Chapter One : The Relived Summer of 1984

It was chilly outside, which was quite strange for the summer. Travis had desired a walk, and he sighed as he took a step into the breeze. His parents had said it was time for him to call and get his schedule changed, but he denied. He had much more on his mind than scheduling for the next school year. Want to know? Well, it wasn't that hard to guess.

Lily Randall. It was a simple answer, a defined response, a perfect explanation. So if it was so normal for guys to like girls, why was it so complicated for Travis? Over the past few weeks he'd gone head-over-heels for her, fighting for her love in competition with Ray, and yet... his feelings had faded. He had no idea why, either, it just sort of... happened.

Travis scratched the back of his neck, his suede jacket falling a little lower on his shoulders. He'd always been thinner, but so had Ray and Robbie, so it hadn't really been that evident. Lily was small, too, but what Travis had loved about her was the way that she didn't seem to care about what others thought. She could eat a cookie and not worry about what she would weigh the next day, unlike most girls at Roscoe High.

He took a seat in the soft grass, and finally laid his head back, letting it hit the ground hard. Travis looked up at the stars, wishing that summer would end. It'd gone on long enough, hadn't it? Besides, he missed Radio Free Roscoe, the underground radio station that he and his new best friends had started only the previous year. The only person he'd spoken to over the summer had been Lily, and maybe – briefly, you mind – Ray. Robbie was touring Europe, wealthy git.

Travis often came out here, whether it was for star-watching or just to think about the many dilemmas in his life. There were so many pressures on him now – most from Ray. He hated to admit it, his 'friend' often made him feel low, like a piece of dirt. Wait – no. Scratch that. Lower than dirt. A dirt molecule. His dirty blonde hair fell into his eyes as he drifted once more into inconstant thought, and Travis couldn't help but wonder if Ray was ever his friend after all. Was he just... there?

This reminded him of a story his Dad had told him not too long ago. He'd been on a walk through one of the many parks where they'd previously lived, and he'd stopped to look up at the stars. Not long after, Travis's mother had walked by. And that was how their relationship had started.

At that moment exactly, Travis's head perked up. "Travis, hey!" It was Ray.

((EXTREMELY short first chapter, but there's going to be bunches of chapters, so it shouldn't really matter. You'll live.))