All four of them walked to school together that day. They stood in front of the doors in apprehension. Would today be the day? Would they be able to change the future? They hoped so. They entered the building together. As luck would have it, one of the first people they saw was Travis. He had some new bruises that weren't there last they saw him, but besides that he seemed okay. So there was confirmation that they could monitor him throughout the day.
Travis seemed angry, and was yelling at some other kid in the hall. Sal thought the kid's name was Ethan, but he wasn't sure. Travis stormed off angrily. Sal when over to where he was to see what made him so angry.y.
"Well, I'm doing a survey for my science fair project," Ethan explained, "It's about astrology, which is a science, by the way, and whether or not your sign actually does reflect your personality. I asked Travis his birthday and told him he was an Aries. I started to explained what the traits were to him for the next part of the survey, but he yelled that zodiacs are against the Word of God."
"Dang," Sal responded, "It is?"
"I guess," Ethan said with a shrug.
"Which one is Aries again?" Sal asked.
"The Ram," Ethan answered with a grin. He happily jumped into an explanation, but Sal wasn't listening. The ram? Like the one in his dream? Oh no... Was it today?
After his explanation, Ethan added, "May I survey you?"
"Uh, some other time," Sal mumbled, only half paying attention.
"Come on, it will be real qui-" The bell cut Ethan off.
Sal was relieved to be in his first hour class, but also not. He didn't want to be in this situation. He knew it would be worse if he did nothing, but didn't want to be the one responsible for Travis' well being at the end of the day. Even if no one else blamed him, he'd probably blame himself if Travis died. For once Sal wanted to actually believe Heaven was real.
"Eliza?" The teacher called. No response.
Finally, a girl named Gabby chimed in, "She's not here today."
Sal felt his blood run cold. His dream's consistency with real life events couldn't be a coincidence, could it? It was today. There was no other explanation. Sal was terrified.
"Sal?" the teacher called out.
"Here," replied Sal dryly.
Class played out like he was in an invisible box, isolated from the other students. They were unaware, unburdened with the future. The lesson sounded muffled to him. He couldn't pay attention.
"You okay?" asked the kid next to him. Sal nodded yes, but the kid frowned. He was a terrible liar even when he didn't speak, he guessed.
The bell rang. Everyone got up to leave, but Sal lagged behind the rest. He needed to clear his head. A minute passed, and he didn't feel much better, but he couldn't be late for class, so he got up and went to chemistry. Everything felt so distant. It felt like everybody around him was twice as fast, yet he was twice as slow. What was this?
He couldn't pay attention in chemistry either. The teacher was talking, but the words slipped away from him like water slipping through his fingers. The room felt so small, too small. It felt too crowded, the words were too loud, the background noises too little and too quiet. He felt like he was frozen, but he also needed to leave.
Now people were moving into groups, and he had no idea why. He could feel his heartbeat racing. There was just too much going on.
Some girl sat across from him. She laughed nervously. "You're Sal, right? I'm Anne," she said, laughing nervously again, "You ready to do this thing?"
Sal didn't answer. He didn't know what "this thing" even was. He didn't care. There were bigger things going on in his life right now.
"Are you alright?" she asked with a frown.
Sal needed a moment to clear his head, and he couldn't do it here. He got up without a word. Anne gasped, surprised by the quick and spontaneous movement. He had his hand on the door knob.
"Mr. Fisher, sit down right now! I haven't finished the instructions yet!" Mr. Stickl yelled at him.
Sal cringed as he heard the sound of glass tinkling against the ground. He didn't have to turn around to know a mist was rising from the chemicals upon the ground. He needed out now. He dashed into the bathroom, which was empty, luckily. He stood in there for what was ages, taking deep breaths. He took a paper towel, wet it down, and wiped off his face without removing his mask (just in case). Finally, the world stopped feel so small and fast.
He returned to the classroom, which had been cleaned up since. Mr. Stickl was too distracted to notice Sal had returned. That was fine with Sal. He really didn't feel like being yelled at and being threatened with a demerit after he had finally calmed down. He sat down next to Anne again.
"Hello, again," she greeted. There was no ill will in her tone, which he was grateful for. He would have probably been angry if he had a partner run out on him without explaining before a project even began. If that ever were to happen, he supposed he would remember this moment.
