A/N: I want to make it perfectly clear that I am not making Ray out to be an insensitive jerk. I am fully aware of his true personality but sometimes people have offdays and they aren't exactly themselves and that is what Ray is here. I realize that after what he says to Lily near the end that he would realize what he did and run out and apologize and that's exactly why he went outside at the end of the chapter there. You'll see what I'm talking about when you get there. Just please don't think I'm making him out to be a creep because I'm not. I'm fully aware that he cares very much for Lily. You'll be privy to Ray's thoughts in Chapter 3, so I think you'll understand more then.
~*~
Travis slammed his locker door shut and leaned against it, closing his eyes as thoughts of Lily invaded his mind for at least the thousandth time that day. It had been an entire week since the little episode on his front porch and he hadn't seen her whatsoever. She hadn't been coming to school and she most definitely hadn't been going to RFR broadcasts. Surely it wasn't because she'd been trying to avoid him lately. Would she really jeopardize the future of RFR just because he'd resisted her? Normally he would've said no, but he wasn't so sure this time. Ever since that moment, he'd thought of her as more than just a friend, but as a real true woman. That in itself was the scariest part of this whole ordeal. The fact that he could actually possibly think of her as something more than just Lily Randall, platonic pal and confidante. When had things become so messed up? Now there'd be no way he could even look at Ray without feeling an immense guilt, and he didn't want to have to deal with that. He couldn't....
Travis jumped as something whacked against his locker, opening his eyes to see what had done it. There stood Ray with one of those amused smirks on his face, as if he had just done one of the funniest things ever. That was Ray for you, always the practical joker. "Hey Swami, how's it hanging?" Ray said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the locker near Travis's. Travis cleared his throat and looked away, the inability to look at Ray becoming overwhelming now. "How many times have I told you not to call me that?" Travis sighed, running a hand through his spiky hair. Where in the hell was Robbie when you needed him?
"You alright, Travis? You seem edgy." Ray asked, being the ever perceptive one. "Yeah I'm fine. I'm just worried about Lily. I haven't talked to her at all, have you?" Travis asked, hoping he was coming off nonchalantly.
"Nope." Ray muttered, shifting his bookbag to his other shoulder and leaning against the locker next to Travis's. "I called her house several times over the past week but nobody answered. Maybe they went out of town for awhile, who knows." Ray shrugged, as if he didn't really care either way. Strange way for a person who supposedly cared about Lily more than anyone to act.
"Don't you even care if she's ok or not? I thought you were supposed to be her best friend in the entire world. Don't you even care?" Travis blurted out before he could think, a small burst of outrage searing through him for a brief moment. Great job acting nonchalant, Strong. Really great. This doesn't give anything away at all. Ray will never know about how you betrayed his trust at this rate.
Ray gave him a strange look and pushed away from the lockers, shaking his head slightly. "Of course I care. This is Lily we're talking about. I care more than anyone does. What's your problem?" Ray asked him, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Travis shook his head and forced himself to calm down, harnessing his chi in the best way possible. Buddha would've never lost control like that. Confucius never would've blown his top in that way. "Nothing, I'm fine. I just haven't been focusing very well lately. I need to meditate in the worst way." he muttered, heading off toward his class before anymore questions could be asked, leaving Ray staring after him with a look of pure confusion on his face.
~*~
After a rigorous half day of classes and his ability to concentrate becoming worse and worse as the day progressed, Travis was ready for a nice hearty lunch. Too bad he wouldn't be finding that in the Henry Roscoe High cafeteria. He'd be lucky if he'd even find anything *edible* in there, much less anything halfway tasty. He walked into the cafeteria and plopped his bookbag down on their usual table, sitting down in his spot and waiting for the rest of the RFR crew.
Within a few short minutes Robbie and Ray walked in together, tossing their bags down beside their chairs and sitting down, still chattering about the last class they had together.
Travis pulled the brown paper bag out of his bookbag and unpacked his lunch, taking a bite of his sandwich and listening to Robbie and Ray ramble. This wasn't so bad. He could listen to them chatter and they'd never even notice that he wasn't really up to talking. He didn't think he could field anymore questions about his mood or how strange he was acting. But what else did he really expect?
