u/cpcpdstiagt

I have thoughts. Here are some of them, both pre-crash, during, and after.

• Not popular before the crash. Had about three months in 6th grade where he was "cool", but it was only because he helped people in Spanish class cheat. "Coolness" went away after fumbling a card trick in the mandatory school talent show, and he cried on stage.
• Has one vague friendship in high school with this kid who was socially ostracized after throwing a chair at their 8th grade teacher. Unfortunately for Travis, he got a lot less weird (or just more confident in his weirdness) and is now pretty well known and liked for selling weed. Travis gets into skating through this friend, but he is not very good at it.
• Only speaks Spanish with his mom, and not that often, either. His dad is very much pro-assimilation, very much pro-America. Travis and him never speak Spanish together. Travis used to go to Catholic church with his mom and Javi and really enjoyed it. He loved the routine/familiarity of each service, and had church friends (even if they called him pocho). He doesn't really believe in God, but he does pray a lot.
• Tried soccer, but was really bad at it. Needing back surgery for scoliosis and therefore quitting the team kind of ruined his relationship with his dad because the only thing they had in common was soccer. Travis resents the Yellowjackets for getting all of his dad's attention-- not only is Travis not athletic, but he's also been lectured about being more "manly" for years by his dad, and seeing him invest all of this time and effort into the girls soccer team makes him feel even worse. His relationship with masculinity is very tied up in athletic performance.
• Sometimes resents Javi for being allowed to be sensitive and have "feminine" hobbies like art because he is the youngest. Also is jealous of how many friends Javi has.
• Was very into magic tricks as a kid. Loved to read and would write stories. Is very into Vonnegut and loves the whole Beat poet thing.
• Nat was his first kiss. He does not understand why she likes him so much, feels inexperienced, ugly, and uninteresting next to her. He feels hyper aware that, without being stranded out here, she probably wouldn't look twice at him. It feels awesome to be "picked" by her. Survival and continually saving each other evens the playing field. In winter, Travis walks in front of her through the snow so she doesn't have to exert as much energy (she's the better shot, and he knows it).
• Studied the cabin guy's book on knots obsessively once stranded after the crash. Set a lot of traps while Nat went off with the gun. It was his idea to use the practice soccer goal's net for fishing in the lake.
• Post-rescue, he will basically sleep with anyone who gives him attention. As an insecurity thing, as a fuck you thing to Nat, as a desperate attempt to reclaim sexual autonomy when it was broken out there. Him and Nat are on and off because of a) guilt about Javi, b) resentment about Javi, c) addiction, and d) mutual idea that the other is a "better person" than they are, and deserves better, so they both self-sabotage.
• Spends a long time post rescue getting manual labor jobs and quitting them, moving cross country. He drives a truck. He sends Lottie letters while she is in Switzerland. Him and Shauna are pen pals for a 9 month period in 2000.