"You really think he's normal?"
"Of course he's not."
Sal sighed and walked back up the stairs, clutching the hall pass in his right hand while he held the banister in his left.
His birthday was coming up soon. He was going to be 18. Ten years since the accident. He doubted that Travis knew. Maybe it was better that way. His birthday wasn't anything special.
Still, Sal was always a little excited when it came around. After all, it made him a year older, and he thought that was cool.
He almost tripped once he reached the top of the stairs and his head pounded.
Sal groaned, threading his fingers through his hair. Migraines sucked.
He flinched as he neared the boys' bathroom. He could hear voices inside.
His curiosity grew as he listened, not fully able to make out the words until he heard Travis's name.
He sighed, walking in and hiding against the wall. I'm really doing this again? Sal sighed.
"And then, he was like, oh, Sal's my friend now, so back off." One of the boys laughed. "But they're more than friends, Sally face and Travis. They're both a bunch of gay freaks."
The boys cackled and Sal gulped, realizing that they knew about their relationship.
"Man, I always thought that Travis was a sinner, but of all people, he picked Sal Fisher? He's got bad taste even faggot." He grinned.
Sal rolled his eyes. He couldn't say that he disagreed, but they didn't have to go and say it.
"I don't know, dude. I was all like you really think he's normal? And then Travis basically went off saying that Sal's face wasn't normal but he's more than just his face,"
Sal's eyes widened.
"He was all like, he's just a kid like you are. I get that you think his face is weird, or his prosthetic is weird, but he can't help it." He laughed, imitating Travis's voice. "He said he thinks he's not a freak and that he's just a sweet kid." He batted his eyes mockingly. "What a fucking softie."
Sal stood with his eyes wide and glossy. Travis really thought those things? He didn't think he was some fucked up loser. Sal grinned to himself. Of course. He must've not heard the whole conversation that day.
"That doesn't even make sense." One of the other boys scoffed. "Travis's whole life was dedicated to making that freak miserable up until recently."
"He was probably just a fucking homo the whole time dude. That loser probably had a crush on him since the beginning."
Sal's eyes widened as the bell blared. Not caring that he'd missed math class, he ran down the hall, ignoring the pain in his head. He'd made a big mistake.
"Trav!" He yelled, spotting his familiar head of blonde hair walking out of the classroom.
Travis turned so quickly that he felt a pulling sensation in his neck. He stared with wide eyes as Sal approached him.
"Hey, are you okay? I was worried that you were sick, and-" Travis was cut off by Sal wrapped his arms around him.
"H-hey," he flushed, looking around, "people are staring," He made a weak effort to push him off. "We're gonna get bulli-"
"Thanks, Travis," Sal mumbled, letting go.
"Huh?"
"I'm sorry that I was being... weird." He said softly. "I just misunderstood something and I was upset, but it's okay now. I get it now." Sal smiled.
"Wait," Travis protested as he pulled him down the hall, "what do you mean?"
"It doesn't matter," Sal admitted. I'm alright."
"No," he shook his head, "I just want to know so that I don't make you misunderstand again."
"You didn't." He let go of his sleeve with a chuckle. "It was me. I'm sorry. You didn't do anything. I just got all worked up over nothing."
"Oh, well, alright." Travis sighed, knowing that he'd met a dead end. "Are you okay? Your head, I mean."
Sal shrugged, "Right now? No." He said bluntly. "Medication for this stuff usually takes a while to work. I'll be alright though."
"You look a little hazy."
"I feel a little hazy," Sal admitted. "My head is spinning."
Travis smiled, "O-Once we get home, you can rest, and I'll... Do boyfriend things and make you tea and stuff."
Sal flushed. That was the first time he'd heard Travis refer to himself as his boyfriend. It felt nice.
__
"Are you sure you're okay?" Travis asked, one hand on Sal's arm as they walked down the block.
"Mhm," Sal nodded with a smile, foot slipping out from under him.
He let out a breath as Travis caught him around his shoulders before he could fall. "Woah, watch out."
"My legs feel weird." He said.
"How's your head?"
"It hurts." Sal looked up at him.
"Is it usually this bad?" Travis furrowed his brows.
He shook his head.
"Right..." He grimaced, "Maybe it's because you haven't had any medication for it since it started."
