Better Than I'd Thought | Sally Face x Travis Phelps

two

-.. --- -. -

"Your eye is looking a lot better already." Sal smiled, walking beside his new roommate. "Does it feel alright?"

"It's fine," Travis grumbled. He typically took the bus to school in the morning. He'd never walked from his house to the building, and he'd never walked with someone else, "You're one to be talking about painful faces." He said mockingly.

"Oh, " Sal mumbled, feeling slightly upset. "My face doesn't actively hurt or anything, but I didn't mean to insult you. I was only asking if your eye felt less painful."

  "No, I know." Travis sighed. "I'm sorry."

   Sal's eyes widened. "You are?"

   Travis cringed, running a hand through his hair. "I shouldn't have called out your face like that." Man, being sentimental was awkward.

    "Thank you." Sal smiled. "That means a lot to me."

  Travis blushed, looking away. "Sure..." A feeling of shame washed over him. There was something about Sal's smile that was so charming. Or course, since he wore the prosthetic, you couldn't physically see him smile, but Travis found himself in awe of the way his eyes would narrow and twinkle. He liked the way how his mask would shift up because his cheeks were pressing against it.

   "Travis, " Sal spoke without looking at him, "I know you're not what you make yourself out to be."

    "What?" Travis clenched his jaw, face reddening. Was it possible that he knew? "What are you implying, Fisher?" He barked.

   Sal threw his hands up in fear. "All I meant is that you're not as mean as you come off." He sighed. "I know that you've had it rough."

   "No, " Travis paused for a moment, afraid to say what he was planning on saying. "You've had it worse, and you're still... Nice and stuff."

   "Oh, well, " He nearly laughed, "rest assured, I might not have a bad temper, but I have other issues." If Travis knew about his frequent night terrors, he'd make fun of him for sure.

Still, Travis thought, It must be nice having friends.

"Hey, do you maybe want to sit with me at lunch or something?" Sal asked with a grin. "You're always sitting by yourself."

Travis groaned, shaking his head. "I don't need your pity, Sally Face." More importantly, who knew how badly he'd get teased for sitting with the gay kids?

"Alright, well, " Sal shrugged, "if you change your mind, you know where I sit."

__

Travis's favorite part of the school day was undeniably math class. After all, that was the one class he had with Sal.

He wasn't going to lie. He was extremely ashamed of his feelings. His father had always told him that homosexuality was a sin. Of course, he wouldn't necessarily call himself a homosexual. That was too frightening, and he still wasn't sure if it was true.

Other straight boys must get butterflies in their stomachs when pretty guys like Sal Fisher look at them too.

Was it wrong to be able to admit that Sal was attractive?

Travis shook his head. That made no sense. He hadn't ever seen Sal's face, his real one, under the prosthetic. He wasn't sure it would be such a pretty sight. Even so, he was captivated by him. He'd never admit that.

Travis's eyes widened as Sal walked into class, back hunched. He didn't have the best posture.

Sal smiled when he saw him and lifted his hand to say hello.

Travis got that feeling again. The fluttering in his chest. He gulped and waved back, embarrassed that he couldn't hold back his emotions.

Even if he could admit that he was gay, Sal Fisher was simply inaccessible. There was no way Sal would ever fall in love with him.

But that didn't matter. Travis wasn't gay.

__

"Hey there, Sally face!" Larry grinned, sitting beside the boy.

"Hey, Larry face, " Sal chuckled back, opening his small thermos. He had gotten a plastic spoon from the lunch line.

"Whatcha got today?" Larry smiled, throwing an arm over his shoulder.

Sal smiled. "I made mac and cheese this morning."

"Mac and cheese slaps, dude."

"It's epic," Sal mumbled, unclipping the bottom of his mask. A moment later, realization hit him, and he turned to look behind him, past his shoulder. Travis was sitting at a table by himself. Sal smiled and waved him over.

   Travis shook his head and didn't budge.

Sal stared for a moment before turning back to his friends. He lifted the bottom of his mask slightly and brought a spoonful of mac and cheese to his mouth. "Hey, " he said after swallowing, "you guys have known Travis a lot longer than I have."

Larry turned his head to look at him.

"Has he ever done something really nice?"

"Nice?" Ashley frowned from the other side of the table. "Travis? I don't think so. At least, not to me."

Sal sighed and glanced at Larry, "What about you?"

Larry shook his head, "He's pretty much always been an asshole, dude." His eyes widened. "Oh, actually, "

Sal's head perked up.

"One time, in middle school, " Larry said, "this group of dickhead kids like, stole my backpack and shit, bro."

"Why did they take your backpack?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know, man, they were shitty little kids." He shrugged. "Anyway, I was really like, stressed out and stuff, and like, I was so upset and then like, Travis brought it back, dude." Larry's eyes widened. "He said he like, stole it back from them."

"That was cool of him," Sal said.

"That's the only good thing I remember, though." Larry shrugged. "I'm not sure why he decided to help me out that day. I honestly thought he must be stolen my wallet or something, man. Like, as a motive." He sighed. "But then, I checked later, and my money was still there. Everything was fine. I felt like a dick."

"He's not all bad." Sal said. "No one's all bad."

"What's up with your new curiosity about Trav, man?" Larry asked, "Is he bullying you again?"

"No, " Sal shook his head. "It's nothing." If Travis was going to be staying with him for any amount of time, it was worth it to learn a little bit more about him.