Does God See the Way I Look at You? || A Salvis fanfiction

Chapter Eight: Freak

Sal jumped as his dad stumbled through the door. Sal was eating popcorn, sitting on the couch with Gizmo as the two watched a movie in an attempt to make up for what Henry had promised. Henry fixated his gaze on Sal's face. Sals eyes widened as he realized he wasn't wearing his mask, or his glass eye.

"Put 'yer mask back on" Henry slurred.

Sal stayed silent as he stared at his drunk dad. Gizmos fur was on end, and the cat strained away from Henry as he lay on Sal's lap.

"Get that fuckin mask on, freak," He grumbled.

"You don't mean that," Sal murmured, his eyes wide as his Dad took a step closer.

Henry didn't reply. He took another swig from the bottle in his hand. Sal picked up Gizmo, leaving the popcorn as he turned to go to his room.

"Reminds me of-," Henry started, but Sal slammed the door so he wouldn't hear the rest. Gizmo jumped out of his hands, the slam startling him. Sal locked his bedroom door.

"Didn't mean to scare you buddy," Sal murmured, his voice cracking as he spoke.

Gizmo hopped onto the bed next to Sal's pillow. Sal took off his shirt, tossing it into a pile against his dresser. He switched his jeans out for some cat themed pajamas before laying next to Gizmo. He held the fluffy cat close. Gizmo didn't usually like being held, but when Sal was sad he didn't mind. Sal let the tears fall silently into Gizmo's fur as he held the feline close.

Sal stepped out of the elevator, his hands tight around his backpack straps. His jacket was littered with cat hair, which he did his best to brush off. He walked to meet with his friends, waving to them slightly but not saying anything.

"You're not usually the last one here Sal," Ash commented.

"Yeah, that's usually me," Larry added.

Sal wasn't in the best mood, and he nodded but otherwise didn't reply. His other friends were chatting, but Sal stayed silent as he watched the birds on the powerlines.

They reached the bus stop early as usual, and Sal busied himself playing with the leaves that littered the floor. The bus pulled up after some time, and the group were the first ones in as usual. Sal had noticed Travis in line with a few people behind him and his friends, but Travis had glared at him when he looked over.

They made their way to the back of the bus, and Sal stared out the window. Why does my first period have to be pe? He thought as the bus began to drive.

Sal went through the day in a dissociative state, lost in his thoughts as the day went on. He jumped, snapping out of it as Ash grabbed his arm.

"Sal?" She asked, and Sal realized she must've been talking to him.

"Wha- sorry, uhm- what were you saying?" He stammered, pulling his head out of the clouds.

"The warning bell for fourth period is about to ring and you've just been staring in your locker," Ash told him.

"Oh. Crap, we have history together," Sal murmured before hurriedly following Ash to their classroom.

History passed in a daze. All Sal remembered was being assigned a project on the French Revolution, and he'd typed up some research on a document on autopilot. He met up with his friends, more in tune with his surroundings now. The group got in line for lunch.

"What's for lunch today?" Sal asked.

"Nachos," Larry replied.,

"Hopefully we can pick if we want the meat or not this year, it's always too greasy," Ash commented.