First, and foremost: Happy two year anniversary of my first SYOC New Year, New Directions, and happy new year to everyone else.

Sorry, that once again this chapter is (sort of) late, and probably will result in being short, but it's a chapter, and that's better than nothing, right? Also I have decided (with a little help from Rianna Salvatore) that New Directions will appear at Nationals.

-Second Chances-

Chapter 4

-Riley-

As soon as Ms. Smith mentioned the Fault in Our Stars I zone out. Why on earth was that book a popular book anyways? Everyone already knows what happens in it, even if they hadn't read it before. I go back to scribbling in my notebook until the end of class. When the bell rings, I was happy to get out of there.

"Riley, wait up!" I hear someone protest, as I make a dash for my locker, so I can take care of my stuff, and get my metro pass, which would take me to where I needed to be, so I couldn't stay and talk, even if they wanted me to do so. Eventually, they do. Whoever it is.

"You forgot this," I hear the student announce, and then turn around to see who it was, though, already had an idea. It was Noah, or something like that. At first glance, I sort of had a crush on him, but there was no way that I was going to admit that. Why should every person in the world admit who they have a crush on, especially when they know that they don't stand a chance with them? I shut my locker, and plan to head towards the exit doorway of the school, and try to avoid him.

"Thanks, I guess," I tell him as I meet his eyes, and grab my copy of the book, and then quickly smile.

"Yeah, no problem," he tells me, and then he heads his separate way, which appears to be the auditorium where the theater kids would be working on the fall play, and then get right back to working on the Christmas musical as soon as the fall play was done. I watch him for a moment longer, and then make my way to nearest exit. I slip on my headphones, and make my escape towards the metro.

-Second Chance-

-Matías-

I see Riley as he boards the Metro, and honestly, I smile to myself, because I think of how lonely he is, and realize that he could use a friend or two. Maybe, he could be in our group of Jacobi, Frankie and myself. It is also that I realize I sort of have a crush on him, but I definitely wasn't going to tell him soon.

Then someone wearing a jacket showing that they supported Wounded Warrior Project stood in my way, and I couldn't see him, but I still knew he was on, so I decide to move around the person, and make my way to Riley, as he seemed lost in his own world by listening to his iPod.

"Is this seat open?" I ask hopefully, as he just looks and nods, and then looks back out the window, as though the view was going to change.

"The view isn't going to change. You're under Manhattan, and will end up in front of the Dunkin Donuts, I imagine you'd know that by now though," I tell him, and then the Metro starts to move right on time, as we both knew it would. Everyone knew the Subway system schedules, except the tourists who get lost all the time because it's their first time in the city, and end up taking the city buses,

"I'm aware, I just like to imagine some day that it will. I also imagine that there is graffiti on the side of these tubes, and that we can see them," he tells me coldly, but I didn't care. I wanted to be friends with him, even if it was for this Underground ride.

I look down at my feet, and then the next question comes up. I knew where I was headed, so I was curious as to where he was headed.

"The Student Center," he tells me unconvincingly, as the Subway stops, and a people get on and get off, and I think to myself that I recognize a couple of the people, and then get back to reality that it wasn't our stop for another fifteen minutes, and then I wonder if should say anything else to him, and then push it aside for the rest of the stop.

"You're headed the wrong way to attend the Student Center," I point out as we get above ground, and see Manhattan alive and busy, as usual. Manhattan was made of dreams after all. Or so it was said, or was that Ellis Island when the immigrants came? Either way at the moment I guessed it didn't really matter, and then I ran to catch up with him, but as I had planned to do that, I couldn't find him anywhere.

-Second Chance-

-Jacobi-

I felt the sting still, as I finished getting ready for school, and quickly picked up my new Gryffindor messenger bag, and quickly ran out the apartment door. I didn't want dad to hit me again, as he had already done. No it wasn't anything new, and honestly, though I was a teenager I doubted it would end soon.

As I exit the apartment building, I dig out my camera, and start wondering where to take some photos since I had time before I had to meet up with Frankie, and get on the Metro. Taking photos in Manhattan is always beautiful. No matter the season. You have graffiti artists, who always leave beautiful work behind, and you can take photos of. Sunrise or sunset photos are beautiful as well, and I can see why New York City (well Manhattan is technically a district in New York City) is one of the most photographed places in the United States. I get ready to take another shot when Frankie meets up with me, and boy am I happy to see her. Especially this morning.

"Morning Frankie," I greet her when she catches up with me, and I smile quickly, and she knows almost immediately whats wrong, but she doesn't ask. She's heard it too many times, but yet, she remains friends.

"Shall we get the trip to school, or for one day are we going to skip school, in which I doubt," she wonders, as she pulls out her mp3 player, and earbuds, and gives me one bud. I already knew what was going down. I'm happy when she picks the song that she does, and I smile, because the song is over thirty years, she knows how I can relate to it.

"Sad isn't it?" I ask, as we look at the departure list, and don't even wait for her answer me, as I begin to sing the words, even with people passing by. It's New York, so every one is used to people doing their own things in the terminals.