"Hey guys, miss me?" a voice broke through Travis's reverie, sounding decidedly female and full of pep. He glanced up and almost choked on his sandwich at the sight that sat right down between himself and Ray. Lily was back...and she looked just as good as ever in her faded jeans and bright red tank top that had tiny black butterflies trailing down the right side. He averted his eyes from her form trying his best not to notice how exceptionally pretty she looked that day. The last time he'd seen her she'd been tear-streaked and devastated, so this was a vast improvement. He could feel Lily's eyes burning a hole into him, and the last thing he wanted to do was look at her face. He wasn't sure of what he'd see there but he had a pretty good idea. She'd either have those hurt puppy dog eyes because he'd blown her off so callously, or she'd have a look of contempt there for being such a jerk to her. Either way he didn't think he could face that look in front of everyone. That would lead to more questions, and those were questions that he definitely couldn't answer.
"Listen guys, I really have to go. Big exam coming up next period. Gotta study." he said quickly, throwing his bookbag over his shoulder and standing up without even looking at them. His comfort level was severely depleted while sitting in that lunch room, and he didn't really feel like messing with it. Once he reached his locker he dropped his bookbag to the ground and slid down to the floor with it, resting his forehead on his knees. He took a few deep breaths and blew them out slowly, squeezing his eyes shut as if that would get the sight of her out of his memory. Was he going to react this way everytime she crossed his path? Would this be the undoing of Radio Free Roscoe as they knew it? Would this....
His mind process stopped mid-thought as a voice broke through, causing him to come crashing back down to earth at a frightening pace. "Travis are you ok?" a small, tentative voice asked him. He heard someone slide down to sit beside him and felt a warm hand touch his arm awkwardly, forcing him to look up and see who the perpetrator was. Of course he knew without even looking, just by the sound of her voice and the touch of her hand but he felt compelled to look her way anyway. As hard as it was to look her in the eye, it was damn near impossible not to. He lifted his head up and glanced over at her, the hand on his arm searing through the orange fabric of his shirt like a hot iron. Her eyes held concern in them, and something else he couldn't identify. Was it pity? Was it guilt? He wasn't sure, but whatever it was it was all-consuming. She was just as tortured as he was if not moreso...but was it for the same reason?
"I'm fine, Lily. Really." he muttered, pushing himself up and opening his locker. He needed something to do. Something to keep him busy so he wouldn't have to continue to look at her. He didn't trust himself around her anymore and that wasn't how a friendship was supposed to be. "You don't look fine, Travis, and you damn sure aren't *acting* fine. What's the deal?" she pressed onward, determined to get something out of him sooner or later. Didn't she already know what was wrong with him? Wasn't that same thing wrong with her too? He was beginning to wonder if she even cared about Ray's feelings at all, which was making him wonder if he should either.
"You know what the deal is. I shouldn't have to spell it out for you." Travis sighed, shoving his books into his locker and pulling out the ones he needed for next period. Busy was the key. If he could keep himself occupied he'd make it through just fine. Lily sighed herself and crossed her arms over her chest, finally pulling her hand away from his already burning arm. "Alright, if that's how you want to be. Don't pretend like you're the only one that feels bad and guilty, because that's a lie and you know it. It's not like I went out and planned for anything to happen but it did and to be honest I'm not sorry about it. I needed a friend and you were there for me. It was a natural reaction to the comfort and it wasn't anything bad, so stop making it seem like we broke the law because we didn't. So we kissed, so what? I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I had it to do over again." she rattled off, her eyes boring into him the entire time. Every word out of her mouth made him feel even worse and worse. Ray cared about her and here she was pouring out her feelings to one of his best friends.
"Well it won't happen again, trust me. Call it a momentary lapse of sanity, but I'm all better now and its the *last* thing I want to do." Travis said, slamming his locker and turning to walk down the hall towards his next class.
"You're just scared, Travis! You're scared that it might actually mean something and you know what? That's pathetic." she called after him as he walked away from her. Who was she to assume what he felt? She had no idea what she was talking about if she thought he was *scared* of her. It had just been a kiss, nothing more. And that was all it would be. Nothing more.
~*~
"I'm Question Mark and I'm wondering...if a girl admits she's wrong and nobody's there to see it, did it really happen? Ouch!" Robbie yelled as Lily smacked him hard on the arm. "That's what you get for making a crack about me and my fellow women, sexist pig." she rolled her eyes, picking up her guitar and strumming a few notes. "I should write a song about that...Question Mark the sexist pig." Lily smirked, strumming a few more notes as the words formed in her head. Robbie's hand reached out and grabbed the neck of her guitar, threatening to pull it away from her. "Hey buddy, unless you want to lose that hand I suggest you let go." she said, giving him a don't-mess-with-me look. He reluctantly let go and held up his hands in mock resignation. "Ok ok, no need for violence Shady." he sighed.
