"What do you think is wrong with Travis?" Robbie asked Lily as they both made their way out of school. It was around 3:30, and they wanted to get to the station earlier than usual. Lily shrugged in response. She didn't quite know what was going on, with no real clue of who to ask. Besides Travis of course. And he obviously did not want to talk about it.
"I don't know, Robbie, but I guess... we can just leave him alone. And see if he wants to talk about it later." Lily sighed. Once they were outside on the steps, they noticed someone very familiar sitting at the bottom, doodling in her notebook. Audrey.
"Um, Audrey, can we talk to you a minute?" Lily sat down beside her. Robbie hung back, deciding he probably wouldn't be too helpful in the situation. It seemed like girls talked more easily without a guy in the picture.
Audrey looked up at her, startled. She quickly closed her notebook and shoved it in her bookbag. "Um, yeah, sure."
"Uhm, well, you see... Travis... sort of freaked out in the cafeteria today. And we were wondering if... maybe you guys were fighting, and thats what the problem was." Lily quickly added, "Not to be intrusive, or anyting like that..."
Audrey looked solemn. "No, it's alright to be concerned about your friends. But there's nothing wrong with him, me, or our relationship."
Robbie, who was half heartedly listening to their conversation, quickly made his way over to them to add his own two-cents. "But, he went postal on Ray for being his normal self. There's got to be something wrong with him."
"No, there's not. There's nothing wrong with him at all." Audrey stood quickly. She picked up her bag and tossed it over her shoulder. "Nothing at all. So... just... leave it alone." She hurried off in the other direction with a disturbed look on her face. Lily wasn't really sure what to say. Neither was Robbie.
"Well... that went... well." A voice behind both of them made them turn. Ray stood there with his eyebrows raised.
"Shut up Ray. Where have you been?" Lily sighed and stood as well.
"Hey, don't kill the messenger. I was looking for Travis. He wasn't around anywhere." Ray joined them where they stood, glancing around nervously. "He wasn't in last period either."
Robbie shoved his hands down in his pockets. "Well, then, maybe he's at the station already or something. Maybe Audrey's right. Maybe he IS fine and Ray just picked a bad day to be the klutz that he is."
Ray looked at him, glaring. "Hey, thats not very nice!"
Lily looked off somewhere else while the two lightly bickered. She was confused and a bit annoyed at Audrey's persistent denial that anything was wrong. It seemed at though she was hiding something... but what?
~
"Down by the station, early in the morning..." Travis sang softly to himself. He sorted through a few CDs that he would be using for today's show. He found none that really appealed to him. "See the little pufferbellys..." He didn't get to finish. At that moment, Lily pushed open the door and grinned.
"There's the man of the hour. Hey Travis, how ya doin'?" She ran over to him and put her arm around his shoulders, squeezing. Travis looked at her in a confused way. "I'm... fine, Lily, how are you?"
"Never better... are those the CDs for today?" Lily picked up a few that were laid out in front of Travis, reading the back of them. "Great selection... very mellow. Very relaxing." Travis was still confused as to why Lily was being so nice and perky all of a sudden.
'Must be trying to get something out of me... she must be wondering why I freaked out earlier.' He thought to himself. "Yes... I thought maybe our listeners could use some relaxtion time, after that cruel test in Science today."
Lily grinned. "I completely agree." 'I wonder if he's catching onto me... no, no way, I'm just being the way I always am... right, I think my face is stuck.' She dropped her grin and looked over at the door. Ray and Robbie were now standing there, eyebrows raised.
"Um, I hate to break up this love fest, but we have a show in... about two minutes." Robbie walked in quickly, sitting down at his spot. Ray followed, as did Lily. Travis jumped up and walked quickly into the control booth, counting down until it was time for the show to start.
"Hi, I'm Question Mark and I'm wondering... do your friends ever just start acting really strange, out of the blue?" Robbie looked at Travis when he said this, obviously making a reference to what happened earlier that day. Travis looked away, avoiding the glances he was receiving.
"You know what I mean. Lets say your best friend comes to school with a smile. But by the end of the day... he... or she... is sobbing?" Robbie continued.
