Love can't be forbidden!

1. Messy beginnings

- .... . / -... . --. .. -. -. .. -. --.

Travis kicked the stall door, leaving a faint imprint from his stupid neon green shoes.  He kicked it again, but this time weaker, and sadder.  He kept kicking until he collapsed on the floor, sobbing.

He wanted to be anywhere else right now, his hands were shaking, and examining them further, a jagged piece of Sal's mask had managed to cut a few scratches into his knuckles, maybe punching a giant piece of hard plastic wasn't his brightest move if he were being totally honest.

---

"Hey freak!"  Travis walked over to his locker block to put his textbooks away.  "Nobody likes a goody-two-shoes, Saaally Face."

Sal laughed; Travis had drawn out the A in his name, and his voice had cracked at the end.

"Nobody likes a cliché bully, Traaavis."  He smiled, and Travis tried to sneer at him as his face flushed a bright pink.

"Don't you have something better to do?"  Sal looked behind him to Ashley and smiled, for as much as he loved Ash, and trust me, he loved her a lot, Sal kinda wished she wouldn't make those comments.  They never really seemed to do much for the conversation besides rile Travis up even more.

To Sal, the name of the game was to calm him down, Sal knew Travis Phelps was a good person, he just needed to clam down.

"Shut up, bitch!, I wasn't talking to you."  Travis flipped Ashley off, and she responded by pulling down on her eyelid, and sticking her tongue out.

"You know."  Sal looked Travis dead in the eyes, it had always kinda freaked him out how clearly you could see Sal's eyes through the holes of the prosthetic. "If you took that stick out of you took that stick out of your ass, you might actually enjoy yourself for once, maybe even make a friend or two."  Sal shrugged and Travis balled his hands into fists.

"Fuck off faggot! I'll have more friends than you'll ever have!"  Travis could feel the lump in his throat growing, as he slammed his locker shut, the noise even making him flinch as little.

"Do you kiss your daddy with that tongue?, I'm sure he-"

---

Travis looked down at his fist.  Larry was gonna fucking kill him.

---

Sal walked into lunch, Ashley and Larry at his side, talking, maybe about Travis?, He'd heard his name get tossed around a few times, but he wasn't really paying attention.

When the three got to their lunch table, Chug and Maple were there as usual, but Todd was missing from his normal spot, on the left side, furthest from the door.  Sal looked around, "Where's Todd?" 

Ashley hummed, still tuned into what Larry what had been saying.  He repeated himself.

"He's in the art room, there's a painting due tomorrow."

"Oh."  He nodded and picked around at his soup.  Soup was always difficult for Sal eat, it was too liquidy and fell off his spoon too easily when he tried to get it under his mask.

After a few minutes passed, he stood up, passing his tray over to Chug.  "I think I'm gonna go find Todd"  Ashley nodded and smiled at him, trying stabilize Larry's hand so she could draw on it.

Sal stood outside the cafeteria doors, before turning to the bathroom, wanting to clean up his prosthetic, he could feel the blood dry and stick to the underside of the mask.

He walked in, standing awkwardly at the doorway, Travis was at the mirror, examining his face, clearly just splashed with water.

---

It took him a minute, but Travis finally noticed Sally Face looking at him from the door.

He flipped his head around to face Sal and stammered.

Be Nice

"A-ar-"  He paused and inhaled, "Are you- okay?"  He didn't know why he was asking, it's not like they were friends, or he had any reason to care, especially since he was probably why Sally Face wasn't okay.

"Yeah totally!"  Sal walked over to the sink next to Travis.  "Are you?"   He leaned against the sink, turning on the water to wash his hands.  

"Wh-"  Travis frowned, pausing to recollect himself.  "WHAT?"

...

Obviously, 'recollecting' himself didn't work too well, he'd only managed to yell 'What?" At Sally Face, coughing after since it came out so fast.

Sal laughed and Travis could feel his face burning up.  "Why- why would you care?"

"Why wouldn't I?"  Travis shrugged, I mean, it's obvious why he wouldn't, but it's also so obvious why he would.

Sal Fisher was just that kind of person, someone who cared about everyone, whether he knew them or not, whether they even deserved his sympathy and care.  It's like he's a robot, unable to shut off until he knew that everyone around him was okay.

It was as adorable as it was frustrating, Travis didn't deserve his stupid kindness, and he didn't need it either.

"So?"

"So what?"

"Well, are you okay?"

Travis looked away, muttering something intelligible.

"Hm?"

"Go away Sally Face."  He said it just above a whisper, still too quiet for Sal to hear.

"I didn't hear, what's up?"

"I SAID GO AWAY FAGGOT."

...

That came out much louder than he wanted it to.

"Oh..."  Sal started walking backwards, keeping his head down.

"I-"

"I'm sorry..." 

Sal nodded and backed into the door, Travis doubted he'd heard his sad little apology.

"I'll- I'll see you Travis..." 

And like that, Travis had driven Sal away, just like he always did.

Just like he did with everyone.

First chapter, it's actually out!, and this time I know what I'm doing! Whooo :D