Title: In The Smog
Rating: PG-13-R
Summary: Travis has a secret. A dark secret.
Warning: Sexual abuse, language, and violence.
Disclaimer: I do not own Radio Free Roscoe, Travis, and any other characters besides one's that are before-mentioned as being my own.
It's another night. Another dark night. A motion, and a cry, and that was all it took. An upjump and a pain and something like a fist. Then it was a few cursing words, and a boy with a jacket jumps out his window on the ledge and hops down. He's crying, but, no one could really see it unless they got up close to him. And it's not like he would allow that at all.
Any fool could see him now, walking slowly down the sidewalk with his head down. He was trying to manage his tears, they were getting in the way of his anger. Anger was important. It meant relief from tragedy. Of course, his anger... lead to tragedy. He pulled his jacket tighter around him, wondering where he could go. Where'd he'd be safe. He realizes there is no place where he could be safe.
The tears are hot, salty, spilling over his cheeks and over his lips and down his chin. He licks them away, the taste makes him gag, and he walks faster. He approaches a house, a brightly lit house, and he steps up to it. He knocks on the door. A girl answers. His tears are gone now, and he's smiling. He was never crying. No he wasn't. What are you talking about, he was never crying.
The girl smiles and invites him in. He smiles back and nods. They walk in together and she closes the door behind them. Everything is fine. Everything is going to be fine. He's not fine.
~
"Hey, what do you think the velocity of a penny is?" Ray was working on a random science question. "You know, that is the most stupid question I have ever had to answer. It's like, when am I ever going to need to know the velocity of a penny?"
"When you're... dropping a penny off a roof?" Robbie shrugged. He was on his PDA, IMing his cousin on the AIM program and asking him about what time to come over that weekend.
"Well yeah but... oh shut up Robbie, you're making me look bad." Ray made a pfft sound as Lily poked his shoulder, then glanced over at Travis, who was sitting in a corner, staring straight ahead. He had nothing to eat, which was odd, it being lunch... and all.
"Whats wrong with you today?" Lily asked him, reaching over and poking him as well. Travis just about jumped out of his chair. He glared angrily at her. "Why'd you do that? Can't you see I'm thinking?"
Ray glanced over at him, eyed him for a moment, then said modestly, "Looks more like you're hyper-ventilating, but thats just my opinion."
Lily quickly withdrew herself from him, holding her hands up. "Sorry, sorry, but you ALWAYS have that far away look, if you haven't noticed."
Travis sighed, with a slight angry glint still in his eye, went back to his brooding position. He hadn't meant to be so harsh. He wasn't in the best of moods, that was all. Nothing else.
Robbie glanced down at his macaroni and cheese. "So... I take it someone had a rough night, Travis?"
Travis refused to comment. The stoney look upon his pale features was enough to tell even the most dim of people that he had, in fact, had a horrible night.
Ray just sat there, listening to the conversation. He was taking everything in. Occasionally, however, he would glance at Lily, then look back at his apparently amazingly interesting shoes.
Lily noticed the quick glance and smiled to herself. But, she wouldn't dare smile out loud, no. That would be too obvious. Pausing for a moment, she sighed. "Well, we should get to class... lunch is almost over, you know."
Ray nodded, standing too quickly and knocking his water bottle over. It spilled over the table, and in only a brief few seconds, had covered Robbie's PDA and leaked onto Travis's lap.
Lily's eyes got wide and she grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair, throwing it over the leak.
Robbie grabbed his PDA as quickly as he could, rubbing it with the bottom corner of his shirt. Things like that happened too often for him to truly complain. However, Travis was almost fuming.
"You idiot, you're always doing stuff like this, always messing things up! This is the thirt time you've done something like this since last week!" Travis yelled at Ray, jumping up and knocking his chair over.
Ray cringed. "I'm sorry, Travis, I didn't mean to... and it's only the second! Oh wait, yeah, it's the third, my bad." He glanced around. People had heard the yelling and were now whispering to each other, eyes locked on the four.
Lily put a hand on Travis's shoulder, saying softly, "It's ok, Travis, it's not even that much... and Ray didn't mean to, it was an accident..."
Robbie held out his own jacket. "Here, take mine if you don't want to walk around with a wet stain on the front of your jeans."
Travis shrugged out of Lily's grasp, looking away, "No, thanks, I'm just gonna..." He didn't finish, instead making a jog for the exit of the cafeteria.
Once he had burst through the door, he quickly made his way to the boys bathroom, ignoring the odd looks that two of the teacher's who were talking in the hallway were giving him.
Gulping for air. Water splashing on his face. There was more embarrassment over what he had said to Ray than the large stain on his jeans. He stumbled into a stall,
crouching his back and sliding down the wall. Eyes closed. Breathing hard.
"Boy, get back in here!" Running.
"No, get away from me, please!" Screaming.
"You can't get away from me, hold still you good for nothing bastard!" More screaming.
"Please, no..." Crying.
His eyes shot back open. "Please, no!" He shouted as the stall door opened.
"Look, I know I'm clumsy and shouldn't have spilled that water on you... but, I'm really not THAT clumsy." Ray stood there, both eyebrows raised.
Travis sighed in relief. He stood quickly, looking at Ray with a forgiving, yet almost patronizing smile. "It's fine, Ray, don't worry about it." He walked out, leaving a
confused Ray to himself.
