"Take Me To Church" - Hosier

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ash leaned over and stole some of Sal's food.  "That test in English fucking sucked." She said.

"I definitely failed." Larry chimed in.

Todd scoffed. "It wasn't that hard." He looked around.  "Where's Travis?" Todd ask. Sal glanced at his lunch table. "I saw him earlier."

So he is avoiding me.

"Why would we know?" Ash asked.

Todd shrugged. "Well him and Sal are- they're friends, and I know you talk to him." He said to Ash.

Sal picked at his nails. "I'm going to the bathroom." He announced.

Sal quickly made his way to the lunchroom bathrooms. He did what he always did, checking underneath the stalls and hopping onto the sink.

"Travis." He said calmly. "You can't keep avoiding me."

Travis took a shaky breath. "But I can."

"Not you can't. You're gonna fail if you keep skipping." Sal said more sternly.

"Why does it matter?" Travis asked. "To you I mean. Why do you care?"

Sal sighed. "Because I care about you Travis. You know that."

Travis jumped up and got out of the stall so he could look at Sal. "you shouldn't!"

Sal balled his fist. "That's not up to." He said coldly. "Look what you did was fucked up but I don't want you failing and being stuck with your dad even longer."

"Sal I-"

"No stop. Don't tell me not to care. Because fuck I loved you. I still do. That shit isn't just gonna go away for me like it did you." Sal said. He took a couple of breaths trying to keep himself from crying.

Travis grabbed the sides of Sal's face. "I didn't stop loving you Sal."

Sal balled his fist tighter, to the point his nails were cutting into his skin. "Then why? I know at first I was overwhelmed and really fucking upset and wouldn't lesson but now I have to know." He looked away from Travis. "Just why?"

"She kissed me." Travis said dropping his hands. "I didn't want to. It was all super fucking sudden."  He played with the hem of his shirt. "My dad set me up on a date with this random ass girl and she kissed me.  And like she did it outside of the house just so my dad would see and then left."

"She left?" Sal questioned.

"She felt super bad because she assumed I didn't have a girlfriend or whatever and she told me to go see you and that she would cover for me." Travis ran a hand through through his hair. "Which she did."

Sal looked at him. "Did you kiss her back?"

"What?"

"Did you kiss her back?" Sal asked again.

"No. Of course not, I shoved her off me." Travis said, trying to read Sal's face.

Sal laughed, lifting his mask up. He dropped his face into his hands. "God. I feel like an idiot."

"Why?" Travis asked. He quickly noticed that Sal wasn't hiding his face, he was crying. "Hey hey what wrong, please don't cry."

"I should have just let you talk. This who thing could have been solved so much sooner."  Sal got out inbtween sobs.

Travis touched Sal's arm. "No no. I shouldn't have even agreed to go on the date."

"And risk your safety?" Sal asked, looking at him.  "Fuck. It's not like you were trying to keep it from me. You literally tried to tell me."

Travis moved Sal's hands. "Do not start blaming yourself. You didn't do anything wrong. You have every right to react like that." He put his hands on Sal's face, turning Sal's head to look at him. "Sal. I love you. I love you so much." Sal was trying not to break down more than he already was. "Just please. Don't leave me."

"I won't." Sal held back a sob. "I'm not leaving you." He yanked Travis closer to him, and hugged him tightly. "I love you."

Travis dug his face into Sal's shoulder. He didn't want to let go. Even when the bell rang he still stayed just like that.

"Travis." Sal said. "Baby you have to let go."

"No I don't."

Sal laughed, voice strained from crying. "Trav, someone could walk in." He pulled down his mask.

Travis scoffed and let go. "Can I come over?"

"Always." Sal said.

Sal hopped off the sink and waited for Travis to gather his things.

"I love you." Sal said.

Travis smiled. "I love you." Sal pushed open the bathroom door. Larry was leaning against it the Wall. "I'm gonna go." He told Sal.

"See ya." Sal smiled.

"You ready?" Larry asked.

Sal smiled to himself. "Yea let's go."

Larry glanced at him. "You sound like you've been crying."

"I have." Sal said. "But it's okay. Everything is fine now. Actually."

Larry looked at him and smiled. "Good." He waited a moment before continuing. "Does uh does this have anything to do with what happened the other night?"

"Yeah." Sal said quietly. "But it's okay. We took care of it."

"Good." Larry said wrapping his arm around Sals shoulder. "I hate seeing my little brother all sad.

Sal cringed. "Don't call me that."