A.N Here's a long over-due Chapter 3! Enjoy and Review!

Chapter 3: Starting New

Nico

"I knew you were trouble when you walked in

So shame on me now

Flew me to places I'd never been

Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground." I listened to Music sing. She played the piano softly. She had a great voice; I'll give her that.

When she finished, she jogged toward me. I clapped slowly. "That was pretty good."

"Don't lie, that was amazing." She laughed. "Come on, I have one last thing to show you."

We walked around the school until we saw a hidden set of stairs blocked off by a gate.

"Do you have a credit card or ID or something?" I nodded and handed her my Driver's License. She had it all but 15 seconds then the gate popped open.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" I asked.

"Read a book. You'd be surprised what you'll learn in them. Come on." She grabbed my hand. "You have to watch your step up here."

She picked the lock for the next door, which apparently lead to the roof.

"Wow." Was all I could say. The view was amazing. You saw the plains that lined the border of Lockhart, Texas. You could see the wild mustangs running along them.

"Yea." She walked over to one of the vents and pulled a blanket from behind it. "This is where I like to come when I'm frustrated or stressed out." She laid the blanket down then patted the space next to her. I sat down. "So, what's up? You seem stressed."

"My dad wants to propose to a woman I never met." I said looking over the horizon.

"Oh, Well, maybe she's not as bad as you think."

"She has a daughter too."

"So you're going to have a sister?"

"Step-Sister." I corrected. "But yes."

"And you're upset about this?"

"It feels like he's replacing Bianca and Mom."

"That's kind of how I felt when mom married Richard. Hell, I called him Dick for the first year they were married just because I knew he didn't like it." I snickered and she smiled at me. "I never knew my real dad, so I can't really concept how you're feeling. But when it's only been you and Hades for a while. You don't really want it to change." She looked at me searching my face. "Your afraid that you weren't good enough that he had to find someone else, Bianca's always been the favorite, your afraid that he just had to find a new favorite." She looked at me again. "I hit the nail on the head, didn't I?"

"How do you know so much about this?" I asked quietly.

"Because as much as you're trying to deny it, I know you." She said, nudging me. I couldn't help but smile at her.

"Can we stay here?" I asked. "Like, the whole day?"

"That's usually what I do." She said lying down on the blanket. She looked up and saw me staring at her. She smirked for a second then winked at me. I laughed and lied down next to her.

I realized that today was the first time in a long time I actually smiled.

Music

"He seems a little off, Muse." Lyric said from the front seat.

"I know." I say back "But let's face it we're all a little off."

"That's true. Except for Wonder bread Boy over here." Lyric said, ruffling Will's hair. He swatted her hand away blushing slightly.

Watching their exchange made me think about being on the roof with Nico. I had fallen asleep on his chest. He was wide-awake but he hadn't moved me. That had to mean something, right?

"What are you smiling about?" Lyric asked me.

"Nothing. Can't a girl just smile to smile."

"Holy shit! You like that guy." Lyric exclaimed. I saw Will grip the steering wheel.

"I barely know him."

"Love at first sight then?" Juniper said from the third row.

"More like love at first bite, they totally made out." Lyric said laughing.

"Two people of the opposite sex can be alone together without making out or having sex, Lyric."

"Yea, if one of them is gay or they're related."

"Or if they have standards. Nothing happened, we just hung out. He's pretty cool."

"I'm sure he is." Lyric said, laughing.

"Why do I feel like your implying more then your saying?"

"That's because I am." She laughed. "I'm coming over your house."

"Do I get a choice in the matter?" I laughed.

"Not really. Sally and Dad are working late and I don't like being alone in the house with Percy."

"Hey!" Percy said.

"You could always come to my house." Will said.

"To be quite honest, I going to Music's house because I can persuade her mom to bake me cookies." She laughed. "Thanks for the offer though." She gave him one of her wide smiles, which made him blush.

I rolled my eyes and got out the car. "I don't see why you don't just tell him you know."

"What's the fun in that?" She said laughing.

"So you torture him for fun?"

"Ok, I torture everyone for fun. And I'm not just going to expose him like that. He'd tell me when he's ready."

"Whatever." I said.

"Hey, isn't that Nico?" Lyric said pointing at a Window. Sitting on the windowsill was indeed Nico. He sat there doing what looked like reading. I should have figured he moved back into his old house next to mine. As if on cue, he looked out the window and saw me and Lyric staring at him. Then Lyric did something I wasn't expecting.

She waved.

"Oh my God, what are you doing?" I said.

"I'm saying hi?"

"Stop it, we look like weirdoes!"

"And we wouldn't if we were just standing here, looking at him through your bedroom window?"

I looked and saw him wave back. "Great, he saw us."

"I know."

"But you don't like him."

"And you do?"

"I—"

"Got you with that one, didn't I?"

"He's different, you know? He acts different from which he was. Yet, when I look him in the eyes, he's somehow the same."

"Hmm, interesting." Lyric said.

"What's interesting?"

"Music Harmonia Canter actually likes someone after the countless years of me trying to set her up, or the countless times guys have hit one you. It only takes one guy to move back into town to change your whole perspective on everything." She said, pacing around my room. "Interesting."

"I told you to stop saying my middle name."

"You want to know what I think?"

"Not really, but your going to tell me anyway."

"I think the reason why you haven't dated any guy since Nico left is because you secretly had a crush on him since you were little and when he left it broke your heart. You tried to find guys and date but all of them didn't compare and now that he's back you want him, because even though you were little at the time, he was the only person you've ever truly loved."

I sat there shocked. "I—"

"Yea, it's not so nice when other people read you, huh?"

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about—"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about. You just don't want to admit it."

"Even if it was like that, he doesn't like me back so why bother?"

"That's where you're wrong. I think he likes you too."

"How so?"

"I'm good at these things remember?" she smiled. "And he's been looking at you through the window for about 13 minutes."

I looked out the window and saw Nico looking right at me. Maybe it was different this time he wasn't leaving. I wouldn't be as shattered as I was, maybe there was hope for us. So I did something I wasn't expecting to do.

I waved.