Silent {g.m}

Chapter 1

   I lean back in my chair, staring at the clock on the wall. One more minute, and I could leave this horrible place for the day. I glance around the classroom, while the classmates who were once looking at me, look away quickly. I roll my eyes. It's been four years since I transferred to this school, you'd think they'd get over me by now! 

   The clock strikes 3:15, and students rise from their seats, gathering their things. I jump up and rush out of the back of the classroom, eager to escape this prison as quickly as I can. People are already in the hallways, but I shove past them. Some probably say some stuff to me, but I can't hear them. Others glare at me, but I ignore them. I finally get past the large crowd of students that had joined together in the hallway, and stumble towards my locker. 

   I pull my chain off my neck, my hair falling to the side in the process, and stick the cheetah printed key with my initials IC on the front and back into the key hole. At the beginning of the year, when we got our keys for our lockers, I received permission to customize it. With a turn, I pushed the lock off my locker and pull the door open. Inside, my galaxy print back pack hung on a hook against the left side of my locker. My binders for each class sat neatly at the bottom, and on the top shelf sat my books. There wasn't many, since a couple of my teachers didn't trust highschoolers with their books.

   Someone taps my shoulder and I turn. My best friend, Mandy, smiles at me. I smile back, then return to my locker. I place my binder at the bottom, on top of my ASL binder, and stack my science book on top of my history book. I grab my bag off the hook and throw it over my shoulder, slamming my locker door shut in the process. Mandy takes my lock from my hands and closes it around the small holes attached to my locker, locking it. I put my necklace back around my neck, pull my hair out from under it, then head towards the front doors. 

   Once we're free of the school, and out into the open air, Mandy starts talking about some cute guy in her biology class, her hands flying everyone as she explains him. I watch her with smile, trying to imagine the boy she was head over heels for. She's been talking about this boy since the first day of school, and I've teased her countless times about the crush she has on him. But, of course, she denies it. 

   And I think his eyeliner makes him so… Hot, she signs, smiling at the ground. 

   You so have a crush on him, I sign back, teasing her. She glares at me out of the corner of her eye, which makes me laugh again. I feel the vibration in my chest as I laugh, and it tickles. But that's the only way I know I am laughing, since I can't hear anything. 

   Tasha said it's totally unfair for us to be in the ASL class, Mandy signs with a smirk. I roll my eyes. Tasha Reed is the popular girl who's step brother is in some boy band. I've heard of his boy band, IM5, and Mandy talks about them a lot, but I couldn't pick them out in a crowd. 

    She only says that because were pros at it, I reply with a shrug. I stop in front of Back Yard Burgers and feel my stomach rumble. I turn to Mandy and rub my hand against my stomach, then point to the burger place beside me. She shakes her head. 

     I have tons of homework to do, so I can't stay. See you at later, Bella. We wave goodbye, then go our separate ways. I push through the glass doors of the restaurant and head straight for the counter. One of the workers recognize me and hand me a picture menu. I smile at him, then glance down at the menu. 

    When I know what I want, I lay the menu down on the counter and hold up 5 fingers. "Everything on the burger?" the man asks. I watch his lips move slowly, which is how all of the workers talk when they talk to me. I look back up at the man and nod. He smiles and taps in the order, then tells me my total is 3.97.