Nico POV

I hate the feeling of someone feeling bad for me. I know this feeling well. After I stopped talking regularly to Jason and Percy they saw a need to talk to me as though I were a young child they were in charge of babysitting. They meant well, and I'm grateful for them despite not doing a great job of showing it. Sometimes kids in class would talk to me like they were doing a favor by doing so because I didn't talk to anyone else.

Will hasn't yet acted like that towards me, but I can't help but feel like secretly that is exactly what he thinks. By talking to the quiet kid who's failing school he probably thinks of it as some kind of community service project. Someone like him who has friends he can call anytime he's board or has a problem will never know how much I needed him to do what he did. That's another thing I hate, he's the first friend I've had in a while, and he doesn't even think of me as more than a project partner. Sitting with them today only made me realize how badly I missed hanging out with a group, but I can't do that. Bianca hurt all of us when she left, I can't make anyone feel like that if I go the same route some day.

All my contemplating (a word in which I am currently using in the place of self pity) was stopped my a text message. I thought it would be from Hazel but instead it was from Will

"Hey"

That was all it was, I waited for a minute to see if there would be more but there wasn't so I decided to answer a simple "hi?" in response

He responded extremely quickly which made me smile a little in spite of myself and a little selfishly because I enjoyed that he wasn't texting me in between waiting from responses from more important people.

"How're you doing"

"Ok U?"

"Good, what are you up to?"

"Not to sound rude but why are you texting me?" I felt bad being so blunt but I had to ask.

"Sorry I just wanted to talk to you"

"Don't apologize I was just reading" I lied cause I didn't want to tell him I was contemplating how I was going to act around him going forward.

"Ohh what?"

I glanced over at my table and picked a random title from there to send to him. We talked for a few more minutes and none of it was any more sophisticated than the first few messages. Then he had to go to a music lesson. I felt happier after though than I had in a while because despite what I tell myself I missed human interaction.

Monday marked the first day of the last quarter, we'd be going on Christmas break after this week and the last three days would be half days for midterm exams. In English the presentation would count for 50% of the midterm grade with a multiple choice test on actual exam day. We had both days this week as free hours to study.

Will studied about half the hour which was more than most people before putting his notebooks away and turning to me.

"So what are you doing over break?"

"You really like small talk don't you?" I joked

"Come on how do you want me to start conversation, what's your biggest secret?"

I rolled my eyes in fake annoyance before answering with as sarcastic of a tone as I could do, "Well to satisfy what I can only assume was burning curiosity I'm doing absolutely nothing over break other than reading my books and practicing bass. I hope you can rest easy now that you know that absolutely vital information."

"You play bass?"

"Yeah my sister taught me"

Suddenly Will looked excited, like way more excited than any person should be over hearing that someone you kinda know plays a type of guitar

"Our bass player in Jazz band just moved and we don't have one in class anymore! Our director has been losing his mind at the thought of going to jazz fest without one! Come on Nico you've got to go to the counseling office with me at lunch and switch into that class for next semester!"

"You want me to join band?"

"Yeah it would be awesome! We'd for sure have a class together next semester and we could even room together at jazz weekend! It'd be awesome!"

"Unfortunately I would have to swap out photo and film in order to do that"

He looked really disappointed for a moment "Oh so it's a no?"

"No it's a yes I freaking hate photo and film!"

The excited look cam back on Will's face and didn't leave again as the bell rang and we walked to the counseling office together. There was no problem changing it and for the first time since Bianca died I became a part of something bigger than myself.

When we returned to the cafeteria Lou-Ellen and Cecil, who as it turns out play trumpet and trombone respectively in the Jazz band, were as excited as Will when he told them I was gonna be the new bass player. The next day at lunch after everyone, except Will, had eaten we all went to the band room because the teacher apparently wanted to meet me before I started next semester.

It was the teacher's prep hour and he excitedly greeted us as soon as we walked in. As soon as I told him my name he excitedly said, "Amazing! i don't even need to hear you to know you're good. I'll bet your sister taught you!"

"Who's your sister?" Cecil interjected

"His sister is the great Bianca di Angelo!" the band teacher laughed "greatest bass player I ever had the pleasure of teaching! She was a year before all of you so you three wouldn't know her."

"Your sister played in Jazz?" Will sounded even more impressed

A simple "Yeah" was all I could manage to respond. I wasn't ready for Will to know about Bianca yet, I didn't want him to start pitying me. For now I had three friends and a teacher who looked at me like I was something amazing, and I loved that more than I could possibly explain.