Chapter 4: The Past and the Future -- Dangrassi

You keep bringing up the past...and I keep hoping for a future.

Lily taps the top of her pen cap on the notebook page in frustration. She was sitting on the bench located at the school hall. Student's rushed past her, getting their books for their next classes, but she was too focused on the notebook paper in front of her for her attention to wander. She sighs as she brings the pen up to her mouth, and chews the cap furiously. She was waiting for some sort of inspiration to hit her, anything at all that could help her write a song. She was in need of a new one. Not that her others were bad, she loved them, it's just that she wanted to add something fresh that she could play during RFR maybe later next week.

She stared down at the, still, blank piece of paper, apparently nothing had came to her yet. Her songs were usually filled with emotion and feelings from experiences in her life. Lily's brain felt like just a bunch of mush right now, nothing seemed to be an appropriate subject for a song.

Thoughts of Ray weaved in and out of her thoughts, and she shook her head free of them. Lily willed herself to not let her thoughts dwell on Ray. He was the past...and she was looking for the future. With an exasperated sigh, she bent her neck, looking up at the ceiling.

"Please, give me anything for some sort of inspiration, a sign, anything..." Whispers Lily. Then with a groan she hung her head, letting her hair fall in front of her face.

"Am I interrupting something?" a soft, yet joking tone asked. Lily jerked her head up as she saw Travis standing there in front of her with his binder held under his arm.

"No, not at all..." Lily said, rather rushed as she pulled her backpack off the bench so he could have the seat next to her. "Just doing...stuff." She finished quietly, turning her eyes away from his.

"Oh okay." Travis said. He and Lily sat there for a few minutes of uncomfortable silence; the events that had happened over the last couple of days sure had brought Lily into a whirlwind, while bringing the rest of the gang with her. As she sat there with Travis, she wasn't sure what to say first. She pretended to be looking through her notebook, as Travis looked down at his twiddling thumbs.

"Lily,"Travis began, breaking the heavy silence that had formed around them. He took a deep breath before continuing. "Listen, I'm really sorry about yesterday..." Lily looked up at him with his words.

"No, Travis really, there is nothing to be sorry about..." Lily said. Travis glanced up, and caught her gaze, and Lily didn't dare to break away. Travis's deep gray eyes held on to her soft green ones, as he spoke again.

"I shouldn't have talked to you about...you know. It was a touchy subject and I shouldn't have interfered. I should have, and am going to let you get over this on your own. I know it must be hard and I am sorry about that...even more so because you still feel for Ray....

"But I don't still have feelings for Ray . . ." Lily whispered as the words tumbled from her lips. Travis's sincere face turned to a confused one at her last sentence. Lily quickly broke their gaze, and looked back down at her notebook, slightly flustered. What had she just said? What made her say that? She couldn't explain it...it was something. It was just her sitting there . . . looking at Travis...and the words just came out...

Travis had sensed the uneasy turn that the conversation had taken in Lily's case, and glanced down at her notebook that was on Lily's lap. "What are you writing?"

"Trying to write a song..." Lily said, while still avoiding Travis's look. Travis let his eyes wander over the empty pages.

"Looks like you have a good start." He said with a lighter note in his voice.

"Oh yeah, a great one..." Lily remarked sarcastically, she finally diverted her glance back at Travis with a smile. "I have just been snatching ideas out of mid air." Lily laughed and rolled her eyes. "In other words...it's hopeless...."To her surprise Travis took his hand, and gently places it on her own. She slowly looked from their hands to his face, trying to hide the surprise.

"I have faith in you Lily." Travis said. "I have always had...." Travis gave Lily a small crooked smile, while the bell rang behind them. Without another word he gave Lily a pat on the hand with his own before removing it. "See you later Lily, I hope something comes to you for you song."

Lily watched Travis in disbelief as he walked away from her down the hall. He was soon out of sight will all the other Roscoe students rushing to get to their classes. Lily leaned her back against the bench looking down at her notebook page, thoughtfully. She had asked for a sign...but she wasn't too sure if it was for the song now.