"So Shady, why have you been MIA for the past week? Everything ok?" Ray asked, glancing over at her. "Actually....no." Lily sighed, not particularly wanting to get into this now, but knowing she owed it to the listeners to explain herself. Somehow she didn't think she'd be able to mention it without crying. Her eyes flickered briefly to Travis, as if somehow his gaze might give her strength, but he wasn't even looking at her. The entire broadcast he'd been looking everywhere but at her and it was a really hard blow. Had she ruined their friendship forever with just one kiss? "My dad passed away last week. I've been really depressed lately so I've been staying home." she finished, getting her thoughts back on track. Enough Travis thoughts, Lily. You aren't some lovesick schoolgirl.
"Cheer up. Life will go on. Think of it this way...one less person in the house for you to deafen with your loud guitar music." Ray blurted out without even thinking in a desperate attempt to cheer Lily up. As soon as the words left his mouth he knew they were all wrong, but it was too late to take them back. Lily instantly paled and reeled back as if slapped in the face, her stomach churning as his words were absorbed. "I can't believe you just said that." she said, barely concealed rage in her voice as she stood up and grabbed her backpack. She walked angrily towards the door before Ray could apologize and threw it open, slamming it behind her as she went.
Travis felt immense rage too, which was a rare thing for him. He normally didn't get too angry...the Buddhist in him wouldn't let him. Whenever he felt anywhere close to getting mad he'd meditate and feel better almost instantly. But not now. The hurt he saw on Lily's face was too much. The unapologetic look on Ray's face ticked him off to the core. He could get away with saying derogatory remarks about Travis sometimes, but he damn sure couldn't treat Lily that way. Not someone he claimed to care about more than anyone. Without a word Travis stood up and yanked his headphones off, throwing them on the floor and walking out of the sound booth. He'd left them all on the air but that didn't matter. The only thing he cared about at that point was getting to Lily before she did something she'd regret.
Travis opened the door and raced out of it, desperate to catch up to Lily in time. "Lily...wait!" he called out, jogging to get to her. She hadn't gone very far yet. She ignored his call and kept walking, increasing her pace. He was the last person that she wanted to talk to, but at the same time he was the *only* person she wanted to talk to. Why in the hell did guys have to be so complicated? Whatever happened to the good old days when a guy and a girl could be friends without any complications or expectations? Was that really possible once a person reached puberty?
"Lily, stop." Travis said, gasping for breath as he finally got close enough to her. He grabbed her arm and swung her around to look at him on reflex. Lily jerked her arm out of his grasp, pain and anger masking her beautiful features as she looked up at him. "Don't...touch...me." she ground out, tears welling up behind her eyes. She blinked them back almost as quickly as they'd emerged, determined not to let him see her cry again. Travis sighed and ran a hand through his spiky brown hair, biting his bottom lip in utter frustration. Why did girls have to be so complicated? His head was frantically fluttering through all the ancient Chinese proverbs that were cataloged in his brain, desperately grasping for something profound to say but it just wasn't there. He was at a complete loss at this point, for anything intelligent to say. "Look, I'm sure Ray didn't mean it. He was just being Ray." he murmured, surprised he was making excuses for the guy since he was just as angry as Lily at that moment. "Yeah well, this time 'just Ray being Ray' isn't a good enough excuse anymore." she muttered, shaking her head. He hated to admit it, but he had to agree with her. How many times had Ray said rude things about him and he'd just chalked it up to Ray being Ray? When did enough become enough? Somehow Travis felt that this was probably that time.
"You're right. It's not good enough. He shouldn't have said what he did. If he really cared about you then he wouldn't have said it." Travis agreed, reaching out a hand and patting her shoulder awkwardly. Touching her had taken on a whole new meaning, and it wasn't a comfortable one. Lily glanced down at his hand on her shoulder and sighed, her eyes moving from his hand to his eyes. He stared into her face as if seeing her for the very first time and it was then that he realized just what Ray saw in her. It was then that he realized what made her such a wonderful person, what made him want to know her that much more. She was a special person and he had an incredible urge to show her just how special.
