The Silence Between Us: Chapters 7–11

I mustered up another smile but quickly averted my eyes. It was good that we were getting a head start on this, but this was far from over.

My attempt at getting some homework done was proving to be an unsuccessful endeavor, since my mind was still on college and my future.

She hadn’t seemed fazed one bit when I used my voice in front of her for the first time, unlike Beau, who apparently thought my being able to speak was a miracle of epic proportions.

I did not need him to stick up for me or tell people they needed to be nice to me because I was Deaf. Being coddled because I couldn’t hear was the last thing I needed in my life.

Apparently, my temporary reprieve from Beau's signing was up.

“Did you mean to say, 'I want to learn sign language?’” I asked, incredulous.

She gave a grim smile and a small shake of her head.

When we got to the house, I had to gently coax Connor from the car while he struggled to keep his eyes open, unsteady on his feet.

I was smiling and groaning in exasperation. If nothing else, at least my mother was thrilled I was being somewhat social now since the move.

This was a bogus lie, so hopefully they did have candy there.

Connor's lungs had to work so much harder than the average person’s, and physical exertion like playing soccer would put even more of a strain on him.

I was waiting for that familiar spasm of panic to zip through me watching Nina say hello to Connor, ready to pull him behind me and shield him from inquisitive eyes or nosy questions like always.

Beau wasn’t sneaky as he took in Connor’s oxygen tank, and my heart skipped a beat in anticipation of the inevitable barrage of questions about to be thrown at me, but that didn’t come either.

“I like music,” I said to Nina. “I can’t hear it, but I can still feel it if the beat is strong enough. I’m just not good at dancing.”
SAME, Beau signed, and I smothered a laugh.

I'm sure my facial expressions were never that enthusiastic when I was signing back, but that never seemed to deter him.

For one second Kathleen looked like she was about to smile, but her face remained impassive as she replied, SIGNING NOT THAT BAD, nodding toward Beau.

My answer was an indifferent shrug.

We’d submitted the finished application this past week, and I was thinking I wouldn’t get a good night’s rest until I received a response from the admissions office. It was probably a good thing I had midterms to obsess over.

Kathleen explained that Ms. Phillips was letting us use whatever was in the art studio to complete the self-portrait. My more ambitious classmates were pulling out lumps of clay or paintbrushes and blank canvases.

There was a breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes on the table when I trudged downstairs Saturday morning still half asleep.

BORROW CAR? I signed to Mom in a rush.
Mom looked taken aback by my question and signed, WHY?

Mom was on the couch watching a movie with Connor, who already looked like he was falling asleep. Looking at him I felt a pang of sadness zip through me. He was having a really tough go of it.

The majority of houses in her neighborhood seemed upscale, the lawns well-kept and cars in the driveways that cost more than a year’s college tuition.

Nina's house was at the end of a cul-de-sac, a brown, two-story home with a porch swing and a row of potted plants leading up to the front door.

She ended her sentence with a word I couldn’t quite make out, so I imagined she’d said something about wanting to be a curator or director or something.

Somewhere along the way I'd convinced myself having perfect grades was the only way I'd get into a reputable RT program and actually get to do what I’d dreamed of for years.

The guy I’d been crushing on at the time, Jake Perkins, asked me to go with him in the middle of math class, only to ditch me halfway through the dance for some other girl. I spent the rest of the dance as a wallflower, feeling sorry for myself.

I should've been preoccupied with upcoming midterms, and in a way I definitely was, but it was hard to shake off thoughts of homecoming with so many reminders everywhere.

Connor was in the backseat, engrossed in a video game.

He still had plenty of time before he had to brave the perils of high school dances.

I HATE GO T-O M-A-L-L, I reminded her. Clothes shopping was the worst and had never been a favorite pastime of mine.

I grabbed my bag off the floor by my feet and gave Mom a fleeting hug before getting out of the car, promising to keep her updated throughout the night.

I was careful to fold my jeans and T-shirt and set them on the counter as I tried on the dress. The bathroom was full of extravagant towels, soaps, and potpourri, and I didn’t want to mess anything up.

I was careful to fold my jeans and T-shirt and set them on the counter as I tried on the dress. The bathroom was full of extravagant towels, soaps, and potpourri, and I didn’t want to mess anything up.

Nina was right about us being the same size. The dress fit perfectly, cinched at the waist and falling a few inches past my knees.