The Impeccable Infinity

Chapter 25

When I walked past Mute's room this morning, I was surprised to see him sitting on his floor, laying awards and trophies across the ground and wrapping them in bubble wrap before placing them in a cardboard box.

"What are you doing?" I asked while sitting down in front of the box.

"Packing up some things."

"But you still have two weeks. Do you have to start packing this early?"

"Haley, I want to get this over with as soon as possible."

I watched as he folded the bubblewrap around a baseball covered in signatures and placed in carefully inside the box.

"You want to pack quickly so you can leave and forget about living here?" I asked, feeling upset at the thought of him wanting to forget everything we've been through.

"I'm packing quickly because I don't want to remember this part. I want to forget the part in our lives where I leave you here."

I smiled at him as he continued to keep his focus on finding the start of the tape of the tape dispenser. He narrowed his eyes and bit his lip as he tried to untangle it.

I picked up on of the trophies lying on the ground and turned it over. A figure of a person kicking a soccer ball was sculpted in metal, and below it was the listed credits on a small plaque.

I looked closer and ran my finger across the imprinted letters. The name of a high school, a school year and season, and a first and last name was carved in at the bottom of it.

"Who's Ace Asher?" I asked while grabbing a sheet of bubblewrap to cover the trophy in.

Mute smirked and stopped writing across a box with a permanent marker. He started to chuckle, which led to laughing, which then led to crying from laughing so hard.

What did I say? I don't see what's so funny about that.

"What?" I asked while placing the trophy in the box with the others.

"You'd like a lot him sweetheart."

"Why? How would you know that."

"Haley, I'm Ace Asher."

"You're Ace?" I asked.

I widened my eyes as he nodded his head and began to laugh again. I wanted to correct him and tell him to stop lying, but then I realized I never really did ask Mute what his real name was. I always just called him what the rest of the kids called him, and I guess he just went with it.

"Why didn't you tell me? I would've started calling you Ace, like, I don't know, months ago!"

"I wanted to see how long you'd go before you realized it wasn't my real name. Besides, all of the other kids called me it so I didn't see any reason to stop it."

"So, your real name's Ace Asher?"

"Yup."

"What a name."

"What's the supposed to mean Haley Huntley?" He asked, emphasizing my name.

"I'm just saying I've never heard a name like that. It's just really unique. It sounds kind of like a celebrity's name."

"A celebrity?"

"Yea. Like someone who does stunts in an action movie."

"Haley, what are you talking about?" He asked, causing me to laugh at the fact that I was daydreaming about a fake life I've imagined for Mute.

Once we were finished laughing, we went back to wrapping the trophies and packing them in cardboard boxes. After a long silence, I began to talk again.

"So Ace, what are you doing today?"

"Nothing. But tonight at dinner I'm going to tell the rest of the family that I'm leaving. Ruth already knows, but the rest of the kids don't. And don't call me Ace, I like it when you call me Mute."

"You're going to talk?" I asked, my jaw dropping from yet another surprise Mute has told me today.

"Yea. I thought I might as well, I might not see them much after I leave, so there's really no threat about being forced to talk."

"But you're still going to see me a lot once you leave, right?"

"Of course. Haley, we already talked about this. I'm not leaving you behind," he said with a wink which caused me to laugh.

We finished packing away the trophies and writing the final label on the box in marker. I placed a thick strip of tape across the top to secure the opening shut. Mute put the box off to the side and let out a long breath.

"Well, I'll see you tonight. Let me know if you need help with telling them," I said, opening the door to leave.

"Hey, Haley?"

"Yea?"

"Thank you. For everything," he said, looking back down at the carpeted floor and blushing.

"No problem. And thank you for being one of the most important people in my life."

I was filled with instant regret right after I finished my sentence. My face burned red and I bit my tongue to keep myself from talking anymore.

He's going to know now. That one sentence just told him everything I've thought about him since we first met. Now, he knows everything I feel. Great.

Mute kept his head locked on the ground, but looked up at me with a smile and a small laugh.

"Thank you for being the most important person in my life," he said, now straightening up.

We smiled at each other but I could see the panic in Mute's eyes. It must be just as hard to trust people for him as it is for me because he coughed to break the silence and went back to his desk to organize it after telling me that he'll see me later.

I smirked as he turned his back to me while I left the room, leaving Mute alone to finish putting away everything. He may not have said straight out how he felt, but I could still tell he feels the same way I do. And one day, when he's fully ready to trust me, he'll tell me exactly what he wanted to admit to me just now. From a person who's anxious and has trust issues, I can understand that it takes time to have faith in someone. I've only had that problem for a few months, but Mute's lived like that for years.

Some things take time. And that's why with Mute, I'll give him all of the time in the world. Although he's moving out, I know he'll never leave me behind. I have enough faith and trust in him to know he'll keep that promise.