Without thinking about the consequences, Travis's hand moved from her shoulder up the curve of her neck lightly, feeling her shiver under his touch as he moved. He then placed his hand on her cheek and rubbed it lightly with his thumb, reveling in the soft texture of her skin against his. God, she was beautiful. Without another thought he leaned in and brushed his lips against her cheek, hearing her soft sigh as his mouth met with her skin. Suddenly her hand lifted up and grabbed his chin, twisting his face to meet with her lips. He kissed her tentatively, his lips lightly brushing against hers as he got used to the feel of her mouth upon his yet again. This time it was a bit more awkward, the spontaneity missing from this one. It didn't make the sensation any less wonderful and a wonderful warmth was spreading all throughout his body, covering him in sincere pleasure.
He moaned into her mouth and deepened the kiss, grabbing her chin and angling her head to get the best access to her mouth as he possibly could. Her tongue slipped out and stroked against his lips, causing a groan to emit from the both of them as his mouth opened and their tongues touched together. This time Travis forgot all about the wrongness of it and concentrated on the sensation, letting it pour over him and take him over with each movement of her mouth upon his. Suddenly he tore his mouth away and pressed his forehead against hers, trying his best to catch his breath. Unlike her he left his eyes open and studied her face, smiling slightly at the slight smattering of freckles that covered the tip of her nose.
"Look Lily..." he started, but before he could finish Lily interrupted him with a statement of her own. "No Travis. I don't want to hear the same thing over again. If you're just going to say "Look Lily, I'm sorry but I can't do this to Ray. You and I are just friends." then don't bother. I'd rather not." she blurted out, pulling herself out of his embrace. Travis shook his head vehemently and grabbed her arms, pulling her back against him as quickly as she'd yanked herself out. "No, that's not what I was going to say at all and if you'd have let me finish then you would've known that. I like you...and I want to see where this goes. " he said softly, brushing his lips against hers lightly and stroking the skin of her arms with his thumbs.
They didn't hear the footsteps on the ground coming towards them, being too lost in their reverie to pull apart before the world came crashing down. "You asshole." a voice said, startling them and forcing them apart with the unconcealed anger that it exuded. They both turned and Travis dropped his hands from Lily's arms. There stood Ray, his entire body shaking, his eyes filled with pain as he watched two of his best friends betraying him before his very eyes. "Ray..." Lily started, walking towards him and holding a hand out to him. Ray jerked back and shook his head violently, holding his hands up as if she were a deadly disease to keep away at all costs. "Stay away from me. Both of you just stay away from me!" he yelled, turning around and running the opposite way without another word.
"It's the end of the world as we know it." Travis muttered.
~*~
Travis slammed his locker door shut and leaned against it, closing his eyes as thoughts of Lily invaded his mind for at least the thousandth time that day. It had been an entire week since the little episode on his front porch and he hadn't seen her whatsoever. She hadn't been coming to school and she most definitely hadn't been going to RFR broadcasts. Surely it wasn't because she'd been trying to avoid him lately. Would she really jeopardize the future of RFR just because he'd resisted her? Normally he would've said no, but he wasn't so sure this time. Ever since that moment, he'd thought of her as more than just a friend, but as a real true woman. That in itself was the scariest part of this whole ordeal. The fact that he could actually possibly think of her as something more than just Lily Randall, platonic pal and confidante. When had things become so messed up? Now there'd be no way he could even look at Ray without feeling an immense guilt, and he didn't want to have to deal with that. He couldn't....
Travis jumped as something whacked against his locker, opening his eyes to see what had done it. There stood Ray with one of those amused smirks on his face, as if he had just done one of the funniest things ever. That was Ray for you, always the practical joker. "Hey Swami, how's it hanging?" Ray said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the locker near Travis's. Travis cleared his throat and looked away, the inability to look at Ray becoming overwhelming now. "How many times have I told you not to call me that?" Travis sighed, running a hand through his spiky hair. Where in the hell was Robbie when you needed him?
"You alright, Travis? You seem edgy." Ray asked, being the ever perceptive one. "Yeah I'm fine. I'm just worried about Lily. I haven't talked to her at all, have you?" Travis asked, hoping he was coming off nonchalantly.
"Nope." Ray muttered, shifting his bookbag to his other shoulder and leaning against the locker next to Travis's. "I called her house several times over the past week but nobody answered. Maybe they went out of town for awhile, who knows." Ray shrugged, as if he didn't really care either way. Strange way for a person who supposedly cared about Lily more than anyone to act.
