For the next few minutes, Chaz walked along the sands of the beach in search for the tower that his girlfriend was stationed at. It was a bit of a long walk in order to get there, but it wouldn't be the first time that he had to do this; and at least it's the same tower every time. The only real thing that he truly hated about traveling to any of the far towers around here was trying to avoid all the beach-goers along the way there, as well as anything that they tend to throw from time to time, most of which were beach-balls or toys; thankfully, it didn't look like the beach was all too crowded today.

So, Chaz continued to walk along the shoreline, until eventually, he made it to the tower that his girlfriend was supposedly stationed at; the latter had previously texted him beforehand about which one it was, just in case he ever planned on visiting her sometime today. Upon arrival, he went up the tower's ramp to see if Summer was inside, or if she was off doing a rescue; thankfully, none of the other lifeguards had any issue with this, with the exception of their boss, Tad 'Flipper' McCaffery; and it didn't seem like he was on the clock today, according to one of Summer's friends. Once he got to the tower's balcony, Chaz peeked through the window...only to see that his girlfriend wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Yeah, I had a feeling you'd be out here visiting her today." A male voice, that was all too familiar to Chaz, says from down below the tower's ramp.

The moment he heard that voice, Chaz immediately looked down towards where it was coming from, wondering if it was coming from the same guy that he was currently thinking of; and wouldn't he know it, he was right. The man who was standing there has spiky blonde hair, similar to his, and was currently wearing a plain white t-shirt with dark blue swim-shorts. Chaz knew exactly who this person was the moment he saw him, as he was someone that he had a lot of history with; and this guy's name was Travis Dylan.

Now, obviously, Chaz and Travis were both completely opposite; the former was one of the coolest kids from their, while the latter, despite being your average party-animal and all-around nice guy, was a total dork; the former was also into auto-mechanics, while the latter was into...well, his Smartphone, as well as any new one that comes out. Outside of their many differences, the two had never considered each other 'friends'; in fact, one could dare say that their relationship back in high-school was anything but friendly. For almost a majority of the four years they've known each other, the two would be at each other's throats over who should end up with Summer after they graduate, since the girl was into both of them around that time; eventually, Travis would wind up settling on a different girl instead: a girl who had moved here from Australia, Liberty Martin; but despite that, the two men had never made amends with each other after they left high-school. Honestly, it felt weird having to see one of his former rivals standing before him after so many years of not seeing him.

"Uh...hey, Travis." That was the only sentence that Chaz could muster himself to say at the moment.

"Well...this is more civilized than I was expecting..." The blonde man then stated, before leaning forward on the wooden-rail that was connected to the tower's ramp. "I just gotta say, you look like you haven't changed a bit from the last time I've seen you."

"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment, or take it as an insult." Chaz says sarcastically, as he was slowly walking down the tower's ramp.

"You can just take it as either one."

"Whatever..." The biker than stepped onto the sand below and approached the more scrawnier man. "So, what do you want, chump?"

"Nothing much..." Travis then pulled out a small white piece of paper, which appeared to be envelope. "Also, I was wanting to give you this."

"What is this?" Chaz questioned as he was gazing down at the envelope he was just given.

"I've been giving it some thought recently, and me and Liberty were rather reluctant to hand you one..." Travis then paused, seeing the unconvinced look that Chaz was giving him. "Okay, I was rather reluctant..." He paused again, seeing that same expression on the biker's face. "Okay, I was very reluctant to give you this."

"Yeah, I had a feeling that was what you were truly thinking..."

"Look, the point is: me and Liberty are having a little get-together at our house later on in the week, and we felt that it would be nice if we invite all of our former classmates over to see how things have been with everyone. Unfortunately, since you and I used to have been in the same history class together, I'm afraid that means you're invited too..." Travis paused for a moment, as Chaz glanced down at the envelope he was given. "Of course, it's completely optional on your part; if you don't feel like joining us, then it's totally up to you, man."

Chaz gave the envelope another look for a few seconds before ultimately putting it away into his own jacket. "I'll give it some thought." He simply said, before deciding to change the subject. "So, you and Liberty are living together now?"

"That's right."

"So, I guess this means you're married now, huh?"

"Uh...no, we're not married." Travis answered as his smile faltered into a frown, which turned back into a smile immediately afterwards. "Although, I am planning on proposing to Liberty later on in the week; hopefully, after our get-together."

"Why not at the get-together?" Chaz then asked with an eyebrow raised at the geek. "Wouldn't it make more sense if you just propose to her at that little reunion of chumps you guys are planning?"

"It's more complicated than that, dude-"

"What's complicated, mate?" A female voice chimed in from somewhere close by; one could easily hear an Australian accent in the person's voice.

Chaz immediately looked towards the direction of where the voice was coming from, seeing yet another familiar face coming over to where he was standing. The girl has dark brown hair with a green and yellow beanie on, had a hint of an upperbite, and was wearing a dark-pink one-piece bathing suit with a light green sarong around her waist. This person is Liberty Martin; one of Chaz's former classmates who moved here from Australia, and was also Travis's girlfriend.

