his thick skull that she wants to be alone, right as Reggie and Alex poof into the studio as well.

"So, can we please, please, please hear what you're writing?" Reggie asks, trying everything in his power--including puppy dog eyes--to get Brielle to play and sing.

"One, Luke needs to move. To the couch, preferably. And two, don't judge it." Brielle establishes, and the three of them comply, promising not to judge her in any way.

"Because you can hurt me

You can desert me

You can leave me out in the pouring rain

I know you don't see me

As the beauty I can be

But if anything should happen

You'll be there to stay" Brielle finishes the chorus, leaving the boys and Julie, who is just outside the studio, speechless. They don't know how to react to the beautiful lyrics that just came out of her mouth that made them feel more than most songs could in three minutes.

"There are no words to describe how beautiful that was." Luke says, the three guys all nearly in tears from the moving words.

"He's right. Your songs are powerful." Julie walks in, Brielle shrugging at her comment.

"They're just songs." Brielle says dismissively, as Julie's dad walks in.

"Hey, everything okay out here?" Ray asks, checking up on the girls.

"Totally. We're fine." Julie replies for the both of them as Brielle gets up and checks her phone.

"Alright. Well, dinner will be in about an hour if you want to join, Brielle." She nods, before reading one of the many threatening, one-sided texts from her parents. Ray has already left the studio, heading back to the main house to make sure Carlos isn't getting into too much trouble.

"Get back to the house, little brat. There are chores to do. If you aren't here in ten minutes, your father will punish you." Brielle sighs, packing up her stuff so she isn't in too much trouble when she gets home ten minutes late.

"Where are you going?" Luke wonders, seeing Brielle walk up to the loft to hide her song.

"Home. My parents need me for something." Brielle says, hiding the paper inside her songbook, which no one else has found yet.

"Your dad seems like the kind of guy who like to barbeque." Reggie, keep up with the conversation. "I bet he has a great ribs recipe."

"Well, if we ever want to talk, we have to do it in here. He's worried about me and Brielle enough as it is." Julie tells the boys. "Ever since my mom died, everyone has been walking on eggshells, as if they're waiting for one of us to snap."