* ℌ𝔞𝔲𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔡 / 𝔏𝔦𝔳𝔢𝔰

alex blinks. ❛ ok. ❜ & with that he takes the leap into the unknown.

no, you don’t get it. alex prides himself on thinking things through, sometimes to the point of exhaustion. his back up plans have back up plans. at a drop of a hat, he can list at least ten different ways luke’s latest scheme could fail & be right with an 85% accuracy. he used to carry a makeshift first aid kit in case somebody (reggie) started bleeding. the first (& last) time he smoked weed with bobby, he started to cry about breaking the law & going to jail. so he doesn’t understand how willie can just look at him && his mind fuzzes into late-night tv static.

shoulders rounding, the drummer bites his bottom lip.  ❛ um, iiii…. ❜ here goes nothing mercer, time to admit how really lame you are. ❛ never really was one for amusement parks, y’know? the lines for the good rides were always so long & the food? way over-priced, man. ❜ not to mention his fear of heights, the crush of strangers, the humiliation of never winning rigged games &&—&&—

he blows out a frustrated breath, the fringe of his bangs fluttering with the force of his utter suckitude.  ❛ lame, huh? ❜

   there was no letting go of willie, not this time and perhaps never again. hopefully never again. the other ghost filled him with so much joy and when he believed that he would never see him again, alex fell into a slump that was rather difficult to pull himself out of. eternity was a long time and the drummer did not want to spend it without willie beside him. he had the band, sure, but they weren’t him. there were tears in his eyes when he looked the other in the face, joyful tears but tears nonetheless. “i could ask the same thing–” he breathed out. “it’s uh– it’s a wild story, dude. i still don’t really understand it.”

   “i dunno, man…” there was another more dramatic shrug of his shoulders. “i’m kinda mean to you guys.” his nose scrunched up at the admission. “like, that’s not very awesome of me.”

   alex knew he might have been a little harsh in his reaction to reggie’s appearance and the repeated apology only further confirmed that fact. “no, stay, it’s okay,” he sighed out. the drummer took in a deep breath. “it might be better if you are. i’m uh– i’m scared of what i’ll find. i mean, we went to your place and it was gone. what if my parents are, too?”

   if they couldn’t be trusted to pull each other out of these slumps for the rest of their afterlives, then what could they be trusted to do? alex gently swung their arms as luke stood. a quiet laugh broke open his lips. “that’s the spirit!” the pun was not intended, but it certainly wasn’t unwelcomed. there was a slight bounce of his heels. “i think this calls for a trip to the beach, yeah? or we could sneak into a movie. oh! i once anxiety poofed to some place in greece and it was dope. road trips have never been easier, dude.”

   “dude, no offense, but that sounded so depressing.” a hand ran through his hair as he shook his head. did he sound that depressing when he talked about himself? he knew the whole ghost thing could be a little less than exuberant, but the way she talked just made him feel all doom and gloom. “also, gross, step brother? must’ve sucked. evil stepmother, too?”

“Of course it is … It’s what Belos wants, isn’t it?” Hunter responds, practically scoffing at them. He chooses to ignore that that isn’t technically what Lilith had asked, but it doesn’t matter. Whether he truly wants it or not isn’t important, it’s what his uncle wants and that’s all that matters. “So come on, tell me more.”

  It was a sad use of humour, that was for sure, but she was more than used to that kind of thing — Shawn had often been the same when they were younger. Topanga managed a smile, nodding her understanding. Relationships with parents could be complicated, she hadn’t even lived with hers once she turned sixteen. “You really don’t need to, honey. Just help me pick the pieces up? That’s more than enough.”

Riley can’t help the light giggle that escapes her at Reggie’s actions and she easily hugs him back, leaning against him slightly. “Aw Reggie, I love you and you’re very wonderful too, y’know.” She speaks, tone light and happy with a wide smile on her face. Simple affection like this from her friends can easily make her whole day, and she’s happy to see Reggie in such a good mood.

        “ well, this year will be different. we’ll make a whole thing of it, put a tree up in the studio or something. ” she’s pretty sure there’s still some old christmas lights tangled up in her attic somewhere, they’d look pretty draped along the edge of the loft. lexie smiles, swaying a little where she’d normally have knocked her shoulder against his, “ it would be, if i was confident that you’d actually find a way to make me quiet. ” once lexie starts, it’s pretty difficult to get her to stop. in the past, she’s had people cover her mouth with their hands, or their lips, or even a pillow ( her mom was really tired that day ), and even then she still jabbered on. her smile stretches into a grin as she tucks her hands into her back pockets, “ glad you think so, i’ve got plenty more where that one came from. ”

          SHE’S ALREADY HEARD ABOUT IT FROM HER TEACHER, seen the annoyed looks from her classmates, but she just can’t do it. julie lets out a hefty sigh, her shoulders moving up and down along with it, “ i’m sure it’d make you happy if i did. you’d be top of the class, right? ” she replies. there’s a hint of dejection in her tone; she still feels numb, unable to feel her emotions beyond the anxiety that washes over her whenever she tries to sing. therapy has been hard, she won’t sit at the dinner table, and she can barely even look at the studio without the grief flooding back in. “ just leave me alone, carrie. it’s not like you care anyway. ”