Cinnamon // Sally Face

O n e

"Disgusting," Violet grumbled, dropping a foul-smelling bologna sandwich onto her lunch tray. "I miss Riverside."

Today was Violet Sinclaire's first day at Nockfell High School. As expected, she hadn't made any new friends by the time lunch came around. She didn't mind sitting alone, however. It gave her time to collect herself after several hours of desperately searching for familiar faces and getting lost between classes. Fortunately, she hadn't any experiences with bullies or stereotypical cliques that most movies portray (yet). So far, the only thing she disliked about her new school was Bologna Day. 

"Psst! New girl!" A voice hissed from nearby. Violet frowned, turning around in her seat. Waving at her from a few tables down was a boy from her algebra class, who she believed was named Larry. Within that one period, he was scolded for falling asleep, pelting spitballs at the wall, and sticking his chewed gum to the bottom of his desk. What could he want?

"Yeah?"

"You might wanna move seats, dude. Travis will kick your ass if he sees you sitting there." 

"I'm not afraid of him."

Technically, she wasn't lying. She didn't even know who Travis was. How could she be afraid of him? The look of genuine concern on the boy's face, however, slightly intimidated her. This Travis guy must have a reputation. 

Just as Violet began contemplating sitting elsewhere, she felt a presence behind her. The shadow of a male's figure was cast over her lunch tray. This person, whoever they were, cleared their throat aggressively. "You're sitting in my seat, newbie."

"I don't see your name on it," she retorted, growing tense as she came upon the realization that Travis himself was hovering over her. Her eyes immediately flitted around the room for an escape route, should the situation escalate. Judging by his vicious tone and increasinly heavy breaths, there was a good chance that it would.

He scoffe. "Yeah? How about I pound it into your skull?"

Violet wasn't sure whether to face him or keep her back turned. She knew that turning around would lead to a punch in the face, but she felt dangerously vulnerable without doing so. At this point, she wanted to punch herself for being so quick to give him attitude. If someone as careless as Larry was weary of this boy, why on Earth did she think she didn't need to be as well? 

Suddenly, Larry sprung out of his seat. "Back off, man. She didn't know." 

"Why do you have to be such a jerk?" A dark-haired girl snapped from beside him, standing up as well.

Travis laughed. "I'm just shaking in my shoes! The freaks are after me!" 

"Come on," the girl muttered, approaching where Violet was sitting. She grabbed her lunch tray for her and jerked her head toward her table. "You can sit with us."  

She gratefully accepted her offer, shooting a glare at Travis as she swooped past him. She'd rather die than let him find out that, for just a few seconds, she was frightened by him. He merely sneered before plopping down into his seat and taking a hefty bite of his bologna sandwich. 

Upon arriving at the new table, Violet instantly noticed that everyone sat on the same side, despite there being two rows of seats. She couldn't help but wonder why they chose such an arrangement, but didn't bother asking questions. After all, they were kind enough to let her join them. She chose to sit opposite to Larry, who was fuming from the scene with Travis. He frustratedly drummed his fingers on the table as his facial features twisted into a look of anger.

"I'm Ash," the dark-haired girl said, placing Violet's tray in front of her. 

She gave a grateful smile. "I'm Violet."

"I recognize you from organic chemistry," The boy sitting to Ash's left spoke up in a monotone voice. Violet recognized him as well. His fiery red hair and round spectacles were hard to miss. "You're the only sophomore able to take it. Good for you."

Violet rolled her eyes. "I don't remember what was going through my head when I signed up for that class. I'm horrible at science. You're Todd, right?" 

"Correct."

"You're in my algebra class too, dude. I'm Larry." Larry had failed algebra in his sophomore year, explaining why he was in the class with Violet. She couldn't help but overhear him telling someone about it during the lesson, considering he was the only person talking beside the teacher. 

The two people to Larry's right, Chug and Maple, were too consumed in each other to introduce themselves. Chug was a rather plump boy with a head of grassy green hair. Violet had noticed him consume his entire sandwich in 4 bites and was now asking Maple for the lunch she packed for herself, but hadn't touched. She was a very slender girl, so this behavior must not be abnormal for her. Her short, gray hair swooped over the right side of her face, leaving only half of the glum expression she wore visible to everyone else. Ash kindly spoke for them before gently nudging the person between herself and Larry. 

This individual was quite different than anyone Violet had ever seen. He sported a black sweater and pair of striking blue pigtails. But what intrigued her the most was the pearly white mask he wore. About 1/4 of the right side of it had been broken off somehow, but was replaced with a pastel pink chunk of the same material. A few strips of clear tape held them together.

The mask covered all but a pair of azure eyes. Violet rather liked this. She wasn't exactly sure what the mask was supposed to symbolize, but she found it fascinating nonetheless. She'd never seen anything like this back home.

"I'm Sal. Nice to meet you," the person said, giving a small nod. He was definitely a boy.

"I like your hair," she told him, "it matches your eyes." 

He perked up, clearly taken aback by her comment. Violet could only pray that she hadn't said anything offensive. 

"Th-Thanks," he stammered.

"You're welcome." 

"So, Violet," Ash began, "where are you from?"

"I'm from Kansas. My mom insisted that we move here for research purposes," she explained, pushing her bologna sandwich to the side. 

"So you're, like, here to stay?" Larry inquired.

"Yup. At least, that's what I was told by my parents."

"Welp, welcome to Nockfell, man."

Ash offered a warm smile. "If you ever need anything, let one of us know. Of course, you're always welcome to sit with us during lunch as well."

"Thank you," Violet said. "It really means a lot."

That was when the bell rang, causing everyone to rise from their seats and grab their trays. The young girl's stomach growled as she remembered that she hadn't touched a bite of her lunch. These last few hours of the day were going to be hard. 

"You need help finding your next class?" Larry asked her as she followed the group out of the cafeteria. "I learned that I'm a great tour guide when ol' Sal moved in."

She giggled. "No, thank you, Larry. I appreciate the offer, though."

"Suit yourself."

"Bye, Violet!" Ash called to her as she headed down the hallway.

"Bye, Ash!"