Disclamer: I don't own anything that the mainstream RFR fan would recognize.

.:Of Microphones and Men:.

Four Friends

Lily Randall enters the room with a huge smile on her face.
"I am awesome. I truly, truly am." She said as she unpacked her guitar. "I've finally gotten RFR's theme written.
"All right lets hear it!" Robbie McGrath cheered enthusiastically. Ray Brennan began clapping and cheering, while Travis Strong was in the tech booth feet away smiling and preparing to record Lily's song.
"Ready when you are, Shady..."
"All right." Lily said taking a deep breath as her fingers glided to position on the strings of her electric guitar. Pressing them down familiarly, she nodded to Travis and struck an electrifying chord.
"We change the rules around,
We've got a different sound.
Tune into the underground.
Cause when it gets too much,
You have no choice.
Oh yeah, ya gotta
Make some noise.
Are you listening?
Are you listening now?
We're on the air!"
"You're listening to Radio Free Roscoe." Travis said as he pressed the stop button on the recorder.
"So how was it?" Lily asked nervously.
"Awesome! It made me want to crowd surf." Ray said attempting to 'surf' Robbie. Needless to say, he was less than amused.
"I agree." Robbie chimed, "It rocked the house. Soon, thousands of Roscoe citizens will be lining up to see The Famous Lily Randall." Travis found his 'concert crowd gone wild' sound effects and played it. Lily bowed and then did the rock on hand sign.
"Thank you, Roscoe, I love you!!!" Travis flicked open his lighter and waving it back and forth. Lily laughed. "You guys rock, you know that?"
Ray spun around in his spinning chair and propped his feet up saying rather smugly, "Tell us something we don't know." In trying to make up for his essential Ray-ness, Robbie said,
"What he means is, thank you, Lillian. Your kindness is appreciated."
"Why thank you Robert, you are very welcome." Ray rolled his eyes and made a mocking face at Robbie. "So when are we debuting Lily's oh so fabulous song?"
"Well it's ready to go as is, but I can mix it, that is if it's all right with you, Lily."
"You'd do that for me? Thanks, Travis!" She said as she hugged him.
"Of course. And you're very welcome. It will sound amazing when I'm done with it. FYI, guys, ten minutes until we're on the air." Travis informed the group.
"Robbie, did you get a haircut? Something's different." Ray said, as he scrutinized his best friend of sixteen years. "No, I didn't get a haircut," Robbie said, raking his hand through his espresso colored, spiral- curled afro. His caramel shaded skin glowed with pride. "Something is different about me though." He said as he turned his handsome features to the side revealing a silver stud on his left ear.
"No way, man!" Ray said in disbelief as he high fived Robbie. "the 'rents let you go through with it!"
"Yes, doesn't it bring out the stud muffin that is Robbie McGrath?" he said in a dramatic French accent.
"Oh Robbie I never really noticed it until now." Ray said 'seductively' as he walked over to Robbie's side of the table. "That Charmin-soft hair," he said as he ran his hands through Robbie's hair, closing his eyes in mock pleasure, "those steely gray eyes that steal my very breath away. That stud...oh that studly stud," he shouted as he got on his knees. He now had the attention the other three members of Radio Free Roscoe (and not in a good way.), Travis included, "I can't take it anymore, Robbie, I want you I need you!"
"Oh baby, oh baby." Lily said with very little emotion.
"Okay okay, point taken guys." Robbie said as he watched Lily burst with laughter.
"Hey, five minutes." Travis reminded them. Taking their seats at their mics, and putting on their headphones they prepared to do their daily show, Radio Free Roscoe. It was an underground radio show, stationed in an undisclosed location that fellow teens could call into and voice their opinions on issues that mattered to them.
At their high school, Henry Roscoe High, "Cougar Radio" drilled school spirit in to students' heads. The host of the show and the "Voice of Cougar High" Kim Carlyle always opened the show with the ever-lame "Yo and hello, Cougars", her 'don't mess with me or my ego or I'll smite you because I think I'm God' catchphrase. She was the hawk that surveyed the halls for her beloved Principal Waller. The two were out to get the 'miscreants' behind Radio Free Roscoe and shut it down for good. Ergo, Travis, Lily, Robbie and Ray had secret identities while they were on the air. Smog, Question Mark, Pronto and Shady Lane, or Travis, Robbie, Ray and Lily. Smog manned the techbooth while Question Mark, Pronto and Shady did the show. Smog had his input of course. The group all came up with individual playlists that lived up to the Radio Free Roscoe name. There was no sugar coated bubblegum pop, no gangsta rap, grunge metal. People could only take so much. It had become a quick hit among the students of Roscoe High, who faithfully tuned in every day at 4:00 pm set their dials to 88.1 am to listen to the four.
"Uno momento, compadres." Smog reinformed the trio from his techbooth.
"Gotcha, Smogster," said Ray as he watched Lily adjust her guitar strap. It was her grandfathers. He had given it to her before he died a couple of years ago. It was leather with flowers etched into it. She was quite in love with that old thing. The wedding was planned the fall of that year. Not really though, that was the running joke among her and the rest of the RFR crew.
"Hey Lil, do I still get to be the maid of honor for you wedding?" Ray asked.
"Wedding? What wedding?" Lily said perplexed.
"You and your guitar strap, silly Lily." Lily punched him. He planned on wearing a silver tuxedo adorned in lovely iridescent sequins. He was actually quite serious, even though Lily made it very clear that she was joking.
The intent look she would get when fixing or adjusting anything on her guitar was adorable to him. Such dedication and love went into it. He loved her for that reason: she knew what she loved doing, and she'll do it for the rest of her life, no matter what the cost. Her golden blonde hair and sky blue eyes seemed to fit her so well. She was very much like sunny day. Her bright personality and her bright spirit emanated it.
"Ten seconds...three..." Travis motioned 'two...one' and flipped that magic switch, illuminating the on-air sign.
Robbie opens with his usual phrase,
"I'm Question Mark and I'm wondering...why do actors and actresses get free stuff that would cost us normal people horrifyingly large amounts of money? The famous ones have enough money to use as wall paper...I think the obsessive fan should get the free stuff. You know, for being so loyal. The fame-endowed should pay the fans who dedicate their non-existent lives to every minute detail of some person they'll never meet.
"I agree with you there, Question Mark, but don't hold your breath on getting paid to worship Teletubbies." Pronto joked.
"Hey Pronto, I forgot to tell you this, but my little sister wants her Baby Bop tee shirt back. It seems that you've had it for so long she's grown out of it and she needs to burn it along with the rest of her Barney related items. Time to move on, Pronto ol' pal.
"Hey you don't have a sister..."
"Here's a song that'll remind you of being young, or at least younger than you are now. Just try not to become too obsessed. Here's Summer '79 by the Ataris." Lily signals Travis who effortlessly answers requests and plays the Ataris song.
"You two are insane you know that?" Lily says.
"And we have yet to be institutionalized."
"Oh trust me, Robbie, Lily's a sneaky one, she'll have us in that nice room with the padded walls in no time." Ray lightly chided.
This song faded out and the on-air sign blinked on yet again.
"And welcome back to RFR, glad you could join us today."
"Its 4:05, you know what that means, it's Smog's wise word of the day."
"But, before we go into that, let's give Smog his props because he has proved that you only need two hands to run a radio station smoothly. Then again, he might be sprouting three or four extra arms while we aren't looking."
"Thanks Pronto, but I don't live near any nuclear power plants...no webbed toes or mutant extra arm sprouting abilities for me. Anyway, the wise Confucius once said, "It doesn't matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop." Ponder that for a while."
"That we will, Smog, that we will."