"Oh, uh...n-nothing, babe..." Travis lied with a sheepish chuckle. "Chaz and I were just talking about...phones."

Liberty glanced over to the biker, clearly not convinced by what her boyfriend had just said. "You're talking to Chaz, of all people, about phones?" She asked her boyfriend with an eyebrow raised at him.

"It's true, Liberty." Chaz immediately said, vouching for his rival in order to prevent things from becoming even more complicated, or awkward for that matter. "I was just about to call him a 'chump' and tell him to 'get lost' until you showed up."

"Well, I'm glad to see that things haven't changed with you, Charles..." Liberty muttered before turning her attention over to her boyfriend now. "I was just coming over to tell you that I got our towel and umbrella ready; if you can unpack the rest of our stuff from our car, that would be great."

"Sure thing, babe." Travis said as he gives his girlfriend a kiss, before taking off to, presumably, the parking-lot.

Once the blonde man left, Chaz and Liberty were left alone to talk with each other now. "So...it's been awhile, Liberty." The former said as he leaned against the rail next to him.

"Indeed it has, mate." The Australian agreed with a nod, before crossing her arms and giving the biker a rather weird look. "So, I guess this means that Travis told you about...us living together now, hmm?"

"He's also told me about the little high-school reunion party that you're planning to have later this week." Chaz then noticed the awkward cringe on Liberty's face. "But don't worry though, I doubt I'm actually gonna go to it, unless you guys are inviting some of the other cool kids, then I might."

"The only other people who I know we're inviting are James, Ian, Amelia, Jenny, Stacy, Ray, Raven, Violet, and maybe Katie."

"Katie?" Chaz asked with an eyebrow raised at the Australian girl. "I don't think I'm familiar with a student under that name."

"Really?" Liberty asked in surprise, only to receive a silent head-shake telling her 'no'. "Here I thought that you of all people would've known about her."

"Should I?"

"Katie Morris was our school's valedictorian, having tied with Amelia, Ian, and Luis with the highest grades out of everyone in all of our classes combined." Liberty then noticed the unimpressed look on the biker's face. "Well, I know it seems like she's just your typical nerd, but there are a few things that you and her have in common: you're both two of the coolest kids in school, you both love skateboarding, and you're both into rock music; if anything, she seems like someone that you'd hang out with."

"With a description like that, I'm surprised I that haven't ran into her..." Chaz admitted as he scratched the back of his head. "In case I ever do, w-what does she look like?"

"She isn't too hard to miss; she's usually wearing a blue baseball cap everywhere she goes."

It was at this moment, Chaz started to get suspicious; that girl who was watching him through her window last night had a blue baseball cap too. "Does she happen to have brown hair and freckles too?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." Liberty answered, pretty much confirming the thought that the biker had. "Why do you ask?"

Chaz's eyes peered to the left for a split second, before the proceeded to answer the Australian girl's question. "Just a hunch." He simply answered, before looking over towards the pier. "Anyway, I think I'm gonna go find Summer; she's probably wondering where I am right now."

"Alright, good luck with that." After that was said, the two proceeded to head off into different directions; Liberty went off to her where her boyfriend was, while Chaz went off to go back to the harbor.

'So, new girl from last night's name is Katie Morris, eh?' Chaz asked in his thoughts as he was walking along the shoreline by his lonesome. 'Hmm...I'll look for Summer later; right now, I need to talk to go find Tim so I can talk to him about a few things.'

Meanwhile...

Katie was just sitting alone on one of the benches that were in the city park, waiting for Crystal to finally show up. It was a bit of a long wait for her, but thanks to the sound of the roaring fountain that was a few feet in front of her, including the coffee that she previously had bought just a few minutes ago, it made everything truly worthwhile. Now, despite the relaxing wait, there was one problem that Katie quickly took notice of while she was busy sitting there; but before she could react, she decided to wait until Crystal showed up to see how they were going to handle it.

Eventually, Crystal finally made it to the park, riding up to her best friend on her skateboard as she approached her. "Hey, Kate; I'm here." The rebel said as she kicked up her board. "Sorry it took so long to get here."

"No worries, man; I rather prefer you showing up here late rather than not show up at all." Katie says as the two high-fived each other. "Anyways, are you ready to get some skateboarding done."

"You bet." Crystal answered happily, as she and her best friend began walking along the concrete path in front of them. "Man, I've been dying to come back to this place ever since we boarded that train yesterday."

"Same here, dude." The studious tomboy's smile then faltered as they continued to walk. "Uh...hey, before I forget, I think there's something you should know."

"What is it?"

"Well, it's going to sound...inane, especially on a day such as this; but while I was waiting for you back there, I saw-"

"Hey, Crystal!" A male voice shouts from a few feet behind the two girls, much to their dismay. "Nobody said me you were back in town!"

"Let me guess...it's him, is it?" Crystal asked, as her once happy expression turned into that of anger and frustration.