"I'm sorry," Sal apologised, "I wasn't feeling like myself."
"It's alright," said Anne, mixing a few chemicals carefully, "I sometimes do the same thing when my anxiety acts up."
"Oh," Sal replied, dumbfounded. Were there really people out there that just... Felt like that all the time?
"Something must really have something bothering you," Anne guessed.
Sal sighed. "Yeah, there's something heavy on my mind today."
"Do you want to talk about it," Anne offered.
"No," Sal mumbled.
"I respect that," Anne replied, looking down at the floor for a moment with an awkward smile, "Sometimes, that's the way we must cope."
She continued to do assignment in silence. Occasionally, she would glance down at the paper they had in front if them, or mutter things to herself under her breath. She never complained, she just worked. Sal felt bad.
"Hey, can I help?" Sal asked.
"Are you sure?" Anne asked, "I can do it if you still feel bad."
"Naw," Sal answered, "I'd feel worse if I let you do it alone."
"Thank you. People like you make the world kinder," Anne said, allowing him to look at the paper, "I just finished step seven."
Sal read over each step. He poured the chemicals accordingly. He began to get into a hum. The autopilot way of doing schoolwork seemed to have finally returned to him. It almost felt normal, he wished it could feel normal, but the nagging feeling of dread was still all too present in his mind.
"Done," he said, mixing in the last chemical needed.
"Wow, that was fast!" Anne noticed, "It's perfect, too! You're a great lab partner!"
"You too," Sal returned the compliment.
After they showed their finished project to Mr. Stickl, they went back to their desk. Anne wasn't great at talking, nor did she really want to, and neither did he. It just worked out. The bell rang, and Sal left with the rest of the students like he normally did. Maybe the day would be better if he pretended everything was normal until he had to go.
Third hour World History with Larry was always a relief for Sal. Today, it was even more of a relief. They sat next to each other. Sal took a deep breath. "Today's the day," he whispered to Larry as class began.
"Today?" Larry whispered back urgently, "Are you sure?"
"I told you it was coming up soon!" Sal replied, "Things are happening today that happened in my dream! It's nearly identical.
"I- Okay. I believe you," Larry responded.
"Are you boys having a nice conversation?" The teacher interrupted them, "If you two continue, I hope your conversation can include demerits. Honestly, we go through this every class you two."
There was so much left to say, but the last thing they needed today was demerits. From what it looked like, they needed all the time they could get after school. If they got demerits, they would get held up by teachers after school. They usually didn't care about getting demerits. Still, they remained completely silence for the rest of class.
After that bell rang, Sal had to go to his Algebra class. He had mixed feeling about it. On one hand, it was nice to be able to keep an eye on Travis. On the other hand, it was a harsh reminder of what was going to happen.
"It seems quite a few of you are struggling with the homework lately," Mrs. Packerton said, "So today I'm giving you a group assignment. Pick one partner, and do as much of this worksheet as you can by the end of class. You will only be graded on what you finished."
Sal wondered who he should partner up with. The obvious choice was Travis, and he wanted to, but he also... Didn't. He feared having to face Travis and pretend everything was okay. Sal was distracted by the sound of someone slamming down a paper onto his desk. "Be my partner!"
Oh no. Sal looked up slowly. He supposed the choice was no longer hanging over him. "This is a surprise," Sal said stoically, shrugging.
"You're the only person willing to work me, anyways," Travis replied.
Sal felt a twang of guilt that he debated not being partners with Travis. "Cool. You're good at math."
Travis had a small smile for a short time. Straightening his face, he said, "Let's get to it."
Sal would like to say he was a help to Travis, but since he had trouble focusing the past few lessons, whenever they got to something new, Travis had to show him how to do it. He did, However, remember how to do the things Travis already showed him how to do. Travis pretended not to care, but Sal could see the pride in Travis' eyes. Sal bet that Travis didn't get to feel this way often. He felt happy for him.
It was strange how no one had noticed some of the things that made Travis so interesting. He was smart, probably top of this class. Even Leslie looked like they were struggling. Travis was also quite bold, and feigned confidence so well that sometimes, Sal could forget about how insecure Travis really was. Travis had so many more strengths than weaknesses. Sal wished Travis could only see that for himself.
