Speechless (GRETHAN)

Chapter 5: A New Friend

Ethan Dolan

After attempting to make multiple conversations with Grayson Bailey over the weekend, there came a point where he stopped responding to my text messages. Initially, I believed him to be caught up in household chores or studies but I never got a reply from that boy. To add to it, he ran from me this morning just adding to my suspicions. Call me clingy but I wanted to know just what was happening.

After English class, I headed to his desk but Grayson beat me to it. He escaped and I didn't see him after that. My mind was ravaging through scenarios that probably didn't exist. Why was he avoiding me? Did I offend him? Hurt him? I just want to talk, Grayson.

School ended and I was running all over the property in search of that boy. "Hey, have you seen Grayson?",I helplessly asked a bunch of girls from my class, out of breath, as they headed in my direction.

"Who?",questioned one of them.

"Gra...Grayson Bailey." I stated his whole name yet they all gave confused looks to each other. As much as I didn't want to bring it up, they pushed my limits of desperation until I said it. "The mute guy in our class."

"Oh, that dumb kid?",asked another.

At that moment, I couldn't contemplate the series of emotions raging through me but I decided to go with anger, completely putting aside their stupidity. "Such a bitch.",I muttered under my breath, furrowing my eyes at her. I shook my head in disgust and continued making my way down the hallway. For the record, nobody should ever call Grayson dumb or they'd face me. Everyone in this school was a douche. Engrossed in their fake, dramatic, teenage and totally-not-Instagram-worthy lives. It was long enough until I found Grayson sitting on the bleachers; needless to mention all by himself.

"Great work running from me.",I called out, catching my breath as I sat down beside him. Poor guy jumped a yard. He had been sketching the school's football ground in a book that sat neatly on his lap. Tugging his lips between his two set of teeth, he continued to draw until I called out his name. He smiled nervously as I sat down beside him. "Why have you been avoiding me?"

'I need to go, Ethan. I'll see you some other time.' said his typed message.

"Grayson, please don't go. Did I offend you in any way? Have I made you uncomfortable?" I was practically sitting ducks awaiting his response. His face displayed emotions of sadness as always and I just wanted to do something to bring a smile on his chubby face. His hair fell between his eyes and he jerked his head to move them.

'You've done enough for me. Things no one ever did.'

"Why are you avoiding me?" Second time I asked the same...

He let out a sigh and spent a while typing, leaving my body to shudder in the cool September breeze. The two minutes he spent typing his response was freakishly long.

'Ethan, you're an amazing person but truth be told, I'm not one of the type of people you should hang out with. I'm lonely and I've been this way a while now. You deserve to be with other people who can freely communicate with you....I'm clearly not in that position. You are blessed with a lot and you needn't waste your time on someone like me. I could never match up to you and trust me, you'll grow bored of me in some time. I'm not quite the person that someone would call as 'friend'. I could simply never fit in.' He smiled as he handed me his iPhone.

My mouth fell open and I didn't know what hurt more—his words or the pain-filled smile he passed me at the end. I swear his words almost brought tears to my eyes, not because of some touchiness but because they hurt. Yeah, they fucking hurt my feelings. I shifted closer to him and I warmly put my arm around his shoulder.