Ack...where the heck has time gone? Well, I'm back! Huzzah! I'm easing my way back into fan fiction, updating old stories and working on some new ones. This chapter is mostly dialogue; an introduction to the "Juilliard Group." Enjoy. Thanks to all who have stuck with me.

“Here we are,” Ryan said triumphantly. “2003.” Kelsi unlocked the door and opened it, unsurprised to find it empty.

“Guess this is why there are only six rooms to a floor,” David said, taking in the spacious center area. On the right a small study area was recessed into the wall and to the left a small hallway leading to two bedrooms and a bathroom.

“It’s a suite,” Kelsi said unnecessarily.

“Hello all!” a chipper voice sounded behind them, and they all turned. In the doorway stood a tall girl with shoulder-length blonde hair, a perfect smile, and too-large sunglasses. Her denim mini-skirt was almost skin tight and her light blue top accentuated perfect curves.

“You must be Beverly,” Kelsi said smiling, though in her head she was cringing. All she needed was another Sharpay.

“Of course, and you’re Kelsi,” she stepped in and shook Kelsi’s hand before turning to the others. “Are these your friends?”

“Uh yeah,” Kelsi pointed to each one, “Azu, David, and Ryan, my boyfriend.” She didn’t know why she felt she had to add that last part, but Beverly just shrugged and looked around.

“So which room is yours?” she gestured to the two bedrooms. Kelsi shrugged and moved forward to check them out.

“Looks like they’re both the same,” she said. “I don’t care really.” Beverly set her things down in one of them, and Kelsi in the other before they met back up in the living area.

“I’m so excited about this,” Beverly admitted. “My boyfriend is playing football for Tennessee, so he’s not too far away. Closer than California anyway. I’m here for dance – ballet mostly. What is everyone going to be doing?” She looked at Kelsi first.

“Uh music composition and piano, but I’m going to talk to someone about the playwright school as well,” Kelsi said.

“Cello,” Azu said crisply.

“Acting and singing,” David said with a bow. Kelsi shook her head and wondered what it was with the actors at this school and bowing to everyone.

“Dance and musical theater,” Ryan said. “Well, Azu, shall we go meet your roommate?” The boy nodded and Beverly moved to follow them.

“You don’t mind if I tag along?” she flashed a smile at them and Kelsi laughed.

“Not at all. Come on.” Beverly looped her arm through Kelsi’s and they walked off down the hall to 2001 where Azu’s roommate was already unpacking. The rest of them stayed in the living area as Azu knocked on his door. A young Asian man opened it and gave him a small smile.

“Hello,” he said. “You must be Azubuike.” Surprisingly, he didn’t trip over the foreign name as most people did, and Azu smiled.

“Azu, please.”

“I’m Tim. Hope you don’t mind, I just picked a room and started unpacking. I need to get started on my monologues for the first class.”

“So you’re an actor then?” David said, and Tim looked past Azu to the group standing in the living room.

“Oh hello. Yes, I am.”

“Me too,” David stepped forward. “David Bentez from Miami.” Tim shook his hand and they smiled at each other.

“Tim Nguyen, from good old New York.” The others introduced themselves quickly as Azu set his bag down in his room and Tim continued his unpacking.

“So what should we do for our first night at Juilliard?” Beverly asked everyone. “Orientation starts Monday, so we have all weekend!”

“I’d like to check out the city,” Ryan said.

“It is a beautiful city,” Azu agreed. “I didn’t get as much time for sightseeing as I would have liked the last time I was here.” Tim chose that moment to exit his room.

“I can give everyone a tour,” he offered. “Born and bred New Yorker right here.”

“Don’t you have to get started on your monologues?” Kelsi asked him. He looked back at his room, then at the group gathered in front of him.

“I guess it can wait…”

“Fantastic,” Beverly seemed to be the “take charge” type and the others found it was just easier to go along as she rattled off a few places they absolutely had to see. She and Tim constructed what seemed to be a battle plan for covering the entire city in one day, and Kelsi and Ryan shared an amused look.

“You know,” Ryan said, “We don’t have to see all of it in one day. It is rather large.” Tim and Beverly sighed.

“Alright, but let’s at least go to Central Park, the Met, and Times Square.” The other four nodded their agreement and it was settled.

“But tonight,” Tim said, grabbing his cell, “I’ll treat for the best pizza you’ve ever had delivered. We can set up my television and DVD player and watch movies.”

“Sounds great,” David clapped his hands together. “I need to go put my bag down,” he indicated the duffel he’d been toting from room to room.

“Yeah, me too. We’ll be back,” Ryan and David left quickly, leaving Kelsi and Beverly sitting on a couch that was identical to the one in their dorm. Azu finished his unpacking and Tim was ordering pizza, so Beverly turned to Kelsi with a grin.

“So how long have you and Ryan been an item?” she asked, and Kelsi found herself smiling. Beverly was nothing like her image presented her, though Kelsi suspected that was probably true of most of the students here.

“Um, five months, but we’ve known each other since junior high.”

“I think it’s so cool that both of you are here. How did that even happen?” Kelsi took a breath and, with a smile, began talking. At some point in her story, Ryan and David returned, and Azu and Tim joined them from the back room. Tim had ordered the pizzas and David had grabbed his movie collection, but for the first couple of hours the six of them sat there talking about their earlier years and what they planned on doing in the years to come.

Alright, I'll admit it. I'm a horrible, horrible person. I know I haven't updated in a while, and I will try to do better. Some of you have been kicking me in the pants recently to update, so this one's for y'all. Ta!