"Yeah..." Katie simply answered.

Immediately stopping in their tracks, the two tomboys began to slowly turn around to see the man who was coming up to them; the person has blonde messy hair, and wore a dark-blue baseball cap, a black t-shirt with what appears to be a circle with a line going through it diagonally, and dark-blue jeans that appear to be fading in color. This person is none other than Derek Oaken; or in other words, Crystal's exboyfriend...needless to say, the look on the rebel's face clearly proves that Derek is one of the last people that she wanted to see; and for good reason too, considering that the man was a huge bully. Neither of them knew why he was here; heck, neither of them knew why he was coming up to them, especially after everything he's pulled in the past.

"You know, if you're back in town, it would've been nice of you to let me know about-" Derek started off saying, only to be immediately cut off by his ex-girlfriend.

"I don't need to let you know anything, Derek." Crystal retorted.

"Come on, babe, it's been four years since we've last seen each other; the least you could do is be happy that you're seeing me again." Derek says as a smirk came to his face. "I bet you missed me while you were off having fun in New York-"

"No." The rebel interrupts again. "More like, I missed almost everything in this town, except you."

"Does that also include your sisters?" Derek asked with a scoff.

"Guys..." Katie interjects, only to be completely ignored by the two arguing rebels.

"At least my sisters aren't psychopaths, unlike you." The rebel then shot back. "None of them tried to burn down Gino's without remorse, nor did any of them go behind their date's back to hang out with that Brandi bitch at the movie theater!"

"Oh, here we go again..." The bully muttered as he gave his ex-girlfriend a glare. "You still haven't let that go, did you?"

"How can I not let that go?!" Crystal asked in a loud, yet harsh, tone of voice. "You knew I didn't trust her at all, and instead of just listening to me, you decided that it would be a good idea to spend time with her and watch some horror movie together, and make out during while watching it!"

"Guys!!" Katie tried to interject again, only for her to still be ignored.

"You're getting angry at me over nothing, babe; Brandi and I never made out there." Derek stated innocently, which his ex-girlfriend clearly didn't buy.

"Bullshit, you didn't!" Crystal barked as she shook her head. "Yuki caught you guys while she and Goth Boy were there!"

"Ha, Yuki doesn't know what the heck she saw back the-"

Suddenly, Crystal grabbed her ex-boyfriend by the collar of his shirt, pulling him closer to her face. "DON'T YOU DARE CALL ONE OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS A LIAR, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!!!" She roared, as she was prepared to punch Derek in the face for his insult; but thankfully, right before she could do anything to the bully, Katie quickly grabbed a hold of her best friend's hand.

"Enough's enough, guys; now knock it off!" Katie says, finally getting the attention of both ex-lovers. "This prick isn't worth the trouble, Crystal; let's just go." She calmly told her best friend, who despite being filled with rage at the moment, willingly obliged; but it was clear that she still wanted to knock the bully's teeth out, especially considering that her fist was still balled up.

"You're right..." Crystal softly said, before giving her ex-boyfriend one last glare. "If I hear you insult any of my friends again, then your ass is gonna get it..." She says before walking away with her best friend by her side.

Derek just stood there and watched his ex-girlfriend leave, feeling a bit relieved that Katie was able to talk some sense into her best friend before things escalated any further; but at the same time though, he couldn't help but test the waters with the rebel. "It's nice to see you and your goody-two-shoes friend of yours again by the way, Crystal!" He taunted with a smirk as he began to make his leave now; but before he was able to turn around, a soccer ball flew completely out of nowhere and struck him right between the legs, causing him to wince in pain, and then fall backwards onto the ground. "Okay...I deserved that..." He said through a groan.

"Really?" Katie asked while glaring at her best friend, who was actually the one who kicked the ball at her ex-boyfriend.

"Hey, dude had it coming when he called you a 'goody-two-shoes'; he should know by now that I hate hearing people call you that." Crystal stated in a blunt and uncaring tone.

"You're acting like I haven't tolerated being called that before." Katie says calmly, as she and her best friend just continued walking to the skatepark, leaving the bully to lay down holding in crotch in pain.

Note: Happy New Year, my fellow readers; and a new chapter for all of you to read. So, I guess you can say that this is somewhat of a filler chapter, but at least two things happened that's worth bringing up here; Chaz finally figured out who Katie is (although, some parts about her are still vague to him), and we are introduced to Travis, Liberty, and Derek. Maybe this is a bit shorter than what I usually tend to aim for nowadays, but I felt like this was a good enough chapter to start off the new year with.

Now, let's see what reviews we have in store today...

lordgemini: I kinda felt like it was a bit obvious that the new neighbor was Chaz in the first place, even before Tim and his dog hat showed up; he's pretty much the most recognizable character in the entire game; also, now we have a POV with him in this chapter right here. I kinda wanted to establish a few things about him, rather than just letting this story only focus on Katie and Crystal.

Anyways, that should be it for now. I'll see you all in the next chapter.