Growin' up

You don't see the writin' on the wall

Passin' by

Movin' straight ahead you knew it all

But maybe sometime if you feel the pain

You'll find you're all alone

Everything has changed

Play the game

You know you can't quit until it's won

Soldier on

Only you can do what must be done

You know in some way

You're a lot like me

You're just a prisoner

And you're tryin' to break free

Only then at the chorus of the song, she joined in, as she always did. I also noticed that she tried not showing she wasn't feeling good, and I knew why. I knew the signs all so well.

I can see a new horizon

Underneath the blazin' sky

I'll be where the eagle's

Flyin' higher and higher

Gonna be your man in motion

All I need is a pair of wheels

Take me where my future's lyin'

St. Elmo's Fire

As we reach the end of the chorus, the Metro arrives, and we gather our belongings, and board after showing our passes. Once on the Metro we're the individual invisible teenagers of New York, and belong to the school, even though, we're not there. Then a familiar face boards, but for he's wearing a school uniform for another school, one of the prep schools. Then I turn my attention back to Frankie, and wait for the rest of the way to school.

-Second Chances-

-Rosalie-

I collected my items from my locker, and then immediately headed to the music room. Sure, I could have tried to communicate with more of my fellow classmates, but I had class shortly, and I wanted to have some time by myself.

As I approach the music room, I hear someone playing a piano cover of Katy Perry's Roar, or at least, it sounded like it. Honestly, I have no idea why the song was such a huge hit back when it was a hit. I stand there wondering if I should go in or not. Then I open the door, and head in quickly.

"Oh sorry, I had no idea it was you," I tell the two people in the music room. Atticus Baker, and Mackenzie Mitchelle, and I wonder if they are a couple. "I'll let you two be," I tell them, as I get ready to leave the music room, even though, I wanted to leave my violin case on the 'reserved' shelf, since our lockers were so small it wouldn't fit.

"Yeah, that would be great Rosemary," Mackenzie tells me coldly, and I guessed, that she didn't like me much. Then again, she was named the Ice Queen, or so it was said.

"It's not Rosemary. It's Rosalie," I point out, and roll my eyes, but yes, I'll leave. I have other classes to attend anyways," I tell her, and then I look at Atticus again very briefly.

"You can stay if you want, we're just killing time anyways," Atticus points out, as he turns to the piano again, and I notice that he had the Fault in Our Stars sitting on top of the piano, and now I had gathered that the song couldn't have been Roar.

"Thanks. You sounded good, what was the song anyways?" I inquire, as I stand inside the doorframe of the music room, and put my messenger bag down on the floor, and look over at him, as I try to figure out what it was.

"It's an original song that I wrote for the assignment," he tells us, and then turns facing us, and then gets up from the piano bench, and picks up his copy of the book.

"How long did it take you to write it?" Mackenzie asks, and then smiles as though it were her idea to ask it first, and I doubted she would come up with something so creative, and my second thought was why wasn't Atticus in Honors or something? Hell, why was he even at this school if he had that much talent?

"Most of the night. I actually want to get out of this overcrowded city when I graduate next year," he tells us matter of factually, and puts his copy of the book in his backpack, and then shows that he wants to get to class.

"Why do you even attend this school, if you're that talented?" I ask him, as I beat McKenzie to the question this time, and wonder to myself if she could show that she was totally crushing on him any more obvious.

"I'm lucky to even be in this school. It's the only school in Manhattan that doesn't have the word scholarship anywhere in the fine print, if that makes sense," he tells us, and finally moves away from the piano bench looking as though he was headed to class. Sadly, he did make sense, but I noticed none of us were going tell him that, and I think he appreciated that.

"Mind if I sing something?" I ask, and I doubted that he did, as I sat down, but didn't touch the piano as I had first intended. Instead, I had something else in mind.

She got a body like an hourglass, but I can give it to you all the time

She got a booty like a Cadillac, but I can send you into overdrive

Then before I could get any further, it had seemed that I had their attention, and Atticus had looked as though any voice besides the original artists could cover this song, but he pitched in anyways, as he had started to clap the beat, so I would get the perfect rhythm for this. (oh)

And then before anything else happened I saw Mackenzie stand up and get in swing of the song.

(You've been waiting for that, stop, hold up, swing your bat)

Then she winked, and then the vocal had gone back to me, and I wondered to myself how on earth someone who could act jealous that I was in the room with her and Atticus would be helping out with this now.

See anybody could be bad to you,

You need a good girl to blow your mind, yeah

Bang bang into the room (I know you want it)

Bang bang all over you (I'll let you have it)

Wait a minute let me take you there (ah)

Wait a minute 'til ya (ah)

Bang bang there goes your heart (I know you want it)

Back, back seat of my car (I'll let you have it)

Wait a minute let me take you there (ah)

Wait a minute 'til ya (ah)

And then the bell wrung and announced that we should be getting to class, and I would be back to my not so social life, as it mostly was anyways.

"I'll see you guys later, and maybe we could do that again," I hoped as I place the violin on the shelf, and then head towards accounting class.

I believe I've officially introduced everyone finally. If I haven't please PM and let me know.

Song credits: Saint Elmo's Fire - John Parr, Bang Bang - Jessie J ft. Ariana Grande & Niki Minaj. For songs I don't place in chapters, I have a playlist, and the link will be posted on the Tumblr.

Next chapter teaser: "Ava, I need to talk to you" / "Devan, are you gay?" / "Impulse has a chance at Regionals"