They finished their worksheet before anyone else had. Sal knew it was because Travis understood this best in the class. It was a shame everyone thought Travis was a cheater, because he was such a bright boy. Sal knew Travis had a great future set before him. If he had a future after tonight. Hopefully, he would after Sal's adjustments to the future.
"You're staring at me again," Travis complained.
"Sorry," Sal apologised, "It's hard not to today. It's-"
"What are you, gay?" Travis interrupted, taken aback, his cheeks pink.
"No, I-" Sal said, shocked.
"Sorry," Travis apologised, "I guess I..."
Sal knew what Travis was going through. He remembered every word on the letter Travis wrote. He always wondered who it was for. He wouldn't lie, there were times he wished that letter was for him. He had no proof of who it could've been written for, and he never told Travis he had read it. He didn't want to scare Travis away from the fragile bond of trust they had together.
"Is something wrong?" Travis asked him after a long moment of silence.
"Why do you ask?" Sal wondered.
"You don't seem yourself today is all," travis explained with a shrug.
"I- Well- There's..." Sal stuttered.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I don't care," Travis said.
"Thanks," Sal murmured. He just couldn't bring himself to tell Travis. 'Oh yeah, I'm just bothered because I saw you commit suicide in one of my many prophetic dreams.' Not gonna happen. He knew Travis didn't need that right now. Travis just needed someone to be there for him. Sal thought that it'd probably mean more to Travis if he were there for him seemingly of his own volition than if Travis knew that truthfully Sal probably have noticed without his dream. Then again, the care and love Sal showed Travis was completely genuine, regardless of his dream.
The bell rang, and it was time for lunch. Sal sat at the lunch table with Todd, Ash, and Larry. He couldn't find it in him to explain to the rest that he knew today was it. He listened numbly as Larry explained for him. He couldn't believe it. He was at risk of losing a friend. He and Travis had grown so close during the weeks they'd been on friendly terms. Things seemed to finally be going right for Travis. Why now?
Sal's friends gave him words of encouragement. Todd tried to give him advice on how to go about things. Ash tried to give him comfort. He was especially grateful for that, but he still felt empty thinking about it. Larry didn't really know what to say. He tried to be encouraging, but Sal could tell it was for solely his sake, not so much for Travis.
After he finished eating his lunch, Sal excused himself quietly. He needed some time to himself to think things over. He went out into the school yard. He tugged at his pigtails, mulling over thoughts he'd already exhausted days ago. Things about Travis and feelings and responsibilities. Relaying the dream over and over again in his head, he wondered what kept him from helping in the first place. Perhaps the future he saw was the future where he wouldn't know until it was too late. It was the fact that it was his dream that bothered him most of all. It was his dream, yet Travis died, and the knowledge that his dreams were prophetic, well, it gave him some sort of survivors guilt. He wanted to shake it, but he knew the only true way to rid himself of it would be to do something about it.
The bell rang, that stupid, stupid bell that gave him no time to think. Whatever, he didn't care. Well, no, he did, for for once he wished he could turn that aspect of himself off. His fifth and sixth hour classes flew by too quickly. He tried to go about class as normally as possible. It was hard when he felt he should be doing something. There was nothing to do now though.
By seventh hour, he was thoroughly shaken by his own thoughts, but he kept it together pretty well considering. It was Physics, a class he took with Todd.
"Hey, um..." Todd whispered, sliding over to Sal, "I'll admit, I sorta doubted you earlier, but..."
No. No! Sal swore to God if Todd presented more proof he was going to lose it.
"Neil just asked if he could take me on a date to the science museum," Todd finished.
Shit!
"Of course, I'm going, but I'm gonna help you first," Todd added.
"Great to know," Sal whispered hoarsely. He couldn't concentrate after that. He felt tears welling in his eyes. He felt them run down his cheeks, concealed behind his mask. Todd was a diligent student, so he didn't talk much after that. Despite his clear unease, Todd took his notes as always. The end of class came all too quickly. Eight hour came, and Sal hoped it would just never end, but then it passed too.
Sal trembled like a leaf in a storm. The moment of dread had come. He was terrified. What if he couldn't do it? What if Travis died? What would he do then? What could he do then? And who would he blame? Himself for not being there in time? The town for being cruel and corrupt? Travis' dad for making his life hell for its entire length? Everyone who could've helped Travis before but turned away from him? He probably would have blamed it all.
