"Huh?" Maurie spotted a new boy on her way to class. He looks a bit lost so she decided to help him. "Hey, are you alright?" She asked but the boy did not even turned to look at her which makes her frown a bit. "Heyyy... I asked you a question." She asked with voice slightly loud this time.
Still, he makes no response. Back still facing Maurie as he stared into nothingness. "Weird..." She said to herself. Still stubborn, she tapped his shoulder to get his attention which works. The lost boy jumped slightly like he did not expect her tap then turned around to face her. "Finally. I was wondering if I was talking to an actually statue or not!" She said jokingly.
"..."
"Are you okay? You're not lost, aren't you?" She asked one more time.
"..."
"...Hello?" She waved her hands right Infront of his face but he swashed them away gently and pulled out a little notebook which he then used to write,
'I'm deaf'
"Oh... Sorry– ah..." She facepalmed herself as she spoke another word. He clearly cannot hear, why is she saying words out loud!? The girl doesn't know how to communicate with him and could just write an apology to cut the barriers between them. He found it funny but didn't show it on his face–just remained stoic and emotionless like a robot who cannot understand humans. He wrote that he could do lip-reading if she spoke slowly which she did as instructed. "I noticed that you're lost... Are you okay?" She asked once again, slowly.
He nodded and looked around nervously like he entered a new world. "...Are you a new student?" She asked and he nodded once again. "Ah! That makes more sense! Do you know what's your next class is?" She spoke as if communicating to a lost kid at the park. The boy thinks for a moment before pulling out his English notebook that has it's subject largely engraved on it. "English? Well, lucky you, I was too heading on my way there!" She then read his name on the notebook to know who he is. "Gregory Smith?"
"Mhm." He answered through his voice is slightly off-key. She figured it's because he cannot hear a thing, even his own voice. "Come with me, I'll show you the way!" She then grabbed his hand and started walking. Her habit that doesn't really die hard no matter who's with her. Gregory smiled slightly and followed her from behind. Watching every detail of the hallway as they pass by and how many the students were here. Finally, the both of them stopped in front of the classroom's door and spotted the other three who was also heading on their way here.
"James! Oh and Mark... Why are you guys here?" Gregory watched their interaction in silent, slightly fidgeting the strap of his bag as he watched them. "We were showing the new kid where's the English class is. I assumed you're doing the same?" James asked. "Yeah, this is Gregory here. My classmate. He's deaf." She said as if telling what's the date is today is with a smile. "Deaf? He won't last a day here... This place is full of bullies everywhere you go..." Markl said with worry as he eyed the tall boy who stared at him back.
In Gregory's perspective, he thought he saw an angel right in front of him. The ones in the paintings that his mother would hang with the other religious monuments they would all pray everyday. His mouth were slightly agape as he looks at him with surprise. He couldn't believe that an angel was here, on earth.
Connie saw it and couldn't help but frown slightly from behind. Could it be that this boy also had taken interest with her prince charming? "Well then, we'll make sure that he wouldn't get bullied. We're a big friend group and I'm popular so I'm sure they wouldn't bat a single eye when they found out we took him under our wings." Maurie explained to her brother. "As if you're any better." He retorted back, "You're a complete bad influence to him." Her eyes twitched as she itched to slap his face but didn't dared to. Instead, she changed the topic,"Anyways, are you guys also in English class this hour?" "Nah, we're just taking the newbie on this class. She's your classmate and she and your brother became friends immediately." James answered as he pointed at Connie who was awkwardly standing there, listening to every topic they spoke as if time is running slowly.
"I see. Well, the more the merrier! Come on, let me guide you two inside. The two of them can do their thing! See ya later, James!" She waved at them while dragging the poor awkward teens who's letting everything happen in their way. "You can him bid goodbye yet you can't even look at your own brother with a force smile?" Markl complained but it went unheard which makes him huff and dragged James by his hood. "You guys are childish, seriously..." James said while chuckling. Clearly liking it when the siblings fight.
"She's childish, I'm not. We're different." Markl sulked and James hanged his arm on the other's shoulder as if making a side hug, "But you are acting like a kid right now. Do you want your grandma's head pats? Poor kid!" He teased as he dodged Markl's hits and run away towards their next class. "Get back here, you idiot!!!"
****
Maurie glanced at the deaf boy's notes and saw his handwriting, "Woah, you write so neat! I never knew any boy that can write so neat other than my brother!" She whispered with delight but Gregory didn't even hear it which makes her cover her mouth. "Oops, I did it again... I forgot... Ah, I shouldn't have let my blabbermouth work in this situation..." She whispered to herself but the boy besides them heard it and almost laugh as he realises that she was talking to a deaf person.
She frowned yet there's a tiny of pink on her cheeks. That was rude. Real rude. She didn't know is he was laughing because of her mistakes or the way she was trying to spark interaction with a "freak". Gregory noticed her and tapped her shoulder as if to say 'What's wrong?' Maurie smiled again and wrote at the back of her own notebook and then gave it to him. Again complimenting his neat handwriting.
He smiled softly. Matching his gentle face that makes him look weak despite being tall. Maurie couldn't help but to think how he looks like a gentle little puppy with its tail all wagging real fast. She spoke quietly yet slow enough for him to understand, "You have such long hair... Longer than James... It suits you. You're lucky that this school doesn't mind if you have long hair..." His eyes sparkled as he recieved another compliment. Nobody has ever said something good to him because of his disability despite trying hard to fit in. His mother doesn't like his long hair either and kept insisting that he should cut it for he looks like a girl.
He signed a 'thank you' which he shouldn't have done because the boy besides them saw it and immediately made fun of him, "Ooooh! He's flirting with you!" Maurie rolled her eyes, "Maybe he's just saying something, clean that dirty mind of yours and study instead."
"What? Can't he say it? Oh, wait! He can't talk!" He laughs quietly with his friends but Maurie just found them annoying. "Deaf. Not mute. Learn the difference before bullying someone, dimwit." They got quiet before rolling his eyes and talking trash behind their back. Saying that she's just a dumb blonde who does nothing but to look pretty and is just talking to him because he has looks. They kept whispering to themselves that she will immediately obey to a man that's handsome and so on.
Maurie couldn't hear everything as she wrote. Every single thing that they are saying. She hated those kind of guy that she wanted to scream at them at the top of her lungs but she doesn't want to make a scene. Instead, she tightened her grip on her pen to stable her anger as they continue to talk trash. Gregory saw this. Even though he doesn't know what was going, he can sense the anger that she was feeling. He pats her shoulder and she turned to look at him. She stared at his eyes that has comfort in them and she smiled after that. "I'm okay." She mouthed quietly. "Thank you."