Prologue
"It's not gonna work, guys. I tried, and it malfunctions. Bigtime."
Matt Evans tried to convince his friends not to try the time machine. "I went back to stop my dad from moving away and try to get Mom to not date that Shane guy, but it took me back too far. Like, before my dad even transferred. I had to go through a whole school year there before I could come back. It's not going to work. Trust me."
"We have to try!" Sugar Lopez-Pierce exclaimed. "I know Mom and Mama went through a lot of shit back when they were teenagers. It took Mama a really long time to come out, and they've told me how difficult it was for them. I just want to make sure that everything stays the way it happened. And I want to help Rory."
"But meddling in the past will change the future outcome!" Matt argued,
"Matt!" Rory Anderson-Hummel yelled, "My dads are divorced. It's all because of that smirky, meerkat-faced asshole Sebastian. If he hadn't interfered when they were still in high school, they might still be together. I have to try. Or I'll be stuck house hopping until I turn eighteen. I did that enough as a foster kid in Ireland."
Matt sighed. "Fine. Go ahead and try. But if you end up in 2009, don't blame me." He showed them how the time machine worked. "You sit here," he motioned to two seats with seatbelts, "The ride gets a little bumpy. Then insert the date here," he indicated to a touchpad in front of the seats. "There you go. Time travel in a nutshell." Sugar and Rory looked at each other, then Matt, and then tackle-hugged the older boy. He laughed, "Yeah, yeah I feel the love. You guys go pack. You'll need some clothes. Try to swipe some of your parents' clothes from their high school years. You'll blend easier." They did. They returned about a half an hour later, suitcase packed for each of them. Matt motioned them inside the time machine. "Now, make sure you listen to me. I'm going to give you a fake identity to hide your real identity. Mine was Matt Rutherford.
"Okay, Rory, you are Rory Flanagan, exchange student from Ireland. You enjoy wearing green and singing Elvis songs. You have a broter names Seamus who wears a bell because he gets lost." He laughed, referring to the younger Anderson-Hummel brother, adopted from the same foster home as Rory.
"Sugar, you are Sugar Motta. You are a notorious rich girl who has self-diagnosed Asperger's. You both are to try and join New Directions, the glee club that all of our parents were in." Matt looked at them as the buckled in. They set the date on the touch pad.
"Thanks a whole lot, Matt," Rory said, smiling at the other boy,
"Yeah Matt, thanks." Sugar added,
"Come back to me in one piece, you hear?" Matt told them with a smile. "Good luck. Oh, and while you're at it keep an eye on my dad, would you? Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." He smirked and closed the door of the machine. He heard the humming noise as the machine warmed up. Matt closed his eyes and turned away as the time machine began to travel. After a few seconds, there was a faint popping sound coming from where the machine was. Matt opened his eyes to an empty garage and a faint outline of where the machine once was.
"Good luck guys," Matt whispered,
"Matty! Where are you boy? It's time for dinner!" Matt rolled his eyes,
"Mom! I'm seventeen. I grew out of that nickname about ten years ago!"
"Oh, hell to the no," his mother called. Her voice got closer to the garage. "I will call you whatever I like, young man." He rolled his eyes and walked out of the garage, flipping the lights off as he closed the door.