Travis walked into school, his head hanging low as he walked the hallway. His eyes searched for the worn-out blue converse upon all the other shoes. He, very desperately, needed a hug from the blue-haired boy he called his best friend, or his only friend for that matter. They only became friends 4 months ago, having been bullied by the blonde boy for years. They grew close after having a meaningful talk in the bathroom on Bologna Day, it took Sal forever to get him to open up and do small things like sit with him and his friends at lunch or hang out outside of school, take a ride with him and Larry. Travis tells Sal everything, about his dad and about his mom and how he thinks his dad is the reason she's dead, but one thing stayed untold, his embarrassing, big crush on Sal; how much he thought about kissing him or holding his hand when they were alone, just them. That's all he ever thinks about, Sal. "Travis?" He stopped and looked up. He met eyes with Sal's bright blue eyes, they were wide and full with worry. "Travis, your face- did your dad hurt you?" Travis' eyes left his, instead darted around the hallway, afraid someone might hear them. In a spur of the moment decision, Travis grabbed Sal's arm and pulled him into the boys bathroom. They came to a stop and Travis stared down, not knowing what to say or do. His heart was pounding against his chest, like it was trying to escape, and his eyes were unfocused, unable to look at Sal directly. "Trav?" He paused. His hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Travis looked at the hand that was placed on his shoulder, it consisted of scars and black nail polish, a few rings that had turned his fingers green. He looked back down. "I'm fine." It was hesitant and he didn't mean it, obviously.
"Then why can't you look at me?"
Suddenly, Travis' eyes met his again in sheer panic. "I'm sorry." He blurted out, his voice wobbly and panicked. Then, he looked down again. "I'm sorry." He repeated, but this time, it came out more sad.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, man." Sal insisted. Travis gulped hard, trying desperately to get rid of the lump that formed whenever he was this close to Sal. "Come on." Sal's hand moved from Travis' shoulder to his hand; squeezing it as he led him to the corner of the room and they sat together on the disgusting floor, but neither of them seemed to mind because they were together. "Talk to me. What happened?"
Travis shook his head. "Just my dad." He started. His breathing becoming shaky at the memories of last nights beating. "He got pissed because I slept in and missed church, I didn't mean to, but obviously, he never cares to listen to whatever I have to say and most of the time, it'd just make things worse." His voice grew quieter, weaker as he went on. There's tears in his eyes, but he doesn't seem to care.
"You should've came over..." Sal spoke with such gentleness, it made Travis' heart melt.
"I didn't want to ruin your weekend with my bullshit, and besides, I've spent a lifetime alone with this burden, what's one night?"
Sal doesn't speak for a long while, his eyes are searching Travis for just a hint of dishonesty because he truly hopes he doesn't mean that, he hated the idea of Travis not coming to him because he's worried he might ruin Sal's life, it wasn't true, far from it. He was grateful for him, like he was grateful for all his friends, faults and all. But with Travis, it was different, when he's with him, he feels this way he can't describe, he didn't understand it himself, he just knows it feels good, really fucking good. "Travis, I want you to come to me about anything. I care about you and..." He paused. "You would only make my weekend better with your presence." He spoke without thinking, but he meant it. Truly.
Travis tensed up, his body completely stiffened. And his heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, his gaze shifted over to Sal. They stare at each other without saying anything for a long time, and Travis acted impulsively. He placed his hands on the floor next to him and leaned forward, pressing his lips against Sal's but as quickly as they met, the quicker they left. Both of them were flustered, eyes wide, heart pounding. Travis suddenly stood. "I'm sorry!" He blurted out, his voice wobbly again.
"Travis-"
"No. Fuck you." Travis spat out. He paused briefly, just as surprised by his tone and choice of words as Sal was. He hasn't cursed or insulted Sal in a very long time, but it came out like word vomit. "Stay the hell away from me, you disgusting homo!" And with that, Travis turned and sped out of the bathroom. He felt like throwing up, he wanted to claw at his throat. He was disgusted by not Sal, but by himself. How could he speak to Sal that way after all he's done to make him feel better about himself without even realizing it? He's so sick of himself and the way he's acting. He thought he was getting better but he's right back where he started.
