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abash
noun
to cause embarrassment
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Annoyed is a word that —if she wasn't silent— Kaitlyn would use a lot. She finds herself to be in places that she would rather not be in a lot. For instance one day when she went to her classes and someone was following her around.
That said someone wasn't a very favorable someone, either. No, it was not Dallon, but one of the people that would antagonize Kaitlyn every time she saw her. You'd think said antagonizer would have something better to do. Maybe she could go get her education that she's paying for instead of chasing Kaitlyn around with the most barbaric insults she could think of.
Kaitlyn was used to it, though. The fact that people would antagonize her for her temporary inability to speak was annoying and cruel, but the embarrassment was all too familiar. And no, she wasn't going to give in to the taunting. She made a pact with herself. No voice until the semester was over. That was final.
After lectures, Kaitlyn tried to make her way to her dorm, but was constantly being pestered. She was surprised to notice that antagonizers hadn't chased her to the dorm hall, and instead only stopped at the courtyard. Before she could walk in, Dallon approached her.
"Hey," he said.
Kaitlyn only just then remembered the headphones she had in and yanked them out. She flashed him a smile, then opened the door to the dormitories for both him and herself.
"How were your classes? Were they okay? Did you have any problems? I can solve them," Dallon said within one intake of breath. When Dallon noticed how confused Kaitlyn was, he faltered. "Sorry about my edge," he said. "I just wanted to make sure no one was bullying you."
"You have no idea," Kaitlyn wanted to say. Instead she sighed and rolled her eyes.
"So, I'm guessing someone was bullying you? Who?" Again, Dallon noticed how idiotic it was to ask a question like that, as Kaitlyn wouldn't have been able to respond so specifically. "I'm sorry," he said.
Kaitlyn noticed Dallon's disconcerted expression and smiled at him. She reached up to him and patted his red-hot cheeks. Usually, gestures like that were defined as tranquil or forgiving. It was what her mom did every time Kaitlyn made a mistake.
When Kaitlyn walked into her dorm, Dallon followed suit. "I think I have an idea," he said. Kaitlyn invited Dallon to sit on her couch, which he gladly did, and finished his idea. "How about I ask you random questions and you'll reply with 'yes', or you'll reply with 'no'. Is that cool?"
After Kaitlyn nodded, Dallon paused to think of a question. "I forgot what I was going to ask," he mumbled with a giggle. After about a minute, Dallon piped up again. "Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked.
Kaitlyn couldn't help but burst into a fit of laughter. "What kind of question is that?" she thought. When she noticed that Dallon's disconcerted expression returned, she composed herself. With a light cough, Kaitlyn shook her head.
Maybe Dallon would have had the guts to ask Kaitlyn out if she hadn't laughed at him. Then again, that'd be dumb. Kaitlyn and Dallon had only known each other for about a week. What kind of lonely loser did something like that?
"Okay," Dallon mumbled. "What about siblings? Do you have any of those?"
Kaitlyn's dark eyes were like crystals when Dallon asked that. Kaitlyn loved her family. Living without them was purgatory. She had a bright, toothy smile on as she excitedly nodded at Dallon.
It was good to see Kaitlyn so happy. Just like her laugh, her smile was contagious.
The rest of the day was entertaining. Dallon and Kaitlyn had really started bonding together. They'd introduced each other to new shows on Netflix and watched some of their favorite movies. Kaitlyn had never met a nicer person, and Dallon could say the same.
