Rooftop /SALVIS / TWW

Part 19

TRAVIS POV:
Knowing Sal is smiling under the mask, laughing with me, I start to choke a bit. Me and Sal's loud laughter at the situation is soon overpowered by the sound of a car horn. The smell of exhaust and lunch meat fills my nose. Both our heads turn and I notice a blue haired man in an older model car, this must be his Father.
I pull my backpack over my shoulder and pause on the sidewalk while Sal pulls the straps over both shoulders. We approach the car, careful to make sure no teachers see us, and pull open the doors. The scent from earlier is even stronger the closer we are to the car. Sal sits in the back with me, leaving the front seat vacant.
The first couple minutes are filled with silent breathing and the shaking sound of my leg.
"So.. what's your name?" His Father asks as he smiles, revealing his yellowed teeth.
"My name is Travis Phelps."
"Ahh, the pastors boy?"
"You could say that."
"If you're so religious why are you hanging around my kid? He's quite fruity." He finishes giggling under his breath.
"DAAD!"
"What?? Look at you!"
They both start to laugh, swaying the car a bit as my eyebrow raises. I don't know what "fruity" means, I have never heard this term before. Despite that, seeing Sal and his father laugh with each other made me feel something. Unfamiliar, a burning uncomfortable rage in the pits of my stomach. I could have had this with my Father, light conversation with inside jokes we could laugh about. My nails dig into my palms leaving a stinging pain. I want this, a father, more than anything. The feeling seeps through my arms and into my brain. A snap of pain as my nail cracks down the middle sends another wave of anger through me. I pull my nails from my palm and move toward my elbow. I press the already bleeding finger to my skin and dig like I did my palm. The blood from my nails sticks to the hairs on my arm, making me hurt even more. Why do I feel like this? Like there's a person sitting on my chest and making it hard to breathe? Am I.. jealous?
"Yo, Travis?" Sal's voice makes me jump a little in my seat, releasing the grip on my arm.
"Yeah?"
"You okay?"
"Yes, sorry zoned out a bit. Worried about that test I took today." I smile making eye contact with him.
"Oh god don't remind me, I have it tomorrow!"
It still takes some getting used to, hearing people use the lords name in vein.
"Can you tell me some of the questions.?"
"What?! No!" I start to laugh "If you fail you fail."
"Pleaaaaaaaaase?"
I roll my eyes at him and begin to change the conversation, I have to keep my mind off of the jealousy.
"Wow this walk would have sucked."
"I know right? Did you hear that DAD? You should stop making me walk home now."
"Now, don't get ahead of yourself I'm only picking you up because you have a 'friend'" He pulls both hands off the stealing wheel to make air quotes.
I don't notice the joke, my mind is to focused on the word "dad". I haven't called Kenneth dad in a very long time, is this how normal relationships work? "dad' 'son' 'kid'?
I start to look out the window and notice familiar landmarks from when I first went to Sal's house. So we are close.
"I'm so excited for you to meet Gizmo." Sal announces, breaking off the conversation with his father.
"Who is Gizmo?"
"My cat!"
"You're cat's name is Gizmo?! That's awesome!"
"I know right?!" Sal replies, sounding excited.
The car comes screaming to a halt sending me and Sal directly into the seats in front of us. Our backpacks in the spaces for our feet also get thrown towards the front of the car.
"Woah there! Sorry kids. Old car."
Before I can even process the near death experience (when Travis says this he means that he has never been with such an unsafe driver not that this was actually a near death experience) Sal and his Father close the car doors and step into the fall air, leading a cool breeze into the vehicle.
I pull my backpack out and step into the bittersweet air as I focus on the large brick building in front of us.