"Liiiiiillian, it's tiiiiiime to get ouuuut of beeeeed." Luke's sing-songy voice wakes me. I hope he's my alarm everyday. I might actually get up on time.

Within an hour, we're out the door and on our way to school. Today I have to pick my classes, since I've been placed in a grade-level and shadowed a student all ready. I'm just going to choose Luke's classes, it'll be the easiest thing for me to choose. Partner work? Luke. Having trouble with the information? Luke. It's a no-brainer, really.

As mom pulls into a parking spot to let us all out, I look at Luke, "Hey, Lukey, I have to go to the office to pick out my classes, will you walk me? It'll only be a few minutes." I smile at him, willing to use puppy-dog eyes if it doesn't work.

"Yeah, sure. But I have to meet up with the guys first. Michael said he had something to tell us, something about the band."

We walk into the locker area as I tell him that I'll just go to my locker first then we can meet up and go to the office. I don't actually have any books yet, so me "going to my locker," is fairly pointless. I still walked over to my locker, though, and used the combination to open it, then promptly closed it. I turned around and saw Luke and his friends a few feet away in a serious looking conversation.

I figured it'd be a minute, so I just sat down against the lockers. This might sound weird, but I leaned my head against the lockers and just watched the boys talk. They were all listening really well and Michael was getting loud and then he'd catch himself and get quiet again. I could tell it was important. I just watched them until my thoughts were interrupted by Eliza sitting next to me against the lockers.

"What's up, shortcake?" She laughs at the nickname she's just given me. I'm not even that short, okay maybe I'm just in denial about it.

"I'm just waiting for Luke to stop talking to his friends." I look at her and see her nod sympathetically.

"Yeah, you could be waiting forever on that one." She chuckles as she rolls her eyes.

"You act like you know them, but you don't ever talk to them. Were you guys friends at some point?" I question.

Eliza looks down at her twiddling thumbs for a second before she looked back at me. "Yeah, we were close once, It was for a few years after you disappeared. I was like his replacement for you— but that sounds bad. He just needed someone and I guess I was there for him. But after a few years we weren't as close; we just drifted. It's okay though, I have my own group." She smiled sadly.

The boys's conversation had just ended before I could respond other than squeezing her hand for a second. Luke bounded over quickly and his long legs meant he was in front of us in seconds. He looked so excited. He held out his hand to me to help me up from the floor. I turn around to help Eliza up, but she was already gone.

Luke was smiling ear to ear, "So what was the news? You look really excited."

Luke was nearly jumping up and down when he said, "My band has its first gig!!!" I nearly screamed in excitement for him and his band. "You'll be there, right?!" It looked like he was almost insecure about asking me to come.

"Of course! Yeah, yeah I'll definitely be there! This is so awesome! A gig! How'd you get it?"

"Michael saw that someone needed a band because there's bailed last minute. So he said we'd do it." Luke couldn't stop smiling and neither could I. I'm just so excited for him. "Alright. Let's get to the office before we're late."

"H-hi, I'm here to see Mr. Roberts to pick my classes."

The secretary pushed up her glasses and typed something in her computer. "Ah, you're Lillian Hemmings." I nod as she uses her phone to call the principal's office. "He'll be up in a minute, but he wanted me to ask you what the classes are that you would like to take."

I look at Luke, "Could you tell her your classes?"

Luke chuckles, "You want all the same classes with me? Even Chorus? You were terrified when she made you get up there to sing. Which by the way if I haven't told you enough was amazing."

"Yeah that freaked me out, but I'm glad she made me do it. I'm glad that I got the chance to show I have a voice. I may stutter when I talk to people that aren't you, but I can sing without stuttering." I say in the most indignant way I have said anything in six years.

"Well, alright then. Mrs. Peterson, I have first hour Grammar with Mrs. Eversby, second hour Algebra 2 with Mr. Duncan...." I tuned him out, I already knew the classes I had and if I forgot I could just ask Luke. Another pro to have the same classes.

Mrs. Peterson, the secretary I just learned the name of, said, "And you're sure those are the classes you want, Lillian?"

"Yes, m-ma'am." I say with a firm nod. "I-is that all? Can we go to class now?"

"Sure.I have all the information I need. Except, Lillian, Luke, make sure your mother confirms and "okay's" one of the tutors. We both nod as Luke hurriedly leads the way to our first hour, Grammar.

The day was really very boring, but it was nice to be back in school. Even if the difficulty had increased. I was finding it very hard not to just space out every time it all got too difficult, but I knew I wanted to learn. So I tried as hard as I could and took notes and collected handouts when the teacher gave them.

After school, Mom picked us up and we went back home. I had nearly every subject's book home to study and try to keep up. Luke was downstairs in the basement with his band practicing, so I had no one to help me. Luke didn't say he didn't want me to come into the basement, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't. I don't want to make him mad, but I need help. And if I were to wait to do homework with him, I have nothing to do now. So either way, I should go downstairs.

