Violet sat on the floor of Larry's treehouse, joined by Todd, Neil, Sal, Chug, and of course, Larry. Ash unfortunately had to go home to look after her brother while their parents went out. Since everyone except Sal was intoxicated to some degree, the group decided on having a sleepover here. Everyone stopped at home first and grabbed some pillows and blankets as well as anything else they may have needed. Violet decided to change out of her costume as soon as she got home and put on some warm pajamas. The boys even hung up some of the lights from the party, giving their small space a warm glow.

The bitter night air snuck its way through every nook in the treehouse, causing everyone to snuggle into their blankets as they chatted. These moments were so innocent, so special. They may not have verbally expressed it, but the bright smiles and cheerful laughter of the teens was enough to prove that they were having the night of their lives.

"You should've seen her face!" Larry wheezed, referring to when Violet accepted her award for winning the costume contest. "Priceless!"

"You were as red as a beet," Neil told her.

"I was just nervous," she defended.

"You think?"

Sal reached toward the middle of the floor, where a pile of leftover snacks from the party laid, and grabbed a freezer bag full of pretzel sticks. "I told you not to worry, Vi."

"I can't help it." She reached into the bag and pulled out a few pretzel sticks, popping one into her mouth. "I've never accepted a huge bottle of liquor as an award in front of a crowd while dressed as a fairy."

"Guess I shoulda picked a better prize, huh?" Larry said.

"No, no, it's uh, great. I'll just pretend it's a trophy."

"Heh."

The others went on to have their own conversation about a game of beer pong, leaving Violet and Sal to enjoy their pretzels together. Violet was feeling a lot better without all of the noise at the party. Her headache had mostly subsided and her nausea was improving as she slowly continued snacking and drinking water. She let out a sleepy yawn as she reached into the pretzel bag again.

"Hey, save some for the rest of us," Sal teased in a soft voice.

She giggled. "Stop it, Sally. I'm hungrier than you."

Sally. Something about hearing that word come from Violet's mouth felt so perfect. Sure, his other friends called him Sally every now and again, but it was usually followed by the word "face." Violet never called him Sally Face. If she did, it was because she was in a very playful mood. Otherwise, it was just Sally. He thought it was incredibly sweet. His heart leapt every time she said it.

"I bet you're more tired too," he told her. "Why don't we get your sleeping bag set up?"

She yawned again. "No way! I'm still hungry."

"Well then you keep eating and I'll do it."

"You don't have to, Sally. I can do it."

"Eat. I'll be right back."

Violet watched as the blue-haired boy headed toward the corner where her sleeping bag was folded up alongside her pillow and extra blankets. He carefully laid it out and unzipped it, pulling back the top so that she could get inside whenever she was ready. He then put her pillow down and smoothed her blankets out over her sleeping bag. She couldn't wait to crawl into the warmth of her new bed and fall asleep.

Once Sal finished up with Violet's sleeping bag, he moved on to his own, which he set up just a few inches from hers. Some of their blankets even overlapped. Violet smiled at the site of it, already imagining the two laying beside each other and whispering amongst themselves until they fell asleep. She couldn't wait.

Sal gave her a thumbs-up as if to ask if she was happy with the set-up, to which she smiled and returned the gesture. Once he returned to his spot beside her, he reached for more pretzels, only to find that Violet had nearly finished off the entire bag in 5 minutes. He couldn't help but chuckle as she reached into the bag and pulled out a handful of crumbs and broken pretzel sticks to give to him.

"Oops," she murmered, stifling a laugh.

"That's alright. We have plenty more snacks."

Violet decided against eating anything else. She didn't want to push her luck. If she threw up, she'd ruin the whole sleepover. Plus, this treehouse was full of Larry's dad's stuff. He wouldn't be too pleased if any of it was soiled with vomit. Instead, she pulled the spare blanket she brought along tightly around her shoulders and listened to the whooshing sound of cars passing by outside. She always liked that sound.

Larry, Todd, and Neil carried on with their conversation about the party, laughing about the ridiculous things they did or saw. According to Neil, someone threw up on his girlfriend's costume, which in turn caused her to throw up on his. Todd was nearly caught in their line of fire, but was pulled back just in time. Larry laughed at this and went on to tell them that he snorted some crushed up candy as a dare and got a nosebleed.

"Did you enjoy the party?" Sal asked Violet quietly.

"I enjoyed the last hour," she admitted.

"Me too."

Violet let out yet another yawn, using her blanket to rub her eyes. She wasn't sure how much longer she could force herself to stay awake. Her eyelids were growing so heavy that she had to actively focus on keeping them open.

Sal smiled as she blinked slowly at him, clearly fighting the urge to fall asleep. Her hair was slightly messy from the party with some strands sticking outwards in wild directions. Somehow, some of her makeup managed to stick around, even though she washed her face before they met in the treehouse. He could see the smallest bit of mascara and eyeshadow left behind. Still, she pulled it off. She looked just as beautiful as she did at the party.

The teen boy's expression softened. "Go to you sleeping bag, Vi. It's all set up for you."

"Not yet, Sally."

"Why not?"

"No one else is going to sleep yet."

"Would it make you feel better if I came with you?"

She thought for a moment, giving the ceiling a few slow blinks. "Maybe."

"Come on." Sal rose to his feet, holding out a hand to help her do the same. "I'll sit with you until you fall asleep."

Violet accepted his offer, grasping his hand tightly and pulling herself up. She still felt a bit dizzy, but it had certainly improved over the last hour. Luckily, their sleeping bags were only a few feet away.

"Tappin' out already?" Larry called to the pair.

"Yes," Violet confessed.

"We'll quiet down a little," Neil assured her, looking at the other two boys as if to agree for them. "Get some rest."

She lowered herself into her sleeping bag, gripping Sal's hand for stability. "I will. Goodnight everyone," she said.

"Goodnight."

"'Night little dude."

"Goodnight, Violet."

Violet pulled her blankets over herself, sighing contently as they immediately warmed her chilled body. She pulled her knees to her chest as soon as she laid down and curled herself around them. Sal adjusted her pillow under head before sitting down beside her, leaning against the wall. He looked down at Violet for a moment, observing her for any indication of discomfort. It seemed that she was already dozing off even though she'd only laid her head down seconds beforehand. This didn't surprise him in the slightest.

"Sally?" She whispered.

"Hm?"

She pushed a hand out from under her several layers of blankets, opening her fingers as if to reach for something. "Hold my hand."

The blue-haired boy chuckled before reaching down and entwining his fingers with hers. Violet pulled both of their hands just below her chin. Sal could feel her slow breaths on his skin, sending chills up his spine. He stared down at her peaceful figure, now unable to tear his eyes away. He wanted so badly to just crawl under the blankets with her and hold her in his arms, protecting her from the bitter night air. It was obvious by her positioning and her ice cold fingertips that she was struggling to stay warm.

Slowly and ever so carefully so as not to disturb his sleeping friend, he inched closer to her. There wasn't much more he could do with the others in the room, but it was worth the effort. She was worth the effort.

With a gentle squeeze to Violet's hand as a 'goodnight', Sal stared out of the nearest window and watched the stars. He hadn't felt this happy since before his mother passed. And it was all thanks to the sleeping girl beside him.