Flood

Chapter 4

It's Monday I rush out the door to toast with jam in hand as I place on my head click, click. My sister takes the front seat as I get in the driver. Closing the door and putting the car in drive, I drive off toward our high school. We arrive at a large building and try to park as I frustratingly shift the car into a spot. I stop the car and open the doors and we get out and walk toward the large bright building. Opal sees some freshmen girls and rushes toward them mingling with them.

I walk into my homeroom in the special-ed room and high-five a few boys as they work on packets of work and various other things. There my teacher allows me to do my work as I spend time studying and asking the staff questions about work. They sign to me and I sign to them then I move on to my next class. A group of boys from the previous class stopped me in the hall. All begin to sign various things.

"Boys settle down," I said "There's a party night you want to join," a short boy with distinct facial features said "Yeah sure" I replied, A boy with blond hair and freckles clenching onto his math and reading work responds "It's just us don't invite the girl," He said another boy looks up for a moment but his gaze quickly leaves me as he says. "Yeah, pizza with girls is not fun". Another with black hair and hazel eyes laughs as he blushes "Sorry that was weird," The boy with papers in his hand holds his shoulder as the other boy tenses up. "We're all weird, the Mad Weirdos," He said.

We all put our hands in the middle as the boy with black hair hesitated. "Come on MAD WEIRDOS," the short boy said. "Yeah Mad Weirdos," He said putting his hand in as we raised it in the air cheering. The final bell rings and we rush to class to continue our day. The first lunch arrives at 10:30 everyone gathers around at the table to eat. We all get out a serving of pizza, a fruit cup, and a box of milk as we gather around the table.

We begin to barter for things we want "I'll give you my fruit cup for a sliver a pizza" The freckled boy said "Deal" I said "I'll trade my milk for a fruit cup" The boy with black hair asked me "Is it white or chocolate" I asked "White" "Deal" I said "I'll trade your chocolate milk for a fruit cup" the short boy said "How about the white and half my crust" I said He nods as we all make our deals and being to eat. After lunch, we head to our next classes. Then another.

1:45 snack break I head to the cafe where they hand out celery with ranch and granola bars. "Choice one," the elderly lunch lady said to me as I picked up Celery and took it to my table. The other boys walk toward the seat and we bring our wagers. "I just want the ranch in exchange for my bar." The kid with Black hair said, "That's it?" I asked "Ok," I said handing him the ranch as he handed me a chocolate peanut butter bar. "I want your celery stick in exchange for a granola bar," The short boy said, "Ok," I said, "I want a granola bar for a ranch packet" The freckled-faced boy demanded, "Ok sure," I said handing him a bar. "I want the ranch packet for a granola bar," The kid with brown hair said "How did he have another bar? Wait how do you have" he tips over his bag showing several food items he's been waging from other students. We all laugh

He was always a clever boy. "So did you barter or steal them? '' The boy with freckles jokes? "Little bit of both," he said "Frankly I figured out a system on how to scam people for products as I did with your Ranch packets in the school supply chain are worth fifty cents while a bar is with thirty and the fresher the ranch the more I can inflate the price of the product, but I'm just a shy kid from the Florida Keys"

"You should get into marketing Dan," The Freckled boy said "Thank Asher but I know I'm a conman" Dan replied he put his things away as everyone placed a wager. I open my bar and take a bite. Everyone gets up and heads to their final class as we all take notes and I text Mom about the party. She doesn't respond. I continued to read the textbook. I look up at the clock. Everyone stands up as it's time to go. I head outside and wait for my sister. There she walked out with some people and came toward me.

"Ready?" I asked she nodded as we walked to our Jeep and drove off. When we arrived home, I turned the key in the door and entered. I turn on the TV. and watch. After the episode ends I turn it off and begin my work. Mom walks through the door and kisses my head. She sits down next to me as I keep working. Soon a tap on my shoulder.

"Jasper" she signed "Your devices are off," she said "Yeah I know" I signed "How long have they been off" she demanded I knew I had to lie if I told her the truth she'd not let me go to the party. "When I left school" I replied. Mom smiled. I smiled too though I knew I'd just clicked them into my head and nothing more, not even turning them on today. "Good, I'm proud of you Jasper," She said.

"Thanks, Mom," I replied. She turned on the devices "Leave them on for the rest of the night, ok we have a party to go to," she said I smiled "Ok" I replied we got in the car. I sat on the passenger side and headed to a house close by. Where I see the three other boys on the lawn by the fire with boxes of pizza slices waiting for me. She short boy runs over screaming in his low raspy voice as he says. "JASPER" Asher walks over to me and pats me on the back as Dan says "The fire is too hot" I chuckle and walk over to the fire, pick up a stick and a bag of marshmallows, and begin to cook.

Dan gave me his burned marshmallow "It's burnt" he said "I like it golden brown" he said Dan handed it to me and I replied "Thanks". We eat the pizza and begin to talk about our struggles. "Homework hard they give me word problems cause they know I struggle with those," Asher said "Yeah school is super hard at the end of the day I need a nap cause I have to pretend to be this person I'm not and all the noise, touch, taste, smells, it's annoying," Dan said

"You don't like the noise either," I asked Dan "Yeah it feels like physical pain in my ears," Dan said. I sighed. I feel the same way Everyone looks at me. "Since I got my cochlear implants I feel like the world is in physical pain," I said Dan nodded, and then the small boy Asher looked at Dan and then at me. "It's called sensory overload your body can't handle all the sounds you experiencing so it turns it into an overwhelmingly painful experience," he said

Everyone goes quiet. "Really?" I asked everyone to cover my ears as the jumble of voices squirmed in my brain. "Yeah really," Dan said. "If it's too loud, turn them off," The short boy said. I smile a nod "You know you're right" The boys cheer as I put my hands to the devices and I 3.2.1. Click silences. The boys gather around the fire and wrestle. I join in as we turn around the house laughing, being children. We light up sticks and run around howling like dogs then we throw them in the water. Parents arrive one by one as it's just me and Asher who remain. As my mom's car drives toward me, I turn on my hearing aids.

Asher holds my shoulder as I look at him and say "I'll be ok" I said He hugs me. I walk toward the Jeep and get in he signs to me. Goodbye, I sign thank you. We drove off. "Did you have a nice time?" Mom asked "Yeah I did," I replied "Good, maybe if you keep it up with the hearing aids you can have a nice time with other people," She said "What," I asked. Mom stops at a sign. "I mean I'm sure those guys are holding you back" Mom replied. "I like Asher, Dan, and Jakob," I remarked. Mom turns and says nothing.

She'd never gotten to know them, they'd never been to my house, they'd never been to church with me but I felt mom didn't take the time to get to know me or my friends. The rest of the ride remains dark, somber, and loud. We enter the driveway and I walk into the house storming to my room. I scream into my pillow then turn off the implants looking at the stars for a moment as I drift off to sleep rather quickly still in my day clothes. I wake up at dawn to start the same thing over again. Proverbs 27:9 TPT

Sweet friendships refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy, for good friends are like the anointing oil that yields the fragrant incense of God's presence.