Sal felt a hand on his shoulder. He whirled around, surprised. It was Larry.
"I brought something. I think you'll find it useful," He said, holding out a walkie talkie, "I've already distributed them to the others."
"Thank you, Larry-face!" Sal yelled, pulling his best friend into a tight hug.
"No problem, Sally face!" Larry replied with a smile. Breaking away from the hug, he leaned into his microphone, "Testing. Is everyone connected?"
"I'm on!" Todd confirmed.
"Here!" Ash added.
Sal turned on his mic. "On," he told his friends, "Keep tabs on Travis."
"I saw him go into the bathroom. Does that count?" Ash asked.
"That's perfect! Thank you!" Sal answered her.
In the bathroom, he found Travis standing in front of the mirror, staring down at the sink in front of him.
"Travis?" he asked, "You feeling alright."
There was a pause. "Why you?" Travis asked finally. His tone was harsh.
Sal was taken aback. "Why me? What do you mean?"
"You! You're so nice! I like being around you! I can't get you off my mind!" Travis yelled.
Sal was totally blindsided by this outburst. The letter really was for him the entire time?
"You make me feel wrong!" Travis yelled, "I wish you hated me! I wish I had a reason to hate you, for me to dislike you, so I wouldn't feel these things. Things that are unnatural, wrong."
"T- Travis," Sal stuttered, "Are you-? Does this mean-?"
"You're so stupid!" Travis hissed. Tears threatening to leave his eyes, he yelled, "I love you, Sally-face!"
Sal was dumbfounded. He wanted to hear that. He wanted this for so long. But why now? Travis was about to die, maybe, why now?
Before Sal could really compose himself, Travis dashed out of the bathroom. Sal snapped back to his sense after a few seconds of processing. He broke into a run, pursuing Travis. Out the doors of the school. He followed Travis past the church, past his house, and into the woods.
"Go away!" Travis screeched, weaving through the trees ferociously.
Sal tried to keep his trail, but eventually he lost him. No no no no no no!
"TRAVIS!" Sal screamed, running blindly through the forest, "TRAVIS!" He ran and ran until he was out of breath and couldn't scream anymore. Tears poured down his face. He sobbed feebly, "Travis..."
Suddenly, he heard something. "One, Two, Three..."
"Travis!" Sal realised, sprinting off after his voice.
"Four, five..." God if he didn't make it, he would never forgive himself.
"six, seven, eight..." He sounded close, then far, then close again.
"Nine..." Goddamnit, Travis! Why did he have to go and isolate himself like that? Didn't he know how much he endangered himself? Yes, he did, and Sal knew it.
"Ten." Sal was running faster than he thought he could. He saw a flash of purple as he ran. He turned sharply and headed towards him.
"Dear Lord, if I'm not supposed to do this, show me now," Travis prayed, tears rolling down his cheeks. Sal broke out of the brush, slamming into Travis. He locked Travis into a tight hug. Sal was shaking terribly.
"Travis! Travis, oh my God," he sobbed, "Travis... I was so scared I was going to lose you!"
"S- Sally Face?!" Travis exclaimed, "Why- Wha-? You came back?"
"Of course I came back!" Sal yelled breathlessly.
"Why?" Travis asked, stifling a sniffle, "You shouldn't care."
"Travis, don't you dare say that! You are so much more to me than you think!" Sal scolded.
Travis sobbed. "Sal, I- Thank you!" Travis cried, bursting into tears.
Sal let Travis cry in his arms for a long time. Dusk was starting to far. There was a chill in the air.
"Do you have to go?" Travis asked, voice quivering.
"I'll have to go home eventually," Sal sighed.
"Don't make me go back," Travis whimpered, "I can't stand being around my dad any longer."
"You can come with me," Sal offered, "You can live in the apartments. Todd and Larry also live there. I know you guys don't get along that well, but maybe you can work something out together?"
Travis sniffled. "I'd like that. Thank you, Sally Face," Travis said in earnest, hugging Sal again.
The boys left for Addison Apartments together. The future was changed. Travis was safe. Sal knew that moving Travis away from his dad was that most he could offer. He was happy to help, and he was happy to have his friend standing next to him, smiling, alive and well.