Broken Like Me

[ Part Five ]

Travis' POV

When I woke up, I could hear Sally snoring softly below me. Glancing at the alarm clock, I could see it was only 6:00. Guess it was just drilled into me to always be up this early. I sat up in Sal's bed, stretching my arms. The light of the rising sun drifted in through the curtains, just enough to barley make out my surroundings. Sally's mask was on the table next to me. I looked down at the blue haired boy on the floor, seeing him facing away from me. I wonder...

No. I shouldn't. It was an invasion of his privacy. If he wanted me to see his face he would show me. That was that. But...I couldn't fight my own curiosity. I quietly got out of the bed, gently stepping over the boy on the floor. As I sat down on the other side of him, I got a good look at his face.

Oh. My. God.

It was completely mangled (the right side more so than the left). Deep scars ran across the entire thing, most of his nose completely gone. A jagged line from his mouth exposed his teeth in some parts. His right eye clearly was damaged, I could tell even with it closed something was wrong. He looked like a monster. Well, he should look like a monster. But that's not what he looked like to me.

His face was like a painting. It sound weird, I know, but that's just the way I saw it. Crisscross lines, dotted scars, I could even make out a couple freckles. He just looked so...beautiful (god that's so gay). I couldn't describe it any other way. I didn't know why he wore that dumb mask all the time, when this was underneath. Without even thinking, I reached my hand out to trace a long scar down to his chin. That's when his eyes opened. Well, his eye.

"Travis!" He suddenly pushed me backwards, standing up and grabbing his mask. "What are you doing?!" I winced, my ribs still sore from the other day. He immediately noticed and apologized.

"No, I'm sorry. I-i should have just went back to sleep, I just...I wanted to see...I'm sorry..." I sighed, sitting back against the wall.

"It's fine. It's okay, really. I over reacted." I heard him buckle the clips of his mask.

"Why do you wear that all the time?"

"My mask? Well...it's a prosthetic. I don't really have a face...so..." He rubbed the side of his arm.

"I like you face." My face immediately went red when I realized what I'd said. "But like, not like that! Not like I'm gay!"

He laughed a little, which only added to my embarrassment. "It's fine, Travis. I get it. Thanks." He yawned and stretched, looking adorable as he did so. He grabbed a purple t shirt and a pair of black jeans from his dresser, handing them to me. "Here, you can wear these today. We have to leave for school soon."

I thanked Sal and took them, putting them on in the bathroom. I cannot believe I was gonna wear his clothes to school. I thought I'd be horrified, but I actually was quite the opposite.

Sal's POV

I woke up to a soft finger across my cheek. It was almost too gentle to feel over my scarred skin. Wait. My skin. I wasn't wearing my mask. And Travis was the only one with me. Which meant...

I opened my eyes, seeing the boy hovering right over me. I instantly panicked, pushing him backwards. "Travis!" I scrambled to my feet and grabbed my mask, holding it up to my face. "What are you doing?!" He groaned as held his side, and I remembered the events from yesterday. "Oh my god, I'm sorry.

"No, I'm sorry. I-i should have just went back to sleep, I just...I wanted to see...I'm sorry..." He sat against the wall, and I chewed in my bottom lip. I really didn't mean to hurt him. Dammit.

"It's fine. It's okay, really. I over reacted." I buckled the clips of my mask behind my head, feeling more secure now that it was back on. I can't even believe that he'd seen me with it off. He probably thought I was even more of a freak now. I wasn't expecting his next question at all.

"Why do you wear that all the time?"

"My mask? Well...it's a prosthetic. I don't really have a face...so..." I rubbed the side of my arm nervously. I mean, technically, I didn't need to wear it. But I liked it. It made me feel safe. I'd worn it for so long it had become like a part of me. Plus, it helped me stop a lot of the bullying. Sure, I still got tormented pretty bad for the girly mask (mostly from Travis) but it was still less than my old school.

"I like you face." Um...did he actually just say that? A nice, heat felt compliment, coming out of Travis' mouth? No way. "But like, not like that! Not like I'm gay!" There he is.

I laughed, watching his face get redder and redder. I don't think I've ever met someone more insecure than me. "It's fine, Travis. I get it. Thanks." I yawned and stretched, walking over to my dresser. I searched through it to try and find clothes that might fit Travis (I was much smaller that him). I found a big-ish purple shirt as a pair of black jeans, so I handed those to him. "Here, you can wear these today. We have to leave for school soon."

He thanked me and went to the bathroom to change. I put in my glass eye, getting myself ready for school as well. Travis Phelps was in my bathroom, putting on my clothes, getting ready to go to school with me. Could this get any more insane?