Okay, before I get to the chapter, this is to guest Auslly For Life. And also to everyone else if you were confused. I will clear that up right now.

Last chapter, Austin did leave a voicemail for Zoey in which he apologized to her. Remember, Austin met Zoey in Miami and they've been in Miami pretty much the whole time. They live there. Ally currently lives in New York because she goes to Juilliard there. And now Austin is going to New York. ...I think you can connect the rest of those dots now. :P

Hope I cleared that up a bit. :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Christie comes back to her seat right when there's an announcement over the intercom declaring our departure. As the attendants all make sure everything is all right before taking off, I let my mind drift off again.

I'm not able to look out the window like I usually would on a plane. Because I didn't book the flight earlier, I couldn't get a window seat like I normally would.

"So, Austin," Christie speaks up. "I heard about Starr Records, you know, releasing you."

I widen my eyes at the mention of my old record label. I guess that's just how quickly the news spread. "Oh, yeah." I scratched my neck – old habit. "I kinda...screwed up," I answer honestly.

Christie nods in understanding. "If you screwed up, why don't you go fix it then?"

"I am. That's why I'm sitting here on this plane, going to New York."

"What do you mean?"

This girl is very straightforward with her questions. I wonder if Rick mentioned anything about that in his little message.

I sigh before answering. I barely know this girl; I literally just met her not even twenty minutes ago and I'm just about to confess the whole plan I have to her. But something compels me to do so. I feel like I can really trust her.

"I mean, well, it's kind of a long story. I just have to fix some things in New York. I made a mistake."

"Good for you then."

I look at Christie, somewhat surprised by her response. I expected another question – something along the lines of, "What did you do?" – but instead she leaves the story there. "What?" I ask.

She shrugs. "I said, 'Good for you then.' For, you know, going to fix your mistakes."

That compelling feeling has now gotten stronger. It's like this girl knows exactly what to say.

"Say Christie," I then say. "How much do you like being told stories?"

"Um, I guess it depends on the story."

"How does a story about getting a second chance sound?"

Christie looks at me again, and for the first time since getting on the plane, I see this brown spark in her eyes. It cites anticipation. And they're brown. Soft, kind, brown eyes – just like hers.

I don't tell Christie the events of last night. Nothing about my visits from the three ghosts or about the pasts and presents and futures or about any of that. All of that is not necessary to the real story that is really worth telling her. Besides, last night isn't even the right place to start.

Though I figure that she knows just about the whole story, I decide to start at the beginning.

"I walked into a store called Sonic Boom one day, looking for some instruments to buy..." I start off.

That's where it really starts. A story about second chances should start near the first few days that I did get my first second chance.

She doesn't say anything throughout the whole story; she just listens. The whole time though, I can't stop myself from noticing her brown eyes. They reflect so much of her in Christie that I can't help but let regret and guilt gore its way into the pit of my stomach.

All the same, I find myself to still be smiling as I tell her the first part of my story – the past. I know that she already knows this and at some point I expect her to get bored of me, but she doesn't. She just continues to listen. When I start getting into the times that I started to totally screw up big time, her facial expression changes a little, as if she's a bit shocked by what actually happened. Nevertheless, she doesn't stop me and lets me go on.

I get into the present a bit more and tell her all about the wonderful day I had yesterday. I find myself in disbelief as I tell her this. Was it really yesterday that I got dropped from Starr Records and lost Zoey? Holy crap, that felt like a hundred years ago. Time just flies by, doesn't it?

And finally, I only tell her of what I "dreamt" of what might be the future. I tell her that it could have been an exaggeration, but that I would one day end up homeless alone and not have a career anymore. That one day Austin Moon will be a nobody and no one will ever remember him – not even Christie herself. And that leads me to come to the conclusion that I have to fix things and that even if I don't get a second chance, I will have at least tried to get a second chance from my old friends. But in that moment, I feel like that if not even Dez gives me a second chance, then I just might be doomed.

Hopefully that won't happen.

When I finish, her brown eyes are still on me. It takes Christie a minute to respond to just about everything that I've said.

"So, that's why you're going to New York, huh? To fix things with your friends?"

"Yeah," I say. I take a deep breath, almost relieved that someone knows the whole story – my side of the story.

She nods. "How long did you say it's been?"

"Years. Three years." Three years since I've really spoken to any of them; that feels so long ago. If last night feels like a hundred years ago, going three years back feels like a thousand times that.

"Wow."

"Yeah."

I try to wrap my head around this. I spent three years without the three people that launched my career into the music business in the first place. That is just... Wow. I can't believe it myself. Plus the fact that three ghosts had to straight up tell me what the hell I was doing wrong pangs even more guilt than needed be in my stomach.

For a while after that, neither of us says anything. I'm back to sitting, waiting, and thinking again. Patiently now, I go through the plan I have in mind once I get to New York. The minute I get off this plane in the Big Apple, everything takes action. Will all of it go well? My guess is probably not. But it's worth the shot, right? I mean, how worse can things possibly get?

I speak up again. "So, Christie, you never told me. Why are you going to New York?"

"Well," she looks down and blushes. "I live in New York. I was just visiting family in Miami."

"Oh, that's cool." I can't help but feel a twinge inside at the thought of family. I don't think I have – they're just busy – but I can't resist the thought that I happen to have lost them too. When I get home though, I'm visiting my parents...whenever they get back from whatever mattress convention.

