Disciple (Sal x Travis)

Healthy Relationship

Sal
School was awful.

Travis and I made plans to meet behind the apartments and talk about why I felt so bad. It was like every hour lasted two hours.

As last period rolled around, it seemed to drag even farther. I'd look at the clock, and do my work for 15 minutes. Then, when I look at the clock, only 4 goddamn minutes have passed?

I call bullshit.

I just want to get this conversation over with.

Travis
I was excited to learn a little more about Sal.

We've been talking for a while and he's never really told me much. Except for maybe, his dad drinking a lot.

My feelings were a little hurt, that he didn't tell me he felt so bad, but I'm not angry. He shouldn't be scared to talk to me.

I sat in the gravel behind the apartments. Sal was inside already, putting his things away. My heart raced as I fiddled with the rocks and tossed them into the grass.

Today was a beautiful day. Really blue sky, puffy while clouds. Slight breeze.

This is what I would imagine Heaven to look like.

"Travis."

I looked up to meet eyes with Sal. I smiled at him, this is really what Heaven would look like.

"Hey.." I cleared my throat, "come sit?"

Sal nodded curtly, crouching down and sitting beside of me. The gravel crunched underneath his weight.
I scooted a bit closer to him, crossing my legs.

"How was school for you?"

He leaned his head back against the wall, "Boring, super boring."

I started messing with gravel, "Did you feel okay?"

"I felt fine." He sighed.

My eyes shifted over to him, "Are you okay?"

Sal crossed his arms and brought his knees up to his chest, like he was closing up on me. "Travis, I am okay. Stop worrying."

Okay.. so I take a little offense to that, sue me.

"Why are you getting mad? Sal, I'm just trying to be there for you."

He paused for a second, then shook his head. "You're right, I'm sorry."

"Its fine."  I picked at my nails and pulled the skin around them. For some reason, I was getting really nervous. It seemed like he didn't want to be around me.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I finally asked.

Sal's attitude flipped again, "Um, there's a lot of things you don't tell me, Travis."

I furrowed my eyebrows, there's not much he could possibly know. "Like what?"

"Nothing." He huffed, it was muffled by his mask, "Forget about it."

"Why can't you just talk to me?" I defended.

He stretched his legs out and folded his hands in his lap, "I am talking to you."

"Then what were you talking about?"

Sal turned his head and looked at me, "Why don't you tell me about your dad?"

My stomach dropped. Instead of butterflies, I felt wasps in my gut.

"He has nothing to do with any of this. I just want you to talk to me when you're upset!"

I could see him roll his eyes, "Well, where did the bruises on your stomach come from?"

My temper boiled in my chest, I counted in my head to calm down, "Why are you bringing this up?"

"Because you want to throw things in my face that I could throw in yours." He looked away from me.

"I-" I took a breath, "I didn't throw anything in your face."

Sal didn't say anything for a long time, "I know he hits you, I literally fucking saw it."

"He doesn't!" I hiss out, "I told you what happened!"

"Then what about those cuts I saw on your legs when I sucked you off in a classroom, huh? Did those come from the counter, too?" His voice dripped with malice, like I wasn't even talking to my Sal.

"What are you saying? I was so ready for this- What did I do wrong?" I stuck my hand in my hair, "I'm trying to help!"

He scoffed, "I don't need it if it's going to be like this."

My tantrum finally came up from my stomach, spite how hard I tried to relax.

"Fucking HELL!" I shouted, slamming my fist into the gravel.

Sal
My jaw stayed clenched. I don't know why I'm so angry.

Why does he expect me to tell him anything when he's hiding all this shit from me, and then looking righr at me and fucking lying about it?

I wasn't going to bring it up. He just.. it rubbed me the wrong way.

Travis hit the gravel, hard, with his hand and stood up. He snagged his bag off of the ground and threw it over his shoulders.

"I'm going the fuck home." His shoulders were tensed up.

My chest hurt, "So what? You're just gonna run off?" I snapped.

He looked at me for a second, then shook his head, adjusting his bag. Travis sighed angrily as he stomped off, around the corner of the building.

My eye burnt a little, and I cursed myself for wanting to cry.

Gruffly, I stood up and kicked the wall. Larry's bedroom door was only a few steps away, so I opened it up and stepped inside.

Travis
***
Whats wrong with me. Whats wrong with me. Whats wrong with me. Whats wrong with me.

It had felt good outside not too long ago. Now, I was burning up. Everything I touch gets ruined. My stomach swirled and my eyes watered.

My vision was blurred as I hasted down the sidewalk. The tears were falling as I stepped inside, and I was sobbing by the time I got to my room.

Sal's going to hate me, or he does already. He's probably getting tired of me. My chest ached as I stared at my wall, feeling lonely again.
***

Sal
Larry sat on on his bed with a cigarette and his sketchbook.

"What's going on, Sally Face?" He grinned at me.

I immediately started crying, and sat down in the floor against the door. Larry's tenis shoes clumped across the floor as he hurried over to me.

"Dude- what happened?" He sat in front of me and put his hands on the sides of my head.

Despite my ugly sobbing, I managed to tell him about Travis and I getting into an argument. How I snapped at him and acted like a dick, how he hit the ground and went home.

Larry nodded and listened, finally speaking his words of wisdom.

"Sally. Dude, we're all dicks sometimes man.." he tossed a long section of brown hair over his shoulder.

I nodded, "I know, but.. I knew I was being a dick. He probably fucking hates me." My eye started welling up again.

Larry chuckled a bit, "Man, he is not going to hate you. Besides, all couples get into it." He smiled knowingly, "Its healthy."