Ray intervened, putting in his two cents. "Um, well, if it's a guy... no clue. But if it's a girl, I think 'I' know why." Ray looked at Lily, smirking. "PMS, my friend. PMS."
Lily glared. "Well, thats just a little sexist, isn't it, Pronto? I know why a guy would all of a sudden be all weird and moody. Because he's simply A GUY. All guys can be touchy and strange... it seems their PMS is much more severe than a girl's."
"Ah, but... uh... guys don't have PMS! So... there!" Ray knew it was a horrible comeback... but he couldn't lose the argument.
"That was great, Pronto." Lily rolled her eyes. "But on a more serious note, lets take some calls."
Travis held up a sign with the name "Ilizabeth" on it.
"Iliza, tell us your friend-gone-mental story." Ray waited for the answer.
"Well, my friend, she's been acting REALLY weird lately. Like, the other day, she came to school with PINK fingernail polish and a PURPLE sweater! Hello, clash-o-rama!" Everyone rolled their eyes except for Lily, who's 'girly genes', as Ray had so nicely put it once, were kicking in.
"That is odd... hm... maybe you should just help her re-accesorize... like, tell her to get her tips filled in with pink in..." Lily looked around at her male friends, who were giving her raised eyebrows. "...stead. Um, next caller."
Travis quickly wrote down the name "ModAud" on the sign.
"Hello Moddy, you're on the air." Robbie listened.
"Well, um... my close friend... he's been acting a little strangely lately. Been a lot more sensitive, he... comes over to my house a lot crying... but he won't tell me why. His friends are concerned about him, but I don't know what to tell them because 'I' don't know what's going on either. I think it might be because..." She was cut off, however, by a whirring sound, then a dead line.
Travis had ended her call. "Uh, technical glitch." He stammered to them all.
Robbie watched him for a moment. He knew it had been Audrey on the line, he could recognize her voice AND her case. "Sorry bout that ModAud... we need to move on anyways, Shady, you pick a topic."
Lily stared at him, then Travis, then Ray, who gave her a shrug. "Uh, yeah, ok..." She thought to herself, 'There's something wrong here. Something horribly, horribly, horribly wrong.'
"I don't know, Robbie, but I guess... we can just leave him alone. And see if he wants to talk about it later." Lily sighed. Once they were outside on the steps, they noticed someone very familiar sitting at the bottom, doodling in her notebook. Audrey.
"Um, Audrey, can we talk to you a minute?" Lily sat down beside her. Robbie hung back, deciding he probably wouldn't be too helpful in the situation. It seemed like girls talked more easily without a guy in the picture.
Audrey looked up at her, startled. She quickly closed her notebook and shoved it in her bookbag. "Um, yeah, sure."
"Uhm, well, you see... Travis... sort of freaked out in the cafeteria today. And we were wondering if... maybe you guys were fighting, and thats what the problem was." Lily quickly added, "Not to be intrusive, or anyting like that..."
Audrey looked solemn. "No, it's alright to be concerned about your friends. But there's nothing wrong with him, me, or our relationship."
Robbie, who was half heartedly listening to their conversation, quickly made his way over to them to add his own two-cents. "But, he went postal on Ray for being his normal self. There's got to be something wrong with him."
"No, there's not. There's nothing wrong with him at all." Audrey stood quickly. She picked up her bag and tossed it over her shoulder. "Nothing at all. So... just... leave it alone." She hurried off in the other direction with a disturbed look on her face. Lily wasn't really sure what to say. Neither was Robbie.
"Well... that went... well." A voice behind both of them made them turn. Ray stood there with his eyebrows raised.
"Shut up Ray. Where have you been?" Lily sighed and stood as well.
"Hey, don't kill the messenger. I was looking for Travis. He wasn't around anywhere." Ray joined them where they stood, glancing around nervously. "He wasn't in last period either."
Robbie shoved his hands down in his pockets. "Well, then, maybe he's at the station already or something. Maybe Audrey's right. Maybe he IS fine and Ray just picked a bad day to be the klutz that he is."
