Summary: Timmy is leaving for college, but during his nighttime ride the memories of the past, and the girl who broke his heart return for one final spin through the theatre of his mind. This is that story. One shot song fic.

Disclaimer: As you know I don't own anything. The characters used, and the show they are shown on are the property of Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon. The song used is Carry On Wayward Son, and it is performed by Kansas and owned by them or the songwriter/record label. Any other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

The night wore on, the seemingly everlasting highway stretched out in front of him like an eternal reminder of his life: cold, barren, unyielding. He sat behind the wheel of his smooth riding 1967 jet black Chevy Impala (A car he rebuilt by himself) letting the memories evaporate into the darkness he left in his wake. Judgment Day had finally come. The day he left the city of Dimmsdale, California in the dust, including its residents.

He could no longer bear the painful memories and reminders of a former life he was ever so anxious to forget. That town had held some of his greatest triumphs, as well as his biggest tragedies. He slid a c.d. into the player, if only to break the deafening silence of the California desert this late at night.

Carry on my wayward son,
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more.

He loved this song. Ever since the first time he heard it, on a long and lonesome drive through Dimmsdale, he loved it. He felt himself in the lyrics, especially on that particular night. Events had unfolded that had only brought truth to what he already knew about his girlfriend at the time. It had taken mere seconds for every innuendo and rumor and suspicion he had ever heard or had to come true before his eyes. The girl he was in love with, and supposedly she was in love with him too, was in the arms of another man.

Once I rose above the noise and confusion
Just to get a glimpse beyond the illusion
I was soaring ever higher, but I flew too high
Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man
Though my mind could think I still was a mad man
I hear the voices when I'm dreamin',
I can hear them say…

It had taken every bit of reserve he had not to bust in there, his proverbial "guns blazing" and rip both parties apart. He just turned, dumping the box of chocolates and bouquet of expensive flowers into her garbage can and hoping into his car. He made sure to rev the engine as he peeled out, indicating that his presence had been there. He didn't even bother looking back to see if she looked out the window (which he later found out she had, her face turning, according to his sources, "three shades of white").

He just drove, trying to regain his composure…though it was a losing battle. He was in the middle of Downtown when this song came on. He instantly connected to it and let it wash over him. He made up his mind that night that he was not only finished with her permanently, but also that he was taking an indefinite hiatus from dating.

Carry on my wayward son,
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more.

He shed one more tear as he pulled into his driveway. Then he swore to God and himself that no woman would ever make him cry like that again. He didn't care who it was or what the circumstances were, he would dump the girl before he would cry again. He was born again, maybe a bit more cynical, more untrusting; but he didn't care. This was his stand, and his promise.

Masquerading as a man with a reason
My charade is the event of the season
And if I claim to be a wise man, it surely
means that I don't know
On a stormy sea of moving emotion
Tossed about I'm like a ship on the ocean
I set a course for winds of fortune, but
I hear the voices say…

He continued to play the relationship game with her for a couple more days, just until he could find the perfect opportunity to strike. Her ultimate humiliation was his goal, and come hell or high water he was going to attain that goal. He had long ago tired of her games and machinations. He was exhausted physically, and mentally he was tired of having to force a smile in photographs with her.

Flashback

He stood there, arms folded over his chest after pushing her away. She was staring at him, shocked that he would turn down one of her kisses. Eyes narrowed into slits, he stood his ground and let his righteous anger flow through every pore.

"I don't kiss the lips of a Goddamn cheater!"

The young woman stood there, stunned into silence. She had an idea that he knew, but the last thing she wanted was for him to expose it here and now. The last thing she wanted was his friends to know, because they would follow him in whatever he does. If one girl is guilty, the other two instantly are as well by default.

"I…I don't know what you are talking about Timmy. Why would I cheat on you?"

"Go to Hell, I know what I saw, and I'm not taking that bullshit. Damn it, if you wanted out, all you had to do is say the word. Well, now I'm saying it. We…are DONE! I won't stand here and listen to your lies for another second!"

"But Timmy…"

"But NOTHING! You screwed me over once, and that's one time too many. I'll tell you this one time, and one time only: As soon as I walk out that door, I'm gone permanently. You turned your back on me, so turnabout is fair play Bitch!"

He turned and headed for the door, but not before addressing her friends.

"And you two can burn right along with her! I can't prove it, but I know in my gut that you two had a hand in this. So fuck you both." He said before turning back to his now ex-girlfriend and giving her a double middle finger. "And double fuck you Bitch!"

With that, he turned his back and walked out the door. Chester and A.J. were hot on his heels, having dumped their respective girlfriends in a show of solidarity with their best friend.

End Flashback

Carry on my wayward son,
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more.

Timmy snickered at the memory. He had never fully trusted that girl, and he was glad he didn't. She could never figure out why he kept her at arms length until that moment. The look on her face when he told her that they were done. Of course, she made noise the following Monday in school that she had broke up with him, and the usual teenage drama. He just brushed it off and forged on, skipping Prom and the other usual 'traditions' until Graduation. He had much better ways of spending his time then wasting it playing these 'popularity contests' as he put it.

Carry on, you will always remember
Carry on, nothing equals the splendor
Now your life's no longer empty
Surely heaven waits for you!

The sun had just begun its rise in the East, painting the sky with blood reds and deep oranges. He knew soon that the sun would be a blazing yellow soon, but he always loved this time of day. It gave his hope for the day, and it held a promise of new and better things to come.

The young man sighed wearily as the Impala continued its journey to its intended destination. It had not been a hard choice to change his choice in universities once this all went down. The plan had been for all six to go to the same school, though the chance that all six of them remaining together were very slim.

Now, the girls were still doing that, but Timmy, Chester, and A.J. were free to attend the schools they always dreamed of. A.J. was headed to M.I.T., Chester was on his way to Rice University on a full ride baseball scholarship (much to the amazement of his dad.).

As for Timmy? He was currently driving towards Austin, Texas and the University of Texas. He had wanted so badly to get back to his home state that he could taste it. Something about stepping on his native soil comforted him, especially now since he knew that there was no chance of her following him. He never told her, simple as that.

Up ahead a sign appeared, barely visible in the breaking dawn light. However, as he passed it, a grin as radiant as the sun itself broke across his face. This sign meant that he was finally free of everything that had happened in Dimmsdale. It may have been three simple words, but to him they were very important words. The frustrations and tribulations that had befallen him in the sixteen years he spent in that city were gone…never to return.

No more tears, no more pain, no more heartache.

The sign, simple painted metal, was very powerful in his mind indeed. As he passed it, he raised a fist out the window and whooped and hollered. It simply read:

WELCOME TO ARIZONA

Carry on my wayward son,
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more.

The End

A/N: Read and Review please. I hope you have enjoyed this. As to who the mystery girl who broke his heart is…I shall leave that to your own imagination.