Cinnamon // Sally Face

T h r e e

Violet wasn't at all surprised by the appearance of Larry's bedroom. Dirty laundry, soda cans, and paper plates littered the floor while various gory posters were plastered all over the walls. There were even a few handmade paintings hanging up. Judging by the easle holding up a halfway finished piece near the door, she figured these were Larry's work. This, however, was very surprising. He didn't seem like the painting type.

"Hey, dude!" The boy greeted her from a beanbag chair in the corner. "You live around here?" 

"Yeah, I live on the third floor," she replied.

"Nice." 

"I said she could hang out with us for a while if that's cool," Sal said, plopping down on the beanbag opposite Larry.

He shrugged. "Sure."

Taking the spot on the floor beside Sal, Violet tuned in to what Larry's radio was playing. It was mainly just someone shredding on the electric guitar with the occasional series of violent screams. Although she wasn't a fan of such heavy music, Larry and Sal seemed to enjoy it. Both of them were tapping their feet to the drums.

"You like Sanity's Fall, Violet?" Larry inquired. 

"Oh, uh, it's okay," she stammered, trying to avoid being rude. 

His eyes widened. "Okay?! It's the greatest fucking band in the universe! It's so far beyond okay!"

Violet giggled at his reaction.

"Maybe it's just this song you don't like," Sal suggested in a much kinder tone. "Change it to something more mellow, Larry." 

The dark-haired boy obliged, tapping the fast-forward button on his radio a few times. The tone of the music changed almost entirely. Slow guitar strums, softer singing, fewer drums; it was a vast improvement. Violet found herself tapping her fingers on her knee to the rhythm of it.

"This is better," she concurred. "I like this one." 

"Sanity's Fall has something for everyone," Larry gushed, pushing his long, brunette hair behind his shoulders. 

"So, how's your mom's research going? Any discoveries since the move?" Sal asked.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Why did he have to bring that up? "No, not really."

"I wouldn't be surprised if I found out this place was full of cultists," Larry said. "All kinds of weird shit happens around here." 

"Like what?"

"Well, when Sally Face first moved in, some creep slit a woman's throat over a toy pony. I saw it with my own eyes, man."

Violet had never heard someone refer to Sal as "Sally Face" before. She chose not to comment on it. "That doesn't sound like something a cultist would do."

"He could've been undercover."

"I think a cult would have better undercover jobs than a man obsessed with toy ponies."

"I dunno, shit's weird, man." 

"Anyway," Sal interrupted, shooting Larry a glare, "let's not scare her off, Larry. I'm sure telling her murder stories isn't settling."

"Whatever, dude."

Silence fell over the trio, leaving them to listen to the mellow tones of Sanity's Fall. Violet's curiosity about Sal grew stronger by the minute. There was no doubt that he was hiding something from her. He didn't hesitate to escort her from the fifth floor as soon as he caught her up there. Now he was acting secretive about the peculiar happenings in Addison Apartments. Why was he so worried about scaring her off, anyway? It wasn't like her parents were sending the rent checks to him. Plus, they hardly knew each other. Maybe he was just very, very polite.

Aside from that, she could hardly pull her focus from his mask. Sal seemed like a pretty normal guy. It seemed out-of-character for him to choose a form of self-expression such as this. Although, schools were usually strict on students not covering their faces for security reasons. This mask must have been rather important to him for Nockfell High to allow him to wear it there. Unless, of course, it wasn't just a fashion choice. But Violet couldn't imagine what else it could be used for.

"Violet, are you sure you're comfortable on the floor?" The blue-haired boy suddenly asked, concern hinting in his voice. 

She smiled. "I'm fine, don't worry about it." 

"Here," he pushed himself onto his feet. "You can have the beanbag."

"Ooh, Sally Face!" Larry cooed, jokingly. 

"Oh, shut up."

"It's okay, really," Violet insisted as she stood up. "I should be heading home for dinner, anyway."

Sal joined her as she headed toward the door. "I'll walk you home. Be right back, Larry." 

"Heh, whatever you say." 

> > >

Violet wasn't one for awkward silences, especially when she stood beside a boy she hardly knew. It made waiting for the elevator a rather unbearable experience. Of course, she was bursting with millions of questions about the apartments and his mask, but found none of them to be appropriate to ask. She uncomfortably rocked back and forth on her heels, looking everywhere but at Sal. Stupid elevators.

Sal was quick to notice her discomfort. "So, uh, how do you like Nockfell so far?" He asked, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. Was his face making her nervous? This wouldn't be the first time a girl was scared of him. 

"It's alright," she breathed. "It's a lot different than where I come from, that's for sure." Thank the heavens he started a conversation. She was sure she'd start sweating any moment.

"You said you're from Kansas, right? What was it like?"

That was when the elevator gave a small ding! and the doors slid open. The pair mindlessly stepped inside as they continued their conversation.

"Lots of valleys and hills," Violet explained. "We had a little house in the middle of a huge plot of land. We didn't grow crops or anything, though. Not enough time."

The boy nodded and pressed the 3rd floor button. "I'm from Jersey. It was a lot of beaches and stuff. It was nice."

"Did you have lots of beach friends?"

"No," he laughed. "I didn't have many friends. I just kinda hung around whoever would tolerate me."

"Same here. I had aquaintances but not friends, if that makes sense. It made the move a lot easier, though. No hard goodbyes."

"That's a good way to look at it."

The elevator doors opened again, revealing the bleak hallway of Violet's floor. She turned to Sal as she stepped out and offered a small smile. "Thanks for walking me, Sal. I'll see you around?"

"Y-Yeah, of course," he stammered. "See ya."

With that, he disappeared behind the sliding doors once more, leaving Violet to make her way back to her apartment. 

Maybe she'd have more than aquaintances this year.