Sal shook his head, feeling pain shoot into his temples, "I took medication... The nurse gave me pills."
"Were they the same ones you have at home?"
"No, " He mumbled, "mine are white. She gave me... Green."
"Alright, " Travis kept a hand on his shoulder as they walked, "we'll be home soon, so maybe you should take the ones you usually take, alright? You don't... Seem like you're doing too good."
Everyone once and a while, as they walked in the snow, Sal's leg would become weak and slip out from under him. Travis grabbed him by the shoulders to keep him from falling.
"It's gotten a lot worse." He said. "During math class, you weren't like this, right?"
He shook his head, shivering.
Travis frowned. Recently, it seemed like just as one problem was solved, another one presented itself.
__
"Here, lay down." Travis pulled the comforter back so that Sal could crawl onto the bed.
Sal grumbled, laying on his back. His head felt like it was melting, and his limbs were tingly.
"I'll get you your meds, okay? Do you want something else? Water? An icepack or something?"
"Water." He mumbled, keeping his eyes closed.
Travis nodded and rushed into the kitchen to fill up a glass of water for him. He grimaced. If this was just a migraine, it was a pretty severe one.
He didn't get migraines, so he wasn't sure what was considered normal, but this seemed intense.
Travis picked up the pill bottle and checked the dosage before shaking two white pills out of the bottle.
"I'm back," He smiled nervously, closing the bedroom door behind him.
Sal opened his eyes and struggled to sit up. "Thank you." He whispered as Travis dropped the pills in his hand and placed the water beside him.
"I'm kind of worried." He admitted. "Should I call 911 or something? Your skin is-" He glanced at his fingers, "You're real pale."
Sal shook his head. "I'm good."
Travis sighed and reached for the glass of water that was sitting on the bedside table, raising it to his lips.
"H-hey!" Sal exclaimed, eyes growing wide. His shaking hand grabbed Travis's wrist. "Don't drink that!"
"What? Why?" He flinched, setting it down.
Sal blushed, looking away. "Nothing... Just, don't."
__
As the day went on, Sal's health seemed to worsen. In the time span of only a couple of hours, he had gone from talking and sitting up to laying down, trembling silently with his eyes shut.
"Sal, I really think you should go to the hospital or something." Travis continued to insist. "Please. You don't look so good."
Sal only shook his head and remained laying on the bed, taking in inconsistent breaths while keeping his eyes shut.
With every hour, he became weaker, his skin became paler, he'd become less responsive, only shaking his head or nodding.
Travis constantly kept getting up to try and get Henry to help, but he was busy with work and didn't seem to understand the situation, nor did he want to understand.
"Oh god," Travis dropped his head in his hands. "I don't know what to do. Sal, how do you feel? I need to know like, what your symptoms are so that-"
Sal gasped for air for a moment before returning to breathing heavily, chest rising and falling.
"I'm calling 911." Travis shot up from his seat on the side of the bed. "I'm sorry. There's no way this is just a migraine, Sally Face."
Sal grumbled something inaudible and Travis ignored him, going to find the house phone.
__
"You what?" Henry raised his eyebrows. turning around in his swivel chair.
"I called an ambulance." He admitted, maintaining eye contact. "Sal's in really bad shape, and-"
"We don't need an ambulance, kid!" Henry laughed anxiously, running a hand through his hair, "Sal gets migraines all the time. He'll be fine in the morning."
"It's not just a migraine!" Travis pleaded. "He's- it's-"
"You called an ambulance so that I could go and pay $2,000 for some nurse to give my son an ice pack and a couple of Advil's." Henry scoffed.
"He can't even move." He furrowed his brows.
"He doesn't want to move because it makes his head hurt more. Just give him a minute. He'll be fine."
"I've given him hours, man." Travis sighed. "He just keeps getting worse."
"Has he had his meds?"
"Yeah."
"Hm," Henry grumbled, typing on his keyboard.
"Listen, you don't have to come to the hospital, but that's where he's going, so I'm going too." Travis stared, "I'm afraid he'll die if he stays here."
"Die?" Henry chuckled, "Son, Sal has had far more serious reasons for going to the hospital. This is a migraine. Sal won't let you take him. Not if his head just hurts."
"It's not!-" He began to get angry but sighed and shut up. There was no convincing Henry unless he saw for himself, and he didn't want to see.