Chapter 10

It was early morning on that first Saturday of the school year. Having not yet grown accustomed to having to wake up any hour before noon, most teenagers and adolescents were tucked snuggly under their covers, catching up on some well-deserved sleep. Should one glance out at the busy streets of New York City, it would be very unlikely to find a young body up and about at this hour.

Least of all, Thomas Batuello.

But surely enough, there he was, walking down the street among the busy adults on their way to work and the joggers whose mornings always started hours before the rest of the world's. He walked with haste, a loose fitting jacket swaying with every swift step taken. It was a deep grey color, so that it wouldn't attract any unwanted attention, and the hood was pulled over his head so that Thomas could walk without being immediately noticed.

It wasn't as though he was trying to avoid the bum rush of fans that Nat and Alex usually get the instant they step onto the street; Thomas never really had to deal with that. As a matter of fact, Thomas didn't care if he was recognized by any fans of the band, but actually the band members themselves. Things were going well so far, though. He knew that most of his friends would be sound asleep this early in the morning.

Well, except for one.

As Thomas neared his destination, he cast a quick sideways glance toward the parking lot, spotting that familiar minivan with the obnoxious horn that was used to wake him up every morning. Tightening the strings on his jacket and slinking back as far into as hood as he could, he power walked up the stairs into Amigos and made his way through the refurbished hallways of his school, not slowing down for anything. Holding his breath as he passed the newspaper room, he thanked all his lucky stars by name when he saw that the door was closed.

The biggest obstacle overcome, Thomas relaxed a bit and began to think about what he was doing. It was odd, really. Never in a million years would anyone think that Thomas Batuello, known to be the laziest member of the band, would be caught dead choosing to go to an optional school function over sleeping in on an early Saturday morning.

"I can't believe you talked me into this," he mumbled to himself, even though no one was around to hear him. At the same time, though, he felt a small wave of excitement wash over him. It had been a while since he had shown interest in anything other than performing with the band. It was about time that he tried something new.

It wasn't long before Thomas stood in front of the door that could lead to something that would either be a waste of all his time or could change his life forever.

This wasn't like him – not one bit. Thomas didn't wake up early. Thomas didn't like being anywhere near the school. Thomas didn't like doing things or even thinking about doing things. Then again, they were only in high school, and as Rosalina once said to the boys, "You're too young to even know what's you and what's not."

Pushing away any hesitation he may have had, Thomas opened the door and walked on in.

AN: IT IS ALIVE! Okay...so...long absence. Long story. Basically, college life has eaten me alive and I have very little free time on my hands. That doesn't mean I haven't been writing, though. As a matter of fact, A Time for Goodbyes is already finished...in my notebooks. I only had time to type up this chapter, but I'll try to get the rest out ASAP. Details regarding my absence can be found on my blog (below) or my website .com (no longer active).

Anyway, I just wanted to get this chapter out so you guys know I'm not dead. I very strongly insist that everyone check out my blog at: .com. I update it regularly on a lot of things including random bouts of inspiration and my progress for both fanfictions and origals (which I intend to get published). Also, if you want to subcribe to my mailing list (I will only send out notices for chapter updates or important things) then send an email to .com with the word "JCMail" as the subject and "Subscribe" in the body.

Aside from that.. it's great to be back! Thanks for sticking around you guys!