Cinnamon // Sally Face

T h i r t y - F i v e

Another week went by. Violet and Sal were unseparable. By now, all of Nockfell High School was convinced that they were a couple, given that they held hands at any opportunity they had, including walking through the hallways. Most kids were too consumed in their own exhaustion to care, while others were oddly disturbed by it. Of course, Travis shared his thoughts on it multiple times per day, every single day. His use of homophobic slurs against them was rather confusing to Violet, but she chose not to acknowledge it. 

Today, however, none of the gossip or pointing and whispering mattered, because Violet had a plan. She got up early to make space on her dresser for Hot Sauce's tank. Larry and Sal agreed to help her transport him. 

Of course, she was rather nervous about her mother meeting the boys, especially Sal. But, the conversation she had with her nearly several months ago stuck with her. Although she had her quirks, she was always good to her. It hurt Violet to know that her own mother felt that her daughter was embarrassed of her. What a perfect way to prove her wrong. Plus, her father wouldn't be home for another few hours, so they'd have plenty of time to set things up.

There was no way he could find out that she was so close with two boys.

"Alright, here's the plan," Larry began as the three stood in his bedroom. "We take the fish out of the tank and carry him separately. That way if the tank gets dropped, we don't have a mess and a dead fish to deal with. I even got a cup." He held up a green plastic cup with a victorious grin on his face, causing Sal and Violet to smile.

"Good thinking, Larry. One of you will carry the tank and the other will take Hot Sauce. I'll grab his food and other supplies," Violet added on.

With that, the trio got to work. Violet dipped Larry's cup into the fish tank, filling it halfway with water. She then carefully scooped Hot Sauce out of the tank with a net and placed him into it. His fins shuttered as he confusedly looked around at his new environment. "Sorry, buddy," she apologized.

"Heh, it's his car now," Sal joked while taking the cup into his hands.

Larry shook his head, but let out a small laugh. "Too soon, dude."

Since the accident, everyone's injuries were healing nicely. Violet was able to remove the gauze from inside of her nose and some of it off the top. The bruises beneath her eyes were beginning to yellow, indicating that they'd soon disappear. Larry, Ash, and Todd's faces had mostly healed and were now mostly scattered with tiny pink lines. Larry still had a few scabs though, but they'd fall off any day now.

Once Violet gathered the rest of Hot Sauce's supplies, Larry unplugged the tank and lifted it off of the dresser. "Shit, this is heavier than I remember," he grunted. "Let's go."

The three made no haste in making it to the elevator. Sal used his free hand to jab the button a few times. Fortunately, they weren't left to wait for very long. Larry still complained about the weight of the tank the entire way to Violet's apartment, however. But this wasn't terribly surprising. 

"Hang in there, Larry," she told him, digging her key into the lock on her front door. 

"Doin' my best," he groaned.

Once Violet pushed the door open, her heart sunk. Of course, her mother chose today to leave her books and research notes all over the coffee table and couch of their living room. Oddly enough, she wasn't working on any of it. In fact, Violet wasn't even sure that she was in the house. She must have gone grocery shopping. They were rather low on food, after all.

"Hello?" She called, gesturing for the boys to follow her to her bedroom. No answer. 

Larry was too concerned about the fish tank to even notice the mess in the living room. But she did notice Sal sneaking a peek at her mother's work. It made her want to curl up in a ball and disappear. She wasn't embarrassed of her kind, and very loving mother. It was just her...interest. Her disturbing, mind-boggling fascination that she put an unhealthy amount of time into.