I also can't help that she doesn't mention Rick at all. Then again, maybe it's not necessary information to share. Or maybe it's private information.

The one fatal flaw in the entire plan is that the whole ghost thing could have been just a dream. What if none of the stuff I saw was really true in the first place? This flight to New York would be all for nothing.

The past is the past and that's all true, of course. The partnership, the break up, that has truth written all over it. No denying that.

Their presents could be true. I don't know for sure what my old friends' lives are like now. I do know for sure that Ally goes to Juilliard, Trish goes to New York University, and that Dez is in fact directing a movie in New York starting today. It's their personal lives I really don't know about.

Meeting a girl named Christie could have been just a coincidence. Within Rick's message I didn't even get to know of what Christie looked like until now. Tall, brown eyes, auburn hair. Rick mentions nothing of it... Is Rick even a real person? What if he isn't?

What about Bernie? Is he an actual person? And what about that coffee shop? Is that even an actual place?

But of course, the future will now be different. At least, I hope it'll be different. Because if not...

I have to take this chance. It's better than doing nothing at all. And also a lot better than going back to Zoey and Starr Records begging on my knees to take me back. But the thing about those two things is that I don't want them anymore. Or at the very least, I don't need them. Not right now.

My music career doesn't matter to me as much as my old friends do. I can start going to college despite the fact that I'm already twenty-one; it would be a start, and a fresh start at that.

Getting this second chance would also be a fresh start. If I could just rewind the clock three years ago and not have been such an idiot things would be so different.

Too bad I can't rewind the clock. The past...is in the past, unfortunately. But the future may not always be the same...future as one might think. I may not be able to change the past, but I can change the future.

Once the plane lands, Christie and I send off our goodbyes. I decide to give her my cellphone number just in case she ever wants to talk, which is to her surprise. Considering the fact that she thinks it's crazy that a celebrity is giving one of their fans his phone number.

If Rick is a real person, then this is going to be one heck of a story she would be telling him.

The moment I get to the airport, I rush through the mobs of people to get a taxi cab. I've suddenly lost the virtue of patience and it kills me to have to wait any longer to do this.

I take a deep breath as I tell the driver where I want him to take me. This is so nerve wrecking, which I find to be a surprise. I don't get too nervous often.

Once I get going, I notice the time to be around 2:33 in the afternoon. Perfect.

I pull out my phone and scroll through my contacts, looking for a specific one. I haven't called or texted the person in who knows how long. It's been so long. The contact information isn't just useless phone storage anymore... But I'm glad it's still there after all this time.

Tapping the call button, I hold the phone up to my ear, and gulp down the saliva built up in my mouth.

This is it, Austin. You take what you learn from the past; apply it to the present, so that hopefully, you'll have a better future. The future is worth fighting for, your old friends are worth fighting for, and love is worth fighting for. Even if it's been three long years, it's better late than never, right?

"Hello?" the voice says over the phone.

I look at myself through the rear mirror before immediately answering back. Hearing the voice is so relieving to me, part of the weight on my shoulders is almost lifted off. Almost.

I answer back, "Yeah. Dez? It's me, your old friend...Austin."

Okay. That was probably one of my fastest updates ever. I am quite proud of myself, but I know that this also comes from having no life whatsoever. Oh well.

So this chapter is shorter than I anticipated. Sorry about that.

But because I'm nice, I decided to give you all a little preview of the next chapter... ^_^ It's gonna be EPIC, guys. Anyway, here:

I take a deep breath – I've noticed that I've been doing that a lot – and start. "All right. Dez, I know you already heard me say this, but I need Trish to hear this."

Deep breath number two. "I know that I screwed up. Big time. And, I'm sorry for being such an ass. Or bastard, whatever you want to call me. But, I'm really sorry. I messed up Team Austin and everything else, but I'm sorry. Really sorry. Really, really, really, rea-"

Trish cuts me off by putting a hand up. "We get it, Austin."

"So you forgive me?"

"Well..." Trish says. "You did screw up Team Austin pretty bad."

"I know."

"And you did act like a real jerk."

"I know."

"And it did take you about three years to finally man up to apologize."

"I know," I say for the third time. By now, I start to shrink in fear. I could see Trish's next move as slapping me or punching me or kicking me or doing whatever to me, but for some reason, she seems to remain calm.

Then, I notice she starts to raise a hand and upon instinct I shut my eyes tight and throw my hands up to guard my face. "Oh, crap, please don't hurt me!" I can't help but say.

There goes that manliness factor, I guess.

I then hear a laugh and let down my guard. "Sometimes, it really looks like you haven't changed a bit, Austin," Trish says.

"Yeah, you should see your face, dude," Dez joins in, chuckling along.

I roll my eyes. "Oh, shut up. Do you forgive me or not?"

It's Trish's turn to roll her eyes. "Fine. I forgive you, Austin."

I beam hard for the first time in a long time. "Yes!" As I pump my fist in the air as I now have gotten two of my friends back.

But that seemed so easy. Not that I mind it being easy, but I got two down and one to go. Though, I know inside that it was Ally I hurt more than them.

I wonder how well this will go...

...That was a long preview of the next chapter, but hopefully it does its justice in making you all excited. :3 I'm hoping that I'll have the next chapter within the next week, so... Until next time! :D