"Don't you even care if she's ok or not? I thought you were supposed to be her best friend in the entire world. Don't you even care?" Travis blurted out before he could think, a small burst of outrage searing through him for a brief moment. Great job acting nonchalant, Strong. Really great. This doesn't give anything away at all. Ray will never know about how you betrayed his trust at this rate.
Ray gave him a strange look and pushed away from the lockers, shaking his head slightly. "Of course I care. This is Lily we're talking about. I care more than anyone does. What's your problem?" Ray asked him, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Travis shook his head and forced himself to calm down, harnessing his chi in the best way possible. Buddha would've never lost control like that. Confucius never would've blown his top in that way. "Nothing, I'm fine. I just haven't been focusing very well lately. I need to meditate in the worst way." he muttered, heading off toward his class before anymore questions could be asked, leaving Ray staring after him with a look of pure confusion on his face.
~*~
After a rigorous half day of classes and his ability to concentrate becoming worse and worse as the day progressed, Travis was ready for a nice hearty lunch. Too bad he wouldn't be finding that in the Henry Roscoe High cafeteria. He'd be lucky if he'd even find anything *edible* in there, much less anything halfway tasty. He walked into the cafeteria and plopped his bookbag down on their usual table, sitting down in his spot and waiting for the rest of the RFR crew.
Within a few short minutes Robbie and Ray walked in together, tossing their bags down beside their chairs and sitting down, still chattering about the last class they had together.
Travis pulled the brown paper bag out of his bookbag and unpacked his lunch, taking a bite of his sandwich and listening to Robbie and Ray ramble. This wasn't so bad. He could listen to them chatter and they'd never even notice that he wasn't really up to talking. He didn't think he could field anymore questions about his mood or how strange he was acting. But what else did he really expect?
"Hey guys, miss me?" a voice broke through Travis's reverie, sounding decidedly female and full of pep. He glanced up and almost choked on his sandwich at the sight that sat right down between himself and Ray. Lily was back...and she looked just as good as ever in her faded jeans and bright red tank top that had tiny black butterflies trailing down the right side. He averted his eyes from her form trying his best not to notice how exceptionally pretty she looked that day. The last time he'd seen her she'd been tear-streaked and devastated, so this was a vast improvement. He could feel Lily's eyes burning a hole into him, and the last thing he wanted to do was look at her face. He wasn't sure of what he'd see there but he had a pretty good idea. She'd either have those hurt puppy dog eyes because he'd blown her off so callously, or she'd have a look of contempt there for being such a jerk to her. Either way he didn't think he could face that look in front of everyone. That would lead to more questions, and those were questions that he definitely couldn't answer.
"Listen guys, I really have to go. Big exam coming up next period. Gotta study." he said quickly, throwing his bookbag over his shoulder and standing up without even looking at them. His comfort level was severely depleted while sitting in that lunch room, and he didn't really feel like messing with it. Once he reached his locker he dropped his bookbag to the ground and slid down to the floor with it, resting his forehead on his knees. He took a few deep breaths and blew them out slowly, squeezing his eyes shut as if that would get the sight of her out of his memory. Was he going to react this way everytime she crossed his path? Would this be the undoing of Radio Free Roscoe as they knew it? Would this....
His mind process stopped mid-thought as a voice broke through, causing him to come crashing back down to earth at a frightening pace. "Travis are you ok?" a small, tentative voice asked him. He heard someone slide down to sit beside him and felt a warm hand touch his arm awkwardly, forcing him to look up and see who the perpetrator was. Of course he knew without even looking, just by the sound of her voice and the touch of her hand but he felt compelled to look her way anyway. As hard as it was to look her in the eye, it was damn near impossible not to. He lifted his head up and glanced over at her, the hand on his arm searing through the orange fabric of his shirt like a hot iron. Her eyes held concern in them, and something else he couldn't identify. Was it pity? Was it guilt? He wasn't sure, but whatever it was it was all-consuming. She was just as tortured as he was if not moreso...but was it for the same reason?
"I'm fine, Lily. Really." he muttered, pushing himself up and opening his locker. He needed something to do. Something to keep him busy so he wouldn't have to continue to look at her. He didn't trust himself around her anymore and that wasn't how a friendship was supposed to be. "You don't look fine, Travis, and you damn sure aren't *acting* fine. What's the deal?" she pressed onward, determined to get something out of him sooner or later. Didn't she already know what was wrong with him? Wasn't that same thing wrong with her too? He was beginning to wonder if she even cared about Ray's feelings at all, which was making him wonder if he should either.