Ray looked at him, glaring. "Hey, thats not very nice!"
Lily looked off somewhere else while the two lightly bickered. She was confused and a bit annoyed at Audrey's persistent denial that anything was wrong. It seemed at though she was hiding something... but what?
~
"Down by the station, early in the morning..." Travis sang softly to himself. He sorted through a few CDs that he would be using for today's show. He found none that really appealed to him. "See the little pufferbellys..." He didn't get to finish. At that moment, Lily pushed open the door and grinned.
"There's the man of the hour. Hey Travis, how ya doin'?" She ran over to him and put her arm around his shoulders, squeezing. Travis looked at her in a confused way. "I'm... fine, Lily, how are you?"
"Never better... are those the CDs for today?" Lily picked up a few that were laid out in front of Travis, reading the back of them. "Great selection... very mellow. Very relaxing." Travis was still confused as to why Lily was being so nice and perky all of a sudden.
'Must be trying to get something out of me... she must be wondering why I freaked out earlier.' He thought to himself. "Yes... I thought maybe our listeners could use some relaxtion time, after that cruel test in Science today."
Lily grinned. "I completely agree." 'I wonder if he's catching onto me... no, no way, I'm just being the way I always am... right, I think my face is stuck.' She dropped her grin and looked over at the door. Ray and Robbie were now standing there, eyebrows raised.
"Um, I hate to break up this love fest, but we have a show in... about two minutes." Robbie walked in quickly, sitting down at his spot. Ray followed, as did Lily. Travis jumped up and walked quickly into the control booth, counting down until it was time for the show to start.
"Hi, I'm Question Mark and I'm wondering... do your friends ever just start acting really strange, out of the blue?" Robbie looked at Travis when he said this, obviously making a reference to what happened earlier that day. Travis looked away, avoiding the glances he was receiving.
"You know what I mean. Lets say your best friend comes to school with a smile. But by the end of the day... he... or she... is sobbing?" Robbie continued.
Ray intervened, putting in his two cents. "Um, well, if it's a guy... no clue. But if it's a girl, I think 'I' know why." Ray looked at Lily, smirking. "PMS, my friend. PMS."
Lily glared. "Well, thats just a little sexist, isn't it, Pronto? I know why a guy would all of a sudden be all weird and moody. Because he's simply A GUY. All guys can be touchy and strange... it seems their PMS is much more severe than a girl's."
"Ah, but... uh... guys don't have PMS! So... there!" Ray knew it was a horrible comeback... but he couldn't lose the argument.
"That was great, Pronto." Lily rolled her eyes. "But on a more serious note, lets take some calls."
Travis held up a sign with the name "Ilizabeth" on it.
"Iliza, tell us your friend-gone-mental story." Ray waited for the answer.
"Well, my friend, she's been acting REALLY weird lately. Like, the other day, she came to school with PINK fingernail polish and a PURPLE sweater! Hello, clash-o-rama!" Everyone rolled their eyes except for Lily, who's 'girly genes', as Ray had so nicely put it once, were kicking in.
"That is odd... hm... maybe you should just help her re-accesorize... like, tell her to get her tips filled in with pink in..." Lily looked around at her male friends, who were giving her raised eyebrows. "...stead. Um, next caller."
Travis quickly wrote down the name "ModAud" on the sign.
"Hello Moddy, you're on the air." Robbie listened.
"Well, um... my close friend... he's been acting a little strangely lately. Been a lot more sensitive, he... comes over to my house a lot crying... but he won't tell me why. His friends are concerned about him, but I don't know what to tell them because 'I' don't know what's going on either. I think it might be because..." She was cut off, however, by a whirring sound, then a dead line.
Travis had ended her call. "Uh, technical glitch." He stammered to them all.
Robbie watched him for a moment. He knew it had been Audrey on the line, he could recognize her voice AND her case. "Sorry bout that ModAud... we need to move on anyways, Shady, you pick a topic."
Lily stared at him, then Travis, then Ray, who gave her a shrug. "Uh, yeah, ok..." She thought to herself, 'There's something wrong here. Something horribly, horribly, horribly wrong.'