Mute

1- Music Store

"Why won't you talk to us!?" My mother screams through the phone. I don't reply, I never do.

I sigh and end the call, I don't know why I even bothered to answer the call in the first place. I wasn't going to talk anyway, I can't. Well, I probably could if I tried hard enough.

It's been a year since I last spoke. I remember the day so clearly. It was the night of my graduation from university, I was out with a group of friends and they were all drunk, except for me. I was picked to be the sober driver. I kind of wish I was drunk and can't remember the night properly.

A stupid argument arose about who was smarter, judging by our degrees. Till this day I still don't know why it was even brought up.

Me having a degree in math, teaching and the arts, I wanted to avoid anyone getting upset. I tried to change the subject by mentioning how our favourite bands should be coming to town soon, once of my many drunk friends stood up, not realising how embarrassing they were being. "Are you just scared of being the stupidest, I don't even know how you got your degree, you couldn't even manage to do a speech in high school without ending up in tears" They mention. "I feel sorry for the kids that get you as their teacher" Another one adds. I wasn't necessarily the most liked person, I was shy, good at school and didn't really say much to anyone in groups. I didn't really need to.

So I guess they just made me realise that I didn't really need to talk to anyone. I could get what I wanted across without having to talk, so really what was the point? If I didn't speak out, I wouldn't have to worry about people getting annoyed at me for talking or anything. So really who knows if going to University was worth it, I might not even use it.

So here I am now dealing with parents who don't understand and want to help me.

After Uni I moved into an apartment and tried to find a job that didn't involve talking to anyone at all costs. I managed to get a job at a record shop, how I haven't had to speak to anyone, I do not know.

The manager knows that I don't like to speak, it was kind of strange having to do a job interview by writing down on a whiteboard, but I got the job. Just organising albums and whatever new stuff comes in. It may seem boring but usually, I just have headphones on and stay out of the way of most people. It's not bad pay and it gives me something to do during the week.

One of those days being today. I eventually unwrap myself from my layer of blankets and head to get changed into something that looks cool and hipster. Yes, I have to look cool at my job. Even if I want to be ignored and left to do my job, I still have to look presentable just in case someone needs me.

Today this means wearing a high waisted skirt, a cropped button-up shirt, suspenders and a cute little bow tie. I find a matching pair of glasses and head to the bathroom to do my hair and teeth. My hair takes barely 5 minutes as one side of my hair is shaved short and the other hangs just past my ears. After fluffing the poof of hair up, I walk past the kitchen. Grabbing an apple and headphones before I walk out the door.

The short walk to the record store only takes around 15 minutes. The stores usually quite quiet considering it's basically in the centre of L.A. It goes through busy periods through holidays.

As soon as the bell chimes as I walk into the shop, I hear the manager greet me. "Morning Pen, I see you're rocking the Doctor Who outfit today!" She chirps before giving me a quick hug. I smile lightly and hug back. She always tries to make me feel not left out, we've basically come up with our own little language of hand signals. Clara has basically become my best friend. Even if we don't talk in person, we message a lot. She always finds a way around my silence.

"Are you gonna get tickets to Twenty One Pilots?" She asks casually after handing me a new box of albums to sort. I look at her confused and wait for her to explain. "They're playing here in a few weeks" She adds before mentioning that she really wants to go.

I nod and she walks off to do whatever manager stuff is on her 'to do' list for today.

Maybe I should go to the concert but large groups of people make me uncomfortable. But TØP.

Ugh, I have a lot of thinking to do, I could maybe just stay away from everyone and hopefully not seem creepy or insane. Or I could just stay home and watch Netflix and watch the concerts online.

At this moment I don't really know what is the best option for me.
But I need to figure that out soon before I could possibly miss the chance.