"Sal? what are you doing hiding in the girls bathroom?" Ashley ask.
"no one can really tell my gender anyway, besides, I need your help." Sal muttered.
"with what?" Ashley ask raising an eye brow. Sal took off his hood.
"my pigtails. I slept over at Larry's house last night and I usually fix my hair up but I didn't have time I was running late. help me." Sal begged. his hair looked like a mess. Ashley brushed his hair quickly.
"I don't know how to do pigtails." Ashley said. Sal sighed and pulled his hood back up, sighing.
"my hair is awful." Sal muttered.
"no your hair looks better now." Ashley said.
"not really." Sal muttered walking out of the bathroom quickly. he yelped bumping into someone. his hair covered his face and he sighed. "sorry." Sal muttered.
"don't worry about it Sally." Larry said, reaching a hand down to pull him up. "whats up with your hair today?" Larry ask. Sal sighed, adjusting his mask.
"nothing I just didn't have time to put it up. we left late this morning remember?" Sal muttered. Larry raised an eye bow.
"Sal, do you not do your own hair?" Larry ask. Sal ducked his head down.
"no. my dad does or your mom if I ask her. damn it. when I do it my hair comes up all crooked and stupid. it looks worse when I do it then it does now." Sal muttered.
"here hold on. I got you." Larry murmured, turning him around. Larry pulled a rubber band off his wrist and put Sal's hair up in one pony tail.
"you just carry a rubber band on your wrist?" Sal ask.
"yeah on gym days I keep it to put my hair up, I wear it the rest of the time so I don't forget it." Larry shrugs. Sal smiled under his mask turning around to face his boyfriend.
"thanks." Sal muttered.
"of course. wouldn't be Sally face without your hair up." Larry replied, winking at him. Sal smiled and grabbed his hand walking with him to class. Larry smiled. "I love your hair Sal." Larry murmured.
"you just love me in general." Sal chuckled.
"of course I do." Larry smiled.
~~
Sal sat down at the table, he wasn't having a good day.
"Sal are you alright?" Ashley ask.
"no." Sal muttered, playing with his hair.
"what's wrong?" Larry ask sitting beside him.
"Travis cut my fucking hair was I was sitting in front of him." Sal muttered.
"oh! speaking of hair!" Larry exclaimed standing up. he walked behind Sal and took his hair down.
"what are you doing!? it's ugly and uneven! put it back!" Sal hissed.
"sit still." Larry replied. he ran his fingers through Sal's hair, taking his pocket knife out and evening his hair the best he could.
"are you cutting my hair? what the hell!?" Sal shouted trying to pull away from him.
"stop it Sal, he might accidently cut you." Ashley said.
"fuck me he's cutting my hair!" Sal hissed.
"I'm making it even. now stop." Larry replied. Sal sat quietly. Larry knew why Sal kept his hair the way he did. Sal's mother loved his long hair and had been the original person to put it up in pigtails. he knew it was upsetting Sal for him to try and fix his hair, but he was trying to help. Sal hugged his knee's, he wasn't happy that Larry was doing this. he actually wanted to cry, Larry knew what his hair meant to him and he was still...
"ouch! hey no hair pulling." Sal hissed.
"sorry. all I have is rubber bands." Larry muttered.
"rubber bands?" Sal ask confused. Larry plopped back down beside him and pulls out his phone handing it to Sal. "what is this for?" Sal ask.
"just look." Larry said with a proud smile. Sal looked at his reflection.
"okay I see my mask. is there a reason you wanted me to look at this ugly thing?" Sal ask.
"not your mask you idiot, your hair." Ashley said.
"my hair?" Sal ask, pulling the phone back enough to look at his hair. there in the reflection, he saw his usual pigtails, held up with rubber bands, just a little shorter than normal. "you fixed my hair." Sal said sounding surprised. he even reached up to double check that they were actually there.
"well duh. you weren't happy with it before." Larry replied. Sal dropped the phone on the table and got up leaving the lunchroom quickly. Larry grabbed his phone and followed him quickly.
"whats wrong?" Ashley ask.
"I don't know." Larry replied leaving quickly. he knew Sal would run to the bathroom. thats where he always ran. he ran straight to the bathroom and paused, the door was locked. he knocked. "Sal? Sal I'm sorry, please open the door." Larry said. he heard a soft click and walked in. Sal looked at him, his mask off. Larry locked the door quickly. "I didn't mean to make you upset." Larry said softly. Sal simply hugged him tightly. he buried his face into Larry's shoulder. Larry was shocked was Sal crying. "Sal, whats wrong? what did I do?" Larry ask. Sal shook his head and clung to him.
"n-nothing. I'm sorry. i-it's stupid." Sal muttered, still refusing to let go.
"no it's not stupid, whats wrong?" Larry ask. Sal let out a shaky sigh.
"thank you. it's stupid but i-it means a lot to me." Sal muttered.
"no Sal, I know that your hair is important to you. your mom used to do that for you right?" Larry ask. Sal nodded tearfully.
"when I was in kindergarten, a kid cut my hair so bad, that when I came home my mom cried. she spent three days trying to save it, but there wasn't anything she could do. she had to cut my hair almost completely off. she cut her hair to look the same then started putting our hair up. it was a little shorter than this a-and it just reminded me of her." Sal muttered, wiping his eye's. Larry couldn't help it, he hugged him tightly, looking at him tearfully.
"I'm sorry Sal. I never meant to make you cry. it makes me feel like a piece of shit. what kind of monsters makes their sweet little boyfriend cry?" Larry ask. Sal gave a small laugh and sniffled, cuddled to him.
"only an asshole, but I'm not sweet and I'm not little." Sal muttered, rubbing his eye's. he let out a shaky break and looked at him. "sorry I ran out of the lunchroom like that. I just.... I didn't want anyone to see me cry." Sal muttered. Larry smiled and pulled him closer, nuzzling his face into Sal's hair.
"I know it's alright. c'mon Sal, lets go back to lunch okay?" Larry ask. Sal nodded and kissed him deeply, before putting his mask back on and smiling. he took Larry's hand and headed back to the lunchroom, where he cuddled to Larry's side happily.
