Dear Little Deaf Boy

Chapter 8 - Study Buddy

Chapter 8 - Study Buddy

I hated silence. It was truly unbearable. I shifted in my seat, letting out an exaggerated sigh as I twirled my pencil around my manicured fingers.

Detention wasn't full. Only four of us sat there, which wasn't surprising. We didn't have a school full of troublemakers, which made it boring. It's why we relied so heavily on petty drama and gossip. Most kids saved their antics for when teachers weren't around, so the real troublemakers were smart. My mom used to say empty rooms echo your real thoughts. I never liked how loud mine sounded. That's why it was easier to talk. I said whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, because when I sat with my thoughts too long, I got to thinking. And that wasn't fun either.

Somehow, I always found myself stuck in detention with a girl who was late too many times, a guy who slept through class, and a dumb football jock who'd taken one too many blows to the head.

We weren't the Breakfast Club. I wished we were. At least then we'd get to watch a movie. Instead, we were each other's entertainment. Poor substitutes, truly.

That was Lexi, in for tardies. Not social, which explained why she was never in a rush to get to school in the first place. Then there was Titus, actually pretty smart, but he had something to prove. He thought being smart was lame, so he played dumb, always going too far when Finn egged him on. He even almost ate our class pet once because Finn dared him to. And then there was Todd, who could sleep through a hurricane, always in his baggy hair, oversized tees, and house shoes.

And then there was me.

If you asked anybody why I was always in detention, it was probably because I never treated class like a classroom. I did my nails, my hair, I slept, I talked, I disrupted. Because I hated being bored. It's the most insufferable thing ever, which is ironic, because detention is the most boring place of them all. Most days I survived it by groaning dramatically or throwing pencil shavings at Todd until I ran out of erasers.

Mr. Tide, the teacher babysitting us, was most likely rewatching The Crown on his laptop. He always got super invested, and whenever you interrupted him he turned tyrannical, like he wanted to reenact the monarchy. He was one of those teachers who hadn't planned on teaching but realized he had nothing else to do.

I got up and walked over to his desk. He was too glued to the screen to notice.

"Mr. Tide," I said. No answer.
"Mr. Tide." Nothing.
"Mr. Tide."

Finally, his frustrated eyes snapped up from the laptop. "What, Ms. Pines? I am on season three."

I leaned over, curious. "Oh, come on, we all know he cheats on his wife. Again."

He slammed the laptop shut.

I grinned. "So, can I go now?"

"Of course not. We still have..." He checked his watch. "An hour left."

I clutched my stomach dramatically. "But it's an emergency. A womanly emergency." I sank to the floor. "The pain. The agony."

He stiffened, eyes darting. Everyone else stared, wide-eyed.

"Fine. Fine, you can go."

My tears vanished instantly. I popped up. "Really?"

"Just handle your business before detention next time."

"Got it." I scooped up my bag, ignoring the glares, and skipped out of the room, grinning.

The hallways were empty, the exit door heavy as I pushed through. Wind rushed against my face and the air felt fresh after the stale silence of room 407. The parking lot was nearly empty, just a few cars from the swim team kids still practicing.