The morning air was bitter, nipping at the tips of Violet's ears and fingers. She hated walking to school.

"It kinda sucks that our suspension is over," Sal thought aloud, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Nah, it really sucks," Larry remarked.

Violet felt herself beginning to shiver as the wind picked up. If there was anything she learned about Nockfell, it was that the weather channel was almost never accurate. She should've known better than to dress for 70 degree weather.

The sky was gloomy today. A thick layer of grey clouds hung over them like a shadow and dead leaves swirled around in the wind. The cold air felt like thousands of tiny needles stabbing her exposed skin. While Larry and Sal were dressed in layers, Violet's only protection was a pair of leggings and a thin jacket. She walked ahead of them in hopes of getting to school faster.

"Someone watched the weather channel this morning," Larry commented, snickering at the shivering girl. "How's 70 degrees treating you, Vi?"

"Ha ha, very funny," she grumbled.

Sal reached up and removed his earmuffs, placing them on Violet's head. "I made the same mistake when I first moved in."

"Sal, you don't have to—"

"I'm not letting you get sick. Keep them on."

The earmuffs did little to protect her from the cold, but she appreciated them nonetheless. They were still warm from Sal's body heat, relieving her ears of the stinging sensation brought on by the bitter wind. They smelled like him too.

Soon enough, Nockfell High came into view. The only people bold enough to stand outside was a group passing around a cigarette and mumbling amongst one another. Violet darted through the entrance, the boys following closely behind her.

The trio hardly had time to be grateful for warmth's embrace, as the chaos surrounding them overtook their senses. Kids rushed this way and that, couples made out against the lockers, boys goofed around to get girls' attention, and most of all, Travis was making a scene. It wasn't unusual for him to be more on edge than usual in the mornings. Violet could've sworn she saw a large bruise on his jaw.

"Aww, you guys!" A familiar voice squealed. Violet looked up to see Ash running at toward her with a bright smile on her face. "Welcome back!"

The brunette pulled threw her arms around them, squeezing as tightly as she could. Larry flinched and Sal attempted to pat her on the back.

"We missed you, Ash," Violet told her with a strained voice.

She released them. "Lunch just wasn't the same. I'm so glad you're back."

"I'm glad to see you," Larry pouted, "but I am not glad to be back."

The first bell of the day rang, indicating that it was time for everyone to head to class. Violet bade the group a goodbye hurried to her locker to put her backpack away. As soon as she opened it, however, the mirror hanging in the small compartment revealed that she was still wearing Sal's earmuffs.

"Crap," she whispered, looking around for her blue-haired friend. "Where are you, Sal?"

Messages

I forgot to give your earmuffs back! I'm so sorry!

it's ok, don't worry about it :)

I'll bring them to lunch, I promise.

keep them

No! You need them!

i'm ignoring yooouuuu

Sal Fisher don't you dare

After receiving no further reply, the teen shoved her phone back into her pocket and removed the earmuffs. Sal's kindness almost annoyed her. He was so quick to give up something of his to help her out, even if it meant that he'd have less protection from the cold. Then again, the idea of his earmuffs being in her locker made her heart flutter.

Suppressing a bashful smile, Violet made her way to English. The hallways at Nockfell were so much more crowded than the ones at her old school. People seemed to forget that saying "excuse me" after shoving you out of their way didn't make them any less rude. Plus, it made getting from one class to the next take far longer than it should. The traffic was ridiculously slow.

By the time she made it to her destination, it was 7:58, two minutes before the final bell rang. Oddly enough, Travis was standing outside the classroom door with an impatient look on his face.

"Please don't be here to fight," Violet thought. "Just go away."

Avoiding eye contact, she tried to hurry past him, only for the boy to grab her arm and yank her aside. He didn't look angry, however. If anything, he seemed anxious. His entire face was covered in splotches of black and blue and one of his eyes was nearly swollen shut. He looked horrific to say the least.

"What do you—" the girl began, only for Travis to cut her off.

"Is Sally Face okay?"

"Uh..." She wasn't sure how to react. Of all things, this was not what she was expecting him to say. "Y-Yeah, he's fine."

The blonde let out a small sigh. "Good...okay..."

"Travis, are you okay? Your face isn't looking so good."

"Yes," he snapped, "I'm fine!"

"Are you sure?"

"Just shut up about it, will you? And don't you dare tell Sally Face about this!"

"Got it..."

> > >

"It was so strange," Violet said. She and Larry were walking to lunch together and she couldn't help but tell him about her encounter with Travis.

"I don't get how you can make goo-goo eyes at someone and then turn around and beat the shit out of them. And to ask if he's okay? Something's up," Larry conspired.

"His face looked like someone took a hammer to it."

He scoffed. "Yeah, 'cause his dad's a fuckin' psycho."

"His dad beats him?"

"Without a doubt."

"Why?"

"He's the head of the church and his son is obviously crushing on Sal. You think he puts up with that shit?"

Violet frowned. No wonder Travis was so defensive. Part of her felt sorry for him; nobody, not even a bully like him, deserves to be treated so poorly by their own father. She wanted to offer him help, but she knew it'd only make him angrier. Was that a risk she was willing to take?

"Larry?" She breathed.

"Yeah?"

"Please don't tell Sal about any of this."

"I won't."

"You swear?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die," he chuckled, ruffling her hair.

As soon as they entered the cafeteria, they were met with what felt like millions of stares. Some people even paused their conversations just to give them strange looks. Violet's cheeks instantly reddened as she made awkward eye contact with several of her peers. She should've known this would happen. Although she had no reason to, she felt ashamed. She could hardly imagine how Sal's day must've been going.

Larry put a hand on her shoulder and stormed toward their table, shooting threatening glares at anyone who dared to continue staring. Luckily, their friends were already waiting for them by the time they sat down, slightly easing the tension.

"Ignore them, you guys," Ash soothed.

"Making others feel judged is what people do when they feel bored of their own lives," Todd remarked. "I wouldn't take it personally."

"We're not taking it personally."

Sal nudged Larry jokingly. "At least you don't have blue pigtails and a prosthetic face. Then they'd really be staring."

"Heh."

"What are they staring at us for, anyway?" Violet asked. "It's not like we were the ones who did something wrong."

"They're too scared to stare at Travis," Ash replied.

"Fair point."

"All I know is that one day, that kid's gonna mess with the wrong person and I can't wait to see it happen."