Rating: PG-13-R
Summary: Travis has a secret. A dark secret.
Warning: Sexual abuse, language, and violence.
Disclaimer: I do not own Radio Free Roscoe, Travis, and any other characters besides one's that are before-mentioned as being my own.
It's another night. Another dark night. A motion, and a cry, and that was all it took. An upjump and a pain and something like a fist. Then it was a few cursing words, and a boy with a jacket jumps out his window on the ledge and hops down. He's crying, but, no one could really see it unless they got up close to him. And it's not like he would allow that at all.
Any fool could see him now, walking slowly down the sidewalk with his head down. He was trying to manage his tears, they were getting in the way of his anger. Anger was important. It meant relief from tragedy. Of course, his anger... lead to tragedy. He pulled his jacket tighter around him, wondering where he could go. Where'd he'd be safe. He realizes there is no place where he could be safe.
The tears are hot, salty, spilling over his cheeks and over his lips and down his chin. He licks them away, the taste makes him gag, and he walks faster. He approaches a house, a brightly lit house, and he steps up to it. He knocks on the door. A girl answers. His tears are gone now, and he's smiling. He was never crying. No he wasn't. What are you talking about, he was never crying.
The girl smiles and invites him in. He smiles back and nods. They walk in together and she closes the door behind them. Everything is fine. Everything is going to be fine. He's not fine.
~
"Hey, what do you think the velocity of a penny is?" Ray was working on a random science question. "You know, that is the most stupid question I have ever had to answer. It's like, when am I ever going to need to know the velocity of a penny?"
"When you're... dropping a penny off a roof?" Robbie shrugged. He was on his PDA, IMing his cousin on the AIM program and asking him about what time to come over that weekend.
"Well yeah but... oh shut up Robbie, you're making me look bad." Ray made a pfft sound as Lily poked his shoulder, then glanced over at Travis, who was sitting in a corner, staring straight ahead. He had nothing to eat, which was odd, it being lunch... and all.
"Whats wrong with you today?" Lily asked him, reaching over and poking him as well. Travis just about jumped out of his chair. He glared angrily at her. "Why'd you do that? Can't you see I'm thinking?"
Ray glanced over at him, eyed him for a moment, then said modestly, "Looks more like you're hyper-ventilating, but thats just my opinion."
Lily quickly withdrew herself from him, holding her hands up. "Sorry, sorry, but you ALWAYS have that far away look, if you haven't noticed."
Travis sighed, with a slight angry glint still in his eye, went back to his brooding position. He hadn't meant to be so harsh. He wasn't in the best of moods, that was all. Nothing else.
Robbie glanced down at his macaroni and cheese. "So... I take it someone had a rough night, Travis?"
Travis refused to comment. The stoney look upon his pale features was enough to tell even the most dim of people that he had, in fact, had a horrible night.
Ray just sat there, listening to the conversation. He was taking everything in. Occasionally, however, he would glance at Lily, then look back at his apparently amazingly interesting shoes.
Lily noticed the quick glance and smiled to herself. But, she wouldn't dare smile out loud, no. That would be too obvious. Pausing for a moment, she sighed. "Well, we should get to class... lunch is almost over, you know."
Ray nodded, standing too quickly and knocking his water bottle over. It spilled over the table, and in only a brief few seconds, had covered Robbie's PDA and leaked onto Travis's lap.
Lily's eyes got wide and she grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair, throwing it over the leak.
Robbie grabbed his PDA as quickly as he could, rubbing it with the bottom corner of his shirt. Things like that happened too often for him to truly complain. However, Travis was almost fuming.
"You idiot, you're always doing stuff like this, always messing things up! This is the thirt time you've done something like this since last week!" Travis yelled at Ray, jumping up and knocking his chair over.
Ray cringed. "I'm sorry, Travis, I didn't mean to... and it's only the second! Oh wait, yeah, it's the third, my bad." He glanced around. People had heard the yelling and were now whispering to each other, eyes locked on the four.
Lily put a hand on Travis's shoulder, saying softly, "It's ok, Travis, it's not even that much... and Ray didn't mean to, it was an accident..."
Robbie held out his own jacket. "Here, take mine if you don't want to walk around with a wet stain on the front of your jeans."
Travis shrugged out of Lily's grasp, looking away, "No, thanks, I'm just gonna..." He didn't finish, instead making a jog for the exit of the cafeteria.
Once he had burst through the door, he quickly made his way to the boys bathroom, ignoring the odd looks that two of the teacher's who were talking in the hallway were giving him.
Gulping for air. Water splashing on his face. There was more embarrassment over what he had said to Ray than the large stain on his jeans. He stumbled into a stall,
crouching his back and sliding down the wall. Eyes closed. Breathing hard.
"Boy, get back in here!" Running.
"No, get away from me, please!" Screaming.
"You can't get away from me, hold still you good for nothing bastard!" More screaming.
"Please, no..." Crying.
His eyes shot back open. "Please, no!" He shouted as the stall door opened.
"Look, I know I'm clumsy and shouldn't have spilled that water on you... but, I'm really not THAT clumsy." Ray stood there, both eyebrows raised.
Travis sighed in relief. He stood quickly, looking at Ray with a forgiving, yet almost patronizing smile. "It's fine, Ray, don't worry about it." He walked out, leaving a
confused Ray to himself.
