Darling, Let's Run From it All

☽ Chapter 4 ☽

"Dude, did any of you see Church Boy Phelps yesterday?" Larry asked, chuckling. The group was sitting at their usual lunch table, and they had previously been talking about the usual group drama. Travis wasn't an uncommon subject for them to talk about. "Saw him in the hallway after lunch. The dude looked like he'd been crying. Wonder what that was about?"

"Doesn't matter. Whatever it was, it serves him right," Ash commented. "After everything he's said and done to us, I couldn't care less. He deserves it."

Sal felt a twinge of guilt at his friends' words. After all, he knew the exact reason why Travis had been so upset. After their talk in the bathroom the previous day, he just couldn't bring himself to say anything negative about the poor boy. That didn't stop Ashley and Larry, though, of course. They went on making fun of Travis.

"I know, right? He's been such an asshole." Larry shook his head. "He absolutely deserves it."

They carried on like this for another minute or so before seeming to realize that Sal wasn't joining in the conversation like he usually did.

"You good, Sal?" Ash asked randomly, completely cutting off Larry, who was still complaining about Travis.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"You're not talking at all." Ash pointed out.

"Oh, yeah. Well, I just feel a bit bad, you know?"

Larry raised an eyebrow. "Uh... no? I don't know."

Sal sighed. "I just don't think he's that bad, guys. I mean, really, he probably just has a bad home life. That's why a lot of bullies do what they do, and I don't think he's any different."

"Sal, even if he does have a shitty home life, that doesn't give him any excuse to be a dickhead to other people," Ash argued. "He shouldn't do what he does, period."

"I know it's not an excuse, but it's a reason. Maybe, if he had a friend or two, he wouldn't be so awful to us. I think that's all he needs: a person to confide in and a group who will support him."

"Dude, I know you're not suggesting that we befriend Travis fucking Phelps," Larry exclaimed. "I will never try to be friends with that asshole."

"I'm not saying that you guys have to be friends with him," Sal reassured, though he was a bit frustrated by their insistence that Travis was so horrible. "I'm just saying that maybe I could try and talk to him."

"I think he hates you the most out of all of us, though, Sal." Ash pointed out. "I mean, no offense, but why would he want to be friends with you, of all people?"

Sal thought momentarily about telling them about his previous interaction with Travis, but he knew that he had promised he wouldn't tell anyone. He would rather keep that information from his friends than go right back to being on Travis' bad side.

"I don't know. But no one else seems to be willing to try and be his friend, so it might as well be me."

Larry sighed. "Really, dude, I don't think that's a good idea at all. You know how awful he is, what if he ends up hurting you or something?"