Page 5 of Deafened By Silence
Instead, I crash against a solid weight which grabs onto me without falter. Strong arms wrap around my body like a shield, sheltering me from the rain and nearby stares. It might be that the air is already knocked from my lungs, but staring up into the face of my hero, I forget how to breathe.
He’s tall and broad, sandy blonde hair poking out of a beanie hat. His jaw is sharp, his muscles evident by the way he’s holding me without any sign of strain, but it’s his eyes that captivate me. Endless, black eyes like that of a wild animal, dangerous yet oddly reassuring.
Rain soaks through both our clothes, the shift of movement closing in all around, but I let him hold me for longer than necessary. For the first time since I stepped foot on this campus, I feel completely still, cocooned and protected from the world I’ve learnt to fear.
“Are you okay?” his lips say. My gaze lingers on his mouth before flicking back up to his eyes. He’s watching me with quiet focus and growing concern. I manage to nod, remembering myself and what I was originally running from. Shit, Rhys might have seen or heard the commotion building around us.
I pull away with a desperate sort of urgency, stumbling slightly as I untangle myself from the stranger’s arms and murmur something I doubt he even hears before I turn and disappear into the crowd. My ankle aches with each step but I don’t slow down, weaving between bodies and darting beneath the shelter of the courtyard’s archway, my hood pulled low to hide the flush burning in my cheeks.
The rain has picked up now, falling in thick sheets that blur the lights above and soak the path ahead. I jog all the way to McAllister Halls with the growing wind knocking off my hood and raindrops striking my eyes like spears. Once inside, the lights flicker on as I use the banister to pull myself up to the first floor. I can’t tell if I’m trembling from the cold or lack of food as I pull the key from my backpack with shaky fingers. Pushing inside the door, I stop short as a head of fuchsia pink hair twists to look at me.
Her warm, brown eyes soften as she smiles, silver dermal studs creating dimples on either cheek. Colorful tattoos are poking out from the neckline of her blue onesie, the face of Stitch hanging loosely on the hood. But none of that is what caught my attention. An open pizza box is laying upon her crossed legs, the smell drawing into the room.
“Want some?” She signs and it takes me a moment to realize she knows more about me than I do her. Pressing the door closed with my back, an awkward moment passes between us until she points to my receivers sitting on the desk. “I took ASL in high school for extra credit,” she shrugs and offers me the pizza box again. Too hungry to question the coincidence, I wriggle out of my hoodie and lift a slice to my mouth. Holy mother of grease, it’s like a cheese topped medal after the marathon of a day I’ve had.
I know I’m moaning despite not being able to hear it. After demolishing the first and a second piece, I quickly shower and change into my softest pajamas before dropping down on my roommate’s bed. Any hesitation about meeting my roommate fled when I let my blood sugars run too low, not that she seems to mind. Her smile is still in place as I continue to moan around mouthfuls of gooey goodness.
“I’m A-D-D-Y,” she finger spells, “but this is my sign name.” Addy holds one hand palm up and cups the other into a C,rounding it above slowly whilst mouthing ‘chalk’. “Given to me by a six-year-old at deaf camp I volunteered in last summer. She thought I colored in my skin each morning with the sidewalk chalks.” I grin along as Addy lifts her sleeves to reveal each arm covered in vibrant flowers and patterns.
When she looks back to me, I suddenly realize I have yet to respond. “I’m Harper, no sign name.” I say out loud and look away to avoid her frown. Sign names are one of the highest forms of honor amongst the deaf community, and since I’ve been hidden away for most of the last decade, I haven’t had the chance to meet others like me except for online courses and video calls.
Our phones vibrate at the same time beside the now empty pizza box, the college’s app I was told to install flashing up on my screen. As well as delivering general news, the app allows all students to communicate anonymously on its own messaging platform.
Avoid Cafeteria, huge hold up by R.W. - BrandiM.
Addy tosses her phone aside with a roll of her eyes. “If Rhys were lucky enough for one, his sign name would be-“she shakes her closed hand back and forth to mimic masturbating and then signs for a stain. I burst out laughing, my hair failing forward to tickle my ankles. I’ve never hung out with a girl like this, yet it feels so casual. Even before the accident, I would have sooner been tree climbing with the boys from the neighborhood than window shopping in the mall.
“He’s looking for me,” I sign back. “He was assigned as my mentor but he thinks I’m blind.” Addy’s eyebrows rise as she giggles, sitting forward as if I just became her new favorite sitcom. Unnerved by the idea, the smirk drops from my face. “You won’t…. tell anyone, right? I’m not ashamed, the opposite actually. I love myself the way I am. But I hate when people treat me differently for no reason.”
