A/N: Alright, this is my first attempt at 'Footloose' fiction. I hope I do it some justice.

Disclaimer: Own nothing.

Ren walked along, with Willard at his side. He was trying to convince his best friend to go to college and Willard was coming back at him with how he wasn't smart enough and that he didn't want to leave Rusty.

"Willard, you're smart, I've seen you, ya just don't show it." Ren told him.

"Nice joke, I almost forgot to laugh." Willard said, giving a forced laugh.

"Fine, but I'll be out of here, leaving you to this, extremely small town, only to fend for yourself."

"I did it before, remember?" Willard reminded him.

"True. So ya gonna propose tonight?" Ren asked, smiling as he looked at Willard.

"Yeah, got the ring and everything. Think she'll say yes?" he asked nervously. Since Willard and Rusty had gotten together during the whole dance debate thing, they'd really hit it off. Willard wanted to propose to her before she headed off to college, which he hated to bring up.

"I'm sure she will." Ren reassured him. After that they were quiet as they walked on.

"Hey, Ren, who's that guy that's lookin' at us?" Willard asked suddenly, pointing at a man, who looked to be in his forties. When Ren looked in the direction he was pointing he had to do a double take. He swallowed the emotion that flowed through him before speaking to Willard.

"Ya know, man, I gotta go. Tell Aerial I was sick or something." Ren said before turning to head in the direction of his aunt and uncle's house, leaving his friend looking at him dumbfounded.

"Ren, honey, you're home early. I thought you and Willard were going to meet the girls up at Burger Blast." His mom said as he came into the house.

"I was and then I saw someone." Anger seeped through the one sentence.

"Who, who'd you see?" she asked, acknowledging his anger.

"He's back, Mom."

"Ren, who's he."

"Dad, he's here."

"Did you talk to him?" she asked

"No, Willard spotted him looking at us. I took off. He left us, Mom. What makes him think that he can waltz right back into our lives?" She had known Ren had been mad at his dad for leaving, but until now she hadn't realized how angry he had really been.

"I know how you feel about him, hun, but you've got to talk to him. If anything he's here to see you." She told him, thinking back to the last argument she'd had with him.

"Ethel, you've got to leave him be. If ya don't how'll he ever learn." James McCormick said. Ethel had just sent Ren to his room, grounded for a week, because he had come back, two hours after curfew, hadn't even gone to a payphone to call home. He usually called or came home on time, but this time he'd lost track of time as he danced in the club.

"James, he's our son. He was two hours late, no word on it. You have any idea how worried I was. This is Chicago, not the safe little town of Bomont. Things happen here." She told him.

"I know, I was worried too. But he's a boy, you're smothering him. By the time he's my age he won't have a clue about who he really is, especially if he's following everybody. Trust me I know the feeling." James shot at her.

"Oh, you do, do you? Well, if I'm smothering you so bad why don't you just leave." She shot back.

"I will. I'll be gone before morning." James angrily as he turned away from her and went up to the bedroom to pack his things. Ethel sat down heavily on the couch behind her. With her eyes closed, she rubbed her temples and fought back the tears that were trying to escape she felt someone sit next to her.

"He's really leaving isn't he?" she heard her son ask.

"Yeah, honey, he is." She answered, swallowing hard.

"He loves you though."

"I don't want to talk to him, mom." Ren said before turning to leave and go to the attic where his uncle had set it up as a room for him. He needed to think something things over.

To be continued, let me know what you think.