Backstory Timeline

Childhood

Jonesy and Travis are childhood friends, having lived on the same block and meeting in elementary school. The are best friends and engage in all sorts of creative play, imagining a world in which they are two young princes whose kingdom, Awesomnia, has been overtaken by monsters led by the king's secretly evil wizard, Szyslak. Travis plays the honorable knight while Jonesy prefers trickery and subterfuge.

Middle School (6-8th grade)

Francine, Travis, Jonesy, and Seth were all in the same English class in 6th grade (first year of middle school) and got along well, bonding over their shared interest in creative writing.  The four met for lunch and after school. Travis and Jonesy revealed their Awesomnia story and Seth and Francine eagerly joined, Seth becoming a famous Troubador and Francine playing the role of a beautiful maiden who has learned the art of magic, both from a distant kingdom and washed ashore after a shipwreck.

In their fantasy scenario the four called themselves the Wardens of Awesomnia, shortened to "The Wardens", dedicated to defeating the wizard and returning Awesomnia to its former greatness.

The friendship continued since then, despite them connecting to different social groups according to their interests. They spent less time in creative play as their got older but still reference their characters and adventures when together, or as inside jokes when around other people.

Jonesy is romantically interested in Francine but is afraid to act on it for fear of damaging their group friendship.

Seth is secretly gay, reflected in his character's tendency toward flamboyant songs and actions while always dismissing smitten maidens as "unworthy".

HS Freshman Year

Travis goes out for the football team and makes it, starting his high school sports career.

Francine makes the Girls Volleyball team (which is not very good)

Jonesy find friends among the counterculture stoner kids.

Andy is overweight and struggles to make friends in high school. He plays video games online with strangers who are immature and seem to be a bad influence. Jonesy is concerned that his brother is becoming a misanthrope.

Seth finds friends in the theater department.

Knowing that Francine still does creative writing in her spare time, Jonesy suggests that they work on stories from Awesomnia. He's also eager for time alone with her, which he hopes will lead to romance. The two share stories. As their writing evolves, Jonesy notices that Francine's stories are evolving from fantasy adventure to mystery, with her character unraveling complex plots among the characters in the stories. 

HS Sophomore Year

Aware of Andy's unhappiness in high school, Jonesy encourages his brother to begin running track and get fit. Andy loves the track team, finds his friends, and starts getting in shape.

Romantic tension grows between Travis and Francine, which Seth encourages but Jonesy discourages as he has been interested in Francine romantically since middle school.

Seth reveals that he is gay to Francine, who is not surprised. He asks her not to tell anyone, fearing his parents will punish him or even kick him out. He seeks out her advice and goes to her for support on occasion. Travis and Jonesy notice but Francine tells them they're just friends and keeps his secret. Seth assures her that he will out himself to at least Travis and Jonesy in his own time.

HS Junior Year

Travis makes Varsity Football and is considered one of the most valuable members of the team.

Francine's friend Stacy tells her Travis wants to date her and would make a great boyfriend. Francine considers Travis an old friend and is reluctant to make the relationship romantic. Stacy tells Travis that Francine likes him and he asks her out. They begin dating.

Andy sets a personal goal to make the Varsity Track team in the Spring. He gets lights and a reflective vest so he can train after dark.

Jonesy, who had been planning to ask Francine to the Junior Prom, is secretly against her relationship with Travis, claiming that it could ruin their friendship if things don't work out.

Travis finished the season at the end of December and is voted MVP. Popularity soars. He begins hanging out with football players and other jocks as his primary friend group. 

Over the winter break, Travis and Francine promise each other to attend UC San Diego as their first step to build a life together on the West Coast after high school.

Seth fails to get the lead role he wants in the Spring play. Knowing that the Fall play traditionally uses a student-written script, and the author often gets the lead role, he determines to write a script over the summer. He wants it to be perfect and struggles to develop ideas and characters that he considers "worthy".

During the spring semester, Travis attends more parties and events with the jocks and drinks more. After one party, Bill is going to drive very drunk and Travis insists he drive instead. One the drive, the players distract him and he hits Andy who is running along the road in the dark (with lights). Travis and the other passengers swear an oath to never speak of the incident.

Andy is left paralyzed after the accident with little hope he will walk again. He starts to become isolates from his Track friends and starts to gain weight and spend his free time alone, playing video games. Jonesy encourages him to maintain his friendships but Andy is clearly struggling to be hopeful about his recovery. Andy smokes pot with Jonesy and begins asking about prescription painkillers.

Travis becomes depressed but refuses to talk about it.

Andy asks Travis for advice on getting prescription painkillers and swears him to secrecy.

Jonesy, seeing Andy's declining mental health but unable to do anything about it, swears to find the driver who crippled his brother and take his revenge. Seth and Francine offer to help but Travis tells him it's a waste of time and won't change anything.

At Junior Prom, in a moment of weakness, Travis he reveals the hit and run to Francine, but only after swearing her to secrecy. He tells her the car's owner, Bill, was driving and feared the truth would put him in danger from his violent and alcoholic father. She attempts to console him and the two sex, resulting in her pregnancy.

Francine's cousin sister Judy, visiting for the holidays, helps Francine realize that a Law career would be a perfect match for her interests and encourages her to attend Law school instead of pursuing a teaching job.

Summer after Junior Year

Wracked with guilt over the hit and run, Travis swears off drinking and begins to spend more time doing church and volunteer activities. He claims he wants to be a better person and increase his odds for his college application.

Francine discovers she's pregnant from their sex after the Junior Prom. She tells Seth but swears him to secrecy.

Francine contacts Judy for advice. Judy suggests Georgetown as a better path to law school and advises Francine get an abortion. Francine agrees but decided not to tell Travis as he is too fragile to handle the total destruction of their plans.

Francine has a secret abortion, telling Travis it's a road trip with distant cousins he's never met and avoiding questions about the trip.

Seth, having failed to create a script he considers good enough during the school year, confides to Francine that he needs help and he knows she's a good writer. She agrees to brainstorm, in part to distract herself from Travis' trauma and her recent abortion. She pours this intense emotion into the brainstorming, eventually coming up with a great idea. When Seth struggles to realize her vision, she reluctantly agrees to write a draft which eventually becomes the final work.

HS Senior Year

Seth submits Francine's script, Enemies Abound, as his own work. The script is a complex mystery with engaging characters dealing with hidden trauma. It is selected and Seth gets the lead role.

Francine begins working on her application for Georgetown, telling herself that she probably won't get accepted so she doesn't have to share the plan with Travis.

Travis joins the football team but refuses to drink and continues his volunteer work. Francine encourages him to reveal the secret but he refuses because he knows he was the driver, not his teammate (Bill). Travis seems to be holding on strongly to the idea of leaving town for California with Francine after college to "get their real life started".

Jonesy reveals that he's learned that Bill's car was damaged the same night as the hit and run and he suspects Bill caused the accident. He keeps this information to himself because he knows Bill and Travis are teammates, although their friendship has cooled.

Story takes place on Halloween Night, fall of Senior Year.

Notes

High School football season typically runs from late August through December.

Boys Track and Field has a spring season (outdoor track)

Girls' volleyball season is late August through early November

College application are submitted between August and January of Senior Year