Addy is already nodding before I’ve finished signing, her eyes glistening with understanding. Taking my hands in hers, I read her lips as they move. “Not my business to tell.” I sag forward in relief, which Addy takes as an opportunity to pull me into a hug. It’s an odd sensation I lean into, using her comfort to chase away the heaviness of my shitty day.
I’d prepared myself as much as possible to enter the real world, to be shunned by most while powering through my degree. Many evenings of catch-up revision in my dorm and sitting alone at mealtimes, but I hadn’t considered I might actually make a friend so easily. One who is my roommate no less. Maybe I don’t have to remain so guarded all the time. Just maybe, I might not have to simply survive. I might actually be accepted.
Chapter Four
Leaning back against the lockers, I take a long drag of my cigarette and blow out a perfect stream of O’s to pass the time. The hallway is empty, sterile white walls glowing under the fluorescent lights. Every classroom door is shut tight, muffled lectures echoing faintly from behind them. Even though it’s the middle of winter, the tall windows lining the opposite wall are cracked open just enough to let in the icy wind. It whistles through eerily, haunting the halls alongside me. I tug the fur collar of my parka tighter and wonder for the hundredth time this morning, why I even got out of bed.
Although, the answer to that is almost instantaneous. The buzzing in my pocket hasn’t stopped since sunrise. I pull out my phone, only to cancel the call and put it away again. My father should get the memo soon enough. I’m not his little lap dog and I don’t give a shit for his demands.
I’ve been the same since I was a kid. Well, more like I’ve been conditioned to be this way. Spoilt, entitled, refuse to do as I’m told. In fact, I make a point of doing theexactopposite.
So whatever reason I combed this campus twice last night and once again this morning looking for this charity case girl isbeyond me. Maybe I wanted to check out the freak show before anyone else. Maybe I’d scare her off with some hazing, but she’s a ghost. I couldn’t find her anywhere. It’s not like I know every student by name, but surely she should’ve stood out. Aside from the scholarship scum, the students here come from prestigious families. I can sniff out a lost cause like a crack addict, usually.
I groan, dropping my head back against the lockers with a clang. I detest waiting around. Sure, Icouldgo to one of my lectures, but what’s the point? My last name is basically a golden ticket. I don’t need to show up to pass, I just need to keep up with assignments in case my father ever decides to take a closer look at how I’m spending my days.
Speaking of which, a sharp squeak of rubber on tile snaps my attention to the end of the corridor. A barely five foot nerd is sprinting toward me like her life depends on it, frantic and clearly out of breath. Her ponytail swings wildly behind her as she faceplants the floor right by my feet. I sidestep with a sneer, not letting a single thread of her ragged secondhand hoodie touch me. She stammers out an apology and thrusts a plastic sleeve into my hand. I take a quick glance at my biology assignment.
“You were supposed to slide this under my door before sunrise,” I say coolly, staring her down until she drops her gaze. “Next time you’re late, I’ll have you out on your ass faster than you can say, ‘but Rhys, I’m your cousin’.” Her cheeks flush crimson and her nostrils flare but she doesn’t say a word.
Scrambling to her feet, she scurries past me, the flap of her sickly pink backpack hanging open. I follow behind, taking one last toke before flicking the last of my cigarette inside. A thin line of smoke has already begun trailing her as she veers around a corner and I pause outside the biochemistry lab.
Kicking my foot back on the wall, I scrub a hand down my face just as the door beside me opens and streams of studentspile out into the corridor. I spot a beanie hat an inch above everyone else and stick out my leg to trip him up. An elbow is thrown into my gut before he darts off in the crowd and I chuckle to myself.
Toying with the trash almost gets me off more than the monthly three-way with the Brent twins, but there’s something different about Clayton Michaels. He has a backbone and the fists of steel to match. Dare I say, I’ve finally found a worthy nemesis and I’m genuinely looking forward to spending the next few years fucking with him.
Swerving into the room as the last person leaves, my eyes fall on the pretty brunette from last night. Her waves tumble down her back, the strong lighting bouncing off her alabaster skin. Her pale green eyes flick to me instantly as if she can sense my presence, subconsciously biting down on her lower lip.
Snatching her phone from the professor’s desk, she pulls a mask of indifference over her features and shoulders past me on her way out. I smirk as I watch her go, blue jeans hugging her rounded backside perfectly. Damn, maybe I should start going to my classes after all.