"You know what the deal is. I shouldn't have to spell it out for you." Travis sighed, shoving his books into his locker and pulling out the ones he needed for next period. Busy was the key. If he could keep himself occupied he'd make it through just fine. Lily sighed herself and crossed her arms over her chest, finally pulling her hand away from his already burning arm. "Alright, if that's how you want to be. Don't pretend like you're the only one that feels bad and guilty, because that's a lie and you know it. It's not like I went out and planned for anything to happen but it did and to be honest I'm not sorry about it. I needed a friend and you were there for me. It was a natural reaction to the comfort and it wasn't anything bad, so stop making it seem like we broke the law because we didn't. So we kissed, so what? I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I had it to do over again." she rattled off, her eyes boring into him the entire time. Every word out of her mouth made him feel even worse and worse. Ray cared about her and here she was pouring out her feelings to one of his best friends.
"Well it won't happen again, trust me. Call it a momentary lapse of sanity, but I'm all better now and its the *last* thing I want to do." Travis said, slamming his locker and turning to walk down the hall towards his next class.
"You're just scared, Travis! You're scared that it might actually mean something and you know what? That's pathetic." she called after him as he walked away from her. Who was she to assume what he felt? She had no idea what she was talking about if she thought he was *scared* of her. It had just been a kiss, nothing more. And that was all it would be. Nothing more.
~*~
"I'm Question Mark and I'm wondering...if a girl admits she's wrong and nobody's there to see it, did it really happen? Ouch!" Robbie yelled as Lily smacked him hard on the arm. "That's what you get for making a crack about me and my fellow women, sexist pig." she rolled her eyes, picking up her guitar and strumming a few notes. "I should write a song about that...Question Mark the sexist pig." Lily smirked, strumming a few more notes as the words formed in her head. Robbie's hand reached out and grabbed the neck of her guitar, threatening to pull it away from her. "Hey buddy, unless you want to lose that hand I suggest you let go." she said, giving him a don't-mess-with-me look. He reluctantly let go and held up his hands in mock resignation. "Ok ok, no need for violence Shady." he sighed.
"So Shady, why have you been MIA for the past week? Everything ok?" Ray asked, glancing over at her. "Actually....no." Lily sighed, not particularly wanting to get into this now, but knowing she owed it to the listeners to explain herself. Somehow she didn't think she'd be able to mention it without crying. Her eyes flickered briefly to Travis, as if somehow his gaze might give her strength, but he wasn't even looking at her. The entire broadcast he'd been looking everywhere but at her and it was a really hard blow. Had she ruined their friendship forever with just one kiss? "My dad passed away last week. I've been really depressed lately so I've been staying home." she finished, getting her thoughts back on track. Enough Travis thoughts, Lily. You aren't some lovesick schoolgirl.
"Cheer up. Life will go on. Think of it this way...one less person in the house for you to deafen with your loud guitar music." Ray blurted out without even thinking in a desperate attempt to cheer Lily up. As soon as the words left his mouth he knew they were all wrong, but it was too late to take them back. Lily instantly paled and reeled back as if slapped in the face, her stomach churning as his words were absorbed. "I can't believe you just said that." she said, barely concealed rage in her voice as she stood up and grabbed her backpack. She walked angrily towards the door before Ray could apologize and threw it open, slamming it behind her as she went.
Travis felt immense rage too, which was a rare thing for him. He normally didn't get too angry...the Buddhist in him wouldn't let him. Whenever he felt anywhere close to getting mad he'd meditate and feel better almost instantly. But not now. The hurt he saw on Lily's face was too much. The unapologetic look on Ray's face ticked him off to the core. He could get away with saying derogatory remarks about Travis sometimes, but he damn sure couldn't treat Lily that way. Not someone he claimed to care about more than anyone. Without a word Travis stood up and yanked his headphones off, throwing them on the floor and walking out of the sound booth. He'd left them all on the air but that didn't matter. The only thing he cared about at that point was getting to Lily before she did something she'd regret.
Travis opened the door and raced out of it, desperate to catch up to Lily in time. "Lily...wait!" he called out, jogging to get to her. She hadn't gone very far yet. She ignored his call and kept walking, increasing her pace. He was the last person that she wanted to talk to, but at the same time he was the *only* person she wanted to talk to. Why in the hell did guys have to be so complicated? Whatever happened to the good old days when a guy and a girl could be friends without any complications or expectations? Was that really possible once a person reached puberty?
