Denial (Salvis)

Let's Think about this {11}

A/n

Thank you so much for 400 views! I truly appreciate all the support that's come from this, I love reading your comments and seeing the upvotes in my notifications, it means the world to me, so thank you <3. I also cringed so hard at the end of this one, I'm so, so sorry.

        The lunch table was a lot more quiet after Larry got suspended, most of the banter was between him, Sal and Ash. Sal spoke up, "Todd, at the meeting yesterday, I got a personal invite to the church from Travis's dad. I thought you might want to know."

Todd looked up at him, deep in thought, "Hmm, this seems like it could be a trap, but there's not much the cult would be able to do in broad daylight, let's wait and consider our options."

"Aw geez guys, do you really have to ruin the best meal of the day with all this stuff?"

"You think every meal is the best meal, Chug."

"How could I pick a favourite?" Chug was to Sal's right, leaving an opening where Larry typically sat. He was shorter and chubby, his bright green hair drastically contrasted the red of his long sleeved shirt. Chug was always afraid of the groups investigations, even the mention of one would make his eyes practically bulge out of his head. 

"My mom packed me this extra chocolate bar, you want it, Chug?"

"Heck yes! What kind of a question is that?" Chug snatched the treat from Maples hand before she could change her mind. Maple was quiet, her grey dyed hair was swept over one eye, dark eyeliner made her appearance look alt, although she would never admit it.  Sal anxiously drummed his fingers against the table top, he glanced to the table that Travis normally stayed at. It was vacant, of course. Sal noticed the way Kenneth menacingly grabbed his son, he could almost feel the fear radiating off of Travis. He pulled out his phone and began typing, knowing that Travis wasn't going to respond to this message either, just like the countless other ones. 

"Hey, can we hang out soon? I really liked talking to you!"

Sal flipped it closed again, looking back up and locking eyes with Todd. 

"Travis troubling you again?"

"No, no, I'm just worried about him."

"Yeah, as much as I hate him, I really hope the cult isn't real, for Travis's sake." Ash chimed in, she'd been oddly quiet the entire day.

"You guys don't understand him like I do, he just need's a friend." Sal felt anger starting to burn in his chest, something that wasn't normal for him.

"I know you keep saying that, but Travis is bad news. He punched you in the face yesterday and broke your mask! You had to tape it back together, Sal. when are you going to get it properly fixed?"

Sal looked down at his hands and mumbled, "It's a prosthetic." Completely ignoring her other question.

The bell sounded, signaling the end of lunch. the five teens all stood up, separating once they reached the cafeteria doors and issued their farewells. Todd and Sal continued to walk the same direction, as they shared an advanced physics class. 

"Sally, I don't mean to intrude, but may I ask about the nature of your relationship with Travis?"

Sal looked at Todd inquisitively, "He's my friend, I'm just really scared for him."

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Has Larry gotten to you too? Yes, I'm sure. He's not like what you guys think, you don't know him well enough to judge him, none of you do!" Sal's defensive tone didn't seem to bother Todd in the slightest.

"That's not what I meant. I don't think you want him as a friend, Sal. I would apologize if I'd gotten the wrong signals, but I know I haven't."

"What are you talking about?"

"Perhaps you haven't realized yet, excuse me, forget I said anything." Todd waved his hand dismissively, trying to push away the conversation.

"What haven't I realized yet? C'mon, Todd, you're almost as cryptic as that red ball guy."

"No, it's best not to force it. At this rate, you'll know soon anyways. Here, explain who Travis is, pretend I don't know anything."

"Alright, I think he's misunderstood, he can be very kind if you give him the chance; he's funny, even though he doesn't mean to be. Oh, and he dyes his hair. I can't believe I never saw it before, but either way, it really suits him. Normally he's super tense and stressed, but when it's just the two of us, he allows himself to relax, it's so amazing to see! He doesn't smile often, but when he does, I've never seen anything like it. He's like a whole different person, the more I think about it, the more I notice how beautiful he is. Like this one time we were studying at my house and he was so calm and nice, it felt right, ya know? He actually let me help him with the math, he wasn't angry or aggressive the entire time! I accidentally touched his hand, and he didn't even flinch, he just smiled and looked away. looking back on it now,  he didn't move his hand away, I did. I didn't want to though, his hand was warm, even though his knuckles had scars, it was still soft in a way." Todd stared at Sal who grew more passionate as he went on. Once Sal finished, Todd raised one eyebrow expectantly.

"Are you not seeing this?"

"Seeing what?"

"Listen to me carefully, do you want to spend time with him?"

"Yeah."

"Do you feel nervous around him, get knots in your stomach and/or get flustered."

"Well, yeah I guess so."

"Do you want to hold his hand?"

"It was nice, so yes."

Todd sighed, annoyed at Sal's figurative blindness, "Sally, do you want a romantic relationship with Travis?"

"What? No, of course not! Do I feel happy near him, yes. Do I think about him? Yes, but only a bit more than the normal amount! Have I imagined what it'd be like to date him? Sure, but that's normal for friends!" Sal shrugged, sitting down at his desk. Todd stared back at him in disbelief, his mouth agape. 

"When you figure this out, I'd better be the first person to know." He walked away towards his own desk, leaving Sal alone for a minute before the bell. Sal didn't want to believe Todd's words, but a small voice inside him was screaming at his ignorance.

This reminds me of that one scene from BoJack horseman lmao

Word count: 1084