I walk quickly, but also as quietly as I can manage. They're talking, so at least I didn't interrupt in the middle of a song. Ashton notices me first, "Hey, Lili. What's up?"

I smile and wave trying not to be awkward. "Uh h-hey, guys. I just came down, because I either need help with homework or I need something to do." I smile as I try to figure out another way to explain it if they don't understand what I mean. Luckily, they don't ask any questions.

Michael responds first, "Oh, that's cool. Did you wanna see us rehearse before our big gig!?" His voice got very loud towards the end. I could tell how excited he was that he found this opportunity for the band.

"Y-yeah. That'd be cool and it's really a-awesome that you have this gig. I-I'm really excited for you guys." I smile at them as they all slide out a bit to invite me into their conversation.

Luke looks at the guys and me as he says, "Yeah, we were just talking about the chords for one of our songs. We weren't sure if they sounded right or if we should put them up a bit." He paused before he seemed to get an idea and looked at me smiling, "Actually, why don't you take a listen and tell us what you think."

They all nod and back up to grab their instrument, and Ash to sit on his drums. I back up to a point where I can see them all, and I don't feel like I'm too close to them. They start playing and my first thought is about how in sync they are. Next, they start singing.

Back in high school we used to take it slow
Red lipstick on and high heel stilettos
Had a job downtown working the servo
Had me waiting in line couldn't even let go

'Cause I never wanna be that guy
Who doesn't even get a taste
No more having to chase
To win that prize

You're just a little bit out of my limit
It's been two years now you haven't even seen the best of me
And in my mind now I've been over this a thousand times
But it's almost over
Let's start over

Back in high school
We used to make up plans
Called you up one day to meet split ends

'Cause I never wanna be that guy
Who doesn't even get a taste
No more having to chase
To win that prize

You're just a little bit out of my limit
It's been two years now you haven't even seen the best of me
And In my mind now I've been over this a thousand times
But it's almost over
Let's start over

You're just a little bit out of my limit
It's been two years now you haven't even seen the best of me
And in my mind now I've been over this a thousand times
But it's almost over
Let's start over

You're just a little bit out of my limit
It's been two years now you haven't even seen the best of me
And in my mind now I've been over this a thousand times but it's almost over
Let's start over

They sounded so great together, although they had a point about the chords sounding off. They looked at me with defeated faces. This song shouldn't be getting them down that much. Maybe there's something else wrong.

"Guys, is there something else wrong, because this one song shouldn't make you guys feel so down."

Calum spoke up, "Well yeah, it's just one song, but if we can't do this one song, then what makes us think we can do any others?" The other boys all nod in agreement.

"Are you kidding me? You guys sounded amazing, and maybe the chords should be different, but you still wrote this song. You took nothing, and made a song out of it. That takes talent, and then on top of that, you put music to it, and then played it together well. You guys are awesome." I don't know where the confidence came from, and I don't know where it goes as I say, "And I have an idea for the song."

They're all listening intently as I say what I said, and it makes them visibly perk up, but they almost look confused when I say the last part. It was like they wanted my opinion, but were surprised I had one after asking for it.

"Alright, just listen to me. Speed the music up a bit more, and— what're the first lyrics?" Luke tells me the lyrics to the first verse. "Alright I think it could sound a bit better like this.

Back in high school we used to take it slow
Red lipstick on and high heel stilettos
Had a job downtown working the servo
Had me waiting in line couldn't even let go

I sing it in an A sharp instead of the B flat they were singing it in. They all looked at me surprised. I did know music. It was the only thing I felt good about myself, and how good I was.

Calum asks what everyone's thinking. "How are you such a good singer? I mean, you have a talent singing, but how are you so good now? You would think that you hadn't gotten any practice while you were gone. I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just curious." They all looked at me and nodded a bit at different parts of Calum's speech.

"You guys wanna sit? It's a bit of a story." I told them about how my captor realized I could sing and started making me sing for him. He'd play a song for me, only once usually. And he'd expect me to know it. So eventually I got pretty good at it.

"At first, what he made me do, made me despise my voice and what it can do. And hate it because he found such delight in it, but there's this part of me that remembers how much fun I had when I'd sing with Luke when we were younger. It's one of the memories that actually stayed with me." Throughout the whole thing, Luke looked either angry or touched, and that's how most of the other boys looked, except Michael looked sympathetic the whole time. Like he knew the struggle I went through to get to where I am vocally.

Ashton breaks the silence by saying, "You know, you haven't stuttered since we sang. You're finally comfortable around us!" They all immediately realize his truth and before I have time to get away (not that I really want to), they all attack me with a huge group hug. While we're hugging Michael says, "But the way you sang the song was really great. I think we should actually try it. Maybe you could sing it with us a few times to help us understand the key?"

I chuckled a little at the fact that we were having a conversation while group hugging. "Yeah, that sounds great."