"Lily, stop." Travis said, gasping for breath as he finally got close enough to her. He grabbed her arm and swung her around to look at him on reflex. Lily jerked her arm out of his grasp, pain and anger masking her beautiful features as she looked up at him. "Don't...touch...me." she ground out, tears welling up behind her eyes. She blinked them back almost as quickly as they'd emerged, determined not to let him see her cry again. Travis sighed and ran a hand through his spiky brown hair, biting his bottom lip in utter frustration. Why did girls have to be so complicated? His head was frantically fluttering through all the ancient Chinese proverbs that were cataloged in his brain, desperately grasping for something profound to say but it just wasn't there. He was at a complete loss at this point, for anything intelligent to say. "Look, I'm sure Ray didn't mean it. He was just being Ray." he murmured, surprised he was making excuses for the guy since he was just as angry as Lily at that moment. "Yeah well, this time 'just Ray being Ray' isn't a good enough excuse anymore." she muttered, shaking her head. He hated to admit it, but he had to agree with her. How many times had Ray said rude things about him and he'd just chalked it up to Ray being Ray? When did enough become enough? Somehow Travis felt that this was probably that time.
"You're right. It's not good enough. He shouldn't have said what he did. If he really cared about you then he wouldn't have said it." Travis agreed, reaching out a hand and patting her shoulder awkwardly. Touching her had taken on a whole new meaning, and it wasn't a comfortable one. Lily glanced down at his hand on her shoulder and sighed, her eyes moving from his hand to his eyes. He stared into her face as if seeing her for the very first time and it was then that he realized just what Ray saw in her. It was then that he realized what made her such a wonderful person, what made him want to know her that much more. She was a special person and he had an incredible urge to show her just how special.
Without thinking about the consequences, Travis's hand moved from her shoulder up the curve of her neck lightly, feeling her shiver under his touch as he moved. He then placed his hand on her cheek and rubbed it lightly with his thumb, reveling in the soft texture of her skin against his. God, she was beautiful. Without another thought he leaned in and brushed his lips against her cheek, hearing her soft sigh as his mouth met with her skin. Suddenly her hand lifted up and grabbed his chin, twisting his face to meet with her lips. He kissed her tentatively, his lips lightly brushing against hers as he got used to the feel of her mouth upon his yet again. This time it was a bit more awkward, the spontaneity missing from this one. It didn't make the sensation any less wonderful and a wonderful warmth was spreading all throughout his body, covering him in sincere pleasure.
He moaned into her mouth and deepened the kiss, grabbing her chin and angling her head to get the best access to her mouth as he possibly could. Her tongue slipped out and stroked against his lips, causing a groan to emit from the both of them as his mouth opened and their tongues touched together. This time Travis forgot all about the wrongness of it and concentrated on the sensation, letting it pour over him and take him over with each movement of her mouth upon his. Suddenly he tore his mouth away and pressed his forehead against hers, trying his best to catch his breath. Unlike her he left his eyes open and studied her face, smiling slightly at the slight smattering of freckles that covered the tip of her nose.
"Look Lily..." he started, but before he could finish Lily interrupted him with a statement of her own. "No Travis. I don't want to hear the same thing over again. If you're just going to say "Look Lily, I'm sorry but I can't do this to Ray. You and I are just friends." then don't bother. I'd rather not." she blurted out, pulling herself out of his embrace. Travis shook his head vehemently and grabbed her arms, pulling her back against him as quickly as she'd yanked herself out. "No, that's not what I was going to say at all and if you'd have let me finish then you would've known that. I like you...and I want to see where this goes. " he said softly, brushing his lips against hers lightly and stroking the skin of her arms with his thumbs.
They didn't hear the footsteps on the ground coming towards them, being too lost in their reverie to pull apart before the world came crashing down. "You asshole." a voice said, startling them and forcing them apart with the unconcealed anger that it exuded. They both turned and Travis dropped his hands from Lily's arms. There stood Ray, his entire body shaking, his eyes filled with pain as he watched two of his best friends betraying him before his very eyes. "Ray..." Lily started, walking towards him and holding a hand out to him. Ray jerked back and shook his head violently, holding his hands up as if she were a deadly disease to keep away at all costs. "Stay away from me. Both of you just stay away from me!" he yelled, turning around and running the opposite way without another word.
"It's the end of the world as we know it." Travis muttered.